Does the WWE have enough diverse world culture?

[Steve-O-Matt]

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So this week, the WWE are touring through Europe, coming through my home country of England. They only come here twice a year, so I'm always looking forward to it, even though I can't afford a ticket... And I see how Wade made such a huge impact over here. Not to brag, but we do have the best crowds. There's us, Chicago and Canadian crowds which have biggest responses in my opinion. But this got me thinking... Wade is so popular over here, because he's representing his country. I personally wanna see Wade become a huge cog in the WWE, is it because he's representing my country? Probably.

But there are probably loads of countries all around the world who aren't being represented in the WWE. Personally I'd love to see maybe 2 or 3 more Englishmen in the WWE (excluding Regal because he's semi-retired now), but maybe I should just be content with Barrett... What of other countries though? Are there any countries out there who have a huge WWE fan-base but no wrestler from their country? I can't answer that question but maybe you guys can and maybe a few more questions I'd like to add:

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1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?

2) What countries could do with more representation?

3) What's your favourite country to contribute superstars other then the US?

 

[supernatural1981]

Some really good points there mate, i am from the UK myself and try to go twice a year if they are in the northwest which they are most of the time. I was at the Manchester house show last Saturday night and there were leaflets on the chairs saying they are not coming to Manchester or Liverpool next April which i find a bit weird.

Anyway back on point with your questions:

1: The WWE does offer a lot of diversity around the world as far as superstars go however i feel that they need a couple of superstars from some more countries which ill name in the next question.

2: I feel that they are lacking stars from Australia and i feel it wont be long before they try and exploit the China factor. We all know just what having Khali does for the Asian market so i think big Vinnie Mac must be seeing yen signs at the thought of his first breakout Chinese superstar.

3: I know i am biased but the UK is my fave for contributing stars from outside the US. The British Bulldogs, The Bulldog, William Regal, Paul Burchill, Layla, Wade Barrett and Paige in NXT to name a few of the top of my head

 

[Slash-LN]

1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?

I think they do. You have people from Switzerland, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Mexico, India, South Africa, Wales and so on. I think the roster is actually more ethnically diverse than it has ever been.

2) What countries could do with more representation?

Nothing really comes to mind besides Asian countries.

3) What's your favourite country to contribute superstars other then the US?

Canada because of Tyson Kidd, Nattie and Jinder Mahal. Plus the past wrestlers like the Hart family and The Mountie.

 

[#MrScissorsKick]

1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?

Yes and No. I don't think it's necessarily the WWE's problem if they don't have enough diversty to represent every region in the world. However, with recent tours/house shows/live events, the WWE has brought itself to other parts of the world.

2) What countries could do with more representation?

Ooooh. Good question. I'd like to see some more Eastern European/Russian superstars represented throughout the WWE. Russia is a HUGE country. I think Japan could be represented a little more but think about it. Japan has the IGF, NJPW, and AJPW companies so it would be hard to break through those companies from the WWE's standpoint. Guys like Tajiri, Kenzo Suzuki didn't last in the WWE although Tajiri had some mild success in SmackDown. I would also think if the WWE made the path for some South American countries, particularly Brazil which has heavy influence in MMA. I think WWE could pick up heavily in the Brazil markets.

3) What's your favourite country to contribute superstars other then the US?

I know it's not a country but the continent of Africa has brought some talent to the WWE and in America that have slowly become my favorite wrestlers. Kofi Kingston, from Ghana is a very athletic and charismic superstar that should be a future high point in the years to come. Justin Gabriel, from South Africa is very talented in the ring and a solid entertainer. I think like Kingston, Justin Gabriel has a very high and successful future ahead of him if the WWE let's him.

Sidenote:

I don't think Australia, New Zeland, and Japan have had much success in the WWE. These 3 countries are heavily influenced in professional wrestling. Sydney, Australia, Auckland, New Zeland, and Tokyo, Japan are 3 big markets in the world. On a business side, i think the WWE should capitalize on this on a investment note. At least they could say that they've tried right? I mean names like Nathan Jones, Tajiri, Kenzo Suzuki aren't the 3 biggest names of wrestlers you'll hear about in foreign wrestling, but i've seen some videos of guys in Japan that could have a big impact in the WWE if the WWE would reach out to them.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Not to brag, but we do have the best crowds.

Have to agree. Each time WWE goes to England, the crowd response seems enormous, as evidenced by all the people standing with their arms waving. None of the stuff with spectators at ringside not bothering to watch what's going on in the ring, as we see in the U.S.

One other thing I noticed this past Monday night: As Del Rio and Orton fought in the stands, the crowd wasn't touching the wrestlers as they passed by. In the U.S., they're doing it constantly, which even got one of them poked by CM Punk a couple of weeks ago.

Hell, I would never feel compelled to touch a performer as he's working .....unless, of course, Drew McIntyre came strolling by.

As for WWE diversity, I think it's enormous; not just at present, but over the years. You name the nationality, it's been represented.

The topic makes me think of how I enjoyed Ludvig Borga, the Hellraiser from Helsinki. When do you see a performer from Finland, for gosh sakes? He was even at war with the U.S. ("You stupid Americans.")

That's diversity.

 

[billm75]

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But there are probably loads of countries all around the world who aren't being represented in the WWE.

1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?


country to contribute superstars other then the US?

To be honest, they are a U.S.A. based company. If you look through the history of the industry, very few foreign (to the U.S.) countries have been spotlighted and represented. This it to be expected.

Sure, they call themselves the world-wide leader, and that's because it's true. No other wrestling-based entertainment company can come close to matching them in recognition or revenue. Vince worked hard to achieve this level of notoriety.

For a U.S. based company, who performs 90% or more of their shows in their home country, it's a fool's errand to employ too many "foreigners". Your home crowd, your base of operations wants to see a show. They typically don't give a shit where the performers are from, so long as they're entertaining. It's cheaper and easier and more efficient to draft your talent from locally available resources.

Again. U.S. based company = collecting talent in the U.S.

For those not in the U.S., I can see your point, but truly, until the foreign markets provide a substantial amount of revenue and demand representation in the program, it's simply not going to happen. The non-U.S. countries that support WWE have done so without being represented for this long.

You would have to have a boycott, basically, from England, from Cananda, from Australia, etc, before the WWE takes notice.

 

[Wolf Pac]

1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?

Yes. Like Slash LN mentioned, you got wrestlers from Switzerland, Canada, Ireland, Scotland, Mexico, India, South Africa, Wales, England, Italy, and more- I'm not saying they should but if any time is the right time to bring back the European Title, it's definitely now.

The other week I had a couple of ideas in mind about how the WWE could do something special with all these nationalities, like a World Cup Tournament. Or a Championship Scramble match for the US Title with each competitor being from a different country. Or a 10 man Survivor Series elimination match mixing the nationalities together on each team.

2) What countries could do with more representation?

Any country that isn't Canada or England. We have loads of wrestlers from those two countries, but like 1 or 2 or no wrestlers from other countries.

3) What's your favourite country to contribute superstars other then the US?

Hard not to go with Canada simply because of guys like Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Chris Jericho, Lance Storm, and others. Canada has produced just as much legends as the US.

 

[CrazyMatt88]

1. I think its been more diverse then it has been in many many years, they are now several match ups on every show featuring two non-American or non-Canadian superstars, I love it, needs to be more.

2. Australia for sure, and China. WWE might be a bit put off by Australia due to what happened with Nathan Jones (went nuts because he couldn't handle all the egos and politics backstage) but there is a hell of a lot of talent down here, and I think WWE needs an Australian superstar because WWE is massive in Australia, every event they have down here sells out in a matter of days.

3. It always seems to be that the best pure technical wrestlers come out of Canada.

Oh and Mustang Sally......your sig gave me a good belly laugh. Good stuff mate.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

This is probably the most diverse the WWE has been in their history. You just had a pasty Irish guy with a long World Title run, Wade Barrett is from the United Kingdom and he's a pretty prominent upper midcarder, Kofi is from Ghana and he's the Intercontinental Champ right now. Antonio Cesaro is Swiss and he's the current U.S. Champ. Plus you've got guys like Drew McIntyre from Scotland, Justin Gabriel is from South Africa, Santino is from Canada and plays an italian, Primo & Epico have Puerto Rican heritage, Sin Cara and Alberto Del Rio from Mexico and so on. I also think the WWE right now has it's largest amount of African-Americans ever on its roster at a given time which is great to see as well.

As for which countries could use more representation, I'd probably have to go with countries in South America as I don't think there's a single superstar from that continent on the WWE roster right now. It would also be cool to see an Australian superstar that isn't Nathan Jones and a Japanese wrestler that isn't Albert. Canada, the UK, Mexico and Samoa have historically had pretty good representation in the WWE.

My favourite country to contribute wrestlers to the WWE is definitely Canada (as you may possibly guess from the way I spelled favourite), but I'm biased because I'm Canadian and I'm a mark for Chris Jericho.

 

[#heel420]

Well let's just look at the roster and where in the world they're representing.

Epico & Primo- Puerto Rico
Kofi Kingston, Ezekiel Jackson & Justin Gabriel- Africa
Antonio Cesaro- Lucerne, Switzerland
Santino Marella- Calabria, Italy
Sin Cara, Hunico & Alberto Del Rio- Mexico
Drew McIntyre- Ayr, Scotland
The Great Khali & Jinder Mahal- India
Mason Ryan- Cardiff, Wales
Wade Barrett- Preston, England
Sheamus- Dublin, Ireland
Tyson Kidd & Christian- Canada
Yoshi Tatsu & Tensai(I know he's from Massachusetts, but he's billed from Japan)- Japan

So, when you break it down the WWE has an internationally deep roster ranging from jobbers to main-eventers. Looking at the list they're pretty well represented all across the globe.

To answer the question there is enough diversity in the WWE, although I would like to see some strong-style Japanese wrestlers come in to the company but I don't really expect it.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Concensus has pretty much been reached so I'm not going to repeat.

All I am going to add is that a Frenchman generates heat the moment he looks at the American crowd. Everyone seems to hate the French. I've never completely understood it but Statue of Liberty, salad dressing and creme brulee aside, Americans hate what the French do. Imagine the heat a Frenchman would received in the US if that Frenchman was also a socialist.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Where does most of their revenue come from? It's not equally dispersed among the globe. It's HEAVILY weighted to the US. People in foreign countries watch for the stories. I like Guerrero, Mysterio, Cesaro, the Harts, Jericho, etc even though I'm an American, a midwest American no less.

I think their roster is fine as far as being multi-cultural. You have to be multi-cultural, but not to the point that you change what made your product successful or move away from your bread and butter audience.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Good thread. WWE today is about 10x more culturally intertwined than it was just a decade ago. They've become a global supershow, with representation all over the planet. Their PPVs are everywhere, they visit as many countries as possible throughout the year, and with the magical powers of social media they are connecting with more people of diversity than ever before.

That being said, WWE does what makes the most money. Or at least, that's got to be their intention. Eddie Guerrero dies and there's a huge influx of Latino viewers; Rey Mysterio gets the World title. WWE is about to go to Europe; Wade Barrett gets the IC title. Great Khali is always on the tours that pass through India. Live crowds love their home town boy or girl, and that's just smart money. As WWE spends MOST of their time in the United States, playing before a predominantly white middle-class audience, with large Latino and African-American sub-groups, so that's pretty much what they play to.

1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?

Yes. Like I said, they're way more spread out than they used to be. And growing each and every year.

2) What countries could do with more representation?

The UK. You might be thinking, "Why? They already get so much love from WWE over smaller demographics that could use more shows every year." Well, that's kind of the point. WWE isn't going to spend a bunch of time and money trying to cultivate a following in a place that won't be profitable for them. The UK has a ton of wrestling fans that have been there for a LONG, LONG time. The WWE does great when they hit it up - actually, so does TNA come to think of it. The one thing they haven't had in a long time, is have a pay-per-view in the UK. I keep trying to figure out why WWE hasn't attempted to sell out Wembley, and besides the time zone conflict, I can't figure it out.

3) What's your favourite country to contribute superstars other then the US?

Also has to be the UK. William Regal, Brittish Bulldog, Dynamite Kid, Wade Barrett, Drew McIntyre, etc. Technically Sheamus isn't from the UK, but close enough that I think I can count it. And that's just WWE.

It's pretty sad that WWE has misused almost all of them. Sheamus, and maybe the Bulldog being the only exceptions. And how many people didn't I mention that WWE either screwed over or just flat-out didn't use?

 

[Jack-Hammer]

When you look at the current WWE roster, it's hard to say that the company isn't diverse from a cultural standpoint. As of now, they have wrestlers from Canada, Japan, Mexico, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, India, Japan, South Africa, they've had a large number of wrestlers from or descended from the Pacific islands & still do, etc. When you consider the fact that WWE has really devoted itself to becoming a worldwide brand over the past decade or so, having wrestlers from foreign countries on your roster accentuates that.

As for countries that could use some more representation, I'd say the UK for certain and possibly Mexico. While it's true WWE has several wrestlers from the UK already, the UK is still a wrestling hot bed. Whenever WWE goes there, they sell out shows left & right and the fans are rabid. There's all kinds of potential for WWE growth in the UK. As for Mexico, Mexico has been a genuine wrestling stronghold since the 1930s, probably earlier than that. Mexico has a large population and companies like AAA and CMLL draw big crowds. That's one reason why WWE wants a strong hispanic babyface presence on the roster.

As for my favorite foreign country that contributes to the roster, I have to go with the UK. There've been a ton of talented wrestlers come out from across the pond, many of whom have a rough looking physical style that appeals to me, but are also quite technically sound. They've not been the flashiest a good deal of the time, but the talent has more than made up for that.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I think one of the biggest indicators of cultural diversity is that foreigners aren't automatically heels. There was a time if you weren't from the US, or Canada to a lesser degree, you were a heel. Some of the bigger faces in the company are foreign right now.

Kofi is from Ghana. Santino is a Canadian playing an Italian. Sheamus is Irish. Khali is over, he is Indian. Hornswaggle plays a leprechaun(which is originally an anti Irish symbol, but that is irrelevant now).

I still think Mexico and the UK could use some more representation, but overall it is pretty culturally diverse.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

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So this week, the WWE are touring through Europe, coming through my home country of England. They only come here twice a year, so I'm always looking forward to it, even though I can't afford a ticket... And I see how Wade made such a huge impact over here. Not to brag, but we do have the best crowds. There's us, Chicago and Canadian crowds which have biggest responses in my opinion. But this got me thinking... Wade is so popular over here, because he's representing his country. I personally wanna see Wade become a huge cog in the WWE, is it because he's representing my country? Probably.

But there are probably loads of countries all around the world who aren't being represented in the WWE. Personally I'd love to see maybe 2 or 3 more Englishmen in the WWE (excluding Regal because he's semi-retired now), but maybe I should just be content with Barrett... What of other countries though? Are there any countries out there who have a huge WWE fan-base but no wrestler from their country? I can't answer that question but maybe you guys can and maybe a few more questions I'd like to add:

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1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?

2) What countries could do with more representation?

3) What's your favourite country to contribute superstars other then the US?

1) No - While WWE has several wrestlers from outside North America, only really a couple of them are really "main eventers" in the sense that they build the show around or make them the focal point of the company. The closest so far has perhaps been Sheamus or Khali. The "first British World Title" should have been done by now, between Bulldog, Regal or Barrett, that they haven't is a glaring mistake and this kind of answers number 2.

WWE is not diverse enough in it's big shows either, while RAW in the UK is one thing, that the market sustained UK PPV's in the past means it could again, for years it's been "PPV's may come back" but it should be in stone and part of their plan as the gates alone would negate any "time difference" issues. Till they do a Mania outside of North America, they haven't done enough in my eyes. They had to let the 20th anniversary of Summerslam 92 go by due to the Olympics, to me there's no excuse for them not to bring it back to Wembley this year, the market would sustain it and they have a potential blockbuster match/moment in Sheamus v Barrett (with Wade finally getting his belt there) that would excite fans the way Bret v Davey did.

Many other countries would not sustain live events to the same level, I do feel Europe as a continent is not as well represented as there are no German or French talents (only a fake Italian) and Cesaro but Australia is one that is glaring as outside of Outback Jack and Nathan Jones, has there ever really been an Aussie superstar?

Africa will be the next big place, with Gabriel and Kofi representing them, but political stuff may stop WWE from being as big there. China...maybe, if Shane comes back as he has some massive ins there but he'd want a lot of control and I can't ever see Trips/Steph letting him have it post Vince.

3) Again, being a little biased, I guess that the UK is the most important as it is clearly 2nd in terms of revenue outside of North America in terms of shows and the UK regularly produces the highest number of WWF hires, higher than Mexico or Japan.

For a short while you actually had the whole UK represented in major roles and Power 25, Barrett (England), Drew (Scotland), Finlay (Northern Ireland) and Mason Ryan (Wales) as Eire is a seperate country officially, that is Sheamus taken care of too.

 

[Piss Bucket]

WWE needs more British workers IMO, at the moment there's only Wade Barrett on the main roster, seeing as William Regal is semi-retired.

Also, I think WWE could do with a couple of Australian Superstars, they used to have the Bushwackers from New Zealand, and then Nathan Jones, but Oz is a big International market, so in a few years they could build someone up from there as the first Australian WWE Champion or something.

 

[Dirk]

1) The WWE doesn't do badly in terms of diversity and they know that it means ratings.

2) Russia, Australia, New Zealand and France have been mentioned. I would like to add the Middle-East (even a middle-eastern face getting picked on by the JBL's of the world) - maybe a bedouin gimmick?
Brazil was also mentioned, for good reason - think Tekken's Eddie.
I would like to see a Spanish, Portuguese or Italian gentleman.
I think we see MORE than enough British talent.

3) Canada has delivered some of the best wrestlers ever, so them.

4) Just for the record, Leo Kruger's accent is not remotely authentic. Even though his first language is most likely Afrikaans, nobody here (not even from his part of the country) spoke English like that since the 90's. If they go all-out edgy and make him boer racist, it might work, but let's not get carried away...

 

[Brahma_Bull9]

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So this week, the WWE are touring through Europe, coming through my home country of England. They only come here twice a year, so I'm always looking forward to it, even though I can't afford a ticket... And I see how Wade made such a huge impact over here. Not to brag, but we do have the best crowds. There's us, Chicago and Canadian crowds which have biggest responses in my opinion. But this got me thinking... Wade is so popular over here, because he's representing his country. I personally wanna see Wade become a huge cog in the WWE, is it because he's representing my country? Probably.

But there are probably loads of countries all around the world who aren't being represented in the WWE. Personally I'd love to see maybe 2 or 3 more Englishmen in the WWE (excluding Regal because he's semi-retired now), but maybe I should just be content with Barrett... What of other countries though? Are there any countries out there who have a huge WWE fan-base but no wrestler from their country? I can't answer that question but maybe you guys can and maybe a few more questions I'd like to add:

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1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?

2) What countries could do with more representation?

3) What's your favourite country to contribute superstars other then the US?

First of all NY and Philly are better than Chicago, or England. Hate to say it but you are just wrong, not to say those are bad, just my East Coast bias, we don't like being overlooked lol.

Now onto the thread, I don't know if it is necessarily more diversity that is needed, but how they use it and who they get. Always extremely stereotypical or done in poor taste if it's not a Western European imo.

My bigger issue is how racist the WWE is. Maybe they are getting better and I'll leave Kofi out because he is just boring, but for the most part they come across looking like a redneck business with how they portray African Americans. It's kinda ridiculous. I guess NoD was ok, but since then they done a lot of racist shit imo. Cryme Time or whatever the fuck its called, Prime Time Players sometimes bothers me even though I like both those dudes. I don't know, I'm probably in a minority but the writing is so bad its like they have no clue....

 

[Piss Bucket]

First of all NY and Philly are better than Chicago, or England. Hate to say it but you are just wrong, not to say those are bad, just my East Coast bias, we don't like being overlooked lol.

Now onto the thread, I don't know if it is necessarily more diversity that is needed, but how they use it and who they get. Always extremely stereotypical or done in poor taste if it's not a Western European imo.

My bigger issue is how racist the WWE is. Maybe they are getting better and I'll leave Kofi out because he is just boring, but for the most part they come across looking like a redneck business with how they portray African Americans. It's kinda ridiculous. I guess NoD was ok, but since then they done a lot of racist shit imo. Cryme Time or whatever the fuck its called, Prime Time Players sometimes bothers me even though I like both those dudes. I don't know, I'm probably in a minority but the writing is so bad its like they have no clue....

WWE has always dropped the ball with black wrestlers whose name isn't Dwayne Johnson, and seriously how many black wrestlers are in the Hall of Fame? The Rock's Dad and Grandad? (Who I believe was Samoan), Mr T (who wasn't a proper wrestler) and of course Mike Tyson )a Boxer).

 

[jacdnwarrior]

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1) Does the WWE offer enough world diversity?

I think they do a decent job with what they have. If you take a look at NXT and the main roster, they do have various performers from different backgrounds, areas around the globe. As you go further up the card, it does get a little predictable in terms of who becomes champion. There may be valid reasons for that, but it still is something you see.

2) What countries could do with more representation?

Japan and or China. There are other performers from various countries who are also neglected, but I've seen some great talent from Japan who come over to WWE and just can't get anywhere in the company. Tatsu is talented he's hardly seen, Tajiri had some success, as did Michonoku, there was the Jumping Bomb Angels (female tag team), Japan has some serious talent that come to WWE and fade into the shadows.

3) What's your favourite country to contribute superstars other then the US?

Canada, Mexico, Japan. Canadian performers (that I've seen) tend to be technically sound, adaptable not great on the mike but there have been exceptions, Edge and Christian. Japan tends to have performers who can perform on the mat and solid high flyers but tend to have difficulty overcoming the language barrier. The Mexican performers (that I've seen) more high fliers than anything else and like the Japanese have the language barrier also.