Booker T appeared on the latest episode of his The Hall of Fame podcast this week and addressed the controversy regarding NXT wrestler Jordan Myles and the planned design for his first official t-shirt with the company. On Sunday Myles took to social media to reveal the design and called out the company (namely Vince McMahon and Triple H) for being racially insensitive. WWE responded with a statement saying that Myles collaborated with them and approved of the shirt, but Myles denied their claims in another run of tweets by saying that he told them about his concerns but was ignored.
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No versions of the shirt were ever sold, but Myles has not relented on his position. The two-time WWE Hall of Famer gave his honest thoughts on the situation, starting off by giving insight into how new wrestling shirts are made.
“I’ve been in WWE, I’ve been apart of the company since [2001], and I’ve had several t-shirts,” Booker said. “And every I’ve had a t-shirt, all the way up to the hall of fame, they came up to me and gave me several different designs. Even going back to WCW, every time I’ve had a t-shirt I was always a part of the process. Every time I knew exactly what it was going to look like. Therefore, I don’t know how this t-shirt got out without him knowing about it first and foremost.
He then pointed out how, once the controversy started, people immediately looked to him and Mark Henry for their thoughts.
“It’s not our job to step up and defend Jordan Myles over his t-shirt,” he said. “One thing I can say, it’s not a good looking t-shirt. It’s an ugly shirt, I can say that. The t-shirt has a black background to it, 90 percent of the shirts that are made have a black background to it. Did it look like black face? Maybe to some people on social media said that. There’s a lot of negative people on social mediathat are looking for anything they can possibly find to make racial. It happens all the time. Is it a racially-driven concept of a t-shirt? Me personally, in 2019, I cannot think the guys went into it thinking, ‘Let’s make a racial shirt about Jordan Myles.’ A lot of people may think, but I just don’t think the firestorm is not worth going through this.”
Booker then took issue with how Myles handeled the situation by taking it to social media
“Your business and your job is your business, with that company. It’s not for the world to come in. I don’t know when the last time someone on social media signed my check,” Booker said. “… They have no reason to be in my life from a busines aspect. And I’m venting a little bit right now because I’m a little hot about it because my name has been thrown in it. Something like this, if it does come up, it should be handled, and handled behind closed doors. Now I’ve had many racial issues I’ve dealt with in this business, and not a one of them have been on social media. I’ve never complained to social media about any racial situation I’ve been in. And I’ll tell you right now, anybody that knows me in this business, knows Booker T, they know exactly what I’ve gone through and how I’ve handled every situation There has never been a racial issue that has gone over my head or I’ve swept under the rug. Every time anyone has said anything racial to me, I’ve handled it.”
He also criticized Myles for calling Ring of Honor’s Jay Lethal an “Uncle Tom” in a since-deleted tweet.
Myles has not appeared on WWE television since mid-September.
