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Ahmed Johnson recently disclosed details about the time he was subjected to racist abuse in WWE.
On June 23, 1996, Johnson defeated Goldust at King of the Ring to become the first African-American Intercontinental Champion in WWE history. His run with the company ended in 1998 after he refused to participate in a segment that involved him being "hung from a rope."
In an interview with Monte & The Pharaoh, Johnson claimed that racism existed backstage during his time in WWE. The 60-year-old also hinted that two-time Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels might have said something racist towards him:
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"It [racism] wasn't necessarily with Vince [WWE Executive Chairman Vince McMahon]," Johnson said. "It was with the boys, with Shawn and all of them." [24:44 – 24:49]
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Johnson went on to reveal that a racist word was scratched into his car after his history-making win over Goldust:
"When I won the Intercontinental Championship, I went out to my car and somebody had scratched on it, 'Congratulations, n****r.' I believe it was one of the boys. I mean, I can't prove it." [25:01 – 25:21]
Johnson worked for WWE between 1995 and 1998. He is best remembered for his Intercontinental Championship triumph and brief association with The Nation of Domination.
How much Ahmed Johnson knew about his title win
WWE Superstars are usually told in advance about the outcome of their matches. However, that was not the case when Ahmed Johnson challenged Goldust for the Intercontinental Championship.
Johnson added that he had no idea about his title win until the referee informed both men about the finish during the match:
"Even when I became Intercontinental Champion, before we went out the curtain, they usually tell you who's going over [winning], and Vince didn't tell me or Dustin [Dustin Rhodes, Goldust's real name] who was going over except right towards the end of the match. The referee said, 'Ahmed, you're going over,' and that's how we found out I was going to become Intercontinental Champion." [26:38 – 26:57]
According to Johnson, Goldust was the ultimate professional and had no problem with his 83-day title reign suddenly ending at short notice.
What are your thoughts on Ahmed Johnson? Let us know in the comments section below.
Please credit Monte & The Pharaoh and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
