Scared of the "Black" Wrestler?

[THEpapachamp]

Over the years the WWE/WCW & TNA has brought in many talented black superstars. But it seems since the Attitude era ended they have tried to "water down" any and every black superstar into NOT being seen as Black.

Just to name a few

Shelton Benjamin - turned into the "Gold Standard"
Mark Henry - who went from "The World's Strongest Man" to "Sexual Chocolate"
2-Cold Scorpio - Who went as Flash Funk
Big Daddy V - Who went from Mabel to Viscera
Booker T - Who went from a spineroonie to a King
The Boogeyman - Enough said..
Brother Devon - Whose brothers were all white
Elijah Burke - Who is a pope or something (I don't watch TNA)
Ernest Miller - Who turned into a dancing cat
Farooq - Who went from a black supremest to a bar fighting roughneck
The Godfather - Who went from a Voodoo doctor to black supremest to hilarious pimp
Montel Vontavious Porter - Who ran around telling everyone he was better then them screaming BALLIN!
Norman Smiley - (Screams like a bitch) yeah..
Jay Lethal - Who dressed up like Macho Man and Flair
Orlando Jordan - Is he gay now on TNA? whats up wit dat!
Virgil - Who ran around as a slave half his career..

and of course my two current favorites..

J.T.G

R-Truth

Currently the two biggest jokes and slap to face for black wrestling fans everywhere in the world. These two are extremely talented superstars and the fact they have to run around at gangster wanna-bes yelling YO YO YO! & WHATS UP! is insulting.

If you haven't noticed by now. I am of American American decent, & grew up in what the WWE would call a "rough neighborhood" like they say whenever someone grew up in a ghetto neighborhood.

I am curious to why the WWE feels they can't let a black wrestler be who he is? If he's thugged out and disrespectful. Let him be so.. if not, let him run around in colorful outfits screaming like a idiot. Other superstars such as Stone Cold came out of his shell when the WWE let him be a beer drinking red-neck.

It's obvious alot of Black Wrestlers would gain alot from this, but why won't the WWE let it be? because it's rated PG? If so.. That sucks

I'm not calling the WWE racist, I'm just curious as to why they are scared of letting a black wrestler be himself.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

 

[thedukeofpearls]

Over the years the WWE/WCW & TNA has brought in many talented black superstars. But it seems since the Attitude era ended they have tried to "water down" any and every black superstar into NOT being seen as Black.

Just to name a few

Shelton Benjamin - turned into the "Gold Standard"
Mark Henry - who went from "The World's Strongest Man" to "Sexual Chocolate"
2-Cold Scorpio - Who went as Flash Funk
Big Daddy V - Who went from Mabel to Viscera
Booker T - Who went from a spineroonie to a King
The Boogeyman - Enough said..
Brother Devon - Whose brothers were all white
Elijah Burke - Who is a pope or something (I don't watch TNA)
Ernest Miller - Who turned into a dancing cat
Farooq - Who went from a black supremest to a bar fighting roughneck
The Godfather - Who went from a Voodoo doctor to black supremest to hilarious pimp
Montel Vontavious Porter - Who ran around telling everyone he was better then them screaming BALLIN!
Norman Smiley - (Screams like a bitch) yeah..
Jay Lethal - Who dressed up like Macho Man and Flair
Orlando Jordan - Is he gay now on TNA? whats up wit dat!
Virgil - Who ran around as a slave half his career..

and of course my two current favorites..

J.T.G

R-Truth

Currently the two biggest jokes and slap to face for black wrestling fans everywhere in the world. These two are extremely talented superstars and the fact they have to run around at gangster wanna-bes yelling YO YO YO! & WHATS UP! is insulting.

If you haven't noticed by now. I am of American American decent, & grew up in what the WWE would call a "rough neighborhood" like they say whenever someone grew up in a ghetto neighborhood.

I am curious to why the WWE feels they can't let a black wrestler be who he is? If he's thugged out and disrespectful. Let him be so.. if not, let him run around in colorful outfits screaming like a idiot. Other superstars such as Stone Cold came out of his shell when the WWE let him be a beer drinking red-neck.

It's obvious alot of Black Wrestlers would gain alot from this, but why won't the WWE let it be? because it's rated PG? If so.. That sucks

I'm not calling the WWE racist, I'm just curious as to why they are scared of letting a black wrestler be himself.

What are your thoughts on the matter?

I'm Samoan, grew up in a nice neighborhood, got a private education, are a hard worker and are a civil human being. With this being said, WWE has yet to portray a Samoan as a human being, rather than a wild, savage cannibal.

Let's not forget that WWE deals with a fanbase in which are eager to fall prey to the power of suggestion. It's the aspect of entertainment for an average fan who knows nothing about the "hood" to envision it as a dark, dank place full of crime and misfits. It's not racism, but moreso, humoring propoganda.
The only way I'd see this issue not being an issue is if superstars would boycott their obligations to mimmick what they aren't.

For once, I'd like to see a black wrestler without any gimmick, but that hasn't been so, though to mention that it happened once via Bobby Lashley.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

A lot of performers, black and white have been given horrible gimmicks or a hook to gain an audience. When you look at your list and other performers ( Ron Simmons, damn, Rodney Mack, Koko B. Ware, Benjamin did the Momma's boy character, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, Mr Hughes and some more we've forgotten) there have been some good to great talent if used properly could have been more of a benefit to the WWE. There's hope: Kingston, Ezekiel Jackson is around, Booker is there, R Truth's character might be close to who he really is, Bobby Lashley wasn't stereotypical as you're describing. WWE management might let go of the need to make their characters less like common stereotypes and come up with more realistic and interesting characters for portray. A lot of performers, black and white have been given horrible gimmicks or a hook to gain an audience. I mean Cena has/ had a rapper gimmick, JBL was the rich snobbish tycoon, so I guess we can say that WWE has certain characters they like to use over and over again. It's the 21st century you'd think they could come up with more than that but in time hopefully the characters will be more unique and diverse.

 

[Richard]

I'm Samoan, grew up in a nice neighborhood, got a private education, are a hard worker and are a civil human being. With this being said, WWE has yet to portray a Samoan as a human being, rather than a wild, savage cannibal.

Obviously the neighbourhood you grew up in didn't have TV otherwise you would have seen The Rock. Hardly a wild, savage cannibal. He was a multi time world Champion, one of the best on the mic. The WWE pushed him to the moon. I would definately say WWE portrayed him as a human being, most definately.

This is the thing, everyone says "just let them be themselves on TV" well you know, NOT EVERYONE has the greatest personality. What if backstage, JTG is actually boring as fuck and has no personality. Do you want him coming out and being his true self and not having any personality?

 

[PhD]

I think it's because the WWE feels the need to give racialized gimmicks to nearly all non-white workers. Why do they do this? It might be in part because most of the creative influence comes from white people. I don't know the exact composition of the company's writing staff, but Michael Hayes, VKM, Triple H, Stephanie, Johnny Ace, basically anyone known to have influence on talent selection and development, they're all white.

Also, while it may seem a bit vexing to non-white fans, I'm sure someone at WWE honestly thinks that racial charicatures provide an opportunity for fans to identify with a character on the basis of race. Hell, they're even trying the same thing right now with Sheamus, I'd argue. I agree though that this is a fairly deplorable trend. It would be nice to see the company dealing with race either more critically or thoughtfully, but I think they are worried about alienating portions of their audience. I mean, look at the extent to which the NFL goes to sanitize their product. I think more than anything a sad by-product of economy of scale brought on by the "sports entertainment" approach.

 

[THEpapachamp]

A lot of performers, black and white have been given horrible gimmicks or a hook to gain an audience. When you look at your list and other performers ( Ron Simmons, damn, Rodney Mack, Koko B. Ware, Benjamin did the Momma's boy character, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, Mr Hughes and some more we've forgotten) there have been some good to great talent if used properly could have been more of a benefit to the WWE. There's hope: Kingston, Ezekiel Jackson is around, Booker is there, R Truth's character might be close to who he really is, Bobby Lashley wasn't stereotypical as you're describing. WWE management might let go of the need to make their characters less like common stereotypes and come up with more realistic and interesting characters for portray. A lot of performers, black and white have been given horrible gimmicks or a hook to gain an audience. I mean Cena has/ had a rapper gimmick, JBL was the rich snobbish tycoon, so I guess we can say that WWE has certain characters they like to use over and over again. It's the 21st century you'd think they could come up with more than that but in time hopefully the characters will be more unique and diverse.

I argue this to a point. Alot of your statements are true such as Bobby Lashley being possibly the only none stereotypical wrestler but even Kingston is affected by it. He's forced to play a Jamaican whose not Jamaican at all (personality wise)

As for JBL and John Cena, Cena grew up trying to a rapper, so it was part of him, thats why he grew so much from it & JBL is technically a rich tycoon, not snobbish tho, he's one of the nicest men I've ever met. But there characters came from there life experiences. They weren't forced to do it because the WWE thought it would fit them.

 

[silrock316]

Bottomline and this sucks. We still live in a racist world. I am a "white boy" from Philly that grew up in a prodominately black neighborhood. Facts are facts. Racism is here and it isnt going anywhere. WWE's product is pushed towards white america more than anything. Don't believe me? Look at the live crowds. You tell me what color folk you see more in the crowd. Now, a lot of that has to do with the fact that maybe there is more white fans than black fans? Maybe. BUT if you have a black wrestler come out and wrestler a white wrestler in an arena filled with black fans, who is going to be the face and who will be the heel? Its just life. The Rock, he is just a special entertainer. Booker T, he was good but white america wasnt gonna make him John Cena. This is a sore subject for me. Mike Vick kills dogs and does two years prison but Big Ben can rape women and not get anything.

Want the real answer? There it is. I am white but I am not oblivious.

 

[Azane]

Booker T is the only superstar on your list who was talented and charismatic enough to make it.
and Orlando Jordan's terrible gimmick is his own creation, You can't blame creative for that.

Wrestling innately is racist, Mexican superstars get Luchadore gimmicks, Big muscle men get monster or power lifter gimmicks, Russians get intimidating Iron Curtain gimmicks.
This isn't an issue specific for black atheletes, inability to get over is not entirely creatives fault, MVP took alot of his own material, and his character went stale, Shelton Benjamin made ratings drop 30% by looking at a microphone. R-truth, is using a gimmick from before he was R-truth.

A lot of these athletes aren't stereotyped into their gimmicks, more so placed into their gimmicks. Abraham Washington is the closest to the gimmick you'd want them, I don't think a single active superstar would fit his gimmick.
Do you want R-truth to walk out with a briefcase and a suit tomorrow and tell us all that hes now a financial banker from Connecticut?

Your post is innately racist, because I never see the superstars as Black or White until someone plays a race card. Talent that don't get over and happen to be one color or the other, its because of their color. The shock master would of been the #1 star if he was Red, Sting would of jobbed if he was yellow, and Jeff Hardy would of been clean if he was purple.

 

[Foshinzo]

I wouldn't exactly call them, "racist," as much I would just, "stupid." To me, racist implies that they want to hold black wrestlers back because they're inferior to white wrestlers, which I think is incorrect.
I think the problem is that WWE just tries too hard to make their black wrestlers relatable. They abuse the trope of the young, hip, cool Mr. Hip Hop black man who everyone wants to like. The problem is that even the most naive wrestling fan can see through the stereotype. It's not just black wrestlers; why is it that every middle eastern wrestler has Islamic music, wears a keffiyeh, and has to play a heel? WWE just uses stereotypes because the majority of wrestling fans are white; that's not a debatable topic. White people can of course relate more to the white wrestlers, which isn't racism, that's just human nature. However, since many a white American can't relate much to anything other than white Americans, they rely on stereotypes to feel like they're relating to these people who, at least visually, aren't like them. Certainly there are racists out there, especially here in the south as anyone from here can agree with that, but stereotyping is a way people try to understand each other. However, the problem occurs because stereotyping is a form of generalization, and to make a sweeping generalization of an entire race of people is ignorant because of the fact that obviously not all people are the same and cannot nor should not be categorized by their appearances.
So that's my theory on race relations in America and how it relates to professional wrestling. lol.
Seriously, though, my gripe with the E isn't that I think they're prejudiced or that they're really ignorant at all, I guess, but that they rely far too much on tropes instead of actually trying to get people to adjust their preconceived notions and invent characters who don't rely on their skin to become relatable or even likable, for that matter.
I guess all I'm saying is that if for just once an Iranian wrestler came out and couldn't sum all of his promos up with the phrase, "Death to America," I'd find that refreshing. lol.

 

[daicon]

as a black wrestling fan, i openly admit
aside from booker t, there are very few black wrestlers who are good enough talkers to go beyond the traditional black guy gimmick.
Booker is a great worker, great talker & even when he was given crap, he seemed to make it work to his favor.
D'lo Brown was close to being that, but wasnt given the proper push.
Ernest Miller was great at both but then he hurt himself & was limited in his ring action , but he was such a great speaker wcw made him the commissioner.

there are very few black wrestlers that can do everything well. in fact to narrow it down, there are very few black wrestlers who can really cut promos. its sad but true, which is why most black wrestlers dont make it past midcard

i personally favor elix skipper, shelton benjamin & Scorpio but as mentioned , none of those guys could really cut good promos

we were very close with monty brown & mvp but they both walked away from the big stage

 

[ECW Sandman]

My question is about your thought about Ron Simmons THEpapachamp. '' The All American '' Ron Simmons in WCW back in the early 90's won the WCW Heavyweight Belt after he beat Big Van Vader he was the first black champion in wrestling history Rocky Johnson and SD Jones won the WWWF/WWF Tag Team Title belts in the 70's WCW Did the All American gimmick for Ron Simmons well it wasn't a gimmick he was a All American for Florida State or U Of F and for SD Jones and Rocky Johnson I don't know i wasn't alive in the 70's.

 

[bigbootydaddyV]

did Jack Swagger write this post? The American American?? haha no one mentioned that and I wouldn't have either had it not been for the swagger connection haha sorry man.... anyways though I don't think they are necessarily afraid to let all african americans be themselves, i think a lot of the african american wrestlers chose their gimmicks, R Truth has been doing the rapper thing for years and before WWE. The fact that they have black wrestlers of all types is saying something, let's not forget Otunga is mentioned as the Harvard Law grad that he is, Mark Henry is the worlds strongest man, not some gimmick based on his race, basically they have personalities across the board for the black wrestlers they have right now. Really the only ones that were in recent history that were really offensive and stereotypical were cryme tyme. Booker T was able to be himself, only reason he is a "king" is to play off of Idi Amin... with the exception of 2 cold scorpio all of those guys have had pretty successful careers and weren't seen as less black or watered down imo... they just played different characters just like anyone else

 

[Pro Wrestling is FAKE]

Bottomline and this sucks. We still live in a racist world. I am a "white boy" from Philly that grew up in a prodominately black neighborhood. Facts are facts. Racism is here and it isnt going anywhere. WWE's product is pushed towards white america more than anything. Don't believe me? Look at the live crowds. You tell me what color folk you see more in the crowd. Now, a lot of that has to do with the fact that maybe there is more white fans than black fans? Maybe. BUT if you have a black wrestler come out and wrestler a white wrestler in an arena filled with black fans, who is going to be the face and who will be the heel? Its just life. The Rock, he is just a special entertainer. Booker T, he was good but white america wasnt gonna make him John Cena. This is a sore subject for me. Mike Vick kills dogs and does two years prison but Big Ben can rape women and not get anything.

Want the real answer? There it is. I am white but I am not oblivious.

You are white and completely oblivious to the Industry.. Heck its not about an arena filled with black and white people.... An arena is filled with people who cheer on the entertainers no matter what color they are.. I completely disagree with you and esp the OP for starting this idiotic thread.. You did mention the Rock as special talent, and you forgot who the crowd cheered more when he laid smack-down on John Cena week after week.. Booker at one point was one the most over superstars in E.. Farooq in APA n Nation was a formiddable one, Samoans were one of the best tag teams ever, Lashley was in the main event program with VKM and the last time, Chairman chose someone personally, we got Stone Cold Steve Austin, MVP debuted with one of the biggest hype ever seen, Brother DeVon was the part of of the best tag teams in history.. So there are enough examples that if you are a good talent you would be used properly.. And what's bad in trying to use your background in promoting yourself up.. If you don't have a natural gimmick better use what naturally fits you..

Again idiotic thread and even worse reply..

 

[Amped08]

You are white and completely oblivious to the Industry.. Heck its not about an arena filled with black and white people.... An arena is filled with people who cheer on the entertainers no matter what color they are.. I completely disagree with you and esp the OP for starting this idiotic thread.. You did mention the Rock as special talent, and you forgot who the crowd cheered more when he laid smack-down on John Cena week after week.. Booker at one point was one the most over superstars in E.. Farooq in APA n Nation was a formiddable one, Samoans were one of the best tag teams ever, Lashley was in the main event program with VKM and the last time, Chairman chose someone personally, we got Stone Cold Steve Austin, MVP debuted with one of the biggest hype ever seen, Brother DeVon was the part of of the best tag teams in history.. So there are enough examples that if you are a good talent you would be used properly.. And what's bad in trying to use your background in promoting yourself up.. If you don't have a natural gimmick better use what naturally fits you..

Again idiotic thread and even worse reply..

Pretty much summed up everything I was gonna say. I will, however, agree that JTG's character MUST go. It's offensive on so many levels I don't even know where to begin.

 

[yur_momma]

hey while your whining the "feel sorry for me and my race" song lets talk about the japanese wrestlers; from the jumping bomb angels to the orient express to akio to funaki (indeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!)

mexicans? well they got the great gimmicks like the mexicools or the "lying, cheating, stealing" guererro's, turning tito santana into a matador, etc

or hey, the arabs! we cant forget how they have been portrayed. muhammed hassan, davari, iron shiek, col mustafa...

indians you say? well tatanka and jay strongbow
i totally see your point OP. white wrestlers get all the good gimmicks that portray their race in a good light, like Col. DeBeers in early 80's wwf...hillbilly jim...jbl wasnt a stereotypical republican white guy at all...the godwinns got a great gimmick that made white people proud and later when they became southern justice? oh what a credit to the white race that was!

you say the attitude era watered down their "blackness" and then go on to name some interesting items:

flash funk, if anything became more black with that gimmick. not sure what your complaining about there. if he was flash funk first and wwf made him just 2 cold scorpio then you might have some consistency in your argument.
booker t? how the fuck is a spineroonie MORE black than a king? im completely lost on your point with this one...
boogeyman...i didnt even see him or his character within a racial context to be honest. but considering he didnt have a gimmick or even a career before wwf im not sure how they watered him down.
devons brothers were all white???? apparently you havent seen Dances with Dudley who was his indian brother.
godfather lol...yeah i agree a voodoo guy, black supremacist and a pimp are extremely watered down...i sense no blackness in any of those.
orlando jordan is bi in real life, not a gimmick per se...

now the funniest part. you whine that the black stars get watered down (which i just pointed out didnt make sense) but then you go on to complain about jtg and r-truth, two guys who arent afraid of their past or their style or music...the whole hip hop thing screams blackness....dont believe me, they tried to give jesse a slammaster j rapper gimmick and it didnt work. he isnt black. yeah cena had that gimmick and it worked for a while but it certainly wasnt going to get him mainstream worldwide attention. its a dead end gimmick for a white guy. so your mad that wwe gave jtg and r-truth a hip hop gimmick that works for them, is real enough to them and is definitely fit for a black wrestler?? after complaining that wwe doesnt put enough "black" into their characters? LOLOLOLOLOLOL

(im showing my age here but...) ernie "big cat" ladd, rocky johnson, tony atlas, bad news brown, abdullah the butcher, ahmed johnson, brickhouse brown, norman smiley, pistol pez whatley, slick, teddy long, doom, etc....i could go on and on about successful black wrestlers.

wrestling uses controversy, over the top gimmicks and race/nationality/sexuality to create stars, it always has and always will. go ask the kamala, nikolai volkoff or gorgeous george.

what a dumb thread to start. and dumb examples (and contradictions) to your own argument to try to support it.

 

[thedukeofpearls]

Obviously the neighbourhood you grew up in didn't have TV otherwise you would have seen The Rock. Hardly a wild, savage cannibal. He was a multi time world Champion, one of the best on the mic. The WWE pushed him to the moon. I would definately say WWE portrayed him as a human being, most definately.

This is the thing, everyone says "just let them be themselves on TV" well you know, NOT EVERYONE has the greatest personality. What if backstage, JTG is actually boring as fuck and has no personality. Do you want him coming out and being his true self and not having any personality?

Ok, smartass.

Other than The Rock, what other Samoan has been portayed as a human being? And don't give me The Usos as an example, I want an example that includes a Samoan wrestler who's had a successful run in WWE without portraying a wild savage?

Also, I haven't a problem with Samoan wrestlers making an ass of themselves, being that most of WWE's fanbase would buy any gimmick until they come of age.
Further, I'd rather a wrestler portray something that is believable rather than portray something that feeds the socially uneducated portion of the world. Of course, this doesn't just go for black wrestlers, this would go for all wrestlers. Your attitude clearly shows that you'd prefer a wrestler to sell a negative gimmick in order to appease a crowd of fans who're impressionable as teens.

The key word is wrestling, and sure, there is entertainment, but at what and whose expense?

Certainly not your's, Einstein.

 

[Jay Sherman]

Racism....It Stinks!

That said its wrestling and not a movie its just a gimmick, why is it when Chavo was turned into Kerwin White your "stereotypical" white guy, I could not get up in arms. I do not play golf, listen to that cheap Barry Manilow-esque shit that was his theme. Also a caddy does not follow me every where. Oh how I wish though. Its just wrestling.

I get the observation but people can choose to say no, so I am guessing if any of these people wanted to they could have chosen to not have gone that route.

 

[SomeAreSet]

I'm pretty sure that R-Truth is a rapper in real life.I've also read somewhere that he was a friend of Tupac,so I don't think his gimmick veers too far away from real life.
Orlando Jordan is openly bisexual,so his gimmick doesn't veer too far from his real life personality either.
MVP and JTG are based on stereotypes of men that live in Miami and Brooklyn.Just like how Stone Cold is based on a stereotypical redneck.I mean,MVP and JTG are born in Miami and Harlem respectively.There's nothing to suggest that their gimmicks and their real life personalities are worlds apart.I mean,you'd buy Stone Cold as a beer swilling redneck from Texas but you won't buy MVP as a egotistical ******* from Miami or JTG as a gangster from Brooklyn just because they're black?
Viscera is Viscera because he's freaking huge.Just like how Big Show is Big Show.They're portrayed as big-ass monsters.
Virgil wasn't a slave.He wasn't whipped and forced to bale cotton.He was Ted DiBiase's assistant/bodyguard.It's like how Batista was D-Von's bodyguard when D-Von was doing his whole reverend gimmick.

Wrestling is entertainment.The reason for these gimmicks is because the audience yearns for characters that will entertain them.It's not that the WWE are being racist,even though most of their non-Caucasian wrestlers are put in gimmicks.I think that the WWE err on the side of caution,because they don't think that the WWE Universe would buy a black guy or an Asian guy or a Mexican acting like an everyday American,not to mention that it won't be entertaining at all.I think that the JTG/Cryme Tyme and the Mexicool gimmicks are racist as hell though,but stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason.It's like how none of the Asian wrestlers know how to speak a lick of English,with the exception of Jimmy Wang Yang,and the less said about him,the better.

Richard makes a good point too.Not everyone's real life personality is entertaining.For example,Bobby Lashley.They let him be himself on TV and he's as boring as a sheet of paper.On the other hand,guys like The Rock (half Samoan and half black) are entertaining as hell even as themselves,so they get pushed into the main event.Booker T was himself for many years and he got over with the fans way before he won the King of the Ring and became King Booker.Besides,many Caucasian wrestlers are put in gimmicks that don't reflect on their real life personalities either.

Triple H was Hunter Hearst Hemsley,a blue blood because he's from Connecticut.That's as stereotypical as it gets.
Glen Jacobs is Kane,a big red monster from Parts Unknown.
Mick Foley was Mankind for many years,a deranged psychopath.Don't forget,he was also Dude Love,a hippie Casanova, and Cactus Jack,a Billy The Kid,old Spaghetti Western like character from New Mexico.
Didn't Billy Gunn and Chuck Palumbo play a couple of gay guys?
What about Too Cool?One guy's from Maine and the other guy is from Tennessee but their gimmicks were a couple of hip-hop,Beastie Boys-ish characters.
Not to mention other guys like Ultimate Warrior,Sting,Razor Ramon,Gangrel.There are tons of white wrestlers in gimmicks that don't reflect on how they are in real life.It's not just non-white wrestlers who get put in gimmicks.

As far as I'm concerned (I'm Asian,by the way),I'm okay with the stupid gimmicks as long as the WWE don't put blackface makeup on a black wrestler,or force an Asian wrestler to act like a slant-eyed bucktoothed "Herro,ching chang chong," kind of gimmick.Besides,if guys like Too Cool,Gangrel and The Godfather can make their gimmicks work,then hell,I don't see why Shelton Benjamin can't make his Gold Standard gimmick work,regardless of how far it veers from his real life personality.Besides,not everyone can be a The Rock or a Stone Cold or a John Cena.Not everyone can get to the top just by being themselves with the volume turned up.I do see your point though,there's no harm in giving black wrestlers a chance to be themselves.Like David Otunga.His gimmick is probably the only thing keeping him employed.

 

[therockiswwf]

Great another one of these threads.

Shelton - I dont see anything wrong with Shelton and the gold standard.
Mark Henry - You have it backwards
2-Cold Scorpio - From the very little I have seen from him, I don't get why anyone ever thought he was special.
Big Daddy V - Who went from Mabel to Viscera to pajama sex guy to giant fat to a guy who was so fat they were forced to fire him.
Booker T - Choose to do the king character not the WWE.
The Boogeyman - How in the hell is this a stereotype?
Brother Devon - Half brothers. What is bad with him?
Elijah Burke - He is a pope not pimp.
Ernest Miller - Don't know, only seen him once.
Farooq - He was a fucking beast all the fucking time.
The Godfather - What about when he was the Goodfather?
MVP - Went from a regular heel to a generic face. I don't see any black stereotype here.
Norman Smiley - I have never seen him. But when is screaming like a bitch a black stereotype?
Jay Lethal - A black stereotype is to impersonate white people?
Orlando Jordan - TNA thought it would be edgy and it wasn't. He is bi in real life. Since when is being gay a black stereotype?
Virgil - He was more of a maid.
R-Truth - It is interactive and it gets a crowd reaction. I have no problem with this. He almost got pushed for a world title before the WWE decided that he was too old to push.
JTG - This is more stupid than racist.
Stone Cold - Wait isnt a redneck a Texas stereotype?
The Rock - Was wait...

What about
David Otuanga - He isn't a stereotype.
The Usos - They are not stereotypes.
Michael Tarver - He isn't a stereotype.
Ezekiel Jackson - He isn't a stereotype.
Alicia Fox - She isn't a stereotype.
Byron Saxton - He isn't a stereotype.
Darren Young - He isn't a stereotype.
Titus O'Neil - He isn't a stereotype.

TNA and the WWE are not scared, racist or anything like that. The WWE cares about money and they are scared of not making money. If a wrestler will make the WWE money, then they will be sucessful. No matter what race, height, weight, nationality, etc. I just hate these threads as they are just fucking stupid. There have not been many black wrestlers that deserve to go past the mid card level.

The WWE only sees green (money) or red (lose money).


Since I'm white I shall now be mad at the WWE for
Slam Master J

 

[Richard]

Ok, smartass.

Other than The Rock, what other Samoan has been portayed as a human being? And don't give me The Usos as an example, I want an example that includes a Samoan wrestler who's had a successful run in WWE without portraying a wild savage?

Yokozuna was successful I'd say. WWE Champion. Another, although very debateable about the successful bit would be Rosey, member of two decent tag teams and at one time Tag Team Champion.

I don't see what the problem is with these gimmicks given to nationalities.

They can't give an Asian guy an Irish gimmick like Sheamus, it just wouldn't work. You know who would work with an Irish gimmick? Sheamus but since he actually is Irish, that's just racist? Come on guys, seriously, it's not that much of an issue. Don't start with the Jimmy Wang Yang bullshit, he was just stupid.

Not all black guys are given sterotypical black gimmicks. Kofi Kingston, I don't really consider him to have any gimmick, he's just Kofi Kingston. He doesn't do anything stereotypically black. Neither does Ezekiel Jackson. Neither does Darren Young. Neither does Mark Henry.

It shouldn't be a big deal.

 

[mikej690]

Isn't The Rock part black and part Samoan...

The rock and booker t are the only ones who are the most successful african american stars in wwe.

Im black and i've been a fan ever since i was 6 watching it with my grandma (Who still watches Smackdown.)

I remember the rock being apart of the nation of domination. I also watched his debut in wwf and he had a dumbass gimmick dressed up in samoan dress and looked stupid!

Anyway i think wwe focuses more on the white wrestlers then black wrestlers. Shelton benjamin back in 2005 beat HHH a 10 time world champion at the time and then the next year he becomes a momma's boy?

Then he has to make his hair blond and calls himself the gold standard? plus he gets buried/ jobs every year just to make others look good?

He's been in money in the bank matches more times then anyone but he still doesn't win it? I kept scratching my head because this guy can wrestle a hell of a match but he keeps being held back? Another example of a great black wrestler is kofi kingston.

Kofi kingston was given a fake jamican gimmick. But he was popular so he was given main event push when he was in a feud with randy orton. Kofi messed up the punt kick and quickly got buried afterward. He gets moved to smackdown just to get buried again.

 

[thedukeofpearls]

Yokozuna was successful I'd say. WWE Champion. Another, although very debateable about the successful bit would be Rosey, member of two decent tag teams and at one time Tag Team Champion.

I don't see what the problem is with these gimmicks given to nationalities.

They can't give an Asian guy an Irish gimmick like Sheamus, it just wouldn't work. You know who would work with an Irish gimmick? Sheamus but since he actually is Irish, that's just racist? Come on guys, seriously, it's not that much of an issue. Don't start with the Jimmy Wang Yang bullshit, he was just stupid.

Not all black guys are given sterotypical black gimmicks. Kofi Kingston, I don't really consider him to have any gimmick, he's just Kofi Kingston. He doesn't do anything stereotypically black. Neither does Ezekiel Jackson. Neither does Darren Young. Neither does Mark Henry.

It shouldn't be a big deal.

Yokozuna's gimmick was the portrayal of a Japanese Sumo Grand Champion; which had little to do with Samoan culture. 3 minute Warning (Jamal and Rosey) later disbanded and Umaga emerged, as what? A wild savage with a taped thumb.
Sorry, you lose this debate. I've yet to see a Samoan wrestler who embodies anything other than a psuedo cannibal type.

Now that we've gotten beyond the fact that a good example (at least in WWE) of a Samoan wrestler was not produced, then, I'll be more than happy to toss in a few underlying facts that you can nibble on.

If WWE were to market wrestlers without racially offensive gimmicks, then perhaps most of the IWC wouldn't be "cloaked bigots" in the first place. I myself DO see lots wrong with racially offensive gimmicks because of the following.

A. WWE is designed to appeal to the masses of fans. (which is to say that perhaps most of their fanbase are more inclined to kindle prejudices)

B.Long after wrestlers are done beig entetainers, let's not forget that these guys have to hold this image for the rest of their lives, at least from a fan's perspective.

C. Other than racially offensive gimmicks in wrestling, WWE has yet to adopt the principle of "people being people". This just isn't seen as marketable. Sadly, in America, we have a long way to go before we're able to just walk around the house without curtains or walls.

D. These facts are not just limited to black athletes, but all athletes.


The funny part about this topic is that the OP fails to recognize the fact that TNA hasn't taken the WWE route with black wrestlers. I can name quite a few in TNA without racially offensive gimmicks.

 

[punchline]

I can name quite a few in TNA without racially offensive gimmicks.

That's funny, cause i can name quite a few in WWE without racially offensive gimmicks as well (as has been stated before) such as Mark Henry, Ezekial Jackson, Darren Young, David Otunga, Michael Tarver... I'd keep going but TNA only has 4 black wrestlers, so they cant possibly have more black wrestlers without offensive gimmicks than the WWE.

 

[The Suplexer Perfecter]

The rock and booker t are the only ones who are the most successful african american stars in wwe.

Im black and i've been a fan ever since i was 6 watching it with my grandma (Who still watches Smackdown.)

I remember the rock being apart of the nation of domination. I also watched his debut in wwf and he had a dumbass gimmick dressed up in samoan dress and looked stupid!

Anyway i think wwe focuses more on the white wrestlers then black wrestlers. Shelton benjamin back in 2005 beat HHH a 10 time world champion at the time and then the next year he becomes a momma's boy?

Then he has to make his hair blond and calls himself the gold standard? plus he gets buried/ jobs every year just to make others look good?

He's been in money in the bank matches more times then anyone but he still doesn't win it? I kept scratching my head because this guy can wrestle a hell of a match but he keeps being held back? Another example of a great black wrestler is kofi kingston.

Kofi kingston was given a fake jamican gimmick. But he was popular so he was given main event push when he was in a feud with randy orton. Kofi messed up the punt kick and quickly got buried afterward. He gets moved to smackdown just to get buried again.

Shelton had FLUKE wins over Triple H. And finally Triple H beat him convincingly. He had horrible mic skills. You need to talk and have charisma to be champion.

Kingston hardly had a "Jamaican" gimmick. Yes he was billed from there, but besides that and his entrance music, that was it. He didn't smoke weed or listen to Bob Marley backstage, or acted Rastafarian.

Kofi also wasn't "buried". I hate when people misuse that term. Being IC champion is hardly buried. Yes he lost it to Barrett, so what? He'll probably end up facing them in a 4 on 4 tag at Mania.

The problem is that there are not and were not many black wrestlers to begin with.

 

[thraxiusrex]

I just want to point out that the original poster accused WWE of "watering down" black superstars to make them "less black", but then went on to use JTG and R-Truth as examples of stereotypical black wrestlers.
Sounds like you're talking out of both sides of your mouth. You can't have it both ways. I won't deny that racism exists and has a negative impact on virtually all professions. But if you criticize wrestling gimmicks from being "not black enough" and "too black", how exactly are black superstars to be portrayed? To be honest, judging by the various descriptions of black superstars in the original post, black superstars have been given the same kinds of gimmicks any other race has - various different ones.