Gail Kim Recalls Trying To Be "More White" In WWE, How She Views Her Time With The Company Now
During an interview on Chasing Glory, Gail Kim reflected on her time in the WWE, and broke her silence about the experiences she faced while working there.
Back in 2018, Kim dished out her frustration with WWE's working relationship with Saudi Arabia, as well as how they were bringing Hulk Hogan back for their Crown Jewel show after he made several racial remarks. Kim said that WWE was racist, and "they don't care if anyone is racist because they have the same thoughts." After someone commented back on her initial tweet, Kim felt she had to justify her original statements. But, it was a friend of hers, who was still affiliated with the WWE, that told her how controversial her tweets were, which made Kim reiterated her initial comments.
"I said they're racist, and then I made... I was clear on my statement," Kim informed. "Then this writer – or a fan – wrote his opinion about it. He's like, 'Gail Kim backtracked on her statement.' But, I was clarifying it. So, I got upset that he said I backtracked and I wrote, 'Wrong.' That's all I said. All the fans who read it completely backed me [up]. And that's why they pulled down the article. It wasn't because they actually said they didn't want to pull it down. They're like, 'We would be happy for you to write a piece to oppose it.' I'm like, 'I'm not writing a piece for you to help your website.' The fans read everything, and they backed me [up] and that's why they took it down."
Kim mentions that while she was in the WWE, she did everything she could to win over the WWE, but it caused a lot of personal turmoil and made her second guess her true potential.
"I don't understand what I'm supposed to do here because I do everything you guys ask me to do," Kim noted. "It got to a point where I'm like, 'Am I too Asian?' I was literally highlighting my hair near the end to become more white. I didn't know what to do at that point. That's why I left, because I'm like, I know I have more to give to this business and you hired me back for a reason. I did do something, and you brought me back for a reason... I felt very suppressed."
Looking back on it now, Kim sees her time with WWE as a good thing, because it helped her build a long and successful career in both TNA and Impact.
"Honestly, now in hindsight, of course, I tried to look at the positives," Kim stated. "I always tell everyone, cause the fans will always be like, 'Oh my God, I hate the way that they used you.' I hear that all the time, and my answer to them all the time is 'Well, if they didn't do that, I would have never had the career I had at TNA and Impact, and I would have never had done all those things.' I'm so satisfied with my career and that's because of the road I've taken. I'm very vocal about things that I truly believe in. That's my passion [wrestling], it's my love. I've been part of this business for close to 20 years."
You can view Gail Kim's full interview above. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Chasing Glory-Lilian Garcia with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.