Gail Kim vs. The Elite and the AEW fanbase

So, as we saw this week, Gail Kim wrote a tweet about Riho where she was a little critical of her—both regarding how she was booked in AEW and how she looks. It was a valid criticism, and she expressed it in a respectful way. But since she shared her thoughts, everybody from Kenny Omega to Dave Meltzer, and even AEW fans, started attacking her like she committed a crime.

To put the whole story into context: yes, Riho has a history of being bullied by fans on Twitter. While I don’t condone bullying, that doesn’t mean you won’t see trolls go after you in this business. If you can’t handle it, maybe you’re not meant to be in this business.

I also get that Riho’s closest friends and Meltzer just want to protect her, but that doesn’t mean they have to start a bullying campaign against Gail Kim just for expressing her opinion—especially when many fans have said the same things about Riho.

I do have sympathy for Riho because of how she was treated on social media, but at the end of the day, she’s not that great of a wrestler. Let’s be honest—her look might work for Stardom or wherever she wrestled in Japan, but in North America, it just looks silly and makes everyone she wrestles against look weaker. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh, but that’s what I think when I see her in the ring.

Meltzer brought up how hard it is for Japanese women wrestlers and how much they get bullied online. But did Shida ever get bullied? Did Asuka? Did Iyo Sky or Giulia? No, they didn’t—because all of them can actually work. They look like professional wrestlers and take this business seriously.

A lot of the criticism toward Riho, including Gail Kim’s, is actually warranted. Gail Kim didn’t deserve to be treated this way—by Omega, by Meltzer (who I think is one of the biggest problems in wrestling right now), or by the AEW diehards. Gail Kim is one of the greatest women in the business, a true legend who deserves respect.

While I never had respect for Meltzer—and he once again proved how much of a jerk he is—Omega surprised me a little. But then again, given how thin-skinned he’s been in the past when his friends were criticized, I really shouldn’t be surprised by his reaction.

In the end, this shows how hypocritical the people defending Riho really are. They rushed to her defense because of her past experiences with online bullying, yet they turned around and bullied Gail Kim, who was simply giving an honest opinion. That’s sad, because instead of leading by example and having a civil conversation, they just fueled the fire.

At the end of the day, veterans like Gail Kim who offer good-faith criticism shouldn’t be treated this way—especially by people in the industry. And if Riho needs everyone else to fight her battles for her instead of standing up for herself, maybe she shouldn’t be a wrestler, because in this business, you have to have thick skin. Criticism comes with the territory.