Black World Champions in Pro Wrestling
- passdaaux
- Aug 14, 2018
- 3 min read
Professional wrestling reaches millions of African American fans, but rarely does that demographic see a person that represents them by holding the top prize in the largest and most successful wrestling federation, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) World Championship.
Jay Lethal, currently the only African American World Champion of any major professional wrestling organization. Lethal became the Ring of Honor (ROH) World Champion for the second time in Fairfax, VA on June 30, 2018, when he pinned then champion Dalton Castle in a Fatal Four Way Match with “The Villain” Marty Scurll and “The American Nightmare” Cody. Recently, Impact Wrestling Slammiversary 2018 on July 22, a missed opportunity for the Impact World Championship as Moose failed to defeat Austin Aries. Moose should have been the second black champion crowned within a month.
To be recognized as the World Champion, that organization believes not only are you the best performer but the face of a franchise, the quarterback of the team, the person that is there to do anything and everything to expand viewership live in the arenas and on television.
Black wrestlers in the WWE have never served as the top draw. Wrestlers like Junkyard Dog or Koko B. Ware were big draws in the territories before coming to the WWE, became comedy acts once they arrived at McMahon’s federation. Wrestlers the likes of Bad News Brown, or Kamala played stereotypical heels such as “angry black man” or “foreign savage” to fall to the avenging white savior.
The truth racism has always been an underlying factor in pro wrestling. In the 1960s, Bearcat Wright, the first African American World Champion, was blackballed and stripped of his title because he refused to wrestle in segregated areas. Since then, we have seen Bobo Brazil in the 1960s as well, then none until Ron Simmons in 1992.
When it comes to diversity, it seems Vince McMahon does not value the African American audience by putting a black man as their top champion. The proverbial brass ring was never allowed to be reached by African American wrestlers for one simple reason; the WWE does not see them as a draw.
Wrestlemania 19, the real-life story of Booker T sent to prison as a young man and overcoming those obstacles to where he earned a spot as one of the main events of the biggest show of the year. The champion at the time, Triple H portrayed the condescending racist, a prime opportunity to put the title on Booker. The finish saw Triple H retaining which gave fans the opinion that the WWE does not believe in their black talent.
Usually, black wrestlers relegated to the secondary titles. McMahon most likely does not believe that an African American wrestler could be a face of the franchise.
The New Day, arguably the most over African American act today had the longest reign as tag team champions in WWE history but are also known for their comedy routines and the fact that they sell a ton of merchandise. Tag team champions are essential members of the show, but not the guy at the top of the marquee.
Ron Killings, a former two-time world champion is just a comedy act known for singing and dancing. The return of Bobby Lashley, a legit wrestler in college, a fighter in Bellator MMA, and a former four-time world champion, has not been treated as such upon his return WWE earlier this year. The WWE had the perfect opportunity to push a black star as Lashley could have been the guy to face current WWE Universal Champion, Brock Lesnar, in the main event of Summerslam, but McMahon instead reverted to his chosen one, Roman Reigns.
Vince McMahon has led the WWE for nearly forty years. In that time, McMahon has eliminated his primary competitors and as the WWE atop of professional wrestling. The lack of faith in a black superstar to be his face of the franchise has been a criticization for years. The solution is for the WWE developmental brand NXT headed by the man that appears to be in line to take over once Vince McMahon steps down, Triple H. NXT has searched the world for talent to fit every demographic, but not until Triple H is entirely in charge will we see some form of change in ideology in the WWE.
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