Is WWE Racist?

[Chris]

So I was inspired by this ridiculously long, and pretty bad article here: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertai...al-bias-in-the-wwe-world-championship/374042/

They go on about how WWE hates black guys, how WCW was a godsend to the black community, and get a lot of facts wrong. Honestly, the article should have been so easy to write and convince people of their opinion being true because it's pretty obvious that WWE has never really treated black guys that well save for a few, but this article gets so many facts wrong that I just couldn't take it seriously (They say Booker T was GI Bro before he joined WCW and teamed with Stevie Ray instead of it happening right before he had all his 5 times success). It was just hilarious because they obviously had a decent basis for argument, but they just fucked it all up with their wrong facts and blatant bias (c'mon WCW was not good for any black guy not named Booker or Simmons). Also lol at Booker not winning the title at WrestleMania XIX because he was black, nope that was just Trips being an asshole.

Either way, it does bring up a point thrown around from time to time, how racist do you believe WWE actually is? Just focus on black guys I guess though because the basis for this article was a different minority beating up on black guys, and WWE's fifth longest world champion was a Mexican, so it's not a white supremacy thing, it's just a hate black people thing.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Today, I don't think the're racist at all, they just push whoever is popular and will make them money. In the past, I'd say there was more bias in the 80s and back.

They do have often stereotypical gimmicks that are tasteless but you gotta take into account that Camacho chooses to take part(or you know others). I'd just say makin' a FAKE sport entertainin' you are gonna run into countless tasteless things that usually bomb hard.

 

[Keith]

Today, I don't think the're racist at all, they just push whoever is popular and will make them money. In the past, I'd say there was more bias in the 80s and back.

They do have often stereotypical gimmicks that are tasteless but you gotta take into account that Camacho chooses to take part(or you know others). I'd just say makin' a FAKE sport entertainin' you are gonna run into countless tasteless things that usually bomb hard.

Yeah, agree with this stereotypes in themselves are not racist, their just narrow minded and make it hard to characters to have much of shelf live. Overall, I don't see WWF/WWE having a racist history.

 

[The Cork]

Interesting topic.

I just think the few times they've tried to get a black guy over they got burned, which is why they only try it sparingly. Pushed Lashley to the moon only for him to bail and think he was black Brock.

Shelton was never charismatic and the 'best athlete in the WWE' tag was only going to buy him limited cred, and lets be honest he was as much of a botcher as Sabu.

Kofi prol had the best chance during the feud with Orton, he was pretty hot and I dont know why they quashed him (could only be the Orton bitchfit tbh)

So they arent racist as much as there not being that many talented black guys to choose from.

 

[Chris]

Interesting topic.

I just think the few times they've tried to get a black guy over they got burned, which is why they only try it sparingly. Pushed Lashley to the moon only for him to bail and think he was black Brock.

Shelton was never charismatic and the 'best athlete in the WWE' tag was only going to buy him limited cred, and lets be honest he was as much of a botcher as Sabu.

Kofi prol had the best chance during the feud with Orton, he was pretty hot and I dont know why they quashed him (could only be the Orton bitchfit tbh)

So they arent racist as much as there not being that many talented black guys to choose from.

That's more my thoughts too. The article tries to bypass that by saying they never got over because WWE gave them terrible gimmicks and what not, but I don't find that the case. Most of the times (Cryme Tyme, Godfather), those "insulting, stereotypical" gimmicks is the only thing that got otherwise mediocre workers over.

Also, they dismissed The Rock as black because he's half Samoan I guess they don't consider Obama the first black president either then.

 

[Keith]

So Cork are you suggesting that it is the audiences who are racist? To me Lashley didn't get over because he wasn't very good, not because of the colour of his skin. I think they dropped the ball with Benjamin, but I don't put it down to them being racist. To me they have pushed or at least attempted to push enough black performers over the years to disprove the race thing.

 

[The Cork]

No, I dont know where you got that from.

American audiences are generally racist though, they chant USA blindly anytime an ethnic faces a white guy.

Black people tend to be better athletes than white men, so they will have their pick of what sport to get into. Unless they have a natural affinity for rasslin I dont see what it has to offer them when they could get more money & fame being an NFL running back.

Just one of those things I guess, no real reason to it. Same thing as 'why isnt there more Asian footballers in the Premier League'.

 

[The Cork]

That's more my thoughts too. The article tries to bypass that by saying they never got over because WWE gave them terrible gimmicks and what not, but I don't find that the case. Most of the times (Cryme Tyme, Godfather), those "insulting, stereotypical" gimmicks is the only thing that got otherwise mediocre workers over.

Also, they dismissed The Rock as black because he's half Samoan I guess they don't consider Obama the first black president either then.

The only guy I think was a missed opportunity was D'lo, he was over, entertaining and a solid hand in ring, bit of a comedy act but that never held a guy back from being the main man.

The fucking company gave Mark Henry a 10 year contract then renewed it after he bombed and repackaged him into a world title act, I just cant buy into the racism bit at all.

 

[Dale]

Most of my thoughts are already echoed in here but like when they did that shit with Rusev where he literally was just beating black guy after black guy and people were making jokes about it, you can't help but wonder ever so slightly.

 

[Deezy]

I always pose this question to people who always bring up racism in WWE........Has their been a black/Japanese/Native/whattever worth pushing to the moon?

Has there been a guy with so much crossover appeal, that him not being the face is just outrageous? I haven't seen any.

 

[Weez]

WWE doesn't give a fuck. If you're 6'4+ and can make money, you've always got a spot at the top.

A 5'6 black guy with Shelton's charisma has no place in the WWE however lol.

 

[chefboyardee]

I always pose this question to people who always bring up racism in WWE........Has their been a black/Japanese/Native/whattever worth pushing to the moon?

Has there been a guy with so much crossover appeal, that him not being the face is just outrageous? I haven't seen any.

wwe has been very........sterotypical but not exactly racist.if your black your either a gang banger,rapper or dancer if your say from bulgaria you hate the usa ect but i actually agree with deezy who should they have pushed harder.?the only one thats close is shelton benjamin and he had zero charisma zero.also dont forget mark henry has been a very unracist charachter for almost 20 years including winning ecw and wwe championship as well as maineventing against undertaker and cena and bobby lashley was UNJUSTLY pushed to the moon before he quit.

 

[Deezy]

Basing WWEs 50+ year history on guys like Cryme Tyme and R-truth is just a disservice to the theory that they are either racist or have been using stereotypes. Guys like Ernie Ladd, Bobo Brazil, Tony Atlas, Rocky Johnson couldn't be considered "stereotypes". Junkyard Dog could've been Hulk Hogan level of stardom if he wanted it like Hogan did, the fact that he let himself go after he signed with WWF was the thing that held him back.

Saba Simba might be the most blatant. Maybe Godfather too, but off the top of my head I can't see anything very stereotypical. And Japanese guys were pretty much stereotypical themselves, kind of hard to get a gimmick for guys who were clones of others.

And let's not act like it's just WWE or pro-wrestling.....What about society as a whole? Outside of people like Bill Cosby, or Will Smith, weren't a large majority of black entertainers made from playing stereotypical characters? Has there ever been a major Asian star who wasn't in Kung Fu movies? Or Spanish stars who weren't all "orale vato"? I could go on.....but it's too depressing.

 

[Keith]

I think we have to separate how WWE uses black wrestlers and how they use foreign guys/girls. In the case of the latter it is a case of a lack of understanding of their culture and resorting to stereotypes which again is not quite the same as being racist, more just being narrow minded.

There are enough examples of black guys getting good pushes JYD, Booker, Shelton, Rock (not black but he counts).

 

[John McHenry]

I think we have to separate how WWE uses black wrestlers and how they use foreign guys/girls. In the case of the latter it is a case of a lack of understanding of their culture and resorting to stereotypes which again is not quite the same as being racist, more just being narrow minded.

There are enough examples of black guys getting good pushes JYD, Booker, Shelton, Rock (not black but he counts).

I'm not sure why you'd claim Foreigners wouldn't count.

As far as the Black guys you mentioned. Booker was pushed in WCW and the cheapest to get out of his AOL contract so yeah not them look what they did with him after (King Bookah) Shelton got the same mini spurts Kofi gets to appease the Black audience. The Rock doesn't count but does?

Aside from The Rock Ron Simmons is the only example of them pushing a Black man to the top on their own and how long ago was that?