After WWE issued a statement attempting to absolve themselves of culpability with regards to the Jordan Myles t-shirt design Myles and many others saw as evocative of blackface and minstrelsy, saying the NXT wrestler himself approved the design, Myles has responded.
He tweeted a confirmation he had approved the design, but said he was showed the logo on a white shirt. When placed on a black background, as it was when solicited for sale on WWE.com, Myles wrote that “you can see the racist intentions”. That has since been deleted.
Still up is a post with an email allegedly from WWE Creative Services Talent Coordinator Baker Landon responding to Myles. That indicates their boss, NXT head man Paul “Triple H” Levesque, wanted the design:
When I originally saw the design I was uncomfortable. Rather than addressing the issue I decided to counter offer with another.
— Jordan Myles (@GoGoMyles) October 28, 2019
Baker Landon lied to my face! He said HHH wanted this design so my hands were tied. I spoke with @TripleH in person and his impression was I approved https://t.co/JndOSasTGK
Don’t believe me? Email him and ask him yourself.
— Jordan Myles (@GoGoMyles) October 28, 2019
GFYS Baker! pic.twitter.com/iNfV7aqq6M
Myles then tweeted his thoughts on the entire “WWE system”, including calling out their re-hiring and use of Hulk Hogan after tape was released of the Hall of Famer admitting he was racist and issuing what many felt was a self-serving locker room apology. Myles also posted then deleted a NSFW video clip where he paraphrased Kanye West’s famous critique of President George W. Bush’s response to the impact Hurricane Katrina had on New Orleans’ black population:
THE WHOLE WWE SYSTEM IS FRAUD!
— Jordan Myles (@GoGoMyles) October 28, 2019
THEY CREATED THIS SYSTEM WHERE YOU CANT TRUST ANYONE, YOU GROW COLD, AND YOU GROW APART FROM WHAT YOU LOVE THE MOST!
The fact that @HulkHogan is still employed after giving the locker room an apology for being caught says enough.#ForTheCulture
Finally, he tweeted and deleted a message slamming his former company, Ring of Honor. In that, Myles tagged fellow performers Cedric Alexander and Malcolm Bivens (fka Stokely Hathaway) and attacking Jay Lethal with a derogatory term.
At this point, regardless of where you stand on the shirt design which started this controversy, it’s difficult to see a future where Myles every wrestles for WWE again. The scorched earth nature of his tweets this morning are probably his attempt to ensure he doesn’t have to work for Vince McMahon’s company for much longer. Whether he’s able to achieve that goal when so many others have failed of late, remains to be seen.
Certainly not the end.