Mark Henry and other Black WWE stars being held back.

[Mouthy Idiot]

I know this topic has been argued many times but its a relevant topic that people never fully resolve. I am a white guy but I am not stupid and I am sick of the real athletes and actual guys who deserve pushes being held down for the babyface corproate white suits and advertisers. Mark Henry is the perfect example of a man who has been held back based on the fact hes black and not the white america poster boy. Mark Henry is an athlete and one of the strongest men in the world , not THE strongest like they claim but one of. He comes across like a monster who would destroy any man if he felt like it and yet they wont just put the title on him and put him over. I wont even begin to name the list of black superstars who have been held down over the years by Vince but the list is long.

Vince isnt blatanly racist but hes what I consider corporate racist , meaning he wont overlook the black factor over the buisness side which might even be worse. And to those people who say but The Rock was black , you know he dont count because he was samoan and black and didnt have the same look that the dark skinned guys have. Plus hes 1 out of how many black men to get the WWE title??? Exactly so basically im sick of the real stars being held down. R-Truth and Mark Henry are enjoying pushes right now but how long will it last? Will they get title runs? I highly doubt it and its complete bullsh*t. Ask yourself this question , who would win in a fight , Mark Henry and Ezekiel Jackson or Randy orton and John Cena? Mark Henry and Ezekiel would destroy those guys , the believability is there so why dont they get world titles? And Dont bring up Ron Simmons because that was WCW not WWE. And Mark Henrys ECW title run dont count either.

 

[Blue Chipper]

I know this topic has been argued many times but its a relevant topic that people never fully resolve. I am a white guy but I am not stupid and I am sick of the real athletes and actual guys who deserve pushes being held down for the babyface corproate white suits and advertisers. Mark Henry is the perfect example of a man who has been held back based on the fact hes black and not the white america poster boy. Mark Henry is an athlete and one of the strongest men in the world , not THE strongest like they claim but one of. He comes across like a monster who would destroy any man if he felt like it and yet they wont just put the title on him and put him over. I wont even begin to name the list of black superstars who have been held down over the years by Vince but the list is long.

Vince isnt blatanly racist but hes what I consider corporate racist , meaning he wont overlook the black factor over the buisness side which might even be worse. And to those people who say but The Rock was black , you know he dont count because he was samoan and black and didnt have the same look that the dark skinned guys have. Plus hes 1 out of how many black men to get the WWE title??? Exactly so basically im sick of the real stars being held down. R-Truth and Mark Henry are enjoying pushes right now but how long will it last? Will they get title runs? I highly doubt it and its complete bullsh*t. Ask yourself this question , who would win in a fight , Mark Henry and Ezekiel Jackson or Randy orton and John Cena? Mark Henry and Ezekiel would destroy those guys , the believability is there so why dont they get world titles? And Dont bring up Ron Simmons because that was WCW not WWE. And Mark Henrys ECW title run dont count either.

Are you serious right now? The fans dictate who get pushes, not Vince. Vince listens to the fans. It has nothing to do with race. Vince just sees green, if it is a fat man, black man, Japanese man, it doesn't matter as long as they entertain the audience.

The Rock got pushed because he isn't dark enough? All I see is when evidence shoots your argument all to pieces, you avoid it.

The fact that Henry and Truth are getting pushed shows that there's no bias in WWE. Look at the fan reaction. They react, don't they? That's why they're getting pushed.

This thread is completely absurd - it's simply nonsensical hearsay.

 

[H33LTurn]

Its not a case of black stars being held down, there just aren't any credible black stars in the WWE right now. Henry and Truth are way past their prime, and the NXT guys don't satisfy the model WWE is looking for. But you can't overlook guys like The Rock who achieved significant success in the business.

 

[Mouthy Idiot]

Then explain to me why guys like Jack Swagger , Sheamus , The miz , Kane and others got title runs when they werent relevant at the time.. Miz was built up slowly so maybe he deserved it but swagger and sheamus and other big stiff white guys got WORLD TITLE RUNS. Guys like Kofi and soooo many others never get those chances....

 

[Somewhat Large Gonzalez]

Well, Mouthy Idiot, Mark Henry is a mediocre wrestler who is dangerous in the ring (he has injured a few guys). R-Truth hasn't been truly impressive until just recently. Ezekiel Jackson? Stiff and uncharismatic.

Kofi Kingston should have been a world champion by now, but that has more to do with Randy Orton's bad attitude than it does racism. Your arguments don't hold any water.

 

[DSD]

I really don't understand WWE with black wrestlers. It seems that WWE isn't too fond of them, especially after dropping the ball on Shelton Benjamin the way the did. Not making Cryme Tyme tag champions when they were way over with the crowd. It's either they're too black, or they're not big enough. I admit it Cryme Tyme was a little controversial but, everybody loved them.

R-Truth and Mark Henry will get their title runs before they leave the company though, you don't need to worry about that.

PS. I dunno, it seems WWE does like David Otunga.

 

[ChristianCoalition]

Booker T was a successful black man in the WWE, and held many titles, including a world heavyweight title run. I know Bobby Lashley was poised to have world titles in his future, but he split before he had the chance. I don't think Henry or R-Truth will ever have world titles (Henry more likely though) because I don't think WWE has faith in them to carry a show. Sure, Henry is more athletic, but there is more to being champ then being athletic, and that's why guys like him don't get to hold titles often. I think back in the day, Shelton Benjamin was the total package and could've carried the show but they never gave him an oppurtunity. I also do see Ezekiel Jackson getting a title run within the next year and a half

 

[Mouthy Idiot]

Booker T was a successful black man in the WWE, and held many titles, including a world heavyweight title run. I know Bobby Lashley was poised to have world titles in his future, but he split before he had the chance. I don't think Henry or R-Truth will ever have world titles (Henry more likely though) because I don't think WWE has faith in them to carry a show. Sure, Henry is more athletic, but there is more to being champ then being athletic, and that's why guys like him don't get to hold titles often. I think back in the day, Shelton Benjamin was the total package and could've carried the show but they never gave him an oppurtunity. I also do see Ezekiel Jackson getting a title run within the next year and a half

I did forget about Booker T , you are right on that one but at the same time , he was kind of used in a comical "king Bookah" manner which didnt really make him seem serious. And again look at the % of black men who get title runs compared to white guys and brown even. Eddie and Rey and Khali and others were given title runs and only 2 black men can be considered former WWE WORLD CHAMP. Booker T and The Rock.. The numbers just dont add up to me. Again I dont wanna have to start naming all the black men who have been held back , and believe me theres a long list..

 

[Foshinzo]

I hate this topic...so damn much.
Seriously, you think Mark Henry has been held back because he's black? How about Mark Henry never made it because he's boring, he can't wrestle (his size doesn't help with that), and he can't get over with the crowd. Now, calling the crowd racist is another unfair topic because you can't generalize everyone that watches, so I always say that he never got over because of my first point: he's boring. Nobody want to watch some obese guy try to move around, no matter what color he is or how strong he is. If you've watched WWF/E since he debuted back in '96 (correct me if that year is wrong), then you'd know this about him. It's not racism, he's just boring.

Also, you ask why guys like Miz, Swagger, Kane, and Sheamus get World Title runs and not someone like, say, Kofi. Well, Miz is a future face of the company, or at least looks like he will be. Jack Swagger and Sheamus are either failed experiments or were just pushed way too soon. It doesn't matter that Swagger and Sheamus are good workers, I guess? Kane is a star that's been riding off of his 1998 heat and the Undertaker's coattails for his whole career, so putting the title on him wasn't that surprising. So, as far as Kofi goes, let's be honest here: Kofi just isn't that good. Sure, he's kind of exciting to watch in the ring, but he botches in every single match and his character is just so bland. I think it's more racist of the WWE that he's from Ghana but they originally billed him from Jamaica, because, "what's the difference, right?" Still, it's not racist that boring black wrestlers like Kofi and MVP didn't get their runs because they never really had the chance for it. Kofi might have during the Orton feud, but that's a whole other story. I agree that Swagger getting his run was ridiculous, but I think everyone feels that way about Swagger's run, no matter if he were white, black, or any other ethnicity.

I always say this, too: "I suppose Booker T's World Title runs don't count anymore, and what about Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson being the first ever black Tag Team Champions?" It's not like WWE has never pushed black wrestlers, it's just that some of the more memorable ones like Ahmed Johnson and Junk Yard Dog weren't, "face-of-the-company," material.

Seriously, this topic just needs to die. I'm not a racist at all in my personal life and I honestly find racists to be despicable, but I think, "White Guilt," is just another form of racism. The least racist thing we can do is just appreciate these men for who they are and focus on them as everything but their skin color. Someone has to cry out when racists strike, of course, but let's not turn common problems into racial issues, okay?

 

[jctheactor03]

Look at the amount of black superstars in the E on the main roster. Off the top of my head I can name Kofi, Truth, Henry, Jackson, and if there are others they aren't relevent. Vince doesn't do what the fans want, he does what he thinks will make him the most money. C.M. Punk is a prime example. Although he's not black and has been World Champ, his runs were hardly memorable and Vince took him out of his first title defense via an Orton punt to the skull if you remember. Punk has a following and constantly gets reactions, especially as a heel and he gets lackluster booking. We all know Kofi should've moved up to the main event but, for whatever reason, he didn't. Mark Henry has been used as an enhancement talent for years when they want to put someone over. Truth is finally having a flash of brilliance but is really irritating. I just remembered JTG is still with the company and I'm honestly suprised he hasn't been future endeavored yet seeing as how he hasn't been relevant since Cryme Tyme. JTG needs a gimmick change and a new finisher, but that's another issue for another forum. I've blabbed enough here but the point is guys like Sheamus come in and get pushed to the top while guys like Kofi hover around mid-card status. Vince may not be racist, but he isn't pushing any black WWE Champions. Call it what you will The Rock made money and thats the main factor to Vince. If you aren't filling seats, or kissing the boss' ass you aren't worth a push in Vinces eyes no matter what color you are.

 

[kidmetal24]

the one black superstar that i think was held back was shelton benjamin. mark henry was never really good in the ring and is past his prime, truth the same but has a great gimmick now, and zeke and kofi are not ready to be world title competitors. i have nothing against black atheletes. cryme tyme were over with the crowd but couldnt carry a match to save their lives and lastly david otunga sucks in the ring and is as interesting in the ring as a cat sitting on the couch. i have nothing against black wrestlers but they are not ready. bobby lashley was his own enemy. he bailed on a bright future in wwe to go on to a crappy mma career and a b.s. tna stint.

 

[Brahma Bull]

lets see. there is a black wwe superstar on smackdown who was heavy weight champion. you know... booker t. kofi is a multi-time midcard champ. r-truth is getting a pretty big push. henry is facing orton, and big zeke just won the intercontinental championship and is beating wade barrett, who was pretty much one of the biggest heels on raw last year. this thread is all types of ******ed.

 

[Bingching]

It's simple business, my son. Black guys aren't nearly as marketable as white guys. By the way, the only black wrestler that should of had a world title run in the past ten years but didn't, is Shelton.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

Right now? This probably isn't the point in time to be making this argument, with so many African-Americans being featured. Prominently featured, actually.

Mark Henry is more important, right now, than he has been...ever. Same can be said for R-Truth, who just main evented a PPV against John Cena. Kofi Kingston is probably the most consistent among mid-carders, never disappearing from television, despite being completely mediocre. Big Zeke is being promoted as one of the most dominant forces on Smackdown. Booker T is featured, each week, in the booth. When is the last time WWE had an African-American in that role? Prior to becoming pregnant, Kharma was receiving the biggest push a woman has received since Sable.

Oh, and we shouldn't forget Teddy Long... the man who is running Smackdown.

This is all in your head.

 

[Midnite Express 2009]

This is incredibly stupid. Sorry but I couldn't find the word to properly describe how silly this is. Vince McMahon is NOT a racist. He's a businessman. Okay, if Vince were a racist, would a black man be in the main event at WrestleMania? Hmmm. Let's see, how many times has a person of color or different nationality been in the main event at WrestleMania? Hell, arguably, the company's biggest star ever just so happens to be black. I'm sick of hearing how Mark Henry is being held back. I'm a black man who has two eyes & who knows what I want to see inside the ring & often times it's NOT Mark Henry. Gimme a break. I normally don't bash other people's posts because we all have opinions but c'mon, you have to admit this was pretty silly...

 

[Inittowinit]

Then explain to me why guys like Jack Swagger , Sheamus , The miz , Kane and others got title runs when they werent relevant at the time.. Miz was built up slowly so maybe he deserved it but swagger and sheamus and other big stiff white guys got WORLD TITLE RUNS. Guys like Kofi and soooo many others never get those chances....

Sheamus was up HHH's ass. Kane has been around forever and it was a final run. For the Miz it was the next logical step, Jack Swagger was a transitional champion. Mark Henry sucks. Black, white, brown, blue or yellow...He is the shits. Kofi is no where near ready to carry the main title. Why do people cry when a guy doesnt get the world title after a few months? That is why the business is in the state its in because guys start out on top and have no where to go but down. No building like the old days. Rick Rude was never a world champion (WCW international doesnt count) but we have to give the new guy a title? Ridiculous.

 

[wrestlingfan]

Well heres the honest truth coming from a black man itself. Black stars aren't marketable and thats a backlash from the way the American's society been with Blacks. Also there just isn't any good Black stars. Let's just look at the stars and even the recently departed (not dead but left the company)

Shelton Benjamin:Good high-fyler but horrible mic skills and couldn't draw a dime
MVP: Nice Gimmick, over with the crowd, above average mic skills and ring work btu chose to leave the company
JTG: Stereotypical thug, Hasn't been over since broken with Cryme Time
R-Truth: Conspiracy theorist, but is really a lunatic and probably would be hated if being Champ
Kofi Kingston: Gets good pops from the crowd, okay ring work (I would say he's the msot logical to be a World Champ) BUT problems with Orton slowed him down
Big Zeke & Mark Henry: Nuff said.

 

[LegendKiller716]

Black wrestlers aren't in the main event because WWE has no main event worthy black wrestlers. Like many have stated, Truth and Henry maybe deserve short runs right now, but they just now caught fire.

As for the Shelton argument, he didn't want the push. He was content as a mid carder, so he stayed there. It's like the NFL, do you want a QB who loves film study and always wants to better himself? Or do you want a guy who is content being mediocre. Shelton is Ryan Leaf, and Cena is Peyton Manning.

 

[Mouthy Idiot]

Some of you are missing the bulletin points of my thread. I said Vince is "corporate racist" which means he only puts a white face as the champ of his product. I dont think Vince hates black dudes or calls them the N word or anything , im saying he does pin them down under the WWE white america product. John Cena and Randy Orton get like 20 world title runs between the 2 which is ******ed. Edge had how many and HHH got how many? Its stupid that the black athletes get stereotyped as bad attitude "Brothers" who have to be used as heels to please the white audience.

Mark Henry isnt even the best example out there , I just chose to use him as an example. I keep saying there are tons and tons of black guys I could start naming who came through the WWE and by god every one of them was held back or left the company and didnt get respect like WWE WORLD TITLE RUNS... And im sick of people saying the fans dont like Mark Henry and that he cant wrestler , I call that BS* because everybody knows the man with the belt whos scripted to get the belt ends up getting attention even if he canr wrestle great , like Cena and Hogan so dont give me that.

Well heres the honest truth coming from a black man itself. Black stars aren't marketable and thats a backlash from the way the American's society been with Blacks. Also there just isn't any good Black stars. Let's just look at the stars and even the recently departed (not dead but left the company)

Shelton Benjamin:Good high-fyler but horrible mic skills and couldn't draw a dime
MVP: Nice Gimmick, over with the crowd, above average mic skills and ring work btu chose to leave the company
JTG: Stereotypical thug, Hasn't been over since broken with Cryme Time
R-Truth: Conspiracy theorist, but is really a lunatic and probably would be hated if being Champ
Kofi Kingston: Gets good pops from the crowd, okay ring work (I would say he's the msot logical to be a World Champ) BUT problems with Orton slowed him down
Big Zeke & Mark Henry: Nuff said.

Hey man you just made my point for me... They were given those gimmicks by management because they are BLACK... You think those guys didnt want a John Cena style character , hell yes they did. They arent given the chance because WWE wants them to be black dudes with attitude. They cant just make a black man and all american hero type , they stereotype the guys as thugs and jamaicans and punks. Its all so obvious , coming from a black man as yourself im dissapointed in your Uncle Tom style behavior.

 

[onewayleeway69]

Are you serious right now? The fans dictate who get pushes, not Vince. Vince listens to the fans. It has nothing to do with race. Vince just sees green, if it is a fat man, black man, Japanese man, it doesn't matter as long as they entertain the audience.


are you for real "mr blue chipper" really?...really?...when has vince ever listened to the fans? he didnt even listen to the fans who voted the other week at power to the people. Everyone votes even born "but gosh i have a better idea lets put a big dumb batista look alike in there instead coz i know what the fans want". Vince does what he wants when he wants and doesnt listen to nobody but himself and if you believe anything else you heads far to much up WWEs ass.
Anyways back to Mark Henry i dont think you should be playing the race card dude even more so when R-Truth is getting a push right now, Kofi Kingston has had pushes in the past and blew it not because he was black but because he couldnt handle the pressure, like people have already stated Booker t has had allllot of championships in WWE and I havnt watched smackdown in like 5/6 weeks but last time i watched it Big Zeke was getting a push kickin the cores ass. Come to think of it to prove its not about race(you can be racest to any other race in the world not just black people) The Great Khali is a formerworld champion hes Indian,Rey Mysterios had 2 world championships plus ic tag and cruiserweight reigns hes mexican,Eddie Guerrero is a former WWE champ he was mexican R.i.p,Umaga was a multiple time ic champ who had many pushes he was samoan R.I.P and sheamus is a pale ginger irishman and hes even had 2 wwe championships. The point is if WWE was racest like you claim they would be to all races who aint white not just Black folk now stop tryin to stir up shit that isnt there. Or infact take your claim to WWE new york it would be funny watchn them sue your ass

 

[MONEY IN THE BANK]

ARE YOU SERIOUS? i hate this topic, it seems like there's a new thread on this every other month. Next time you see a black wrestler with all the tools/factors the rock had and isnt a megastar then bring this back up.

and BTW i can't wait until the next year or 2 (maybe even sooner) when a black person on the roster wins the world title so this can end

 

[amazing_blue]

I don't understand why there can't be a diverse array of characters portrayed by the black wrestlers. You have R-Truth and Mark Henry playing the attitude-filled, sterotypical black guys. It's politically incorrect, but madly entertaining (at least to me as a white guy). They're doing a great job.

You've got Big Zeke and Kofi Kingston as good faces, though both portray "foriegn" characters. They need to get a black guy who can be like John Cena; an All-American type character that panders to the fans.

 

[Nate DaMac]

Some of you are missing the bulletin points of my thread. I said Vince is "corporate racist" which means he only puts a white face as the champ of his product.

He puts the most popular star as the face of his company. End of story.

I dont think Vince hates black dudes or calls them the N word or anything , im saying he does pin them down under the WWE white america product.

This is just too stupid for words.

John Cena and Randy Orton get like 20 world title runs between the 2 which is ******ed. Edge had how many and HHH got how many? Its stupid that the black athletes get stereotyped as bad attitude "Brothers" who have to be used as heels to please the white audience.

You name 4 of the most popular guys of the past decade as evidence of racism, but fail to list Batista, who is more popular than all but Cena, who just happens to not be white. You're talking out of your ass. The popular guys get the top spots, end of story.

Mark Henry isnt even the best example out there , I just chose to use him as an example. I keep saying there are tons and tons of black guys I could start naming who came through the WWE and by god every one of them was held back or left the company and didnt get respect like WWE WORLD TITLE RUNS...

Like who? Shelton Benjamin, the Botch Perfecter? Rodney Mack, the living breathing version of the word "Suck?" Lets not forget Lashley who surely would have been a champion if he didn't leave. Who are these mythical stars you're talking about?

And im sick of people saying the fans dont like Mark Henry and that he cant wrestler , I call that BS* because everybody knows the man with the belt whos scripted to get the belt ends up getting attention even if he canr wrestle great , like Cena and Hogan so dont give me that.

Oh I get it, you're just not a smart person. My mistake, I thought this was something worth being serious about. But so you know, Cena and Hogan didn't get over because they won the title. No, they were mega over well beforehand. That's how it works. Sure there are a few guys like Swagger and Sheamus that were thrown into the title picture rather abruptly, but that rarely works. Just look at Swagger now.

 

[Kaneanite]

What an idiotic argument.

Mark Henry is passed his prime. He is trash. They tried main-eventing him in 2006 I believe it was and got him involved with Angle. To put it nicely, he sucked. The dude even got a Casket Match with Taker at WM. That's getting held back? There are some wrestlers that would probably kill for a Taker WM match.

R-Truth is way past his prime and isn't anything great either.

Kofi would probably be a champion right now but he is not for many reasons that have nothing to do with racism.

It has NOTHING to do with racism. It is solely on the fact that Vince wants money and he'll push those that can get him money. If there are currently no black superstars worth pushing, then why do it just because some ignorant morons are crying about racism? The guy makes his money.

 

[Rckstrtmmy]

Have you been watching lately? Vince rewards guys who get over and play their character well. Doesn't matter if they're black, white, red, blue or whatever. Notice RTruth and Henry have been playing their characters beautifully recently and RTruth just headlined a PPV in the main event with Cena and Henry will prolly get a title shot against Orton pretty soon as well.

The reason they aren't as popular is for two reasons. One, there aren't as many black wrestlers so the odds of them being main eventers just isn't as high. And two, the biggest reason, the majority of fans are white so they're gonna create stars that they'll relate to better. I'm sure if a black superstar came along with the charisma and drawing power of a Rock, Stone Cold, Cena, Hogan, etc, they won't be held back because of their color.