Backstage Update On Carlito's Controversial WWE Raw Line

Monday's "WWE Raw" had a moment of controversy, as former Intercontinental Champion Carlito, upon seeing Japanese stars IYO SKY and Kairi Sane, said he had to learn Chinese. The racist joke drew the ire of many fans, and while WWE has had its share of tasteless lines throughout the company's history, this one is reportedly not the work of WWE or CCO Paul "Triple H" Levesque.

"The line was essentially a takeoff on the Shawn Michaels line about Hakushi in the mid-'90s," Dave Meltzer said on "Wrestling Observer Radio," noting Michaels made a similar Chinese/Japanese mixup concerning Japanese star Jinsei Shinzaki's persona. "The word is, it's hard to believe but it's probably actually true, is that he ad-libbed it ... Paul Levesque's pretty conscientious of this stuff." Meltzer says Michaels got a similar reaction to his joke, which is why Levesque was especially prescient about not scripting jokes like the one Carlito made.

"Still made television, hard to believe, but that's kinda where it stands. Bad attempt at humor ... They've already edited it off all of their stuff," Meltzer said, believing that whether the line was scripted or not, WWE heard the reaction loud and clear, excising the joke. "It's already out. It's out on all the social media stuff, so that was their reaction ... I don't think they want this to happen again." The issue comes as WWE is taking even more interest in international stars, with Michaels himself explaining that he's had to be patient in dealing with new stars like Giulia and Stephanie Vacquer, as communication issues have taught him to choose his words more carefully.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Wrestling Observer Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.