Ahmed Johnson Says Shawn Michaels & Steve Austins Racism Cost Him Opportunities In WWE
Ahmed Johnson was a force to be dealt with during his run with WWE. He was a massive man with unbelievable strength and charisma as well. Fans seemed to rally behind Johnson, but the WWE office apparently didn’t feel the same way. Apart from one run with the Intercontinental Title, Ahmed Johnson was kept off the top of the card to a great extent.
While speaking to Why It Ended, Johnson revealed that the backstage atmosphere of racism from Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin is what he believes really held him back in WWE.
“I was supposed to work against Shawn for the World Championship, but that kept getting pushed back further and further. There were people getting hurt and different things happening. I believe that if things would have went by the book the way the wanted to I would have probably been World Champion.”
“I do think that it was behind my back, not just from what Shawn was saying, but some other racist boys were saying, I really do.”
“Because with the things I heard from some of the boys about what Shawn was saying about handing over the belt to an African American and this, that, and the other. Then when I won the [Intercontental] belt, someone scratched, ‘Congratulations N*gger’ on my car — on my rental car.”
“Then you got some people saying it was Shawn, some saying it was Steve [Austin]. I don’t know which one it was but they were all too cowardly to stand up to it.”
Ahmed Johnson said that other African American wrestlers were very upset about this as well. He said the topic was talked about backstage with Ron Simmons and others who were tired of the treatment, but there was nothing they could really do.
Johnson said The Kliq took it too far and still kept their top positions in WWE. Eventually, Ahmed Johnson would leave WWE and the folks who he says gave him so much trouble seem to still be around WWE playing pretty important roles.
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December 26, 2018 9:02 am
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