Gail Kim Believes Vince McMahon 'Just Doesn't Get It' When It Comes To WWE's Diversity Issues
Kim is frustrated but is glad the discussions are happening
Nov 24, 2021
Gail Kim believes WWE Chairman Vince McMahon 'just doesn't get it' when it comes to issues of diversity in his company.
Speculation has often considered the future of WWE post-McMahon and Kim believes the promotion could love much different under a new leader.
During an appearance on Wrestling With Stereotypes, Kim was asked about her opinions of WWE and the use of different talent, and if there was an issue with diversity and representation in the company.
While it was noted that the likes of The New Day, Sasha Banks and Bobby Lashley have enjoyed recent success, Kim feels WWE can still do more to change.
Kim said: "I think that it definitely could change. I don’t know if [Triple H will take over in the future], like is that a known fact? I think that is an assumption, but listen...I’m a firm believer that you’re a product of how you were raised the majority of the time, and I think that Vince just doesn’t get it.
"I’ve heard many times that one of his biggest heroes is Martin Luther King Jr. I’ve heard this from a few people and it’s a known fact, but it still makes me scratch my head in a sense that if he truly believes that, it’s almost ignorance of not knowing that you’re—I think in their minds they may think, ‘Oh, if I hire ethnic people, that makes not racist.’ It’s like that person saying ‘I have a black best friend, so I’m good’, right?
"I mean, if you look at all the Asian wrestlers they have in that company… please give [IMPACT] one of them, I’m begging you! Their only logic, the majority of the time is to put them together and I just don’t understand why you can’t have two individual Asian girls or two black girls who are really talented.
"Take the skin color out, take out the ethnicity, look at their talent and give them a chance to take that ball and run with it. That’s the frustrating part of it all, you know? When I worked at TNA, that was never a question. We never even thought about that Awesome Kong was black and that I was Asian. We never thought about that, it was just me and Kia, you know? Gail and Kia doing their thing.
"Maybe it’s getting better there, but I agree with you. Naomi is a great example; how long has she been there? She’s a great athlete, the fans love her, so why couldn’t she have been the face of the company at one point?
"Those kinds of things irk me a little bit as well, but I guess it’s not a deal-breaker for a lot of fans. I don’t know what to say. It’s a very frustrating thing at times but I’m glad we’re discussing it."
H/T WrestleZone