Why are English/British wrestlers blackballed from World Titles?

[Ding_Dong_#2]

It strikes me that American Wrestling Federations have always been very nervous about having someone English carry the strap. There are obvious connotations regarding the Brits invading and independence etc, and you could argue that no-one has been of the standard required but there should have been at least one or two former world champions.

Billy Robinson is the most obvious choice. He wrestled for the AWA for many, many years but was never given the strap by Verne Gagne when he was clearly one of the most talented and respected wrestlers in the federation.

Davey Boy Smith was considered to be world champion material by Vince McMahon but was never given the opportunity, again for reasons unknown. Today, we have Steven Regal, Wade Barrett (who should have most definitely won, particulary when The Miz, Ziggler and Swagger all did around that time), Drew McIntyre, all being strangely held back when they have a mountain of talent. Even "Gentleman" Chris Adams never won the World Class or USWA titles. Sheamus is the rare example but is always billed as Irish, never British.

Even Roddy Piper, with his dubious "Scottish-Canadian" roots, never won a world championship. Why is this? Is it because of how it looks to have an English/British person as the figurehead of an american wrestling company? TNA is exactly the same, although Magnus and Doug Williams are not on a par with the people mentioned here.


DD2

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Because there have been very few British wrestlers abroad and very few, or none, of them have actually been worthy.

Wade Barrett will be a world champion one day. Most people are a world champion eventually in WWE these days! He certainly shouldn't have held a title of that level yet. Not even when he was feuding with Orton & Cena in 2010.

The rest just weren't really world title material. Davey Boy Smith maybe could've had a transitional reign. But I don't exactly know when.

It isn't some conspiracy. Most just haven't been world champion material.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

You mention Sheamus like us Americans know the difference between Ireland, England, UK and Great Britain. We basically don't and don't care.

There is no conspiracy, sure it may incense some fans if a Brit was made champion but isn't that part of the point in professional wrestling, to get emotion out of the fans. If you really want to get fans riled up you put the belt on a Communist during the 80's or a Middle Easterner today. Americans like the British, we've been allies for a long time and speak the same language. Your food sucks but your tabloid culture and reality show judges have been a huge hit here.

DBS was probably the closest to being worthy but he was trumped by Bret Hart as Vince's chosen one. Piper is one of my favorites but he was not the guy to stop the Hulk machine.

It was a well written OP but this doesn't have much legs. Vince and other promoters just make decisions on money. If a guy comes along from anywhere and is good enough, he will get the opportunity.

 

[Diet Soda]

Sheamus is the rare example but is always billed as Irish, never British.

That's because he is Irish, and not British.

Because there have been very few British wrestlers abroad and very few, or none, of them have actually been worthy.

Wade Barrett will be a world champion one day.

This with gravy on. Despite there being a few British wrestlers in the top American promotions, none of them have had the instant click with the crowd that famous champions like Flair, Hogan, Rock or Austin had. I'm not saying that guys like Regal or Bulldog didn't deserve the belt, but for them to be believable champions I feel that their reigns would have been cheap heel runs with a babyface chaser.

Barrett has both the look and the charisma to take him a long way, and by the looks of things, they'll abandon the snooty English heel character which has been done to death, in favour of a more rough-and-tumble kind of persona. Granted, that has also been done many a time, but Barrett's top mic skills can take it to its full potential.

Your food sucks

You are bloody well in for it now.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

I think that had Regal not fucked up he would've been a world champion when he was tearing it up. Davey Boy I think it was just wrong place wrong time. Desmond Wolfe could've been world champ in TNA for sure had he not retired.

Barrett and eventually Magnus will be world champs one day. Doug... could've made a case for but I think it's too late for him now.

 

[The Hillside]

Yeah some of the British wrestlers had a lot of potential. William Regal never got that big push despite several hinting that he may become a main-eventer, even though he was highly talented. Fans really wanted WWE to push him big time during his brawl with HHH in favor of Eugene.

Paul Burchill was very talented but never got any kind of push.

Wade Barrett was totally forgotten after his feuds with Orton and Cena (two biggest names in WWE at that time), even though he won the NXT tournament on his own hard-work and fan support. Whether he will pushed big time again is still a question mark.

Not only the British wrestlers, but African wrestlers are also not favored by WWE.

Bobby Lashley, Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, Viscera, R-Truth and Elijah Burke got their small pushes but were totally forgotten after that without winning the World Title.

It took more then a decade for Mark Henry to win the World Title.

 

[Miko]

Its a god damn conspiracy, I cant think of a single English wrestler who has wrestled in the States that isnt World Champion material, McMahon is just an English hater, but the jokes on America anyway, because we've exported that cunt Peirs Morgan to them.

 

[Infinity]

I honestly think any non-white non-American can start a thread like this. There haven't been many black champs, Hispanic champs, Asian champs, Brittish champs, Australian champs, etc.

Plus you're limiting it down even more by saying GB and not Europe. So I can go even further by saying where are all the Swiss champs, and Finnish, and Danish, and French, and Mexican, and Brazilian, and Colombian, and Polish champs... etc etc.

 

[Poop Master Flex]

Billy Robinson wasn't champion based on the era he wrestled in. What I mean is Verne wanted to keep the champion close to himself and others he knew weren't gonna bail on him as did most promoter's back in the day. Verne made himself the #1 babyface and although Billy Robinson was great it was Verne's decision to keep him in that role, Verne's no different than Jerry Lawler, Fritz Von Erich, Eddie Graham or any other promoter/wrestler of the era. You could also put Chris Adam's in this category as well.

It's not a conspiracy at all, outside of Billy Robinson what British wrestler was really World Champion worthy? Even someone like Davey Boy Smith, who was a great wrestler and certainly had the look wasn't great on the mic therefore it was hard for him to work lengthy programs with anyone and that's something a World champion has to do. Outside of British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation I can't think of 1 feud he had that was a lengthy and memorable feud.

Piper wasn't British (like at all) and he was one of the few who really didn't need the title so he didn't get it, although he was certainly worthy of it. The title would do nothing for Piper and his legacy so why put it on him? Only reason Piper was IC champion was so he could put Bret over. Add on the fact that Piper was known to take lengthy breaks from wrestling to do other things like movies and you have no reason to give him the title. It's not as easy as being world champion worthy. Guys like Jake Roberts and Andre were World Title worthy and they didn't get it either. Why? Because there was no reason to make them champion.

Then you have guys like Regal and McIntyre who are simply not worthy of the title. I never understood the love for McIntyre, he certainly hasn't shown me anything noteworthy EVER and Regal, although a great wrestler isn't main event material, he just isn't. Regal's the definition of a good mechanic, he's reliable for a good match but that's it.

Lastly although Adam's wasn't NWA World Champion he did hold the top title in WCCW so you can't count him and you have to be on crack to actually think Adam's was NWA champion worthy because there were at least 10 baby faces and heels who deserved it more than he did.

In closing its not a conspiracy at all, most of the guys weren't world champion worthy and the 1 guy who was (Billy Robinson) just wasn't the right guy to put as the main guy. In wrestling, the simple truth is having the credentials isn't enough to be champion, you also have to be the right guy in the right place, or be in the WWE today where everyone gets a shot at champion even when they don't deserve it.

P.S. Barrett will be champion sooner or later, count on it!