WWE: The Fear Of The Black Champion

First I want to shout out one of my favorite black wrestlers, Norman Smiley! You never won but you were my dude! Big Wiggle for life!

I wanted to write this earlier, but I just got approved by the BR. So I do not want to take any fire away from the other recent articles about African-American champs.

I want to start by saying I have been a huge wrestling fan my whole life. The Macho Man was my hero, but when Shawn Michaels showed up with The Rockers...I was hooked. HBK was my hero (still is, really).

However, as a young black male, the wrestler that made me more excited about the WWE than any other, and that drew me in and made me feel like I was a part of the WWE Universe was The Rock. 

He drew me in for all the reasons he got everyone else. He was The People's Champion, but much like Obama, he was the first black WWE champion that I ever saw. Finally, there was a champion that looked like me and that I could relate to.

As a teenager, The Rock had all qualities that a young black male could respect and actually relate too. For the first time, I saw a WWE champion that could hang out with me and my boys and not stick out.

Which brings me to my point, the WWE is missing a huge market by not pushing a legit black wrestler. As we all know the WWE has had problems with race, but what really hurts my soul is that legends like the Junk Yard Dog either never had a meaningful championship run or were forced to re-enforce tired black stereotypes.

I think the biggest disrespect is that the powers that be at the WWE feel that white fans would not accept a black champion like they do a Cena or Orton. Come On! This is 2010 not 1910! Sure racism still exists, but you gave the belt to Sheamus! I think with a decent push Kofi, Truth, or even a heel like Mark Henry could have done just as poorly.

Most of my black friends watched wrestling at some point during their childhood, but most of their passion for wrestling died because either they were tired of the stereotypes, lack of black wrestlers as main-eventers, or they were upset that The Rock left.

Crime Tyme was the most disrespectful gimmick they could have given to young black males. Platinum teeth, check. Timberland boots, check. Big diamonds, check. Stealing and cheating, check. Two black males nobody takes seriously... checkmate!

I love the WWE, but this was the company that thought it was a good idea to have Degeneration X in black face.

This is the company that turned Booker T into a joke but, at least the let him hold their 2nd tier heavyweight championship.

My man Ron Simmons turned from a great football player and great wrestler to a one word angry black man (it was funny, but DAMN!). Kofi messed up once against Orton and got sent back to mid-card hell. He is coming up on Smackdown, but needs to drop the Jamaican gimmick becuase he's not Jamaican.

I love R-Truth, but can we get something other than a rapper/dancer, pimp, or animal or thing from parts unknown (Junk Yard Dog, Boogieman, Papa Shango, Big Vis)?

Come on WWE, it is 2010, did we really need to bring back Virgil in the same role he played in the late 80s and earlier 90s to the son of the man he used to work for. Can he be a consultant now, can he get the mic every once and while. Can he not get knocked out the Santino!?! Can he have at least moved up in rank within the DeBiase family!?! The man looks almost as good as he used to, but he is stuck in the same spot 20 years later.

Honestly it seems like the WWE has a lot of old white guys in creative doing this with black talent, "Well young black kids like rappers, lets get one of them! This thug thing is hot lets get two of them! Hey dancehall was hot two years ago...lets get a Jamaican! Sir we don't have a Jamaican...well get me an African and call him Kofi Kingston!"

The point I am trying to make is the reason I love The Rock was because he was normal. He was just a larger than life guy, not a thug, not a criminal, not an animal. He was a star football player at the University of Miami before he was the Rock. He was a real person. 

Bobby Lashley was the same, but the WWE killed his momentum with the Golden Boy John Cena.

WWE, please listen to me. You do not need to give a black wrestler some stereotypical gimmick for them to be successful.

It is my opinion that a black wrestler could succeed with the correct push as an Orton, HHH, or even Jericho type. As a matter of fact two of your most successful black wrestlers in recent years (Bobby and The Rock) were just outsized versions of themselves.

Even when Cena was a rapper, I could take him more seriously than R-Truth. So if the WWE thinks that white fans would not accept a black champ, I think they are highly underestimating the intelligence of their white fans. I truly believe that a black champion would be highly accepted if given a serious gimmick and proper push.

Like I mentioned before, I am a life long WWE fan, and this has been bothering me.

For the record I hate David Otunga, just for the fact he was on I Love New York and cuts dumb shit in his head like this is 1992 (rappers tried to bring it back, but it's not happening).

As a fan, I am just hoping that one day I can see a black main eventer who is basically just a guy with no added stereotype or "hood" slang. Just a serious serious competitor that we can all love, hate, or all love to hate.