As you probably heard, Jim Cornette recently lost his job commentating for NWA Powerrr because he made a joke about Ethiopian people and friend chicken. The joke was pretty clearly racist, although some have claimed that it was just a joke about hungry people dying in a famine, which still seems like some questionable subject matter.
The thing is, Jim Cornette has been in the wrestling business for a long time, and he’s known and worked with a lot of people, many of whom consider him a friend and not all of whom are white. Mark Henry, for example is a legendary black wrestler and WWE Hall Of Famer who credits Jim Cornette with helping him early in his career. However, Henry’s reaction to Cornette’s NWA Powerrr comments was not to defend him. Quite the opposite.
TMZ Sports asked Mark Henry what he thought about what Cornette said, and the World’s Strongest Man was pretty direct about his feelings:
It just hurts, man. As much as I can say, I’m disappointed and I hope that he can try to fix this. But, some people just don’t like people of color.
I would say, “Jim … please apologize, and mean it, and if you don’t mean it, then go all the way Darth Vader and tell us you just don’t like black people.” At least I know who you are. And, then I can get rid of this feeling that I have in my heart. It’s like having your mother or father disown you. I feel like a sense of mourning.
Prior to all of this, the relationship that I had with Jim Cornette has been really, really good. He taught me a lot about pro wrestling. He allowed me into his home to look at his archive. He helped me to be the wrestler that I became. And, I probably wouldn’t have been the guy without him. But, it is very, very hurtful. And, I don’t get emotional about much, but I feel a sense of loss.
Hopefully Mark Henry’s emotional comments have an effect on Jim Cornette, who isn’t usually the type to apologize for things.
