Black History Month Roundtable: Celebrating Black excellence in wrestling

Who are your favorite Black wrestlers (past or present) that you want to take the time to shed some light on?

Anthony: All-time, my favorite is The Rock. Monty Brown was phenomenal and he should’ve been NWA Champion during his run in TNA. Ember Moon, Sasha Banks, Bianca Belair, Keith Lee, Cedric Alexander, Mark Henry, MVP … too many to name, but they’re all awesome.

Chris: Since it would be lazy to write “all of them” since 1.) that wouldn’t be true and 2.) it would sell all of the wrestlers I like way too short, I’ll stick to these names.

I probably wouldn’t be writing about wrestling if it weren’t for The Rock. In school I would often hear other kids regurgitate his many catchphrases and when I finally tuned in to watch him, his on-screen magnetism hooked me into wrestling and kept me around even as the genre became less popular. As I got older, I appreciated his stellar mic skills and his work in the ring.

Another act I almost immediately latched onto around that time was The Dudley Boyz and it wasn’t because of their taped-up glasses with no lens or their camouflage gear or their propensity to put people through tables (though I would come to appreciate Bubba Ray Dudley’s mic work as the years went on).

I was because of the joy I felt in seeing D-Von Dudley, a Black man, grace the screen to ply his craft. Sure, he was perfectly average in every way and didn’t do much outside of the tag ranks (though his theme when he was Reverend D-Von was fire), but seeing another Black person in a promotion filled mostly with white faces meant everything to me at the time.

When he debuted on SmackDown in 2006, I thought Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP) was the coolest wrestler on the WWE roster.

Once he found himself on the microphone and in the ring following his feud with Chris Benoit in early 2007, he became one of the primary reasons I tuned in to SmackDown; while The Great Khali spent most of that year engaging in a forgettable feud with Batista, it was MVP and Matt Hardy’s feud/tag team partnership that carried most of those shows.

As for current wrestlers, Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair are at the top of my list. With Banks, it’s not only her immense talents on the mic and in the ring that make her a favorite of mine, but also the passion and love of this business that shines through in just about everything she does. If I had a promotion and I could only pick five wrestlers to start out with, she would be a no brainer.

Belair would be another name I would pick. With her quick acclimation to the sport, sharp wit on promos, and eye-catching look, she’s clearly a star on the rise, but what I love the most about Belair is how authentically, unapologetically black she is without coming across as a one-dimensional caricature or as a lazy stereotype.

David: MVP! It’s so refreshing that he’s back even in a limited on screen capacity. I always felt he could’ve been a world champion easily. He’s a great promo, has personality and size. He plays the part. Elijah Burke was another guy I thought had untapped potential. If Marcus Cor Von and Ahmed Johnson were able to have longer careers, they’d have bigger legacies.

Kyla: Some of my favorite black wrestlers include Ricochet, Keith Lee, and Naomi. Ricochet and Keith Lee are equally athletic and entertaining, even though they are in two completely different weight classes.

Keith Lee has certainly worked vigorously to the top of the mountain, and after finally reaching the summit by becoming the current NXT North American Champion, Lee shows the entire world that consistency and perseverance are key. Any match that Lee is in, is sure to be history making, as Lee tends to live up to the adjective, limitless.

Ricochet’s play on superheroes and anime is probably one of the few realistic black character roles we see that virtually all races can relate to. Superheroes and anime have always been a universal trend, so creating a character that encompasses these attributes is a fantastic way to connect with the audience.

This is one instance of wrestling positively displaying black wrestlers, and this deserves kudos, but also leaves me to question the role that colorism plays here.

Naomi is an incredible wrestler, with the athleticism, agility and confidence to prove it! Once Naomi steps into the ring, you will feel her glow, and it’s oh so bright! She is a crowd pleaser, who isn’t afraid to stand up for herself and always provides the fans with a jaw dropping performance. Naomi’s past Royal Rumble entrants can attest to that.

Phil: There are so many. Big Swole, for sure, I think it’s only a matter of time before she becomes AEW World Women’s Champion. She just has all the tools to be a fan favorite.

Michael Oku from Rev Pro, who just won the Undisputed British Cruiserweight Championship from El Phantasmo. Isaiah “Swerve” Scott because he’s one of the most unique and well-rounded wrestlers out there. He can do high flying stuff. He’s a good striker and he has a good mat game.

Jonathan Gresham because his technical prowess is crazy and he’s just starting to put it all together with his new look and promo work.

Raphael: Ron Simmons, Booker T, Stevie Ray, Jacqueline, Sasha Banks, Ricochet, Shelton Benjamin, Bianca Belair and 2 Cold Scorpio.