Jim Cornette’s resignation from NWA is just step one in a bigger battle in wrestling

Jim Cornette is out of NWA due to his racist comment, but there’s a need for more work to make professional wrestling less open to hateful narratives.

It seems hard for a week to pass before some sort of controversy hits the world of professional wrestling. It’s even worse when said controversy hits those that live within a marginalized space. Just like the majority, fans within minority circles just want to enjoy professional wrestling. Yet, the situation with Jim Cornette and his comments on NWA Powerrr show that there’s a continued need to push those that enable or display such hateful behavior out of the industry.

On Tuesday, Cornette’s name was trending across social media. For those in the know, many immediately wondered “what did he do this time?” Emphasis on the “this time.”

Well, his racist comment involving the terms “fried chicken” and “Ethiopia” on Episode 7 of NWA Powerrr was so disturbing that the show was pulled from YouTube and re-uploaded with that audio scrubbed.

One must wonder how that passed by editing, but that’s another aspect of this story. What resulted is that Cornette “resigned” from the organization and the debate on social media simmered for a day. Now it has died down and we are back to our regularly scheduled conversations about everything else in the industry.

But the question stands: When will this cycle end?

No one was surprised by what Cornette said. Videos are springing up on social media of him using the same line back in 1995 and another clip of him using even more disgusting NSFW language. Yet, he keeps having a platform in the industry. He keeps getting jobs and bookings in the industry.

Cornette isn’t the only one. There is a slew of other personalities in wrestling that have distasteful moments in their background, and while everyone makes mistakes, there’s something to be said when those moments become frequent trends.

Still, they keep occurring. And it’s getting to a point where it’s so very difficult to be a person in a marginalized group and love the industry in the way you’d like. Not when these voices continue to find space and these instances continue to rear their ugly head.

Then who is it up to in order to fix these issues? Everyone involved. Promotions need to stop hiring people like Cornette because of their past. Wrestlers need to call out their peers when they make disgusting comments like using the “N-word” on Twitch. Fans need to report these social media profiles that focus on women’s wrestler’s bodies or attempt to share their hacked photos.

There’s a need for a concerted effort to drive these behaviors out of the sport. Instead, those that are marginalized are often faced with loud counter arguments that are looking to legitimize many of those hateful voices. The ability to hide behind an internet profile and say disgusting things has allowed a space in wrestling that perpetuates the problem.

It’s time for that space to be eradicated because the consistency of these situations is becoming too plentiful.

Professional wrestling is an industry that is meant to be enjoyed by all. Regardless of what some may think, it’s not just for white, straight men. Unfortunately, there’s some in the space that continue to perpetuate narratives counter to that point.

Jim Cornette’s resignation from NWA is just a small victory in a fight that is more and more important as the industry enters a boom period.