Black History Month Roundtable: Celebrating Black excellence in wrestling

What do you think wrestling can do for its Black wrestlers that it either hasn’t done yet or hasn’t done enough of? For its Black community of fans, as well?

Anthony: There needs to be more headlining black wrestlers and more black decision-makers in the industry.

Chris: I think the most important thing wrestling can do for Black wrestlers and Black wrestling fans is do more to create a greater sense of belonging. Even though many of the things that drew us to the business align with other wrestling fans, there is always this sense that Black wrestlers and wrestling fans aren’t “part of the club” in the sense that while this is something Black people like and can be passionate about, it never feels like we are fully welcome in some spaces.

Again, this is an area where the business has progressed a bit, but when folks like Michael Hayes, who once said that Black wrestlers didn’t need a gimmick because “being black” was their gimmick and thought he was “more of a n****” than Mark Henry, still get to stick around in some form or fashion and Lars Sullivan gets pushed despite saying a bunch of racist gunk – among other things – it sends the message that a commitment to making this business enjoyable to everyone isn’t as important as the perceived benefits certain folks provide.

More on-screen representation helps in this regard, but for actual progress, the representation also has to show up in booking, agenting, and executive positions, too. Often times, many of the controversies that pop up are caused and/or exacerbated by decision-makers who haven’t endured the experiences that Black people have, often solely because of their race.

Having more Black people in positions of power, provided they don’t uphold the status quo and enact real change, would help move things forward in regards to hiring practices, pushes, and building that sense of community with fans.

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David: This is a small thing not an immediate necessity but have more than 1 black person on commentary. Sometimes it can feel like there’s an unspoken “one is enough” rule whether intentional or not.

Tom Phillips, Byron, and Booker T sounds a lot more entertaining to me. Let the New day have a triple threat match main event Wrestlemania. They’ve earned it. They can still stay a faction afterwards.

Kyla: The simplest thing wrestling can do for black wrestlers is to stop overlooking them. Black wrestlers are just as dynamic of competitors as any other race, but for some reason it doesn’t seem like they have the same window of opportunities available. Wrestling can also just allow black wrestlers to be themselves.

While I don’t know how much input these wrestlers have when it comes to the characters they play, there is an undeniable trend that black wrestlers characters tend to be more over the top, and more stereotypical than that of other wrestlers.

Examples include the stereotypical black thug roles that Cryme Tyme played during their time in the WWE or how the WWE portrayed the Boogie Man as a black man with red and black face paint (which kind of mimics traditional African tribal face paint), who ate worms for fun.

Allowing black wrestlers to be themselves would be a benefit to the black fan community because these wrestlers could become realistic role models, and also more relatable to the fans. Normalized characters have the potential to create a stronger connection with the black fan community which can in turn increase ratings if done correctly.

Phil: I think major promotions need to put black wrestlers in the main event more often. We need to do away with this notion that they aren’t a draw. I would love to see someone like Kofi or Bianca Belair in the main event of WrestleMania or see a black man challenge for the IWGP Championship at Wrestle Kingdom.

I also think we need to see more black promoters and executives. That’s why F1ght Club Pro and the establishment of the Pan-Afrikan World Diaspora Wrestling Championship was such an important moment.

There needs to be more promotions and titles that focus on African American culture so we don’t have to keep asking for someone else to make our history and legacy in wrestling a priority. It’s just as important for black people to make their own lane. Just hire more black people! Not just as performers but also as executives, journalists, promoters, commentators, writers too.

Raphael: The For the Culture event that is coming up is a start. Holding those more often, if possible, would be fantastic and I’m certain people would begin to attend and help get the names on those events recognized more often

Happy Black History Month!