X-Pac Broke Down Crying After Learning the Truth About His DX Blackface Segment

X-Pac didn’t understand the damage—until it was too late.

Mark Henry revealed during a conversation with Inside the Ropes that Sean “X-Pac” Waltman broke down in tears after discovering the cultural history behind the DX parody of the Nation of Domination. At the time, X-Pac had worn blackface in the segment, but according to Henry, he had no idea what he was participating in.

“X-Pac—he didn’t know until probably like a month or two after they started taking heat… people were like, ‘Y’all dressed up like Black people and you put makeup on to look like that.’”

When Waltman was told it resembled a minstrel show, the weight of it hit hard. Henry took it upon himself to explain the dark history behind minstrel shows—how they dehumanized Black people through exaggerated stereotypes after slavery. Waltman’s reaction was immediate and emotional.

“He was like, ‘What is the big deal? We were just playing… acting like our guys.’ And they were like, ‘You ever heard of a minstrel show?’ And he was like, ‘What is that? I don’t even know what that is.’”

“He cried. He had no idea about that history. Because America don’t teach the nasty history… this guy finds out what he did was like some of the worst you can do to people. It hurt him.”

Despite the fallout, Henry made it clear he didn’t believe Waltman was racist—just unaware.

“I told him, I said, ‘Man, look. I know who you are.’ He’s like, ‘Mark, I’m not a racist.’ I said, ‘I didn’t say you were a racist. I said that that situation was deemed racist.’”

It’s a painful reminder that ignorance isn’t always innocent—and even well-intentioned performers can become part of something damaging when they don’t understand the context.

Do you think WWE has truly learned from past mistakes like this? Drop your thoughts in the comments and join the conversation.

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