Racism in WWE?

I'd bet dollars to duckets that the newly acquired Ron Killings is going to end up debuting on ECW . It's becoming the default show for all of their black wrestlers. I'm suprised this issue hasn't surfaced yet. At some point, some wrestler is going to have the balls to make an issue out of it. Cor Von, Shelton, Elijah burke, Big Daddy V, they started Lashley out there, and now Kofi (although he's Jamaican). Even Mark Henry has become something of a regular on ECW now with Stryker taking over as his manager. It's arguable, but I don't think you can claim that Henry is a "Smackdown" superstar any anymore.

I mean, jeez. They fired Booker and Cryme Tyme from Raw.

They've got MVP on Smackdown, and that is basically IT.

Maybe I'm forgetting someone, but if you're a black wrestler, it seems pretty fair to say you're gonna end up on ECW. It smacks of foul play that every black wrestler ends up on the 3rd (sh*tty) brand.

Am I wrong about this?

77RITCHIE77 wrote:

I'd bet dollars to duckets that the newly acquired Ron Killings is going to end up debuting on ECW . It's becoming the default show for all of their black wrestlers. I'm suprised this issue hasn't surfaced yet. At some point, some wrestler is going to have the balls to make an issue out of it. Cor Von, Shelton, Elijah burke, Big Daddy V, they started Lashley out there, and now Kofi (although he's Jamaican). Even Mark Henry has become something of a regular on ECW now with Stryker taking over as his manager. It's arguable, but I don't think you can claim that Henry is a "Smackdown" superstar any anymore.

I mean, jeez. They fired Booker and Cryme Tyme from Raw.

They've got MVP on Smackdown, and that is basically IT.

Maybe I'm forgetting someone, but if you're a black wrestler, it seems pretty fair to say you're gonna end up on ECW. It smacks of foul play that every black wrestler ends up on the 3rd (sh*tty) brand.

Am I wrong about this?

People shouldn't be on a show because of their skin colour, Cor Von was new as was Burke & Kofi it's basically the first step up from developmental. That's why V & Shelton are there, to improve.

Wrong section aswell by the way & Booker requested his release & Cryme Tyme were fired because they did their finnisher on a ref who didn't know about it which is very dangerous.

Well you can spin things any way you want to spin them because you're afraid to address a very real issue. In some circles, people would just consider you part of the problem.

Thank you for being astute in pointing out that "people shouldn't be on a show because of their skin colour."If you read and interpret what I wrote, it's clear that was the whole point of the post.

The fact is, it is still happening.

You say that ECW is where people start off from for developmental, huh? And THATS why V and Shelton are there?!!

TO DEVELOP?!! Do you know how long, "V" has been with the company? About 13 years now. From way back when he was Mabel from Men on a Mission. Do your homework before you back up baseless arguments with inaccurate information. Shelton's been with WWE for FIVE years now. But, he's "developing" right?

Hmm. Where are people like Cody Rhodes, Edges' cronies Rider & Hawkins, THE SPRIT SQUAD?! Where are these guys getting their development?

Listen, maybe the topic makes you uncomfortable. But don't be ignorant and turn a blind eye to it as if it is not happening.

77RITCHIE77 wrote:

TO DEVELOP?!! Do you know how long, "V" has been with the company? About 13 years now. From way back when he was Mabel from Men on a Mission. Do your homework before you back up baseless arguments with inaccurate information. Shelton's been with WWE for FIVE years now. But, he's "developing" right?

Calm down on the president for a moment there ritchie. I dont think develop is the right word. They are on ECW build themself up. Your right "V" has been in WWE 13 years but when somebody has a gimmick change they're really starting from scratch. As Vicera he wasn't really going anywhere but now as Big Daddy V he's on his was to being a main eventer something he could never do before because of the gimmick.

I dont think it racist just because ECW has more black wrestlers than Raw and Smackdown. They're there to improve because looking at them now, they are not ready for the big time. I would think it was racist if they didnt push black wrestlers. But thats not true considering Lashleys monster push last year and king booker was world champion for most of 2006. If Lashley is returning(big emphasis on if)I assume he'll be back in the main event

77RITCHIE77 wrote:

Well you can spin things any way you want to spin them because you're afraid to address a very real issue. In some circles, people would just consider you part of the problem.

Thank you for being astute in pointing out that "people shouldn't be on a show because of their skin colour."If you read and interpret what I wrote, it's clear that was the whole point of the post.

The fact is, it is still happening.

You say that ECW is where people start off from for developmental, huh? And THATS why V and Shelton are there?!!

TO DEVELOP?!! Do you know how long, "V" has been with the company? About 13 years now. From way back when he was Mabel from Men on a Mission. Do your homework before you back up baseless arguments with inaccurate information. Shelton's been with WWE for FIVE years now. But, he's "developing" right?

Hmm. Where are people like Cody Rhodes, Edges' cronies Rider & Hawkins, THE SPRIT SQUAD?! Where are these guys getting their development?

Listen, maybe the topic makes you uncomfortable. But don't be ignorant and turn a blind eye to it as if it is not happening.

Yep, & he's still awful & needs to improve. Plus ECW lacked a dominant big guy which is mainly why he moved, to be repackaged. Rhodes is on Raw because of his last name, if he was called Jones or something like that he'd be on ECW.

Quote :

Thank you for being astute in pointing out that "people shouldn't be on a show because of their skin colour."If you read and interpret what I wrote, it's clear that was the whole point of the post.

Yes, I know that but the way it was written made it sound like people should be on Raw because they're black.
Shelton is there so he can have more mic time so he improves as WWE doesn't WANT him to waste away, they think he can be great & want him to be as they have a potential star.

How about Punk, Thorne, Benoit (when he was moved)? The white wrestlers that were moved there?

77RITCHIE77 wrote:

I'd bet dollars to duckets that the newly acquired Ron Killings is going to end up debuting on ECW . It's becoming the default show for all of their black wrestlers. I'm suprised this issue hasn't surfaced yet. At some point, some wrestler is going to have the balls to make an issue out of it. Cor Von, Shelton, Elijah burke, Big Daddy V, they started Lashley out there, and now Kofi (although he's Jamaican). Even Mark Henry has become something of a regular on ECW now with Stryker taking over as his manager. It's arguable, but I don't think you can claim that Henry is a "Smackdown" superstar any anymore.

I mean, jeez. They fired Booker and Cryme Tyme from Raw.

They've got MVP on Smackdown, and that is basically IT.

Maybe I'm forgetting someone, but if you're a black wrestler, it seems pretty fair to say you're gonna end up on ECW. It smacks of foul play that every black wrestler ends up on the 3rd (sh*tty) brand.

Am I wrong about this?

I love how people just randomly find things and call it racism. ECW is a place for superstars to develop an on screen roll before they move up to the major leagues like Smackdown and RAW, its better than them just appearing out of the blue and being thrown into squash matches against guys like Umaga. Race has nothing to do with it, you have wrestlers like HBK, HHH, Batista, Undertaker and so many other big names that overshadow the young talent on the roster. Guys like Shelton and Elijah haven't been given any rolls to fulfill so the point of them going to ECW was to build them up in front of the fans and give them experience. If it had anything to do with race than I am positive that there would be complaints from the African American wrestlers but they haven't complained so I ask, how do you get the impression that its because the color of their skin? You are the one who seems to focus too much on color and not enough about the wrestling business aspects

This is so ridiculous. I agree with Dangerous Inc.

What about Ron Simmons, he's on Raw not wrstling anymore but he still gets airtime regularly for something as stupid as saying "Damn"

The Edgeheads used to be the Major Brothers and started out on ECW, so maybe you should do your homework. And Cody Rhodes is on Raw because he has a famous name behind him and the reputation of his Father, which means he's sure to be a crowd pleaser and ticket seller.

ECW is the next step up from Either OVW or FCW, and is meant to help develop characters as on screen characters. The fact that a few of the wrestlers on ECW are black has nothing to do with it. Bobby Lashley like you said was on ECW true, and then he made it to Raw the A-List show, so obviously there's no racism there.

I'm white, but would agree that WWE seems to me somewhat racist. They hardly have any black wrestlers, and very few ever get pushed. Lashley, and Booker were the only ones, but booker is a veteran superstar. Lashley was Massive, and Vince loves the big men.
Lots of these wrestlers have been DE-PUSHED! Shelton was IC shamp, and held a win over Triple H...Now he's on ECW. Wasn't Mable champ a long time ago, or I know he was at least going for it? Elijah went from leader of the new breed to jobbing twice to Batista, and now he does nothing. Kofi...Won't go very far. Ron Killings...Won't go far.
Is there any black people left on Raw actually? MVP is about the only one left on SD.
Not to make this an argument about race, but lots of black people are better athletes...That's why they make up like 90% of the NFL. GENETICS. You mean to tell me that there's very few black guys trying to make it to the WWE? Cuz WWE's roster is 95% white.

Thank you hbkfan.

I'd like to point out that my discussion topic tite read "Racism in WWE?"

Please note the question mark at the end of the topic. It was intended to promote discussion.

I did not say that WWE IS racist. I suggested that it is something that some wrestler is eventually going to make an issue out of. I DID say that it was something worth discussing. I DID SUGGEST that which ever way you try to spin things, you cannot change the numbers that are clearly evident.

Does this make the WWE racist? NO.

Does this mean it is a topic worth discussing. I think so.

Is it responsible to throw weak arguments out there to completely obliterate the topic without considering it? I think not.

Did someone just quote Ron Simmons to me? One he's a legend. Two, is he even wrestling in anything except impromptu or dark matches? Three, has he said anything other than "Damn!"? in 2 1/2 years. Don't be ignorant and point to that as a powerful argument for whole black wrestlers are treated.

King Booker does nothing to support your theory. He was buried as soon as he made it to the flagship on Raw. Hmm. Feud with Lawler, job to the return of HHH. And then done. Does this really help your argument?

Furthermore, I submit that Booker's push to main evnt status was by necessity rather than a long overdue deserved run. Eddie's death, Angle's exit, Taker's inconsistent attendance (normally gone for months at a time) and JBL's retirement left left Smackdown with a depleted top tier for talent. Thus the King Booker gimmick. I mean really, people. The point may be arguable. But are you going to tell me that THERE'S NO WAY THiS COULD BE AN ISSUE?

Lashley got his push, and quite frankly, unlike other people I was excited. It was something different. He's an incredible athlete with a great amateur background. HIs mic skills suck, but so do Orton & Jeff Hardy's quite frankly. And mic skills improve with time. Case in point: Bret Hart, Edge, Triple H. None of whom was particularly good with a mic in their early days.

Do my homework on the Major Bros.? They we on ECW for two weeks! You need to be quiet if you consider that a solid argument. I could've named 50 other stars getting a push that were not black that premiered on Raw or Smackdown. Jimmy Yang Wang, K.C James and whoever his tag partner was, Jesse, Festus, Kenny Dykstra, DH Smith, Drew McIntyre, Santino Marella, Trevor Murdoch........you get the picture.

I mean really. Turn a blind eye to it. That's fine. But don't come back with inadequate arguments and try to act like it's not a POSSIBILITY that something is amiss.

today everyone is racist just because they want black people to earn the spot to prove themselves they send them to ECW What should WWE do let Benjamin or Kingston or Big Daddy V win Royal Rumble. They would not deserve it. But it would be good storyline in WWE. The favorit band of HHH is Motorhead. It was nazi band in Germany later they turned to normal metal. So I think HHH was racist and he was pushing Benjamin. I want to say that there is no racism in Wrestling. Dont forget Mysterio he is mexican and Chavo guerrero

The following is a generalization:

The problem is that too many people think ''The White Man'' is trying to hold us/them down! Well stop being ignorant and join us in the 21st Century. We cannot change history but we have surely changed the future for the better but some people refuse to let go, for example, to this very day I hear people who say they hate Germans for WWII, well that was a different time under fascist rule but they still wont let it go.

Once again a smart comment, dangerous inc. I myself am part German and can't believe how stupid some people can be.

77Ritchie77, personally I find your arguments to be the ones that aren't really very solid. I mean you say you want this to be a discussion and aren't claiming WWE IS racist, yet you do everything to try and prove that they are.

WWE is not going by skin color but by who they think can be popular, and will get over with the fans, and who pulls the strings. King Booker was a great champ also in WCW the reason he got buried on Raw is because HHH pulls the strings and didn;t want Booker to be better than him

Also, if you compare the ratio of how many Wrestlers are white and how many black you will easily see that the reason you don't see much black wrestlers get big Push's or something because there are not many black wrestlers in general, at keast not in the main scene, I don't know about the Indy scene. Do you think the black wrestlers are the only ones that don't get pushed or get depushed, how many good/great white wrestlers have been pushed shortly then dropped or aren't getting pushed at all? Just as many!

WWE comes up with a idea for a feud or gimmick and then places/calls up wrestlers accordingly if they think they'd fit the scene. It has nothing to do with skin color.

And before you say it again, no I'm not saying there is not a possibility WWE is racist, I'm just saying the points you are making don't really support that argument.

The Hunter wrote:

WWE comes up with a idea for a feud or gimmick and then places/calls up wrestlers accordingly if they think they'd fit the scene. It has nothing to do with skin color.

And before you say it again, no I'm not saying there is not a possibility WWE is racist, I'm just saying the points you are making don't really support that argument.

Why does it seem there's no black wrestlers that get called up for gimmicks..Especially if there's not many anyways? It's like Shelton dying his hair blond...Either the dude is trying to be white so he gets a push, or they wanted him to be white.
Honestly Shelton Benjamin, and Elijah Burke are 2 of the greatest stars in WWE. They both have a good look, good build, Burke is AWESOME on the mic...If either of these 2 went to TNA they could easily headline a main event. There just incredible athletes. They have the power/ skill to take on a large heavyweight, but have the athleticm of X-Division wrestlers. SO, Why are these guys not getting pushed?! If somebody can answer that for me it'd be greatly appreciated.
You got white guys who are HORRIBLE, no gimmick, not good on the mic that get bigger pushes than these guys. I think it was one of the later times Shelton was on Raw he started speaking something about racism on one of the shows, and I was thinking they were going to do an angle about it. That angle didn't happen...Probably because it wouldn't be an angle, but true.

People can argue all they want, but dunno how you can argue that 2 of the best athletes in pro wrestling are getting buried...and happen to be black.

Show me a person completely ignorant of colors and creed in any given brand or company, and that man or woman will be the one who is not infected by racism.

As such, someone mentions the NFL(not to exclude the NBA) are filled with more African Americans than of caucasions and any other race combined... True enough? If it is, should people not African American stand up and complain that the NFL(and NBA) are racist? The answer is no. Athleticism is only one aspect of Professional Wrestling. The look. The mic work. The fluent nature of being able to sell offense as well as defense-not to mention they(any promoter/s) have to look at the reactions given by the crowd to determine placement.

Yes, there have been some(very few) African Americans to succeed in the WWE, but just because the finish to each match is predetermined, it has nothing to do with racism as it stands. No proof. It is mere speculation based on someone recognizing color of skin for negative or positive. I for one never saw the shows that way, and after posting this, it still won't change.

Also, one must look to the failures and successes of other minorities...

Failures... Many of all colors.
Successes... Many of all colors.

Both categories are so vast, there's absolutely nowhere to begin without eventually leaving someone out-still have nothing to do with skin tones.

In this, the bottom line is, the attention should be directed elsewhere, as this is not only a serious allegation, but because it's speculation, it's only going to light a fire that does not need to burn.

Do not forget...for years they endorsed an African American. You remember him as The Rock, who also has Samoa in him. Tell anyone then, that after the years of push and push for The Rock that the WWE is racist. In truth, it had more to do with his ability, his charisma and gimmick/character-you know; the whole reason people get pushes...

Firstly, I would like to say that Elijah Burke should be getting pushed and it's a shame that I turn on ECW each week to find that he's(inexplicably yet again) been left off the program. Now that I've gotten that out of the way(I like to promote Elijah Burke whenever possible), onto the topic at hand.

I, personally, don't think WWE is racist. I do think that they may have trouble distinguishing how to push an African American talent(which is strange seeing as a large chunk of the audience is of the same ethnicity). However, I do believe that the monster push of Lashley was a clear cut sign that WWE doesn't have a problem pushing anyone of any race. Take into account that Elijah Burke and Shelton Benjamin both are six foot nothing and that neither one of them is over 230 pounds and that may be where the problem lies. Vince is a huge proponent of larger than life figures holding the top spots.

I also don't believe it's fair to just disregard Kofi Kingston and Ron Killings before they even get started. You don't know what success they could end up achieving. And if anything unjustly prevents them from being a top star in WWE, it'll be their size(or lack thereof).

absolutely

I think there is lack of really pushing blacks ino the title picture. but I wouldnt say that wwe is racism. That would be fair to point that out, but i see what the argument is about here

Tyhis is absurb

I hate racism

It can go away it just people that are idiots and some people still think it's the 18th and 19th century

well said hulkamaniac it's quite pathetic and Im white, so this sucks big time but it is true