WWE writers pitched 'racist' stories on Muslims, 9/11, Black wrestler in cage, says plaintiff

A former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) writer is suing the company over allegedly racist material she said appeared in show scripts.

Britney Abrahams, who began writing for WWE's 'Smackdown!' and 'Monday Night Raw' shows in 2020, says the scripts contained "offensively racist and stereotypical jargon", according to a Brooklyn court filing on Monday. 

Abrahams also alleges that WWE staff perpetuated racist stereotypes in meetings and the company's Slack channels.

Among the issues raised by Abrahams was a storyline allegedly mooted by lead writer Ryan Callahan, in which a Muslim wrestler called Mansoor admits to being behind the 9/11 attacks, according to the lawsuit.

In another pitch, it was suggested that a Black wrestler be held "captive in cages" while being "hunted" by white wrestler Shane Thorne, she claims.

The lawsuit says Abrahams' objections to Callahan's "racially motivated misconduct" were met with sarcasm.

"Oh, what? Is that a bad thing?" Callahan was quoted as saying to Abrahams in the court papers.

It was also suggested Nigerian-American wrestler Apollo Crews speak in a "stereotypical and exaggerated Nigerian accent", Abrahams alleged.

Abrahams and other writers escalated their complaints to Christine Lubrano, Senior Vice President of Creative Writing Operations for WWE.

However, Lubrano reportedly dismissed their concerns, saying: "Wacky things are said in the writer’s room all the time!"

Abrahams was sacked by WWE in 2022. She says she was fired for speaking up about her concerns.

WWE's official reason for firing Abrahams was that she took a WWE-branded chair home from an event, according to media reports.

Abrahams, who is Black, claims white male staff also took the chairs but were not sanctioned by WWE management.