Kevin Nash in media firestorm

WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash is once again at the center of a social media firestorm following a series of controversial comments regarding Raw’s breakout star, Je’Von Evans. During a recent episode of his Kliq This podcast, the wrestling veteran offered a critique of the 21-year-old’s presentation that many fans and peers found racially insensitive. Nash was discussing the "Young OG" and his transition to the main roster when he used a term rooted in minstrel-era stereotypes to describe Evans' high-energy, athletic style.

The Initial Statement

Nash initially praised Evans' physical tools but expressed a strong dislike for his current character direction. His full initial statement from the podcast was as follows:

​"He can strike. He throws a good punch. Something where you tell me if this s--- were real, all this athleticism I have, I can use. Not if this s--- was real, I would cartwheel off your motherf---ing body like you would never see. He sells good. He does everything good. It's just that you have to fight. He's an incredible athlete. He's a little bit too f---ing Mr. Bojangles for me. I wish he was a little bit more urban. I understand it's Netflix. I understand there's a big f---ing world out there besides the one that f---ing 66-year-old Detroit boy Kevin Nash wants, but I just want him to have a little bit of an edge."

​The Apology and Historical Defense

​After several days of intense backlash from the wrestling community, Nash took to his X (formerly Twitter) account to address the controversy. Instead of a standard apology, Nash combined a retraction of the "Mr. Bojangles" remark with a lecture on literary history and a defense of his track record with Black talent. His full apology read:

​"How often have you heard the term Uncle Tom? Most likely, it was used in a degrading way. If you've actually read the literature, Uncle Tom was whipped to death for helping free two female slaves. I apologize for the use of the term Mr. Bogangles, it was in poor taste and obviously offensive. I just see talent being pushed in a direction that I disagree with. He should be the male version of Sol Ruca. More contemporary than urban. It's funny how I'm usually the only person who pays attention to the development of black talent."

​The Sudden Deletion

​The apology itself quickly became a secondary source of controversy. Fans were confused by the comparison to Uncle Tom’s Cabin and found the final remark—where Nash claimed to be the "only person" paying attention to Black talent—to be dismissive of other veterans like Booker T, who had also commented on the situation by saying.

“We, as Black people, look at that term a certain way, and it’s just not the term toward a Je’Von Evans. I don’t think it was out of any malice… because Kevin Nash is one of my best friends.”

In a move that has only added more fuel to the fire, Nash has since deleted the apology from his social media profile entirely, leaving the wrestling world to wonder if he stands by his "poor taste" admission or the original critique that started it all.

Kimster AFW