How much does being a minority help nowadays?

[theBusiness]

How much does being Mexican, Indian, etc. help nowadays when trying to get hired by the WWE? I feel like it's been a huge advantage the past 5-10 years. I know the competition to land a job with a big company is tough, but it feels like being white or black, for the most part, makes you "just another guy." I believe Jinder Mahal was even quoted saying he feels being Indian and speaking Punjabi was the primary reason he got hired at such a young age. Also, if more Mexican/Hispanic stars spoke English like Del Rio, the number of Hispanics in the WWE would be much higher. What do you guys think?

 

[Dirk]

but it feels like being white or black, for the most part, makes you "just another guy."

I don't think that being black makes you "just another guy", with many recent black wrestlers having "black and super urban" as their main gimmick. JTG, PTP, R-Truth started out like that, MVP... And I'm just speculating here, but I think Vince is a racist old dude and that's why they have these gimmicks.

Also, if more Mexican/Hispanic stars spoke English like Del Rio, the number of Hispanics in the WWE would be much higher.

English is my second language and I speak it much better than Del Rio. He has a VERY thick accent. If more Mexicans spoke it like Del Rio, though, we'd have at least two or three replacements for the Great Human Lawn Dart, Rey Mysterio. What we have now is a guy who can do the spots, but I'm not even sure if he HAS a face under there...

Also...Khali. This is a guy who can't walk comfortably and I don't even know if he can run. Whenever he gets critisized on WZ, the primary defence is the demographic he appeals to (when I first saw him, I thought he was Mexican, but whatever), THEN his size. If there's ONE man getting a free ride because of the reason you listed, it's that man.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Hiring minorities has shown to be a constructive way for WWE to draw in larger audiences from other countries. WWE has expanded into India, where I think they have a fairly significant audience, which is why Khali & Mahal are still on the roster. Same with Sin Cara & Del Rio in terms of Mexican audiences. At the end of the day, however, WWE's bread & butter ultimately comes from the United States. With whites & blacks making up the vast majority of the US population, it stands to reason that there are going to be more blacks & whites on the roster.

However, if you're someone who doesn't have a good mastery of the English language, then you're probably not going to be a major star in any American wrestling company. You have to be able to connect with the audience in order for them to truly care about you. That doesn't mean that they won't enjoy watching you wrestle if talking isn't your strongest suit, but it also means that the odds of you becoming a major player are extremely long. Khali can't wrestle and can barely speak English, yet he tends to get pretty good pops whenever he comes out. Whether it's Raw or SmackDown!, he gets a good reaction from fans. Sin Cara, whose never spoken a word in WWE, generally gets the crowd going during his matches, but I don't see him as the next Rey Mysterio. If I'm not mistaken, Sin Cara is already out injured after recently coming back from injury. Same thing with Mysterio, yet Mysterio is someone who has remained consistently popular since his days in WCW. He's a top merchandise seller in WWE as well, so Mysterio is someone who clearly brings a good amount to the table. In the case of Alberto Del Rio, WWE officials like what he brings overall. He's not the best on the mic and his thick accent can make it hard to understand him sometimes. But, Del Rio is someone who has a good look, is getting solid reactions from the crowds and is strong inside the ring. He can brawl, do the high risk stuff and he's a legit mat technician. He has enough of a total package in the eyes of WWE officials and that's why they've pushed him so hard since coming to the company.

As for TNA, like WWE, most of their minorities are black or of Hispanic descent. Many of them haven't really connected with the audience in terms of characters but, like in WWE, they still get good responses. For instance, Chavo & Hernandez are dull as dishwater as characters, yet they get good pops.

At the end of the day, being a minority these days can help if you're a wrestling company as large as WWE and TNA. Both companies have big audiences in foreign countries like Mexico and India, so it's natural that they'd like to have stars from those countries on their roster. But that's no guarantee of stardom, not by any stretch.

 

[lowandmighty]

I think it helps with expanding business to other countries by giving those people a role model however condescending with the gimmicks.

However Del Rio seems to get quite a bit of hostility form the live fans and I think it is partly racism. The fans just don't see a Mexican as a man of the people somehow and I'm sure it would be different in Mexico so that tells me he's kind of a victim of racism.

I love Del Rio but I think his manager makes him better with the whole match winning announcements they're hilarious and I wish the live fans in America would give him a chance and cut the "what" shit.

So to answer the question, it gives wrestlers an advantage to be outside the white or african american races gimmick wise but they're thrown to the wolves in front of the American fans.
Why do you think the Stone Cold red neck gimmick worked so well? Thats right, saying it without actually saying it, if you know what I mean.

 

[theBusiness]

I think it helps with expanding business to other countries by giving those people a role model however condescending with the gimmicks.

However Del Rio seems to get quite a bit of hostility form the live fans and I think it is partly racism. The fans just don't see a Mexican as a man of the people somehow and I'm sure it would be different in Mexico so that tells me he's kind of a victim of racism.

I love Del Rio but I think his manager makes him better with the whole match winning announcements they're hilarious and I wish the live fans in America would give him a chance and cut the "what" shit.

So to answer the question, it gives wrestlers an advantage to be outside the white or african american races gimmick wise but they're thrown to the wolves in front of the American fans.
Why do you think the Stone Cold red neck gimmick worked so well? Thats right, saying it without actually saying it, if you know what I mean.

Lol it's funny about Stone Cold, but that statement may actually be true. I never looked at it like that. Racism has always been a part of wrestling in one form or another. I also find it surprising that many Mexican American wrestlers haven't emerged in the American Indy scene. If Vince wants Hispanic stars (as he does), he usually has to go to Mexico to find them.

 

[I Heart Cena]

Well, guys like Khali and Albert aren't minorities where they are from. But anyway, there is no question that Khali's Indianess is what keeps him employed. The guy is absolute garbage. But there are a billion Indians that have $$$ Vince wants.

As far as Albert, I wouldn't blame it on racism for any lack of overness. Eddie and Oscar were WAY over, and they are also Mexican. It's just that Albert is more appealing as a cocky aristocrat. I say have him return to that, yet hate Swagger for his racism.

Racism isn't really an excuse. Rock is Samoan, but that didn't stop him from going the top. Eddie was at the top at one point. Etc etc.

But yeah, Vince wants the Hispanic cash as well. So Albert benefits, so he better not screw up. He is from pedigree, he's gotta make his pops and uncle proud.

 

[MaverickMeyer]

Not an advantage. What's the minority/white man ration in WWE, TNA and ROH? Majority is white. Also, how many minority world champions have there been in the pat 10 years? Not many.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

Vince keeps spots open for guys who have an appeal to certain ethnicities and international audiences. The problem lies in that the number of spots is limited. Vince doesn't want 14 Mexican or Indian draws. So if someone came in with more appeal than Del Rio or Khali you could bet that they would only be kept around as a back up plan if at all. The ethnicity hurts and helps these guys but ultimately they have to have some mainstream appeal to keep their jobs.

 

[Nikeo]

While I don't find this topic to be remotely offensive, 'nor do I think that to be the intent, but I've seen topics like this that have sparked confrontation. Eg: "So you have to be a foreigner to get a push in WWE now?"

I know this topic is more so with regards to specific races, as opposed to nationalities, but I think the following statistic is still relevant: Of the 43 WWE Champions, only 4 have been from neither North or South America. Sheamus was the first in 20 years.

One could make the argument of Kane being Spanish but, in my view, being an American citizen born overseas to a family in the armed forces is different. I understand others may feel differently.

To the actual topic of the thread. The thing about WWE, which many Americans don't realise, is just how HUGE it is as a global product. The majority of the roster is, and always has been, white American. The reason "minorities" as you guys call them, seem to always take up at least one spot on the roster is because people in other demographics (with as much money to spend on the product as you) relate to them. It's very hard for a young Irish kid to identifty with a white-meat, patriotic, American face standing up to "foreigners" but when he sees Sheamus, he sees that people like him are represented in the product he watches. He can relate to the character. Same for a Mexican kid looking up to Mysterio.

I disagree with the notion of America being the WWE's "bread and butter", that's not really the case these days. That's why there's far more international superstars on the roster than ever before, the WWE knows that it's extremely stupid to focus on one part of the world when their appeal is global. The WWE's ratings around the world are very strong. The UK market alone is becoming increasingly lucrative for companies, look at TNA's focus on it. There's a reason for it: there's a lot of money there.

I'm speaking as a lifelong Irish fan and I've always felt a bit alienated when WWE goes the uber-patriotic route and the "USA USA" chants that spread through the buildings. I've always had a problem with that chant, especially when it's used against a character that isn't using nationalism as part of their character. I think that's more a problem with American culture and is perhaps best left for another topic.

As others have said, being a "minority" is by no means a ticket to the Main-Event but an Indian, English, Irish or Mexican talent who can get over as a Main-Eventer is far more useful to the WWE than an American who can do the same. Maybe it is unfortunate that a more talented American worker won't be used as much as a slightly less over "minority" worker but it all comes down to, as someone else said, widespread appeal.

All television shows, movies and other media products have similar decisions made by executives in suits. For example, an executive may request the writer of a show to add a gay character to his/her show to try and get more people in the gay community to tune in and expand the show's audience. People emotionally invest in characters they can relate to. People relate to characters like themselves. That's the be all and end all of this issue, imo. You may not like it but it's a fact of life that is certainly not restricted to the WWE.