Kharma, Women, the WWE Universe, and the World

[cm ben]

I typed this response for a thread, but when I tried to post it, the thread had already been deleted by a mod, haha. But I was proud of what I wrote, and I'd like to see your ideas about it.

Here's what I wrote:

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I do like your argument about the overall representation of women in wrestling. That sort of thing really interests me. Whileas in the past "divas" were pretty much 100% sex symbols, what with bra and panty matches and stuff, lately, with the "PG Era" and with Cole interrupting their matches, the WWE seems to be saying that women aren't even sex objects anymore; they're something to push aside, to make room for "more important things"-- in this case, an argument between two powerful old men (Lawler and Cole). That's kind of problematic, when taken outside of the WWE Universe and put in the larger perspective of modern American society, don't you think? Kharma, therefore, is really fascinating to me, because I think practically everyone is taking interest in her; she kind of resembles a "riot grrrl" feminist in my mind, the way she's forcefully directing attention back to the female side of things, even if her method of doing so is not universally respected, and even if it's feared by many. She seems like a progressive character in this respect so far, and so to Kharma, I say "you go girl"
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Do you agree with my analysis of the WWE's representation of women and Kharma's role in possibly deconstructing it?

What do you think the overarching representation of women in the WWE is? Assess it: is it problematic? Realistic?

Why do you think the WWE chooses to represent women in this way (demographics might play a role in your answer)?

Are there any other groups of people (e.g. African Americans) where you see another possibly problematic portrayal coming from the WWE?

Any other things you'd like to share? Any other things you think the WWE could do to change the messages they project?

Do you think this topic is cool?

 

[ns530]

problem? Yea of course.
WWE never pushes "colored" talent and never had any Female "Wrestling" talent other than Trish and Lita.
Sorry that's just the blunt truth.

TNA would be wise to try "NOT" being wwe. IF they were smart they'd aim to attract the fans that WWE "doesn't" have.
Just an opinion.

 

[prestonluv]

problem? Yea of course.
WWE never pushes "colored" talent and never had any Female "Wrestling" talent other than Trish and Lita.
Sorry that's just the blunt truth.

TNA would be wise to try "NOT" being wwe. IF they were smart they'd aim to attract the fans that WWE "doesn't" have.
Just an opinion.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says hello.

Nation of Domination salutes you.

Junkyard Dog gives you a bark.

Ron Killings is saying 'whats up' as we speak.

Kofi Kingston is waiting is line to give you a holla



But, go ahead preach to yourself that no 'colored' wrestlers ever get pushed by Vince.



edit: Wendy Richter, Beth Pheonix, Natalaya, Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Chyna(at least from a physical stance) all blow a kiss.

 

[Saeros]

problem? Yea of course.
and never had any Female "Wrestling" talent other than Trish and Lita.
Sorry that's just the blunt truth.

Molly Holly, easily the best in ring of any woman ever, she wasnt as pretty as trish so didnt get a big face push, but saying those 2 were the only womans talent then saying its the blunt truth is just pure ignorance.

Lita wasnt even any good in the ring, she got over because she was with the hardys, done a moonsault, and wore her trousers round her ankles most matches.

So when you talk about "talent" and assume that she had more talent than molly holly, beth phoenix, gail kim, ivory, natalyaand various others that can actually put on a decent wrestling match, maybe you should actually watch womans wrestling instead of going with the status quo of those of the only 2 women in WWE that ever managed to get over with a lot of the crowd.

 

[therockiswwf]

WWE never pushes "colored" talent

The Rock would like to whip your candy ass.


In 1999, the women were featured about as much as they are today, except Chyna.

Do you agree with my analysis of the WWE's representation of women and Kharma's role in possibly deconstructing it?
Its more that women don't draw like men do, not the WWE being sexcist or anything like that. If the divas drew money, they would have more emphasis. Simple as that. Well a lot of the divas (in TNA/WWE) are not big, tall, monsterous. Kharma on the other hand is monsterous and big. I think Eve eventually is going to kick Cole's ass with King and JR.

What do you think the overarching representation of women in the WWE is? Assess it: is it problematic? Realistic?
No problem, I actually liked the Bellas/Eve stuff.

Why do you think the WWE chooses to represent women in this way (demographics might play a role in your answer)?
If they are not going to draw and the crowd doesn't care, might as well make them hot.

Are there any other groups of people (e.g. African Americans) where you see another possibly problematic portrayal coming from the WWE?
I don't get what you mean by this. Like that the WWE is saying black women are huge and fat and that white women are not? If I was black, I wouldn't have a problem with Kharma.

Any other things you'd like to share? Any other things you think the WWE could do to change the messages they project?
The WWE could give them air time and do it every week, until finally the crowd starts getting more and more into it.

Do you think this topic is cool?
Super duper.

 

[T2KFreeker]

Kharma is awesome. She was also awesome in TNA as Awesome Kong. She was awesome before she was in TNA as Amazing Kong. WWE pushing her the way they are is the same way she has always been pushed. The woman is a powerhouse. She can wrestle too.

Blacks do get pushes in the WWE. It has happened time in and time out, even guys who really didn't deserve it. Zeus comes to mind. The guy got to headline main event after main event with Hulk Hogan because he was in a movie with him. Not like WWE never did anything with Booker T either after he came over from WCW. Koko B Ware got a huge push in the 80's that he screwed up himself and had nothing to do with him being black. Bobby Lashley? Yeah, he got a huge push too but left WWE for backstage political reasons. How about Jaquelin? She had a good run in the Diva's division. So yeah, there's a nice handful of wrestlers that got pushed and weren't mentioned before. Oh, and what about Bad News Brown? One of my favorite heels of the 80's? Most people remember his ending when he was getting older, but he had a great run as a serious bad guy in the WWE in the 80's and early 90's. Oh hey, and what about Slick? The guy was a great manager in the 80's too. The guy rocked and is a Hall of Famer, if I remember. There you go.

 

[Da Truth]

problem? Yea of course.
WWE never pushes "colored" talent and never had any Female "Wrestling" talent other than Trish and Lita.
Sorry that's just the blunt truth.

TNA would be wise to try "NOT" being wwe. IF they were smart they'd aim to attract the fans that WWE "doesn't" have.
Just an opinion.

Cmon guys, lay off my boy. He's off base with a couple things. There have been may great women wrestlers over the years. Medusa(Alundra Blaze), Wendi Richter, Sherri, Mickie James, Molly, Trinity, Jazz, etc. Now granted most of them with exceptional ability have not been pushed, especially Jazz.

Now he is telling the truth about wrestlers of color and you guys know it. The first person that comes out of everyone's mouth to try to make their point is the Rock. So we're talking about one black wrestler who's gotten a consitent world title push in the WWE's nearly 60 year history. When has there been another time a wrestler of color has gotten a triple h, cena, or even an orton type push. They had to give Booker a stupid gimmick before he recieved the title. Then let's look at Asian wrestlers; non have held the title; no somoan has held the title unless you wanna count the Rock in that also. Wrestlers of color have been getting tv time for years but not a consistent push as the top guy. So stop acting like someone is rascist for telling the truth. Oh already know what someone's gonna say next. "There's alot of white wrestlers that haven't gotten a push either." Well, whatever makes you feel comfortable.

 

[EastCoastFan]

If WWE had had their way, Jazz would have been the top female heel in the company, but each time they gave her the Women's title, she got hurt and had to drop it.

As for Kharma, she'll get the Divas title, but I don't like what they're doing with her. It seems like they're trying to make her a face. Since her arrival, she's squashed each heel she's encountered (Michelle McCool, Maryse and Alicia Fox) but she spared the faces (Kelly Kelly and Layla). This doesn't make sense, especially since WWE has ALWAYS been short on female heels who can wrestle and the two most likely people for Kharma to feud with (Natalya and Beth Phoenix) are both faces.

 

[sislater69]

no somoan has held the title unless you wanna count the Rock in that also.

And Yoko.

WWE are doing the exact right thing with Kharma. The Diva's division needs a shake up and this will get peoples attention in that division once again.

Oh, and stating coloured wrestlers don't get a push is ludicrous.

 

[Silent1886]

Did you mean to imply that colored wrestlers don't get pushes in general?

Or did you mean to say they don't get world title reigns?

The latter claim has some weight to it, but I'd say the cause of this phenomenon has less to do with the biases of anyone in charge and more to do with the fact that black Americans make up 6% of the population.

In other words, to 94% of WWE's potential American audience, a black champion would have an additional barrier towards connecting.

Hate to say it, but unless we're talkin bout one charming n**ga, wanting to avoid that complication is just sound business sense.

 

[VencomHardcore]

AFRICAN AMERICANS make up 12% of the population . This is not counting Latinos of African Orgin [ Dominican, Puerto Rican or Cuban ] . And does not count those from the Carribean. The number is much higher.


Now. I do believe Black Wrestlers have always had good tv time but never huge main event level pushes for a sustained amount of time. Yeah you can have someone win a belt but what many see is that there is some sort of glass cieling that Blacks can't seem to get beyond in the WWE.

Kofi was looking to get that push and then it stopped. Now there is no Black Wrestler in the Main Event Scene getting that push although the WWE is making sure to give that push to the Latino Community with Alberto Del Rio and Sin Cara.

I think Kharma will be the person to get that heavy push. And I think the WWE has done an awesome job with her. They know that although they want her to be a heel, she is way over with the crowd. Fans love her.

It is interesting that every time she is on TV, She makes the top trending list on Twitter. Not as Kharma but Awesome Kong. Even her promo videos had everyone talking about her.

So to adress if she should be a face. I don't think so. Make her a Tweener.

 

[Azane]

This argument again?
People aren't pushed over their race, creed, or religion.
They're pushed on their entertainment factor, athletic ability, charisma, and work ethic.
The WWE shouldn't feel obligated to change their programming to be perfectly racial and sexually equal.
The women who wrestle happen to have good bodies on average, therefore most women wrestlers have good bodies. Its not that hard to comprehend, Kong is an exception, but she makes up for not being attractive by having a unique appearance backed by dedication to her sport.
Kong's going to be pushed as a women killer, much like Orton was a Legend killer, after she's done with the women's division, it will look exactly like it does today, 80% low skilled lookers, and 20% average looking wrestlers.

I just hope the WWE keeps doing what it does, without making race a factor.

PS. Kofi is a lifetime midcarder, and its not because of his race.

 

[neildittmar]

Sigh... it actually pains me to see how this thread has devolved into a discussion about ethnicity in wrestling as opposed to Kharma and what she can become... not only to WWE but to wrestling in general.

Whether she was white, black, green, or blue, Kharma is awesome (pun not intended). She is precisely what the divas division specifically needs, but also something sorely lacking in Womens wrestling in general. That is, an honest to goodness female competitor that can carry herself on presence, talent, and ability alone. She doesn't have to resort to mere looks to get over with the crowd. Mixed Martial Arts showcases these female talents... it's high time WWE does seriously as well.

Everything has fallen very nicely into place for Kharma so far. Her vignettes were standout. Her on-screen debut at Extreme Rules was noteworthy. The confusion of why she laid out Maryse and not Kelly Kelly has people guessing. Finally, with one move (implant buster) she has displayed her ferocity instantly. Even her name is begining to take on implications with her character, and it's still really early in her run.

This is truly a can't-miss opportunity for WWE not only to bring true athleticism back to the divas division, but showcase a bona fide talent in the same light as the male competitors. Kharma is the real deal and needs to continue being showcased that way.