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The backstage environment in pro wrestling has undergone far-reaching changes, and WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long has several stories from back in the day that prove how times were really different.
While fans might know him as the enterprising General Manager of SmackDown, Teddy Long undertook various roles in wrestling much before he got his break in WWE.
Long spent many years in WCW, and this was during the late 1980s and 1990s when World Championship Wrestling really hit its stride. While the business was booming, the situation behind the scenes wasn't how it is in the modern era. Frequent ribs and comments made in jest that might have racial and offensive undertones were commonly heard in wrestling locker rooms.
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Some incidents were quite direct, as WWE veteran Teddy Long recalled one during the latest episode of The Wrestling Time Machine.
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While the WWE Hall of Famer politely refused to take any names, he revealed what a person once told him backstage.
"You know what a certain person told me one time in WCW? And I won't call any names, but he made it clear to me and I guess he wanted me to understand exactly who he was. He said to me, he said, 'Teddy Long, there are two things that don't last long in the wrestling business, and he said one of them is dogs that run behind movie cars and the other one is blacks that mess with white women.' That was a statement made to me right to my face." [From 5:43 onwards]
After WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long, Bill Apter recalls the mood in the locker rooms of the past
There isn't anybody currently in pro wrestling with as much experience and expertise as Bill Apter. The legendary pro wrestling journalist, like Teddy Long, has witnessed the industry transform across generations and has interacted with several veterans of the game.
Apter admitted that it was ordinary for wrestlers to joke about each other's backgrounds and ethnicities. While some statements could be classified as blatant racism in today's era, Bill Apter explained how perceptions were different about what was accepted decades back.
The Hall of Fame journalist stated that some of the banter from then will not be well-received in 2025, and rightfully so.
"Back in those days you'd get somebody backstage, somebody like an ole Anderson, and he would sound like he was coming off with racist things, he knew my religion, and he joked about it with me, never offended me. They were jokes. For the boys in the dressing room, it was a normal thing way back then. Right, Teddy? They'd say something about a Polish guy, a Jewish guy, a Black guy and this was the way the business was." [From 4:42 onwards]
Bill Apter, Teddy Long, and Mac Davis also discussed the heat on Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon's future in a very insightful episode of The Wrestling Time Machine.
Please give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.
