Is WWE Racist?

[jpfizzle]

Before I get flamed to death I love the wwe and i'm not claiming that it is or isn't anything.

But heres a question, do you think the wwe is racist, I first asked myself after reading the story of cryme times release, I realise theres a zero tolerance policy at the moment but it is abit strange how cade and murdoch didn't get so much as a fine as far as I'm aware for there hand in the matter.

Another thing is the reason why shelton has never been pushed, now let me clear up again. I AM NOT SAYING THE WWE IS ANYTHING, I just simply want to discuss wether colour has and reason as to why he hasnt been pushed, yeah he has rubbish mic skills but so does jeff hardy and hardy has just become intercontinental champion.

Obviously people like the rock and king booker would rubbish my theory but does anyone else think that there is any racism at all within the wwe?

 

[mochalman]

they pushed bobby lashley and the last time i looked at him..... well he was pretty dark. cryme time was released because they performed a move on a ref. the ref didnt even know it was coming. shelton on the other hand, what if hes happy with bein a tag team wrestler? maybe he thinks he wouldnt be a good IC champ or maybe he will contend now since haas is gone.

 

[Shocky]

There is always a big stink in the wrestling business about racism. WCW was sued by Sonny Ono over being racist, and miraculously, the WCW Championship goes onto Booker T.

I don't think the WWE is racist, but I certainly believe they capitalize off of Racism. Racism is and will always be a hot topic issue. Hell, when Cryme Tyme came around last year, people were pissed that they played off of the Black Stereotype, and McMahon defended those two. Now a year later, people are pissed that Cryme Tyme is gone, because being pissed with the WWE is the in thing to do.

I certainly though feel there is an argument here. Look at the WWE Title. Not the World Title which was WCW's or the ECW title, look at the WWE title exclusively. Not arguably, it is the most prestigious title in the company. Look at the list of champions. Were are the African Americans??? You have the Rock that was Half Black and Half Samoan, that's it. You have Yokozuna that was Samoan and that's it. You have Eddie Guerrero for the latinos.. I think that's it folks, three minorities holding the companies most valuable piece of gold in it's 40 plus years of existence. Sure, King Booker and Lashley, Mysterio have been given runs, but with the B Belts of the company.

Like i said, I think there is certainly some room for debate on this subject.

 

[Mad Metal]

Of course there's always SOME racism here and there because believe it or not whether or not it's wrong, it plays an everyday role in life. I mean, I was watching the news yesterday at the gym and it was reported SIX BLACK KIDS are being accused for attempt of murder. If those 6 kids were white, I'm sure they would not have said "SIX WHITE KIDS" or "SIX IRISH KIDS", etc.

There's always some sort of separation that will make some races stand out or different in a good or negative way.

Shockmaster piratically said it best so I'm not going to give any more explanation.

 

[Slyfox696]

In the last two years:

Rey Mysterio
Batista
The Great Khali
Bobby Lashley
King Booker

have all held WWE main-event titles.

The WWE sees one color, and one color only, and that's green.

Now a year later, people are pissed that Cryme Tyme is gone, because being pissed with the WWE is the in thing to do.

Yeah, watching people complain about Cryme Tyme being let go cracks me up. Never mind they had poor attitudes backstage. Never mind the fact they threatened to shoot and go stiff on Cade and Murdoch in the ring. Never mind the fact that pull a move on an unsuspecting referee, which not only causes a chance of serious injury for the referee, but also a lawsuit against the WWE.


Yes, never mind the fact that Cryme Tyme acted like immature unprofessionals, and screwed up royally. All people can see is the "big bad WWE".

I certainly though feel there is an argument here. Look at the WWE Title. Not the World Title which was WCW's or the ECW title, look at the WWE title exclusively. Not arguably, it is the most prestigious title in the company. Look at the list of champions. Were are the African Americans??? You have the Rock that was Half Black and Half Samoan, that's it. You have Yokozuna that was Samoan and that's it. You have Eddie Guerrero for the latinos.. I think that's it folks, three minorities holding the companies most valuable piece of gold in it's 40 plus years of existence. Sure, King Booker and Lashley, Mysterio have been given runs, but with the B Belts of the company.

You forgot Batista, who was the World Champion on Raw, the number 1 show, after winning three straight matches against HHH.

But, don't blame the WWE for who they've chosen to be champion, and who they haven't. The WWE pushes guys who draw, end of story. And, in the last 3 years, nobody, save perhaps Triple H, draws like John Cena. The fact is that professional wrestling, for a LONG time, was mostly a white man's avenue of entertainment. It never really had strong fanbases among other demographics in America.

But, look at who has challenged for the WWE title, just in 2007 alone. Umaga, a Samoan, has challenged for the WWE title on TWO PPVs. The Great Khali challenged for the WWE title of TWO PPVS. And, Bobby Lashley, after giving up the belt without having to get beat for it, challenged for the WWE title in TWO PPVs.

So, in eight months of PPVs, we've had a minority race represented in SIX PPV WWE Title matches.

I hardly call that racism.

Umaga: NYR, RR
Great Khali: JD, ONS
Lashley: Vengeance, GAB

 

[juandiegothegreat]

I Think so my friend there are many people of color but? I also feel the wwe goes with safe pics. And may feel uneasy about going outside the box with certain wrestlers.

 

[rvddx]

If u really look at it the way i have then all of u people would notice that there havnt been two black people as champions at the same time other than bobby lashley as ecw champ and mvp as u.s. champ in a very long time. Like when booker t lost his world title lashley won his ecw title then he lost his ecw world title, mvp won the u.s. title. So besides that there havnt been any other black champions at the same time.

 

[toth88]

i don't think so, there are many non white wrestlers who get big pushes.
as far as cryme time goes they used an unscripted move on a ref. That could have caused serious injury, they are lucky it did not.

 

[Eternal Dragon]

No, I don't think the WWE is racist, and I never have. I think the great, and late Sherri Martel said it best, "There is no place for that in our buisness." And there really isn't.

A while ago I was watching this TV show that was discussing different races on TV, and the WWE was mentioned on there as being very diverse. In fact I remember one of the guys commenting on the show "Before the WWE I had no idea what a Samoan was." Mean either.

Right now the WHC is The Great Kahli, who's actually Punjabi, and from India. Then you have the US Champion, as someone mentioned before, MVP, who's also one half of the WWE Tag Team Championships. Umaga was just the Intercontinental Champion. Bobby Lashley was ECW Champion a few months ago. King Booker, Batista, and Rey Mysterio were WHC in the past 12 months. Not to mention, Melina, who's from Mexican descent was Women's Champion back in June.

Flames Out
Dragon

 

[figure4]

I don't think WWE is racist, I just think they don't feel secure with a minority on top of the company, wearing the company's NUMBER ONE title (besides The Rock and Yokozuna). Case in point: remember No Mercy last year, when the main event was supposed to be World Champion King Booker vs. Lashley. Then like a week before the Pay-Per-View the main event was changed into a fatal 4 way match? I remember the excuse being that "Booker and Lashley wouldn't attract as many buys"...which may have been true, but certainly race had to play a role in that, since the Rey vs. Booker match at Great American Bash last year didn't attract many buys. So, I don't think WWE is RACIST, there just are not many minority superstars who they feel comfortable putting at the top of the company. The Rock was the only exception, due to his enormous star power. No minority superstar, before or since, has been able to put WWE in that position to feel that they can make them "The Man". I think they experimented with putting Lashley up there this year, but they realized it just wasn't going to work. So, no, WWE isn't racist against minorities. There just haven't been any enormous minority stars big enough to put at the top spot in the company. And as a black man I can comfortably say that.

The Cryme Tyme situation is unfortunate, and we all know Shelton Benjamin has been held back for years now, but I still don't feel that WWE is a racist company. Even though, if I may, Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin entered WWE around the same time. They are equally talented in the ring (edge to Shelton, in my opinion), Shelton is said to not be great on the mic, but I personally feel that Orton has never been that great on the mic. Shelton has been said to lack charisma, but I honestly think we've been forced to believe Orton has charisma since late 03, 04, with the whole "Legend Killer" personna. Shelton has been in the doghouse for a while, been through multiple pointless gimmicks and been called out for 'not having enough passion for the business'. The result: jobbing to jobbers and a limited TV role. Orton, on the other hand, had violated the Wellness Policy, acted like an asshole to his co-workers and recently this year on the overseas tour, yet his TV role has GROWN since then. But Cryme Tyme has one fuckup with the tag team champs and they get fired. And Shelton is more of a scrub than ever. That just seems kind of weird to me. Not racist, just weird.

 

[Oasys]

I hope you all realize it IS possible to be prejudice against caucasians. That is what I am seeing here.. Whites have done this, they are racist against this or that etc. Bullshit.

Last time I checked, blacks are still the minority. That means they are going to have to work even harder for a major title.. or a job for that matter. Start a wrestling program in Africa. I guarantee you there will be more black champions than white, latino etc.

 

[BooCocky]

There is always going to be a topic in any sport or any entertaining business like the WWE. There has been champions that weren't white. Rey Mysterio, Eddie Guerrero, Bobby Lashley, The Rock, Booker T, Yokozuna and so on. Yes there could always be the argument that this business is racist because there has only been several colored champions on the A list show.

I dont believe race has anything to do with given a push, for instance, Umaga was a champion, and MVP is still a champion, and in my book they have been given a push to the top of the entertaining business. Like i agree with what sly fox said the WWE pushes guys that are going to draw good i.e. Triple H or Cena. Bobby Lashley was ecw champ, Umaga has challenged for the title several times, The Great Khali is heavyweight champ for the time being, but he is wrestling two guys of different heritages, Khali is from India, Mysterio is mexican-American and Batista is greek and Filipino. I believe the WWE is not racist, they have champions that are of different race, MVP, The Great Khali,and Umaga was IC champ, and MVp is half of the tag team champion. Also the Shelton Benjamin thing is because he doesn't have enough passion for the title and the business as a whole, he is i believe a 3 time IC. Him not giving a push is not an act of racism it because he lacks everything that a champ needs, good mic skills, charisma, and passion.

They cannot say or refer to the WWE of being racist for the release of Cryme Tyme, they performed a move against a person, a ref to be exact, he is not trained to take that move even though he was protected. I read that Cryme Tyme were basically trouble makers back stage. The heinous act they pulled was unprofessional and immature and could put some one in serious condition if they botched the move. The WWE is not racist for their acts that they have performed. They have been doing everything in there nature to do whats best for the business, they push guys that are going to bring in money. they push guys because the fans love them of hate them, There are several wrestlers that are getting pushed like MVP and Umaga who are of different race and deserved to be pushed because they are good performers. The heinous act that Cryme Tyme did was not an act of racism it was an act of the stupidity on the part of Cryme Tyme. So IMO race has nothing to do with given a proper push in the WWE and has nothing to do with who is given the title.

 

[LastOfADyingBreed]

WWE is more stereotypical then racist. Crime Time wasn't racist, it was stereotypical of inner city young black dudes. Same with the whole "I lie, I cheat, I steal" Eddie Guerrero. I think the last 15 years or so most racist bookers and promoters went by the way side. I like when New Jack talks about his Smokey Mountain Wrestling days, they were SO hated because him and Mustafa were just 2 black dudes. People would yell that they wanted to kill them, call them ******s, all sorts of wild shit. I guess you could look at the Gypsy Joe match he had and make a case for a racist crowd though.

But as far the WWE goes, naw, no racism. Just stereotypes.

 

[jarose24]

My title obviously explains my stance but I can explain to the situations you brought about.

The WWE is not a wrestling company anymore. The only wrestling they do is in the ring and backstage when they write finishes and such for each match. They also book things to wrestling logic (not so much now), to them their decisions are booked with wrestling logic.

The WWE is passed the old school ways of handling things the way situations and problems would be handled back in the "territory days" or even in the early WWF days. I'm talking about if there was a beef backstage and somebody was outta line their opponents (upon approval from the booker or not) would allow them to go stiff on them in the ring to teach them a lesson, and that would be that, the problem would be solved and it was over. They are run like a corporation.

Cryme Tyme handled themselves in that same old school way that gave the wrestlers some free reign. Nowadays there is no free reign for the boys anymore unless your name is HHH, HBK, or Undertaker. If someone goes against the plan more often than not, they're handed their walking papers. Cryme was not wrong for what they did from an old school mentality and Vince probably felt that way but Vince made an example of them. If you go against the grain you're gonna get punished.

Cade and Murdoch are the Tag Team Champions and for that reason alone are on good standing with management. That is why they were not punished for what they did, although it could be argued that the finish they pulled was of sorts a screw job as it was obviously discussed with officals and given the ok. Cryme Tyme would have been released no matter what because they flustered the feathers of Cade and Murdoch who appear to be management's flavor of the month right now.

As for Shelton, for anyone to say that they have not pushed him is ludacris. This kid was shoved down our throats as the future of the WWE from a "rising up the ranks" point of view due to his amateur background and unbelieve raw athletic talent. Shelton just lacks certain qualities to get to the top and his developement was certainly stunted due big push he was getting from management when he was their flavor of the month. Remember Shelton and his Mama? Yeah that didn't work out so well and now you know why Shelton isn't ready for a big shot. They've decided to slow down with Shelton and by putting him back in the WGTT with Haas is the right move because for 1. it worked last time and 2. they'll get their time eventually like every other tag team. A few weeks ago Cryme was next in line but due to their problems with the champs it didn't work out and now they're out of a job.

The WWE (to me) appears to be color blind when it comes to who they push. Lashley, (who is being pushed too hard) is at the top of this company along side John Cena and is an automatic draw at the top of any card for any show. Lashley may not have all of the intangibles but he does have enough credibility for fans to buy PPV's to see him wrestle Look at Carlito. He's Puerto Rican and he is finally g.etting a push and is beginning to look like a legitamate title contender on Raw.

 

[figure4]

Sure, we've had minority champions the past few years, but besides Batista's brief run on RAW as the Heavyweight Champ in 05, they have all been second or third rate reigns.

I guess that the bottom line is that your place on the WWE food chain determines how far you go. Orton has fd up over and over but he ain't goin nowhere. Masters just got in trouble again but he'll probably be back. Umaga will be back. For a while it looked like Carlito would be gone, but he seems to be becomming more significant these days. It really doesn't matter if you're white, black, blue, or green. If you're a star, or you have enough of a connection with the fans, or if McMahon feels he can use you in some way, then you'll always have a place in WWE. Unfortunately, it is mostly non-minorities who fit in this category.

 

[DX12]

There are several wrestlers that are getting pushed like MVP and Umaga who are of different race and deserved to be pushed because they are good performers.

OMG that's what I said about MVP being the U.s champion, but noooo, someone had to delete my post for no apparent reason.

 

[MasterOfRoc]

WWE Pushes those who deserve to be pushed... Who gives a crap if they are black, white, green, red, blue, or magenta.... If you have the qualities, which make you worthy of a title push, then they get it...

 

[Lee]

I'll give the simple answer first...no the WWE is not racist. Firstly it's WORLD wrestling Entertainment so the clue could be in the name, the following is a list of non-US and black champs [main titles, IC, US, Cruiserweight, womens and tag belts NB titles that were in a previous promotion I've just classed since it has become a WWE title] since the late 80s ;

The Iron Sheik, Andre the giant, Bret Hart, Yokozuna, The Rock, Jericho, Eddie, Edge, Christian, The Mountie, Bulldog, Owen Hart, Benoit, Lance storm, Booker T, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, Umaga, Marella, D'Lo Brown, Haku, The quebecers, D-Von Dudley, The Godfather/Goodfather, Ron Simmons (DAMN!), Tazz, Rikishi, La resistance, The Great Khali, Rey Mysterio, Tajiri, Chavo Guerrero, Heinrich, MVP, Nunzio, Funaki (INDEED), Trish, Jazz, Gail kim, Bobby Lashley, Orlando Jordan, Finlay, MVP

Now that's an impressive list really.

The complicated answer is that WWE does play up to stereotypes however. Just a few off the top of my head of the Hart foundation/and any other Canadian faction, any African wrestler, Umaga as the powerhouse, Cryme Tyme as the black urban kids, Regal as the posh Englishman, Marella as the Italian sleazy guy, the NOD, Ron Simmons DAMN, Papa Shango as the tribalist, Eddie's latino heat. I'm not going to go on but you can think of quite a number I'm sure.

So from that I see that WWE doesn't care about origin for title runs or even pushes, they care about ability although creative do play up to stereotypes of characters, which they themselves agree to do.

 

[IrishCanadian25]

Wow, this is a smart post. WZF's Political Advisor is here!

Yes there is a track record of racism in wrestling. Shockmaster makes a fantastic point about the Sonny Ono situation and the lawsuit against WCW. Maybe that made wrestling a bit more sensative, but whatever works.

I do recall when Ron Simmons won the WCW World Title. "The First Black World Champion." It was a big deal!!! After Simmons it wasn't until Booker T that a man of color held a World Title. The Rock does not count - he is less black than Tiger Woods.

I absolutely (and reluctantly) agree with Sly Fox about Green being the #1 color WWE sees. If 3 black champions meant more money for Vinnie Mac, then say hello to ECW on BET!

One of the MAJOR problems with professional wrestling is the use of stereotypes in storylines. I don't just mean minor stereotypes, but MAJOR stereotypes. Let's run down a list of them:

Eddie and Chavo Guerrero. We lie, we cheat, we steal.
The Mexicools. In on John Deere lawnmowers. Insinuating?
Cryme Tyme. Hilarious take off on the homeboy shopping network, but a massive stereotype nonetheless.
Muhammed Hassan, General Adnan, etc. WOW, Arab terrorists? When does that happen?
Finlay. I am Irish, therefore I fight. A lot.
Maria. Ditzy half-blonde.

No question the list goes on. When the WWE gives wrestlers these stereotypes, I wonder what affact it has. It can't help. But I will say that it HAS gotten better. Rey Mysterio, Bobby Lashley, etc. They are heading in the right direction, but if the fans put pressure on the writers by cheering for and identifying with minority wrestlers, it will change even more.

My last two points - as with any sport, role models make young kids want to join a sport. In the 80's and early 90's, kids watched Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Ultimate Warrior, etc dominate the scene. Young black children didn't have top black stars to watch, cheer for, emulate, and want to follow. In the next few years, as young black children watch Lashley, Burke, Killings, etc win and get over, we may start to see more up and coming minorities.

Also, remember, 80% of the buying power in the US (and almost ALL of the European buying power) is with white people. As a result, creating white stars the fans with money identify with makes business sense. Latinos are seeing the fastest climb in buying power of ANY race or demographic. As a result, more Latino stars. Someday, you will see an openly gay pro wrestler get pushed to tap into a VERY lucrative market. And his name is Chuck Palumbo.

 

[FoleyIsGod]

There has only been 2 men from minorities that have been popular enough for a run at the gold.

Those are Eddie and The Rock. Rey Myterio was nowhere enar the title picture, his run was some political game to gain money from Eddie's death.

 

[Egg McMuffin]

I think one of the reasons WWE is not racist but stereotypical making them seem racist is that cryme tyme are the sorta characters you think of when you think of young black guys, along with others like eddie and chavo we lie we cheat we steal, cocky french guys from la resistance and whatever. WWE isnt racist, its just following what everyone already thinks.

 

[Shadowmancer]

I do recall when Ron Simmons won the WCW World Title. "The First Black World Champion." It was a big deal!!! After Simmons it wasn't until Booker T that a man of color held a World Title. The Rock does not count - he is less black than Tiger Woods.

Im going to raisse Issue with this as The Rock's father Rocky Johnson is Black, but his mother and If you go back further for the Third Generation part to his Grandfather "High Chief" Peter Maivia he is Samoan. How does that make him less black. It doesn't, he is still a minority wrestler in terms of ethnicity.

Ive explained this before and it has been covered here, it is more Stereotypes rather than racism when it comes to gimmicks, Even then the gimmicks have to be given an Ok by the wrestlers and would probably be shot down if they thought it was too racist. But then again Gimmicks are stereotypes.

 

[Mistaap]

All I have to say is this in reguards to Cryme Tyme. If John Cena got screwed and his match was changed by his opponent and the referee without his knowledge, and he FU'd the referee who screwed him. Would John Cena be fired.. I didn't think so.

it is discriminatory and it makes me upset! Cryme Tyme was one of the best things on raw. they got the shaft and everyone knows it.

 

[Slyfox696]

All I have to say is this in reguards to Cryme Tyme. If John Cena got screwed and his match was changed by his opponent and the referee without his knowledge, and he FU'd the referee who screwed him. Would John Cena be fired.. I didn't think so.

it is discriminatory and it makes me upset! Cryme Tyme was one of the best things on raw. they got the shaft and everyone knows it.

No offense, but that's a silly comparison. John Cena is mega over and makes the company a LOT of money.

But, if you think the WWE is racist, just ask Rhyno. He's white, and got fired for something that happened in his personal life. The same with Matt Hardy. They both got fired for things that weren't near as bad as what Cryme Tyme did.

It's not an issue of race at all.

 

[Oasys]

There are other races.. but since most of you can only see two colors (white and black), I will play along with you.

Rules are rules. Once you sign a contract with the WWE, you are expected to follow them.

Look at the list of suspensions for violation of the WWE Wellness Policy. Randy Orton.. He looks white to me. He is at the top of the roster and was still suspended. Edge.. Top heel in the WWE, could have lost what could have been one of the best WM matches of all time. Edge is from Canada.. but that doesn't matter to you folks im sure. He looks white, thats all that matters.
These men broke the rules. They are both corner stones of this company and still have to pay for their mistakes.

Lets say King Booker scissor kicks a camera man. Would he be fired? I doubt it. He has been with the WWE for quite some time. That would be unusual behavior for him.

Cryme Tyme was new in this business. The WWE already had some bad experiences with these two. Using a finisher on a person that was unaware of it only shows that they can NOT be trusted. The same would have happened to any new tag team. The Major Bros, Duece and Domino etc.