WWE: Celebrating African-American Wrestlers Who Impacted Us
M.V.P. (Montel Vontavious Porter)
David Joseph- In the middle of the “Ruthless Aggression” era, WWE had to create some fresh stars. Certain key stars departed the company for different reasons and fans needed new characters to invest in. Smackdown, which is known as the land of opportunity currently, was a brand that gave new talent a chance to shine. One of those the talents that shined the brightest is Montel Vontavious Porter, aka MVP.
The highest-paid sports entertainer in SmackDown history; he is MVP. Bursting onto the scene with flashy jewelry and a special entrance, MVP was a hidden gem in WWE. MVP didn’t just have a catchy name or backstory, he was one with his persona. It was clear from day one that the man behind the character really brought into the gimmick. There have been a lot of cocky heel superstars in WWE history but few portrayed the inflated ego the way MVP did.
MVP did not have the longest WWE career, but he certainly had an impact. Shortly after his debut, he was in a strong feud with Kane that led to a rare inferno match. He continued to work with legends and future Hall of Famers like Undertaker, Batista, and Rey Mysterio.
Perhaps his greatest rivalry was against Matt Hardy. MVP and Matt Hardy were enemies and former tag team champions. The two consistently competed against one another in entertaining segments.
One of those segments included a pizza-eating contest and a basketball game. These two had chemistry and made everything work. The two were a good example of long term booking in WWE. The ultimate pay-off came when Hardy finally beat MVP for his first major singles’ championship.
MVP won the United States Championship at WrestleMania 23; he held the U.S Championship and the Tag Team Championships at the same time. Additionally, MVP had his own version of MizTV called “The V.I.P Lounge”.
Moreover, MVP has had some success in NJPW and Impact Wrestling. It is surprising that WWE has not reached out to “Half Man, Half Amazing” for a role in the company. No knock on Lio Rush, but MVP as Lashley’s hype man would fit better. Plus it would somewhat acknowledge their history from Impact Wrestling. MVP can totally contribute as a mouthpiece or commentator. His mic skills might have been his best attribute.
M.V.P, cont.
Chris Jeter- During an era of SmackDown where The Great Khali reigned as the World Heavyweight Champion for several months, MVP’s run at the top of the brand’s midcard was one of the few bright spots on that show. It was around that time when he established himself as one of the more reliable workers in the company.
MVP debuted on to the main roster in late 2006 as a “highly touted free agent” who eventually signed the “largest contract in SmackDown history”. Being a heel whose character was based on prominent athletes like Terrell Owens and Stephon Marbury, the announcers — particularly JBL initially — went out of their way to deride MVP’s “hype”; they often discussed how “overrated” and “unworthy of his contract” he was.
(Of course, given the expectation of Black athletes to “know their place” and express humility at the opportunities that they receive, booking a character that served to maximize his earning potential as a villainous character said more about a company that still classifies its wrestlers as “independent contractors” than anything else.)
That storyline narrative took a turn once the calendar flipped to 2007. After slogging through an underwhelming program with Kane, MVP turned his attention to Chris Benoit’s United States Championship, which led to a series of very good matches between the two.
MVP eventually won the U.S. Title and moved into a lengthy, memorable program with Matt Hardy over the belt. That program ran for most of 2007, as the two engaged in several competitions to prove who was better — and to limit MVP’s time in the ring following his Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome diagnosis — even during their time as WWE Tag Team Champions.
The heel schtick lasted for a couple more years until WWE put him in a “losing streak storyline” to give him some humility (read: turn him babyface) and they later inserted his criminal past into a few storylines (similar to what WWE did with Booker T in 2003, complete with Jerry Lawler’s stomach-turning, ironic derision).
MVP hasn’t worked for the company since 2010 so he doesn’t get mentioned often in the WWE canon. That’s a shame because, at his absolute peak, I thought he could have been a world champion. He was a great talker, a versatile worker, and helped stabilize what was a very thin midcard in 2007.