Trick Williams' WWE Lemon Pepper Steppers T-Shirt Pulled From Sale

A new Trick Williams t-shirt centred around his 'Lemon Pepper Steppers' shoes has been withdrawn from sale less than 24 hours after it was released on WWE Shop.

The t-shirt featured Williams' shoes surrounded by lemon pepper fried chicken wings with 'Lemon Pepper Steppers' emblazoned across the back of the shirt. The t-shirt received an immediate backlash, with WWE fans alleging the design of the t-shirt was racist.

The description of the t-shirt was as follows:

"Whoop that trick! What? Whoop that trick! Yeah! Whoop that trick! Uh-huh! Whoop that trick! I like it. Show that you're all about two-stepping in Lemon Pepper steppers and talking that talk by grabbing this Trick Williams Lemon Pepper Steppers T-Shirt. Featuring stylized Superstar graphics printed across the chest and back neck, this comfy cotton tee will have you feeling like you're ready to step to the ring with all of Trick Williams' confidence. The crew neck design provides a classic and comfortable fit, making this piece the perfect way to let the WWE Universe know that you're ready to talk about it."

While the t-shirt was previously available to purchase, it was withdrawn from sale on Tuesday, and the WWE Shop URL now redirects to the website's home page.

While fried chicken is one of the most popular dishes in the world, it has a long history as an anti-African American trope stemming from the antebellum period in the Southern United States, with the trope being cemented in the 1915 racist movie, Birth of a Nation, which negatively depicted a Black individual eating fried chicken.

ACH, who performed for WWE in 2019, departed the company after 10 months after WWE released a t-shirt for the wrestler that used imagery commonly associated with blackface. ACH announced that he "quit" the company as a result of the t-shirt and he was released by WWE one week later.