WWE Treatment of Black Wrestlers.....Thank You WWE

[FreezeIzGAWD]

Oh and stand corrected... I should have SAID WON

I SHOULD HAVE SAID FILED...

Here is an article for you to read...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/...s-Racist-Sexist-Employee-Who-They-Never-Fire#

 

[Rip]

I think this entire subject is far too over analyzed.

Yes, racism plays a sizable part in society, it would be naive to deny that. But fact is, of EVERY wrestler out there, only a small percentage make it to the WWE. Of them, an even smaller percentage have the talent to get over and become a draw.

The only color that matters in the wrestling business is green!

Because it's so unlikely a wrestler will become the next "big thing", combined with such a small amount of them being black, I think it's pure math as to why you don't see black Hogans/Austins/Cenas. The chances are just so slim.
But can you honestly sit there and tell me they will refuse to MAKE MONEY off of a wrestler because of his skin color? Come on. Again... green is the only color that matters.

If you look at just the PURE NUMBERS, I would say the following is true:

More white wrestlers don't receive pushes, are buried and are ultimately future endeavoured, than black wrestlers.

So if I want to generalize and oversimplify, as I feel you guys have, then I could say that THAT ^^ is racist. And that's just silly.

 

[harrythem]

Facts the E has been sued for and lost cases for racial discrimination.

Yeah, you said those cases had been won...it's hard to try and move the goal-posts after you've been called to supply you're "facts" plus, as a publicly traded company, the WWE must make all litigation public...and having charges put against you and being found guilty of them is a complete fucking football pitch of difference...Innocent until proven guilty is the phrase I believe?

You, in one place, said The Rock was world champion BUT he was mixed race then, later on, said Mr T was the only black guy in the main event at a Wrestlemania...that would imply you're saying The Rock isn't black enough for you....

The reason that less black guys get pushed less in the WWE than white Americans is the same reason that British/Indian/South African/Australian/European (you get the gist) wrestlers get less of a push...there is a significantly smaller amount of them! Is that a shame? Yeah but that's the way it is...if there were more guys then there is a higher chance they would be main event...hell William Regal is greatly respected, has a ton of charisma and yet he's never been near the main event despite having guys like Triple H/Stonecold etc pulling for him...the reason? Same as it is with most wrestlers, they don't have "IT"...or I'll just go your route and say it's because the WWE hates English wrestlers and then state how the closest we've ever had to a main event guy is British Bulldog who never got a world title! Damn them tea and crumpet hating bastards!

Also here's a anti-black racism theory for you:

Black WM main eventers - Rock, Lashley, Mr T

Indian WM main eventers - erm, Jinder was a joke in 3MB and Khali dances..

conclusion: Vince hates Indians more than black people!

Real conclusion: Real talent makes a connection, makes money, gets higher up the card.

 

[bxbigshow]

Simple point/question that still doesn't get answered but I'm sure it's tired of being danced around...

based of the facts/opinions provided by Rip
If GREEN is the only color that matters.
And no black wrestlers have had the "it" factor like Hogan/Austin/Cena. (said for Dwayne) based off of percentages and PURE NUMBERS.

Do black guys have to have it "all" (Hogan/Austin/Cena/Rock-esque) before WWE gives them the top spot on the card?

Or

Can someone of color who does not have it all still get those opportunities?

If your answers in order are "yes" then "no" then...you are buying into the institutionalized "stigma" that a black man has to be 4 heads and shoulders above everyone else to afford the CHANCE at the top spot. And you also choose to either ignore/disregard/forget/not acknowledge/whatever the guys WWE gave the top spots to in the past who didn't have it all like Hogan/Austin/Cena/Rock.

Basically if the few black wrestlers(Outside of Rock) whose names have been floating around are ALL undeserving to get a chance. What say you about the non-black wrestlers, with similar "excusable" setbacks who got that chance? How are they so deserving?

 

[FreezeIzGAWD]

I LOVE THIS GUY....

He addresses everything but WHAT MY POINT IS....

I said the Rock is NOT BLACK and he is MIXED...

WHICH HE IS!!! How does that not COUNT as a FACT!

I keep saying that there has not been ONE 100% BLACK CHAMPION in WWE history and there has NOT BEEN....

I say that there were cases filed and said I stand corrected because I thought Mark Henry had won when Michael Hayes was suspended....

I said that the only 100% black to head line WM... Not a featured match but THE MAIN EVENT was MR. T and he is NOT A WRESTLER!!!!

WHICH IS TRUE....

Did Bobby Lashley close the card? I honestly do not know because I did not get that WM. If he did NOT then what did I say was wrong.

Oh and at NO POINT DID I EVER SAY THE E HATED BLACKS...

I said that they do not get pushed as frequently....

And the numbers PROVE MY POINT....

PERIOD!!!!

 

[bxbigshow]

Oh and at NO POINT DID I EVER SAY THE E HATED BLACKS...

I said that they do not get pushed as frequently....

And the numbers PROVE MY POINT....

PERIOD!!!!

Dude no one will ever hear you because the fact that you're stating the discrepancy means (in internet terms) the extreme.
I've repeated myself multiple times how things aren't great right now and here's why, and I've been responded to like I've been shopping for matching track suits with mid-80's Al Sharpton.

I feel that in lending my support to the topic, I've been sucked in a vortex that just wastes my time and energy.
For my sanity...I'm removing myself...at this point I hope you can do the same.

 

[LBGetBack]

Agreed. After the way they cooled off a sure fire, can't miss star in Shelton Benjamin, supposedly because he ticked off one of the good OL' boy agents backstage, I gave up hope. At least they don't make the black guys be slaves or African savages anymore, I guess.

 

[Rip]

Simple point/question that still doesn't get answered but I'm sure it's tired of being danced around...

based of the facts/opinions provided by Rip
If GREEN is the only color that matters.
And no black wrestlers have had the "it" factor like Hogan/Austin/Cena. (said for Dwayne) based off of percentages and PURE NUMBERS.

Do black guys have to have it "all" (Hogan/Austin/Cena/Rock-esque) before WWE gives them the top spot on the card?

Or

Can someone of color who does not have it all still get those opportunities?

If your answers in order are "yes" then "no" then...you are buying into the institutionalized "stigma" that a black man has to be 4 heads and shoulders above everyone else to afford the CHANCE at the top spot. And you also choose to either ignore/disregard/forget/not acknowledge/whatever the guys WWE gave the top spots to in the past who didn't have it all like Hogan/Austin/Cena/Rock.

Basically if the few black wrestlers(Outside of Rock) whose names have been floating around are ALL undeserving to get a chance. What say you about the non-black wrestlers, with similar "excusable" setbacks who got that chance? How are they so deserving?

Again, I feel this is oversimplifying. My answers would be
"There is no 'all', they just need to draw money."
and
"Have to take it on a case by case basis, just like any other wrestler."

The Hogans/Austins/Cenas were on top not because they had it "all"... if by "all" you mean the charisma and ability to talk and blah blah blah... they did not have it all, you're right. They had the "ONE". There's only one thing that matters: the ability to draw. Those are always the guys on top, the ones that draw.

Remember too, we are not in possession of the FACTS. Only what we see and hear online.

Example: Shelton Benjamin
He was given the opportunity... big time, but ultimately turned to a jobber and then released. Reports surfaced during all this that he wasn't really trying hard for a top spot and was basically "collecting a paycheck". He failed because of his work ethic, which has nothing to do with his skin color.

Now think about all of the guys who fail that we DON'T hear anything about??
We don't know what happened, because we don't work there.

I never said that the aforementioned black wrestlers don't deserve a chance, I just can't think of any that could be on the level of a Hogan/Austin/Cena. I would argue that many got the chance, and many failed, just like many (more, numerically) white wrestlers failed.

Remember, for every Big E and Kofi, there is a Swagger, Ziggler, Ryder, Knox, Haas, Grenier, Mordecai, Dupree, London, Kendrick... it goes on and on.

I want to say this though. From reading blogs and interviews with older wrestlers, I feel like a big problem with this generation (and with WWE) is that nobody is willing to step on toes, make noise, ruffle feathers etc. WWE is so corporate and everyone is so afraid to be disrespectful and are so afraid of losing their jobs that nobody takes risks. THAT'S what needs to be done to make it. Look at CM Punk, HBK, Jericho, Austin. High risk, high reward. Don't care about skin color.

 

[pyrusane]

I love how everyone is avoiding the question I posed in my last post. If you're going to say that this guy or that guy should have been/being pushed, then who's spot should they take? How should they take it? It's easy to just chalk it up to racism, but if you can't answer those two questions, then all you're really saying is that no one has stood up and earned that spot yet.

 

[hbkhhh44]

Vince doesn't care what color u r if u can draw money. Thats why we have had a black man headline wrestlemania. Think about it.

 

[whoopin' ass]

Having black guys on the roster isn't the same as pushing them. As for having "it", what exactly are they looking for? Lets put it a different way - you have a choice to book 2 bands and one really reminds you of a band you love. Chances are you are going to say that band has "it" no matter how good that other band is because it is a personal thing. Same here. Vince didn't think HBK had it until he proved him wrong. So with it being so personal, you can't really say that is why black guys don't get the mega pushes that others get. MVP was mega over back before he left wwe - crowds were really into him yet he never got pushed. He didn't have "it"? Shelton Benjamin has fantastic matches with both HHH and HBK - he didn't have "it"?

I am not saying that they are intentionally racist but I do think they believe their hype a little too much when it comes to picking talent. Some of the biggest stars ever were brought in, given lame gimmicks and got over by mistake. Why is it hard to believe then that they are not looking at the black talent objectively? The Rock is the rare exception and he is only part black. And I am saying this as a blond haired, blue eyed white male.

 

[Headman]

Having black guys on the roster isn't the same as pushing them. As for having "it", what exactly are they looking for? Lets put it a different way - you have a choice to book 2 bands and one really reminds you of a band you love. Chances are you are going to say that band has "it" no matter how good that other band is because it is a personal thing. Same here. Vince didn't think HBK had it until he proved him wrong. So with it being so personal, you can't really say that is why black guys don't get the mega pushes that others get. MVP was mega over back before he left wwe - crowds were really into him yet he never got pushed. He didn't have "it"? Shelton Benjamin has fantastic matches with both HHH and HBK - he didn't have "it"?

I am not saying that they are intentionally racist but I do think they believe their hype a little too much when it comes to picking talent. Some of the biggest stars ever were brought in, given lame gimmicks and got over by mistake. Why is it hard to believe then that they are not looking at the black talent objectively? The Rock is the rare exception and he is only part black. And I am saying this as a blond haired, blue eyed white male.

Shelton Benjamin had zero personality. The WWE tried pushing him and he got no reaction whatsoever beyond internet forums. MVP was midcard over at best. The issue isn't black guys aren't being pushed because Lashley was pushed to the moon. They tried to push Ezekial Jackson and Big E Langston but the crowds didn't buy it. It's not the WWE who is racist, it may be the fans. Or it may be that most guys in general don't get over. And with 75% of your viewers being white (Guessing that number) then they're more likely to relate to a guy who they can relate to. Maybe the issue is that black guys always get stuck with the following gimmicks. Thug, Hip hop artist, power lifter or some kind of sports star. I think communication skills may also come into play. If someone can talk like the Rock it wouldn't matter what color he was. That guy would be over.

 

[BillyWorldPeace]

This discussion actually made me make an account just so I could post my thought's because this is a very good topic to debate on.

It's been widely known that people of colored skin don't normally make it to the top of the WWE and the gimmick's they're put with are sometimes of comedy. But I think there's something everyone is missing.

How does WWE determine a superstar's push? It's not what you would think, and in my own personal opinion I think it's complete crap how they determine it. It's by how much merchandise someone sells.

WWE doesn't care if you have a catchy phrase or there's a bunch of signs for someone every night. WWE knows to push someone because you're buying their t-shirts or their masks or whatever merch they have to sell you. Because at the end of the day WWE isn't a wrestling company, it's a business.

I'm sure the question of Kofi Kingston arises and that is one even I can't quite answer because Kofi does move merch for kids, but isn't getting a push. And rumors are swirling that Big E's rub could come soon.

WWE determines a guy's push by how much money you give WWE towards that person. Why do you think they waited to give Daniel Bryan the title for so long? So they could make new merchandise for him along his rise to the top to see how much we'd pay for a YES! t-shirt or a YES! rally towel. Sales went up and Bryan won the title.

It's a business guys. No matter how hard we cheer for someone, no matter how many signs we make. Unless we give them money, they won't push em

 

[TheHitMark-SirJoseOle]

One of the things that pissed me off the most, was that Faarooq (Ron Simmons) found himself on the receiving end of a mutiny in The Nation Of Domination. The man should have at least been a WWF World Champion at some point in his career and not merely fed to The Rock (I know The Rock is non-white but just the same the feud underwhelmed me) like they had done with him. Granted, I enjoyed his stint in the APA and felt that it salvaged his WWF/E stint. But you had a guy here who was a gifted athlete with a strong and aggressive personality, but that was something about him you could respect.

The way he conducted himself when Harley Race insulted him during that legendary interview with Jesse Ventura at the June 22, 1992 Clash Of The Champions was great. Simmons displayed a pride and showed that no one would talk down to him because of his skin color, and the crowd EXPLODED when he took Race and Super Invader out. It was BEAUTIFUL.

Then the way he took Vader out for the WCW World Championship had me on the edge of my seat as a kid. I think they could have done so much more with Simmons in WCW but it was great to see this all the just the same.

WWF could have gone so much farther with it, but in the end his role in the Nation Of Domination and the stable itself became a big joke. Granted, it launched The Rock's career and saved him from certain doom when the "Rocky Maivia" persona showed to not have staying power.

I can't speak as much on today's scene, but remembering things as a younger wrestling fan, I did think certain wrestlers that were black should've gotten pushes just because they were that damn good and nothing else. I think another guy that could have really gone places had he not been so injury prone and wreckless towards the end of his stint was Ahmed Johnson, the guy had the "IT" factor and got the crowd to pop, he just couldn't keep his momentum or stay safe. Really sad because he was that commanding in his presence.

 

[makaay07]

Sorry if this has been said. But thereason the guys the op mmentioned aren't over is mostly because they are boring on the mic. Big E as a face is bland. No one cares about him so why should creative. R truth has never been interesting. Xavier woods looks like he will be the same. Kofi is super talented but no mic skills at all. Mark Henry is the exception but his career is winding down. He is being used to enhance talent similar to a certain Chris jericho when he makes his returns. And let's be fair Mark Henry was never ever in y2js league. So the problem isn't racism its the lack of interest the characters generate.

 

[lil steroid meat]

I don't think it's necessarily racism, just the old white guys who run the WWE are very out of touch. They don't keep up with urban culture and trends which is why Ron Killings was dressing and rapping like it was 1994 when he debuted (as R-Truth) in 2008. Or why Cryme Tyme was dressing and using slang from 2003 when they debuted in 2006.

Or even recently, when Betty White hosted a show but Wiz Khalifa was on screen for 5 seconds. Who matters more to the 18-49 male demographic? Who is more relevant in the younger crowd watching and consuming the WWE?

I think wrestling is very subconsciously racist not in an evil way, but simply because most of the people in power are either rednecks or rich old white people (Vince McMahon happens to be both) who rely on focus groups, stereotypes and old music videos to tell them the gimmicks that will be a success with black audiences.

As a young black male, I definitely am not a fan of the shuck and jive gimmicks they give a lot of the black wrestlers, but I think they also have to be somewhat content with where they are to not attempt to ask for a gimmick change. We've seen guys like Bobby Lashley (who would have had even more success if he stayed), Booker T, Mark Henry, etc. have major success when they strayed away from the stereotypical gimmicks.

Kofi really could be a main eventer with a gimmick change. He seems content though. A heel militant Kofi, Henry and Big E tandem angry at the shuck and jive antics of Truth, Woods, Cryme Tyme could be gold. Or even a rehash of the King Booker accent with the split personality and ridiculous accent could be great.

 

[pipebomber]

I don't think it's necessarily racism, just the old white guys who run the WWE are very out of touch. They don't keep up with urban culture and trends which is why Ron Killings was dressing and rapping like it was 1994 when he debuted (as R-Truth) in 2008. Or why Cryme Tyme was dressing and using slang from 2003 when they debuted in 2006.

Or even recently, when Betty White hosted a show but Wiz Khalifa was on screen for 5 seconds. Who matters more to the 18-49 male demographic? Who is more relevant in the younger crowd watching and consuming the WWE?

I think wrestling is very subconsciously racist not in an evil way, but simply because most of the people in power are either rednecks or rich old white people (Vince McMahon happens to be both) who rely on focus groups, stereotypes and old music videos to tell them the gimmicks that will be a success with black audiences.

As a young black male, I definitely am not a fan of the shuck and jive gimmicks they give a lot of the black wrestlers, but I think they also have to be somewhat content with where they are to not attempt to ask for a gimmick change. We've seen guys like Bobby Lashley (who would have had even more success if he stayed), Booker T, Mark Henry, etc. have major success when they strayed away from the stereotypical gimmicks.

Kofi really could be a main eventer with a gimmick change. He seems content though. A heel militant Kofi, Henry and Big E tandem angry at the shuck and jive antics of Truth, Woods, Cryme Tyme could be gold. Or even a rehash of the King Booker accent with the split personality and ridiculous accent could be great.

I would agree with this for the most part... I haven't read everything that led to this post because I was surprised to see this conversation was still going on when it was going in circles days ago.

as I said much earlier in this post I understand where one could have issues with the, as you called it, shuck and jive gimmicks. However it is not something that is exclusive to black gimmicks who receive this. Rusev is an example, the Russian who hates America, the wild samoans, Umaga, Iran Sheik. Santino isnt really from Italy, he's really from Canada. Piper isn't Really from Scotland, he's Candian as well. And he's one of the most successful men in the business.

Stereotypes sometimes suck, but I don't think it's anymore so directed at black people than any others. I don't get why WWE get's so much heat for it. Racial comedians make a lot of money and most people laugh at the stereotypes in that setting. I know I greatly enjoyed the kai en tai dub gimmick. I also had high hopes for Chavo Guerrero as Kerwin Wight cause it would have been making fun of white stereo types, which as a white person, is hard to pull off. truthfully white people doing racial comedy just makes people uncomfortable.

I think it is up to the superstar to let his personality shine out past the gimmick, like Piper did.

 

[kadroan]

I'm all for diversity but I don't think there's no prejudice. The black wrestlers just need to do whatever in and out the ring to stand out among the rest of the wrestlers.

I think Titus O'Neil has potential but he isn't getting any younger.

 

[ThePurge]

I made an account just because of this "racism buzz" going on about the WWE.

Here are some videos that speak for themselves.

The first one is Randy Orton saying that MARK HENRY, M.V.P. , and Kofi Kingston belong in THE HOOD.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJmj9zmtwUU

Next video is tripple H speaking with Booker T, making fun of his "nappy hair" and many other things.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4RebbQqQz4

And the final video is Golddust who painted his face black.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sTBzhhuDgw

All three of these videos are reall footage of what has occured in a WWE ring with Live audiences.
This looks Racist

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The African American population of the United States is somewhere in the 13% to 15% area. The latest estimates of the US population is 318,400,000 which, if accurate, would put the African American population somewhere in the 41,400,000 to 47,800,000 range. The Caucasian population of the country is roughly 72% to 74%, or roughly 229,250,000 to 235,600,000. Based on sheer statistics, it's highly probable that the vast majority of WWE's audience in the United States is Caucasian. As a result, it's possible that viewership information reflects that white tend to prefer white champions. Not saying it does or anything, just that it's possible. And before screams of racism start flying about because of it, every corporation in the world, no matter what business they're in, conduct demographic studies and market their products towards those demos who provide them with the most income. African Americans do watch WWE programming obviously, but a business always has to cater to who their primary consumers are. After all, the largest primary audience for BET are African Americans, the network was specifically founded to target African American audiences. As a result, the shows shown on the network are made up of primarily African American cast members, whether it's original programming or past TV series that air via syndication, music video programs, etc. For instance, you're not very likely to run across a music video featuring Taylor Swift, so does that mean that BET is promoting racism because it caters to it's primary audience or is it just good old fashioned business?

That's also not to say that there haven't been racially insensitive skits or comments made by wrestlers during promos in the past. To be perfectly honest, history in pro wrestling is filled with various racial slurs. For instance, one of Gorilla Monsoon's favorite lines to describe a babyface wrestler being attacked by one or more heels from behind was "Pearl Harbored", of course referencing the Japanese attack at the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941 that ultimately drew the United States into World War II. Not exactly an overt racial slur, but the obvious racial implications are evident. Saying that these days would result in WWE getting in a lot of trouble. We also know that WWE has relied on various stereotypes in the past for characters. For instance, Yokozuna, while he was Polynesian rather than Japanese, was portrayed as a sumo wrestler. The guy "looked Japanese" to people and since he was seen as a "Japanese fat guy", then he MUST be cast in the role of a former sumo wrestler

 

[A11oftheLights]

Look at what happened Santino a few years ago, a guy who arguably held the loudest pops in the industry. Did he reach the top? No, so creative design and writing still trumps all. If it wasn't for bryan being a constant draws in pops, he would be in the mid card slot with everyone else. You underestimate the amount of power creative design actually has.

I made it to page 2 when I got to this. Your whole credibility is crushed when you say "If it wasn't for bryan being a constant draws in pops, he would be in the mid card slot with everyone else. You underestimate the amount of power creative design actually has." That literally means that you think Bryan was only successful because of his pops which would also explain why your R-Truths, Xavier Woods and Big E aren't being pushed they dont get a significant pop. When Mark Henry was running around doing the Hall of Pain gimmick he got a significant pop when he came out because the crowd knew he was about to beat the shit out of someone then he got given a run as WHC.

I'm sick of all the people popping up and saying WWE is racist then saying rock doesnt count. Get over yourselves.

 

[MartialHorror]

I don't think it's racism, but I do think the WWE can be very racially insensitive. Honestly though, blacks shouldn't complain too much...Asian and Mexican wrestlers often get it FAR worse, as they tend to play into the racial stereotypes.

Outside of the Nation of Domination, race rarely plays into black characters personas...unless there is a foreign wrestling heel angle going on. I also think it goes both ways. While Big E could use a bigger push, it does feel like his character has run out of steam. Even when he was going for cheap USA pops against Rusev, the crowd seemed to just hate Rusev more than they liked Big E. Compare that to Jack Swagger, who seems to have become an instant hit even though it's a similar feud. I think Big E needs to become a heel, but WWE seems to want him to remain a face.

I do find it interesting that the biggest black star, the Rock, doesn't even really look black. Honestly, as a kid, I always thought he was white. Maybe Bad News Allen was right when he claimed that the WWE making the Rock a champion was an accident. So I do understand why people sometimes claim that minorities have it rough within the industry.

I'm kind of surprised that Titus O'Neil isn't being pushed more. Yeah, his in-ring skills don't seem too impressive, but that's never stopped the WWE before. He's got the right look, a cool sounding name, charisma and he can be charming as a face while menacing as a heel. But because he keeps being treated as a low card jobber, I could care less about his character.

Kofi Kingston is an interesting case because while he has the in-ring talent, he doesn't have much of a character and his only storyline as of recent is being Big E's damsel in distress.

R-truth and Woods really got knocked down the ladder lately, but they haven't been squashed as consistently as Heath Slater or Damian Sandow...then again, they also don't get as much TV time, so...

 

[therockiswwf]

I don't think it's racism, but I do think the WWE can be very racially insensitive.

I do find it interesting that the biggest black star, the Rock, doesn't even really look black. Honestly, as a kid, I always thought he was white.

Are you sure you are not racially insensitive?

Anyways why does it matter how black he looks? He is still black. Not all white people are the same white. Sheamus and Orton are both white, yet one is incredibly pale and the other is almost an oompa loompa orange. Does that make Orton not white enough to be considered white?

See how your reasoning might be a little flawed?

Maybe Bad News Allen was right when he claimed that the WWE making the Rock a champion was an accident.

I'm kind of surprised that Titus O'Neil isn't being pushed more. Yeah, his in-ring skills don't seem too impressive, but that's never stopped the WWE before. He's got the right look, a cool sounding name, charisma and he can be charming as a face while menacing as a heel. But because he keeps being treated as a low card jobber, I could care less about his character.

Kofi Kingston is an interesting case because while he has the in-ring talent, he doesn't have much of a character and his only storyline as of recent is being Big E's damsel in distress.

R-truth and Woods really got knocked down the ladder lately, but they haven't been squashed as consistently as Heath Slater or Damian Sandow...then again, they also don't get as much TV time, so...

Rock said he went up to Vince and basically give the ball and I can run with it. So Vince said okay. He gave Rock the chance and Rock became huge. Compare this to Austin who was lucky to get a chance on the mic but it took time after time of little things here and there for McMahon to finally give him a chance.

After seeing what O'neil did in his recent match against Big E on Smackdown (which was highlighted on Botchamania), it was obvious why O'neil was stopped dead in his tracks. He was incredibly unsafe. At 37 years old, he needs to get better at a lightning pace or he is done. Plus, 37 years old. Not prime age to start a push.

Kingston has had a nice career but he seemingly peaked with Orton and just has not shown he is anything special. Cesaro was probably going to be locked in a similar role had he not done the swing. Cesaro was put with the hole that is heel Swagger (I'm guessing face Swagger will coming crashing down after he is done with Rusev) and he managed with no mic time to get out of it. Kingston has done nothing to show he is anything more than what he has been his entire career. A good in-ring guy but nothing special.

Woods was an odd case. I'm guessing they either didn't put much thought into him or they are waiting for him to get his PHD. R-Truth is old, so there really is not any mystery surrounding him.

Big E will definitely burst out of this eventually. Just has to wait his turn. Needs to wait for some guys to get up the card a bit and he will more of an opportunity. Barrett has gone through this more than anyone. Push, win title, plummet or push, win title, injury, plummet. Sometimes it takes WWE awhile to get around to people.

But basically to me, Cesaro proved anyone can get over by themselves if they are special (or have something special). Although Cesaro's recent booking is kind of confusing (and why he stayed heel after Mania is really odd as well). But he showed if you can make the crowd react, you will get plucked out of no mans land.

Look at Ziggler's booking. Popular. White. Good wrestler and on the mic. Yet, he has almost nothing to show for it (two short nothing reigns as world champion and jobber to the stars). So if WWE only holds down black guys, explain Ziggler to me. Explain Ryder and why it took arenas chanting we want Ryder for months for WWE finally to do something with him. Only to kill his momentum a month or two later.

Only a select few rise above midcard. Then even less above upper-midcard. Not everyone gets pushes. Not everyone gets chances. That is what is happening. Not based on color. This happens to everyone they sign. As JR says, they have to maximize their minutes. Cesaro is the most recent example of a guy doing just that. A lot of the guys in the same position Cesaro was have not.

 

[J.J.]

Look at Ziggler's booking. Popular. White. Good wrestler and on the mic. Yet, he has almost nothing to show for it (two short nothing reigns as world champion and jobber to the stars). So if WWE only holds down black guys, explain Ziggler to me. Explain Ryder and why it took arenas chanting we want Ryder for months for WWE finally to do something with him. Only to kill his momentum a month or two later.

Notice after his last concussion, Ziggler's run on the main event level came to a halt. Clearly you know that if you watch the product and read the articles posted on WZ.

Ryder lost momentum when the fans stop being behind him, again something you should already know.

Although Cesaro's recent booking is kind of confusing (and why he stayed heel after Mania is really odd as well). But he showed if you can make the crowd react, you will get plucked out of no mans land.

I believe Cesaro staying heel is part of a bigger picture that will eventually unfold. Cesaro is unique because of his natural strength that many in WWE don't possess. It's hard not to get behind a guy that manhandles majority of his opponents.

Anyways why does it matter how black he looks? He is still black. Not all white people are the same white. Sheamus and Orton are both white, yet one is incredibly pale and the other is almost an oompa loompa orange. Does that make Orton not white enough to be considered white?

See how your reasoning might be a little flawed?

Part of this argument which carries on into another thread is there hasn't been full African-American WWE Champ, ever. Which there hasn't.

As for Big E I can't even figure him out, or what they're doing with him. His speech against Ruesv before their PPV bout, left me scratching my head. I wasn't sure if he was trying to sound like MLK or some over the top Preacher.

 

[Blade]

Why do people seem to forget that Mark Henry was having a strong, dominant reign as World Heavyweight Champion until he got himself injured yet again? I wouldn't put my faith in him again after that.

R-Truth and Xavier Woods are awful. There's no way around that.

Kofi Kingston is okay, but there's no way he should ever be above the midcard. He's just not good enough.

And Big E. is pretty awful as well. He has no microphone skills, and very little charisma. He does very little except run into people, and that ridiculous, wasn't-even-impressive-in-the-80's running splash. It's not like he wasn't given a chance. He was given a best of 5 series with Alberto Del Rio, who was the World Champion at the time, winning two matches. He then aligned himself with CM Punk, the most beloved face in WWE at the time. And then he feuded with the Shield. If you can't get over after all that, then you suck.

Don't blame WWE for not pushing inferior wrestlers who aren't over with the crowd. And don't blame the crowd for not cheering inferior wrestlers.

And, again, how can you ignore the fact that The Rock was half-black?