At a time when American politicians are facing harsh criticism for past use of racist “blackface” makeup, the sports-entertainers of D-Generation X have issued a statement asserting that their 1998 parody of the Nation of Domination was a “perfectly innocent spray-tan malfunction.”

“When I was dressing up as Mizzark Henry, an aerosol can of tanner fell off a shelf and exploded, covering me with its chocolatey brown coloring,” says Sean “X-1-2-3-Syxx-Kid-Pac” Waltman in the statement.

“I tried to wipe it off, but the towel I grabbed was covered in shoe polish, which just made it worse.”

Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who performed as “The Crock,” clarifies that his afro hairdo was not a form of racial mockery, but rather the natural result of his long hair curling due to unseasonably humid weather.

“We were paying a loving tribute to the exceptional athletes of the Nation of Domination,” explains Helmsley. “If anything, we looked more handsome than usual due to the spray-tanner mishap.”

Jason Sensation, the impersonator who portrayed a hook-nosed Owen Hart, issued a separate statement to complain that he never gets invited to participate in DX reunions.