The Rock: The first african-american WWE champion?

[CM Steel]

There aren't alot of former WWF/E champions of african-american decent. The closes the E has to a african-american WWF/E champion is, the Rock. As we all know the Rock won the WWF championship back in 1998 at that years Survivor Series (via the Montreal Screwjob II) for the first time in his career. The Rock is of mixed decent, part black and part samoan. With that being the case. Should the WWE claim the Rock to be "the first african-american WWE champion" in history?

Who can forget when Ron Simmons won the now defunct WCW championship in 1992 from Vader, becoming the first african-american wrestler to win a world title in wrestling history! But wasn't BoBo Brazil a world champion in the old NWA wrestling in the early 1970's? Confusing.

Most wrestling fans see the Rock as a black, while most see Rocky as a samoan or just mixed. But isn't our U.S. president Barack Obama of mixed decent, but known as our very "first african-american U.S. president"? So what's the difference with the Rock? Since then african-american wrestler's such as Booker T, R-Truth, and Mark Henry have won world title's during their careers. So should the Rock be known and looked upon as the first WWF/E champion of black decent?

 

[GameOver]

Who cares whether he's black or white or purple, he was electrifying as champion and thats all that matters.
He will go down as one of the greatest entertainers and a crossover between WWE and the Mass Media

 

[CrunKSinatrA]

Race shouldn't matter, every person should be judged by their own merits and not generalized. But with that being said, the United States has always had a racially charged atmosphere. It wasn't until the 1960s that minorities were allowed to eat at the same restaurants, go to the same schools, or given the same opportunities at jobs as whites. So for any minority to achieve any level success is still a huge accomplishment.

Yes, the Rock was the first African-American WWF Champion. Also, the 2nd Samoan with Yokozuna being the first.

I think Bobo Brazil's reign doesn't count b/c of a dusty finish or something like that. He didn't want to win the title under those conditions and the decision was reversed.

Pro Wrestling will always be a major part of the cultural landscape because it's one of the few mediums that supports minorities. Booker T was the last real WCW Champion and also had a couple reigns as King Booker. Mark Henry's title reign made him the 4th Champion. I've honestly tried to watch TNA but I'm not a fan, so I don't know if R Truth's reign counts. If it does count than it has an asterix. I'm not sure but I think there has been more Black champions than Black Oscar winners.

And in the last couple years, there's been 2 Mexican WWE Champions with Rey Mysterio winning the tournament after Money In The Bank. Also, Alberto Del Rio's WWE and World Heavyweight reigns. I think that the only other Mexican entertainer on television would be the Daily Show's Al Madrigal. Which is insane to think that there is only ONE non-wrestler, non-athlete of Mexican descent on television.

Eddie Guerrero and Pedro Morales were also popular champions.

Furthermore, Batista was the 1st Filipino Champion. And Ricky Steamboat's IC title reign is the next highest achievement by a wrestler of Asian descent in the WWE. Although he did win NWA Championship.

Also, women don't count since they are there own subset of overlooked minority. Not to minimize them and their struggles in the United States, but that is a topic for another debate.

 

[thebarber]

he WAS the first African American WWE Champion, there is no argument to that, so what is the point of this thread???? It is a fact, not a matter of opinion. Ron Simmons was WCW Champ in 1992, nothing to do with the WWE Championship

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I think your Obama example pretty much nails it. If Obama is considered the first African-American President, we also have Hallee Berry being the first African-American to win the Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role. If those two are held as fact then the same argument is made for the case that The Rock is the first African-American WWF Champion.

No exceptions, no arguments, and case closed.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Ah shit, not this tired old argument again. It's been a while since I've seen a thread on it and I was hoping that people had finally gotten it through their heads that The Rock's mixed racial heritage doesn't somehow negate the fact that he's also African American.

In the grand scheme of things, I doubt that there are all that many 100% "pure blood black" Americans. You can look at the skin tone of a large number of African Americans and see that their lighter skin tone is indicative of some interracial breeding somewhere in their gene pool. Does that somehow mean it's okay not to think of them as African American?

The Rock has an African American father, so that's as much a part of his heritage as his mother's family. One doesn't cancel out the other.

 

[I Heart Cena]

I consider him Samoan. I lump him with all the great Pacific Islanders of wrestling history. It's the reason why Rikishi attempted murder on HHH.

Wikipedia says Rocky Johnson is African-Canadian, btw.

 

[[cL]]

I have not seen a thread on this topic before (if there has been threads on it) so I'm glad to finally have a chance to speak my peace on it.

My question or concern isn't whether the Rock is the first African American champion or not. I know he is the first African American WWE champion.
My issue is how his ethnicity is handled in the WWE and all mainstream media for that matter.

I wanted to write a letter, note or tweet, or whatever to the Rock entitled,
"You're OUR champion, TOO!"
From the perspective of his African American fans, of which I am one.
I feel as if the WWE, and main stream movies and such don't see him as a black man, but as a Samoan. They make such a huge deal out of his Samoan roots, and his time in Hawaii, the Polynesian tattoos, (which i think ARE pretty cool) etc.etc... But they don't spend much time at all talking about Rocky Johnson's contribution to wrestling. Him being half of the first black Tag Team champions.
But then again, neither does the Rock. Does he mention him? Yes. Of course he does. But for the most part, at least in my opinion, the world and at times even the Rock, seems to favor his Samoan side.

Is the Samoan half of him more interesting to him? Is it cooler to be Samoan than it is to be African American in his eyes?
I've seen just about all of Rock's movies (with the exception of doom) and I have yet (and PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong) to see him in a love scene with an African American woman. I mean Rosalyn Sanchez is GORGEOUS but she's not an African American woman. The closest thing he had to an African American child was in the game plan and the mother was white....I mean, in the Grid Iron Gang and Walking Tall (which from what I understand where based off of true stories) he played the lead role, where the person in real life was white or at least NOT black.
I'm not the "militant-black-man" guy. I'm not racist by any stretch.
I love ALL people.
Especially, my people.

I'm not taking anything from him, Black White or otherwise, he would have become the champion because he is an amazing worker. But if he was as dark as R Truth or Mark Henry (both of whom have been WORLD champions) would he have gotten to the heights that he had BEFORE he left?
Would he have conquered hollywood the way he has?
Is he claiming more Samoan decent than he is African American decent to keep from being stereotyped and typecasted?

I don't know... I really don't know the answers to any of these questions...
All I DO know is that as a black man, I am proud of the fact that Dwayne Johnson has made such a HUGE name for himself in sports entertainment AND hollywood. Its inspiring to me.
I just wonder sometimes, with all due respect and no offense intended whatsoever, if its as important to him that he is the first African American WWF/E champion, and ICON in the business of professional wrestling, as it is to the African American wrestling fan community...?

Without question, i'm sure that he'd say it is.

It just doesn't feeeeel like it.

Just my opinion...

 

[Poop Master Flex]

First thing I got to say is why does The Rocks race matter? He's part Samoan (from his mother) and part African Canadian (from his father) who was born in America.

Part of him is African, part of him is Samoan and that's it. If I was to call The Rock anything that had to do with race or heritage it would simply be American because that's where he was born, its better than calling him a Samoan African-Canadian American that's for sure. Doing that would be like calling me an Irish Russian German Canadian or you could just call me Canadian, or better yet call me Dean or deanerandterry, there's an interesting concept there.

To me The Rock is an entertaining as hell performer that so happens to be one of my favorite wrestlers, that's where it begins and ends for me. He has a rich heritage that spans multiple races and he's obviously very proud of that but it doesn't mean you have to label it. Why not just call him The Rock? or Dwayne?

If I have to call him anything besides his name (which I don't know why you would do that but whatever) I will just say he's an American.

 

[Lockard23]

The Rock is the first African American WWE Champion.

Will there be another black WWE Champion? Maybe Big E. Langston. He's big, and has the right look. Could benefit with a Lesnar type push when he's ready. Kofi could be a possibility, but I doubt he'll ever break out by this point. Still hopeful though. Titus O'Neill has the right look, but lacks in the skills, and while he's developing, he's also over thirty and will probably never get past the tag team/mid-card level. And there's no one else worth mentioning.

 

[asiatic7]

The Rock IS the first African American WWE champion. There is no doubt about that. Samoan history has it's roots with African ancestry. Most people would like to deny Africa's impact on the world before 1492. Places like Australia, South America, Asia and all those Isles in the South Pacific all have African ancestry...Samoans in essence, are Black. Africans traveled the world thousands of years before that pirate Columbus got lost and fumbled apon indengenous people.

But anyway...The Rock is Black and Samoan. The reason some might lean towards his Samoan heritage is because his families wrestling roots run deeper on that side of his family.

 

[Da Solo]

I have not seen a thread on this topic before (if there has been threads on it) so I'm glad to finally have a chance to speak my peace on it.

My question or concern isn't whether the Rock is the first African American champion or not. I know he is the first African American WWE champion.
My issue is how his ethnicity is handled in the WWE and all mainstream media for that matter.

I wanted to write a letter, note or tweet, or whatever to the Rock entitled,
"You're OUR champion, TOO!"
From the perspective of his African American fans, of which I am one.
I feel as if the WWE, and main stream movies and such don't see him as a black man, but as a Samoan. They make such a huge deal out of his Samoan roots, and his time in Hawaii, the Polynesian tattoos, (which i think ARE pretty cool) etc.etc... But they don't spend much time at all talking about Rocky Johnson's contribution to wrestling. Him being half of the first black Tag Team champions.
But then again, neither does the Rock. Does he mention him? Yes. Of course he does. But for the most part, at least in my opinion, the world and at times even the Rock, seems to favor his Samoan side.

Is the Samoan half of him more interesting to him? Is it cooler to be Samoan than it is to be African American in his eyes?
I've seen just about all of Rock's movies (with the exception of doom) and I have yet (and PLEASE correct me if i'm wrong) to see him in a love scene with an African American woman. I mean Rosalyn Sanchez is GORGEOUS but she's not an African American woman. The closest thing he had to an African American child was in the game plan and the mother was white....I mean, in the Grid Iron Gang and Walking Tall (which from what I understand where based off of true stories) he played the lead role, where the person in real life was white or at least NOT black.
I'm not the "militant-black-man" guy. I'm not racist by any stretch.
I love ALL people.
Especially, my people.

I'm not taking anything from him, Black White or otherwise, he would have become the champion because he is an amazing worker. But if he was as dark as R Truth or Mark Henry (both of whom have been WORLD champions) would he have gotten to the heights that he had BEFORE he left?
Would he have conquered hollywood the way he has?
Is he claiming more Samoan decent than he is African American decent to keep from being stereotyped and typecasted?

I don't know... I really don't know the answers to any of these questions...
All I DO know is that as a black man, I am proud of the fact that Dwayne Johnson has made such a HUGE name for himself in sports entertainment AND hollywood. Its inspiring to me.
I just wonder sometimes, with all due respect and no offense intended whatsoever, if its as important to him that he is the first African American WWF/E champion, and ICON in the business of professional wrestling, as it is to the African American wrestling fan community...?

Without question, i'm sure that he'd say it is.

It just doesn't feeeeel like it.

Just my opinion...

That's a good point that I've always wondered about. WWE never really acknowledged Rock being the 1st black WWE champion, much less being black at all. Within the same vein, they've never mentioned Batista being the 1st Filipino/Asian descent champion, and they never mention Kofi being the first African born champion in WWE, and so on and so forth. I guess WWE just doesn't want racial barriers to have a place in WWE, because though they won't say it, they'll give it an off mention in books, magazines or websites, which admittedly is not a bad route to take. But to be honest, if you stopped people on the street with this, half of them wouldn't even know the Rock was black, and half of the half that knew would give you the "he's not full-blood" argument.

 

[Pedigree1]

ahhh not this shit again! It doesnt matter what race the rock is! Black Green in between. I dont look at race. The rock without a doubt is top 10 material of all-time! The rock is electrifying no matter what he does. I consider him a eight time world champion! Too boot he has amazing crossover ability from the WWE to Mass Media.. Not To mention he's one hell of a actor!

I for one hope this topic of race doesn't come up again! I ask from now on whether he is black green or whatever let's talk about his championship credentials movie credentials etc..

 

[The Brain]

Why is this a conversation? The Rock is half black. Everyone knows this. It's open and shut. Sorry if Rock isn't black enough for some people.