THE WWE has been embroiled in a row after champion Jinder Mahal made several ‘racist jokes’ about Japanese rival Shinsuke Nakamura.
The wrestling star was making a promo with sidekick duo the Singh Brothers on Tuesday’s SmackDown Live when he caused the storm at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, US.
The Indian WWE Champion upset the home crowd so much with the remarks, they started chanting “that’s too far” in the middle of his five-minute speech.
He made a number of shocking statements, including saying “you always ‘rook’ the same”, before mocking the Japanese ace’s facial expressions and accent.
Mahal also referred to him as ‘Mr Miyagi’ from hit movie The Karate Kid, while the Singh Brothers laughed in hysterics and mimicked martial arts moves.
The WWE said in a statement: “Just like many other TV shows or movies, WWE creates programming with fictional personalities that cover real world issues and sensitive subjects.
“As a producer of such TV shows, WWE Corporate is committed to embracing and celebrating individuals from all backgrounds as demonstrated by the diversity of our employees, performers and fans worldwide.”
Spectators in the stadium were even heard shouting “that’s racist” at Mahal during the promo, which was brushed under the carpet by the WWE.
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Fans took to social networking sites to blast the speech, fuming at the dreadful writing by the company.
What is more ironic is Mahal is even perceived as a baddie, as he feels people do not like him because he is from India.
Some supporters have even threatened to boycott the show after Mahal's comments.
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