WWE News: JTG Talks Racism In WWE, Triple H’s Ego, And More
After being on WWE payroll for several years, former WWE superstar JTG was released from the organization last year. At the time of his release, the Brooklyn, New York, native had been on the roster for nearly eight years. And now, as he continues his career on the independent circuit, JTG isn’t short on words for his former employer.
JTG, whose real name is Jayson Anthony Paul, did an interview with Greg Beckno of WrestlingNews.co to discuss a plethora of topics. Among those topics included his take on racism within the WWE, his opinion on Triple H, and more.
For starters, Paul recently wrote a book about his time in WWE called DAMN! WHY DID I WRITE THIS BOOK? He discussed his time in WWE but sounded vague in certain parts of the book. But in his interview with Beckno, he was a bit more direct. Especially with his thoughts on the ego of WWE COO Triple H.
“In my opinion, if Triple H could put aside his ego and his dislike for a person and focus on business then I think it could probably be a lot better. For example, I don’t think he was a big fan of Zack Ryder. Zack Ryder did everything he could to get over and he got over and when he was in MSG [at Survivor Series 2011] and The Rock was there and they were chanting Zack Ryder’s name. I wasn’t in New York [at the time] but my buddy told me that he went to Survivor Series and he was on the train and they were chanting for Zack Ryder. That was the perfect time to take advantage and make some money off of Zack Ryder. That was the perfect underdog story and it was all thrown to the side because he wasn’t favored by Hunter.”
Additionally, JTG also claims that not only was Ryder’s push viewed in a negative light by the fans of WWE, but it lowered the morale of the entire locker room.
“When you see someone try so hard to get noticed…you know Zack Ryder busted his ass and he got a lot of respect backstage and from the boys in the locker room. He got so much respect for getting over on his own and not needing the machine to push him. He got a little push but they buried him. That put a black eye on the morale in the locker room. It was like damn, if he did all that it kind of makes everybody not even wanna try.”
As for himself, JTG was in a tag team called Cryme Tyme. The duo was featured prominently on a few occasions, but never won tag team gold. In JTG’s recollection, he claims that the team had a lot of “heat” on them for several different reasons during their stint.
In fact, after being released in 2007, JTG and Shad returned to WWE a second time in 2008. However, JTG says the heat on the team throughout their run, on both competitors, could be a bit much.
“We had heat from the day we stepped foot into the WWE doors. Man, there’s no such thing as Shad. That’s how it is in the wrestling business when you’re in a tag team. Even if you look up stories about The Rockers. Sometimes Marty Jannetty would get into trouble but The Rockers felt the brunt of it and it was the same thing with Shad. When Shad did something then Cryme Tyme felt it and vice versa. If I did something then Cryme Tyme felt it.
Cryme Tyme reunited on the independent circuit last year and will likely continue to team sporadically on the indies. However, the 30-year-old JTG and his partner, Shad, were able to live out a childhood dream of wrestling for the biggest promotion in the world.
A promotion that has sometimes been accused of being racist through the gimmicks certain wrestlers portray. And for JTG, while he is hesitant to make any outright remarks, he does sound as if he believes that African-Americans have a ceiling in WWE.
“I’m not gonna say it doesn’t exist anymore. I don’t believe WWE is racist. Right now they have the tag team champions Kofi Kingston and Big E and Xavier Woods. I wouldn’t say that they’re [WWE] racist but there’s definitely a system in place, that I believe…this is my opinion, that African American, black Superstars, can go so far. That’s from what I’ve seen and that’s my perception because as of right now to this day I’ve never seen a black WWE Champion. Not the title from WCW, I’m talking about the WWE Championship. I haven’t seen a black face of the company.”
[Image via WWE]
