Ex WWE Superstar Felt Uncomfortable About Martin Luther King Jr Line Creative Gave Them

WWE has come under fire numerous times for controversial decisions stemming from its writers’ room. In addition to questionable storylines, there has been growing attention on the backstage culture, which has drawn fresh scrutiny.

In a Rolling Stone article titled “Inside the WWE Writers Room, ‘A Kingdom Ruled by Fear’,” the publication explores the environment within WWE’s creative team. The article shines a spotlight on several moments, including one segment that aired on Martin Luther King Jr. Day during an episode of Monday Night RAW in 2016.

Former WWE creative team member Michael Leonardi, who was involved in producing the segment, spoke out about the event in a video posted on LinkedIn earlier this year. He explained that the segment featured R-Truth, Titus O’Neil, Mark Henry, and Neville, with the latter being scripted to deliver a line referencing Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

Leonardi described that the original script had Neville, a white wrestler, say, “I’ve got a dream too, and that dream is to win the Royal Rumble.” The line was a direct reference to Dr. King’s historic speech. However, according to Leonardi, Neville expressed discomfort with delivering the line.

Due to time constraints and the fact that they were in the middle of the taping, Leonardi made a quick change to the script. Instead of Neville, R-Truth was given the line to say. This adjustment happened on the fly, and the segment aired as planned.

This is only a piece to a bigger conversation about the creative decisions WWE has made and how its backstage culture may have influenced some of the company’s more controversial moments. That particular incident is one of many that have contributed to recent discussions about WWE’s creative process and work environment.

We will keep our eyes peeled for more updates as we keep investigating everything there is to cover in the pro wrestling world here at Ringside News.