Tony Hinchcliffe’s guest appearance on WWE Raw this past Monday started innocently enough, with the Kill Tony comedian joking that the first match that longtime announcer Michael Cole called was David vs. Goliath.
Inevitably, however, it didn’t stay that way.
As the tag team championship match between the New Day and the War Raiders progressed, Hinchcliffe expressed his enthusiasm for the former, who are now heels (bad guys). And in doing so, he mocked the tag team’s former stablemate, Big E, who hasn’t wrestled since suffering a broken neck during a match in November 2022.
“The only thing stiffer than Michael Cole is Big E’s neck,” Hinchcliffe said.
The Youngstown, Ohio, native’s jab instantly drew the ire of the internet wrestling community, which is understandably protective of its beloved Big E. The joke also received further attention after Big E responded to it during the Raw Recap show, revealing that, unlike many things in pro wrestling, he wasn’t made aware of the comment ahead of time.
“He was given a mic, he was given an opportunity,” the former WWE champion said. “People will feel how they want to. It’s just, there’s a lot of discourse often times as a public figure people will say things about you whether they’re jokes, whether they’re not. And that is their right. I get like, I’m on here, it was said on the show, I’m supposed to talk. You know, especially when things are mentioned about me, I should have an opinion on them. It’s just, it is tiring to have to weigh in on everyone’s opinion or whatever they say.
“Look — I’m not hurt. I’m good. I want the discourse to be had without me, honestly. I really have no desire to weigh in on this. I didn’t sign up for this. I wasn’t aware of this. He did what he wanted to. People signed off on it. Has nothing to do with me, truly.”
Those looking for the original clip of Hinchcliffe’s offending comment, however, will have to look somewhere other than Netflix. As of Wednesday afternoon, the replay of this past Monday’s episode of WWE Raw had removed the comedian’s joke about Big E’s neck, replacing it with silence until Pat McAfee can be heard saying, ‘OK’ before Cole chimes in regarding his own status as a punching bag. (Other more benign jokes about Big E remain in the broadcast.)
At this point, it’s unclear whether WWE or Netflix made the decision to edit Hinchcliffe’s comment from the broadcast, although it’s worth noting that both entities are in business with the roast specialist on separate projects. Netflix recently debuted its first Kill Tony special — which is what he was on Raw to promote — while Hinchcliffe will host “The Roast of WrestleMania” following Night 2 of the event in Las Vegas next week.
Already a polarizing figure thanks to his comments about Puerto Rico during a Donald Trump rally last fall, many WWE fans had already taken issue with the company partnering with the comedian on the project. And if the reaction to his appearance on Raw is any indication, those fans likely already feel vindicated, as one can only imagine what else will be said during next week’s roast.