The Vince McMahon-Bobby Lashley fued

[Savion83]

Someone on here posted a thread earlier about the WWE i.e. chairman Vince McMahon was being racist towards black wrestlers. Which I think is pure B.S. If Vince/the WWE was ever racist then how can you explain the mainstream rise of the late Junkyard Dog, Slick?

Going back to 2007 when Vince McMahon himself fueded against the rising Bobby Lashley, who happens to be african-american! After Wrestlemania 23 in Detroit, the chairman hand picked Bobby Lashley to fued against for the next three straight months for the WWECW championship. Twice teaming with son Shane and the late Umaga. And then a street fight match at that years Extreme rules PPV. The fued ended when Vince McMahon stripped Bobby Lashley of his ECW title belt when Lashley got drafted to RAW.

But only a superstar like Bobby Lashley could only get so close with the help of a Stone Cold-McMahon like fued like he had. He's gotta as far as any wrestler of any race could go to the top before leaving for another line of work (MMA). So race doesn't matter to Vince McMahon at all! Vince McMahon became the greatest wrestling promoter since his father Vince Sr. by not seeing color as a factor. The only color McMahon see's is green, them dollar bills! So no the WWE is NOT racist towards black wrestlers.

As for the McMahon-Lashley fued. I think it was a nice rub for Lashley by Vince. It helped him get over coming over to RAW to go after the WWE championship. And Bobby just got better ever single time you saw him in a match!

 

[Grizzly0u812]

my history is not really that good on a few subjects but since Vince has owned the WWF/WWE has there ever been a black heavy weight champion holding the world title or WWE Title.

I know Bobby Lashley held the ECW title, but I never recall any black people, sorry for using the term black but hopefully people understand what I am meaning, I have watch wrestling for 30 years and I do not recall, actually think I will check the title history on WWE site because now I am wondering.

Well I check the title history page and the only colour guy to hold a world or WWE heavy weight title was Booker T, and Bobby Lashley holding the ECW world title, but thats the only 2 colour guys to hold heavy weight titles based on what I have seen on thier history page

 

[PBA_Sensation]

UH..... The Rock.... and.... um.... Booker T? Thats who have been African American champions. Sure, not that many, but to be honest, how many of the AA in wrestling in the past 20 years have had the "IT" factor to make it to the next level? Not many. It has just happened that way, in no way is it anyone being racist

 

[jhauth11]

Vince is raciest, he came form an era of racism and hate and has lived through it all. Im i saying he is a KKK raciest NO, but what im saying he was brought up in the 40's and lived through the raciest 50's - 70's. Plus alot of businesses people are racist but not Hate racist, but a businesses kind. if i remember right Cyrme Tyme was around to connect to the African Americans and so they had someone to cheer for, the same with Rey he is a huge star as he has a HUGE Mexican fan base and thus the reason why he is still on smackdown.

 

[Kaneanite]

Booker T, The Rock, Lashley. Shit how close was Mark Henry? Was in a main even against Angle and was the 2nd to last in that battle royal, wasn't he? Look at the white-to-black ratio in the WWE. It's not close. However, the number is rising, so look towards the possibility of black athletes in the WWE claiming titles because Vince is not racist and blindly pointing at people and saying "YOU ARE RACIST!" is despicable.

 

[King Booka]

it is I King Booka, ruler and king of the smackdown kingdom has come to inform this rouge, this peasant, name Grizzley that his lord and savoir has indeed been champion of the world. I King Booka have sleign the mighty Batista, defeated the gladiator known as Cena and done battle with Rey Mysterio to become ruler of the world........ So now bow to the ruler and king of the smackdown kingdom..........King Booka!!!!! NAH, I am just kidding I love this Booker T gimmick, but for real Grizzley King Booka was WHC.

 

[kurt_angle_no1fan]

This is typical in todays society. If the white man prevails, then they are holding the ethnic man back and it's racist - in terms of the politically Correct brigade. It's funny, because I dont recall any black man coming out of WWE and playing the race card? Not to my knowledge.

Vince McMahon is not a racist, he is a business man and does the best for business.

Bobby Lashley was a great wrestler, he had a great look, but unfortunately he wasnt great on the mic. ECW champion was as good as it was going to get - maybe he could of got the big trophy, but is tenure was short (a couple of yers?).

What about The Rock. One of the most succesful wrestlers of all time? He has African blood - was he held back on account of his creed? No. He had it and WWE cashed in on it.

Booker T was another, he was the total package and he held the gold on various occasions.

Batista was from the Phillipines, Great Khali was indestructible for a year and held the Gold - he is Indian, Eddie Guerrero was Mexican, Rey your current Champ is Mexican, Yokozuna was Japanese/Samoan, The Iron Sheik was Iranian/Italian...Hell, you could even throw John Cena into the mix with his "black gimmick".

You could argue Shelton, Eijah Burke could of done better with their careers but could you of seriously of seen either holding a WWE or World Championship? The fact remains if you have the talent, you will prevail. Your skin colour wont hold you back. R-Truth and Kofi are at the middle level, Kofi, just may hold the big one one day.

In conclusion I think we just gotta admit that white wrestlers tend to be the better options. Look at the top names in Wresling history - could any argue that Austin, Hogan, Hart, HBK, Taker, Foley, Flair, Rock, Sting, Angle arent the best EVER? 1 blackman there - 10%.

Was Ted Turner a racist aswell?

 

[m1k3b14z3]

ok lets get a few things straight one the rock is samoan not black and booker t was world champ but not wwe champ and the ecw title was never really considered a world title even tho at point they tried to push it as one but if you go look back a african-american person has never held the WWE title which is the title the face of the company would hold granted yes booker t was a world champ but never was he wwe champ now to answer the question do i think vince is racist maybe but im not him so thats his choice but shelton at one point deserved it and never got it since he was only used for spot fests but yeah w/e its his company so who are we to say who he should hand the belts to just saying and one more time for the record since i knwo someone is gonna throw this at me THE ROCK IS SAMOAN NOT BLACK but the rock is the closest we have got to a african-american being wwe champ

 

[EliteDiva]

Everything mentioned PLUS Kofi AND the Eziekiel guy. In my respect, WWE nor Vince is racist.

 

[Hazardous]

THE ROCK IS SAMOAN NOT BLACK but the rock is the closest we have got to a african-american being wwe champ

actually if you ever read anything about the rock he WAS half black, his father? Rocky Johnson? yeah, an African-Canadian (That's right, not American, i say that because he was born in Nova Scotia Canada) he was black, and his Son, The Rock, was half black, half Samoan. now was he MARKED as black was a different story. no. they say he was of "Samoan heritage"

now the question is, is Vince raciest. well, people like Khali, Eddie, Rey, Booker and a bunch of Samoans who held the title over the years. doesn't matter if they are Face or Heel. some people just come across better as Heels. i found Booker boring as a face myself. and just because they may have only held ONE of the 2 world titles doesn't mean jack shit. so if you are saying that Vince is raciest because the only time someone of color wins the world title they are heel (minus Rey and Eddie) it would be the same as me saying anytime a Canadian does, they are heel, or then called "Now residing in..(insert American city)" but im not going to do that, because just like calling Vinny Mac a raciest, it's as the Rock would say " A Steaming Pile Of Monkey Shit"

 

[Money Inc.]

first of all.. for anyone who says the Rock isn't black is mentally challenged. Just because he's half Samoan and looks more Samoan than African American doesn't change the fact that he's part African American. Quit being ignorant and turning this into a debate that doesn't need to be started.


Also, for those who expect to look at the record books and expect half the past champions to be African American are also being ignorant. If you look at the roster today what the the difference from Caucasians in African Americans (number wise)

TV Roster (not counting FCW)

Caucasians I counted: 47
African American counted: 9

African Americans make up a little over 16% of the roster.

It has NOTHING to do with racism. There is currently less African Americans and always has been in this business. Once again, it has nothing to do with race, its just been a business that a lot African Americans haven't joined.

For anyone to say Vince McMahon is racist... it would be like saying Bud Selig is racist because there was only one black starter in the All Star game. It has NOTHING to do with racism, just like baseball, African Americans have tended to go into different markets than wrestling.

Quit being ignorant, and quit starting debates that don't need to be started. (I'm talking to the people who are saying he's racist, not you TS)

P.S: The only color Vince McMahon sees is GREEN

 

[#hamler]

As for the rock not being black... he is half black. Just like our president. But everyone considers obama to be the first black president...

Now is the wwe or vince racist. No. Just happens to be a coincidence that no black wrestler could be good enough...in wwe's mind...to be champ. We seen plenty of black main eventers and to me I do include the rock as the first black champion just like I see obama as the first black president...

As for racist gimmicks...eddie guererro was stereotypical of a mexican, like cryme tyme to blacks. But what about jazz and teddy long..."the bitch is back...and the bitch is black"...

 

[Soapguy]

P.S: The only color Vince McMahon sees is GREEN

I couldn't agree more.

I think the original point to this thread stems from a question brought up in the "R is for Racism" thread, in which we looked a "racist" gimmicks. So, it wasn't about a disparity between white and non-white WHC, but how non-white and non-American wrestlers are often pushed. Not that I agree with the assessment that he's racist, I just see him as a businessman. When I take into account the gimmicks that he's responsible for I just see him as having a slightly immature or sophomoric sense of humor, if nothing else. I think racist is a bit of a strong term, though.

 

[Dave]

Maybe I am being ignorant but I have never thought that the WWE is racist in any way.

For me, I look around at the WWE and I see plenty of black performers that are doing just fine and that tells me that although there may be some racism, it is hidden behind the success of these guys. Kofi Kingston is arguably a world Champion in waiting and if he continues to impress with his performances and matches, then there is no telling what he could do. A lot of people think he is an exciting competitor and he has the support of many of the fans. All he needs to do is keeping putting on stellar performances and he’ll get there.

Then you have people like Mark Henry and MVP who, although they aren’t relevant right now, have been really successful in the past. At some points in his career, Mark Henry has feuded with John Cena and The Undertaker. He was never the Champion but he could have been. It wasn’t because he was black that he was held back. I would say that he was just the victim of circumstance. MVP is still the longest reigning US Champion and that is something to be proud of. He hasn’t made the transition to main event talent yet but he might just do it in the future.

To me, Bobby Lashley was the best hope in recent years. He had the build and athleticism that Vince McMahon clearly likes and he was being pushed to the stars. It is my opinion that if he had stayed on for another couple of years, he would have been the first black World Champion and this thread wouldn’t exist. However, he quite out on the WWE and now we have to deal with these accusations. Personally, I think it is a load of crap. Apart from Lashley, I can’t think of a black competitor who deserves it right now.

 

[Oppurtunist]

reason why there aren't many negroid race *i didn't want to use term 'black' or the 'n' word, and wikipedia takes negroid race as a best way to call * world champions, is because they aren't that skilled. Booker was awesome (and still is), so he got the championship. Same with Rock. So, anyone who says that Vince is racist, he is wrong. Vince picks skilled wrestlers for champions.

 

[Judah's Lion]

For starters, as has been stated already, but apparently needs repeating again, Rock is in fact half black and half Samoan. He has said so in his own autobiography, so I'm guessing that it's a pretty reliable source. And it's never been anything that he's said with any kind of shame or indignity, but rather with pride.

So yeah, he's a black champioin.

Booker T also is a multiple time world champion; 5 times in WCW and 1 time in the WWE. And he was very over during his time in the WWE, so to say that he was held back because of his color is ludicrous. He got into feuds with Rock, Stone Cold and Triple H, just to name a few, and those three are on a small list of the biggest names in the history of the business, so clearly Booker did well for himself.

Ron Simmons was a black world heavyweight champion also. This was while he was in WCW, but he also feuded for that belt while in the WWE. Never won it, but to be in the main feud for the main title is a big deal too.

Shelton perhaps deserved more than he got, but it's hard to push a guy that can't push himself. I'm talking about mic work here. So there's that.

Bobby Lashley did hold the ECW title and the US title in some very good feuds with Big Show, Booker T, JBL, etc. Very over and in the biggest celebrity match of the year with McMahon and Donal Trump and Stone Cold all in the mix. He was super pushed and could have gone all the way. His mic skills weren't the best, but that was fixed by simply calling him "Hard Hitting and Soft Spoken". Almost a Goldberg-esque push. Don't let him talk a lot. Just let him destroy his opponents. The only Lashley didn't get the big belt is because he left. That was his choice, not the WWE or Vince's.

Ahmed Johnson was being pushed big time but injuries kept him out. Kofi is still being pushed big time and has a lot of time, barring injury, left on his tenure so we'll see. MVP has had great feuds and still has a little bit of time to go. If he can turn heel, he can quite possibly be in the feud for the WHC anytime now. Mark Henry has been pushed to the moon and back more than once and feuded with Undertaker, Rock and Angle for the WHC. Don't say that he was held back because of his race because it's just not true. He was a victim of circumstance as there were just better guys at the time and now his face turn on Raw is killing him because there are too many faces on Raw in the main event scene right now. Make him a monster heel on Smackdown and he could be a main event guy again.

Vince McMahon is not a racist. He pushes the guy that is right for business. In summary, two quotes can really sum up this whole thread, and I'll paraphrase since I don't wanna go searching for them again:

"Vince isn't a racist. Looking at the gimmicks he creates, I'd just say that he has some very sophmoric humor."

"The only color Vince sees is GREEN."

 

[Savion83]

As for the rock not being black... he is half black. Just like our president. But everyone considers obama to be the first black president...

Now is the wwe or vince racist. No. Just happens to be a coincidence that no black wrestler could be good enough...in wwe's mind...to be champ. We seen plenty of black main eventers and to me I do include the rock as the first black champion just like I see obama as the first black president...

As for racist gimmicks...eddie guererro was stereotypical of a mexican, like cryme tyme to blacks. But what about jazz and teddy long..."the bitch is back...and the bitch is black"...

I agree! Our presdent Barack Obama is considered to be the first "black president" of the united states even though he's mixed himself. So how is the Rock not considered black? Based on what the way he looks? If the Rock aka Dwayne Johnson says he's black then he's black! He's mixed also, but he has the blood of a african-american in him. And his names "Dwayne"! Holla!

 

[m1k3b14z3]

ok granted the rock is half black that slipped my mind lol but there has never been a full african-american wwe champ and that was the point i was trying to get across