WWE Royal Rumble: The issue with the booking of Men of Color

There’s a growing conversation about the booking of men of color within WWE’s Royal Rumble. When breaking down the numbers, there’s an interesting trend worth discussing.

The Royal Rumble is the annual start to WrestleMania season; the biggest part of the year for the WWE. This year the biggest storyline heading into the rumble was Brock Lesnar entering as the WWE Universal champion and stepping into the ring as the first entrant.

Many speculated who would face off against The Beast and if WWE Creative would give a massive push to whoever eliminated the former UFC Champion. No one is upset at the idea of Drew McIntyre being the one to send Lesnar over the top. However, there’s another conversation being held about the utilization of men of color within the Rumble. That is a different discussion that deserves dialogue and attention.

Now, before you close this piece and think that this is a “reach,” let’s take a deep dive into the conversation that is being held.

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There’s a loud voice across the social space that is citing this year’s Rumble as yet another example of WWE Creative misusing people of color on the roster. To silence said conversation, the quick rebuttal is the dominance that Bianca Belair displayed during the Women’s Rumble.

Yes, Belair did steal the show of the Women’s Rumble, but that example shows how there’s an opportunity to use diverse faces in a different manner that leadership behind the curtain continues to miss. The fans were truly excited about her involvement and performance. The same couldn’t be said about those that took part in the men’s rumble.

As mentioned, Lesnar was the first man into the ring; looking to go through 29 other people before the evening was over. 14 other men entered before McIntyre, who walked in at number 16 to eliminate the WWE Champion.

Many of those individuals were tossed out in less than stellar fashion; thrown out of the ring like children instead of being professional wrestlers. But what’s even more telling is that eight of those 14 people were minorities. 53% of Lesnar’s eliminations where people of color. Why is that an interesting number? It becomes clear when looking at the rest of the Rumble entrant list.

From McIntyre’s entrance to Seth Rollins entering at number 30, only two other minorities entered the Rumble. Samoa Joe and Roman Reigns, both of Samoan descent, were the only men of color featured in the second half of the main event. Once Lesnar was out, the story changed to who would elevate themselves to an opportunity at history for WrestleMania 36.

The decision to book the match in this way made it clear that WWE Creative has faith in a certain segment of the roster, while making the others expendable to make Lesnar look powerful – as if he wasn’t already.

Protection is an important aspect of booking in professional wrestling. Those who are looked at as potential stars are leveraged in a fashion to get the fans behind them; to build trust in the fans that he or she can deliver.

Aleister Black is protected. Baron Corbin is protected. Randy Orton and Seth Rollins are protected. The list goes on and on. It’s not just about winning or losing matches; but it’s about the believability that’s built by creative in a wrestler’s abilities and character.

The front end of the Royal Rumble entrant list were booked as less than credible threats to both Brock Lesnar and to the man who eliminated him. In fact, they look much less capable of defeating Lesnar in a match than everyone who entered the event after number 16.

Kofi Kingston, Big E, Keith Lee and Shinsuke Nakamura are four champions that were jettisoned without much to show for their entrance. Yes, they got “moments,” but those moments were fleeting; ending with Lesnar standing in the ring laughing at their effort.

Lesnar easily thwarted the combined efforts of the SmackDown tag team champs and a future Hall of Famer. Both Lee and Braun Strowman are just as big and athletic as Lesnar, yet were tossed out while looking silly for not capitalizing on having Lesnar down.

If none of these competitors were worth any bit of protection, then what is their overall value to the decision makers behind the scenes? Clearly, it’s not as high as the rest of the rumble participants. Fans recognize when wrestlers are booked in this fashion and it often has a negative impact on their overall perception. For some, this damage is irreparable.

Kingston’s 2019 run showed that proper booking behind wrestlers that fans care about can lead to monumental moments. The question is whether WWE Creative can or will lean into those superstars that fall within minority groups.

Historical trends lean toward the answer no, and the way the 2020 Royal Rumble was booked stands out as an example that leaves a large contingent of fans disgruntled with the content put out by the largest promotion in the industry.