Shining a Spotlight 2.08.07: Race and Wrestling

Sorry if I was a bit blunt in my opening but I wanted to get this out of the way fast. To say racism doesn’t exist in wrestling is to say racism doesn’t exist anywhere. Sadly, we all know better. Oh, I like to think we’ve come a long way. As much as black people (mostly the young ones) can complain about how they’re pushed down, the fact that fifty years ago they weren’t allowed to use the same restroom as white people, let alone vote says things have improved a bit. True, nowhere near real equality but better than nothing, I suppose.

What brings this up is the fact that it’s Black History Month. I suppose I might as well mention right now that I’m as white a person as you’re ever going to meet. So I’m not going to be foolish enough to say that I understand black people, because I never will. I suppose I do have what might be termed “white guilt,” which does kick in around Black History Month. Of course, most can argue the whole thing is pitiful (and not just because February is the shortest month). I think The Daily Show’s “black correspondent” summed it all up best: “White people have to pretend they care about black people and black people have to pretend that they care about history.”

So it hits me that this would be the perfect time to take a look at the progress blacks have made in professional wrestling. I have to admit, I’m surprised no one’s taken the time to write a book about it as it would make an excellent topic. As hard as I’ve tried, I haven’t been able to find who was the first known black professional wrestler. Ten to one, he was some journeyman who never got a chance to shine and thus is long forgotten. The fact is, wrestling is still predominately leaning towards whites in terms of the workers. The NWA was formed in 1948 by men who were, to put it mildly, old-school promoters. Looking back, it’s shocking to see how biased things were towards whites back then but at the time, it was just accepted behavior. In fact, even many blacks simply shrugged and went along with it until the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1950’s.

Blacks had had the chance to shine in the 1940’s with the war effort, particularly the legendary Tuskegee Airmen. Of course, they had to put up with struggles. As deplorable as this is going to sound, the fact was that many normally educated scientists held to the idea that blacks were physically and mentally incapable of being the equal of whites. Hell, the army actually segregated between white and black blood, despite the scientific proof that there was no difference whatsoever between them. I’m sure many have heard the complaints of black soldiers who served in the war, over risking their lives fighting for a country that wouldn’t even acknowledge them as equal citizens.

Forgive the history lesson but it’s always important to remember how things were. It makes you appreciate the brave move Branch Rickey made when he decided to sign up Jackie Robinson for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Rickey was risking his reputation as many owners (particularly in Boston, which was the last team to integrate) threatened to run him out of baseball if he dared break the color barrier. But Rickey knew the time was right and Robinson paid back his trust by becoming one of the greatest ballplayers in history. He kept his cool going despite the jeers and hate mail and even death threats he would receive. He proved that white crowds would eventually accept a black ballplayer, blazing the trail for those who would follow.

It took a few years but blacks did slowly get their chance to show what they could do in pro wrestling. Interestingly, it was the South that allowed blacks to start to rise to stardom. Another topic book worthy is how hot wrestling has always been in the South more than the North, willing to take bigger chances with ultra-hot crowds. It was in this era that emerged the first major black superstar: Houston Harris, better known as Bobo Brazil.

Debuting in 1951, Brazil started off wrestling fellow blacks. However, his energetic style, great skills and good work on the mic drew a big following. Fans soon wanted him to face other heels and the promoters obliged as Bobo took on the likes of Killer Kowalski, Dick the Bruiser and Johnny Valentine. His biggest feud was with the Sheik, the two warring it out for the better part of 40 years. Fans would flock to see Brazil face off against these men, finishing them off with his famed “Bobo Butt.” Brazil would come out led by James Dudley, the first black to be in charge of a major arena, who would wave a towel as he led Brazil to the ring. Bobo was a huge hit throughout the South, the first black to actually wrestle in Florida.

Bobo would earn a lot of titles to go with his fame. He was a 12-time US Champion, 8 time NWA tag team champion, 4-time WWA champion and in 1962, became the first ever black NWA World champion by beating Buddy Rogers. However, the NWA did not recognize the title change due to some backstage politics so it remained with Rogers. Like Robinson, Brazil was a trailblazer, an inductee in the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994 and died in 1998, hailed as a rightful legend.

Thanks to Bobo and the civil rights movement, blacks began to find wrestling a good avenue for work. Sputnik Monroe became a hero to the fans of Memphis in the 1960’s and not just because of his popularity fighting heels. His unique style came from a chair shot that left a wooden splinter in his head that became infected, resulting in a white streak along his hair that became his trademark. At the time, blacks were segregated into the highest seats in the arenas as promoters feared mixing them with white fans. Monroe (who died this past November) demanded that these fans be given the chance to see from the best seats available, going so far as to threaten to walk out on the promotion if they didn’t do so. Since he was such a huge draw, the promoters acquiesced, the only public area in Memphis that was integrated and Monroe struck a major blow to equal rights in Memphis. He would later team with Norvell Austin and they had one of the most unique acts in history. After beating an opponent, they would pour black paint on him. Monroe would yell out “Black is beautiful,” Austin would chime in “White is beautiful” and they would then chorus “White and black together are beautiful.” Corny, perhaps, but you have to admire the message.

Another nice star was Matt Jewell, better known as Bearcat Brown. He made his debut in 1969 with an angle where he was a spectator in the crowd who answered an open challenge by the hated Infernos. He would be known as a tag team wrestler, working with both black and white partners in various championship duos in the South in the early ‘70’s. One notable moment was when the hated masked Interns attacked him on TV and tarred and feathered Bearcat. Brown blasted them in an interview, declaring how proud he was of being black, a statement that got people of both races on his side. He would continue to be a success until his retirement and a famed name in the South until his death in 1996.

Ernie Ladd took another big step for blacks in wrestling, in that he was the first major black heel. A former football player who actually spent time wrestling in the off-season, Ladd riled up crowds with his arrogant attitude and blatant cheating. To his credit, Ladd managed to rise above any stereotypes, simply presenting himself as a heel without making race the huge issue. His accolades included several titles in the Florida, Mid-South and Mid-Atlantic areas, including several tag title reigns. He would also have a major feud with Andre the Giant that became a standout of late ‘70’s WWF. At the same time came Tony Atlas, a former Mr. USA bodybuilder who became a big draw as a powerhouse in just about every major promotion of the time, including battles with a then-raw Hulk Hogan.

As the 1980’s began and wrestling began to become a bit more…well, cartoonish for lack of a better word, gimmicks for black workers changed as well. One prime example was Kamala. On the face of it, it was a rather racist act, a big black man dressed in a loincloth with white makeup and acting like an African savage. Being led to the ring by a guy in a mask and safari outfit didn’t help either. But it did allow him to be unique and a draw. Still, he had to go up against some racism. One time Hulk Hogan wanted to put him over by countout by Jay Strongbow, a WWF agent at the time, said no. Neither man knew Kamala was listening when Strongbow said he didn’t deserve a win as he was just “a big black n—er with paint on his face.” Hogan, to his credit, simply went back and told Kamala he couldn’t talk Strongbow out of it, not mentioning the slur. While Kamala was never a major star, he did make himself a standout with the act. Also, “Iceman” King Parsons became a major star in Texas, one of the most popular figures with his tough style and energetic mic work. He would turn heel during a run in the UWF, coming back as a heel to WCCW and winning almost every title in 1988. His mic work, in particular, can be seen as the forerunner for the likes of Booker T and even the Rock.

Other black stars didn’t quite fare as well in this new era. Bad News Allen had been a major star in Stampede wrestling, often feuding with Bret Hart and holding the North American title. He came off as a great heel, blasting the fans, proclaiming himself as “the Ultimate Warrior” which Jim Hellwig would eventually grab. He debuted in WWF in 1988, now called Bad News Brown, hyping the race card even more, the classic “angry black man” bit. He did get some matches with Randy Savage for the WWF title and established himself as the tough loner who fought against odds, a template for future guys like Steve Austin. However, after a good start, Brown started to get into some rough feuds like the infamous match with Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania VI where Piper, for God knows what reason, painted half of his body black. Then he got in a feud with Jake Roberts where Brown would actually bring a sewer rat to the ring to fight Jake’s snake. Brown would leave the company shortly after, making bones over the fact that Vince McMahon had promised he’d be the first black WWF champion. Given that Brown wasn’t that over with the fans at a main event level, the claim is a bit dubious.

Another black face of the time was Slick, the “Doctor of Style.” A heel manager who took over the stable of the ailing Freddie Blassie, Slick dressed and talked like a pimp from a 1970’s “blackspotation” movie. He would undergo a religious transformation to become Reverend Slick, a brief run as a face manager. Butch Reed also got a break in the WWF but didn’t capitalize on it. Supposedly, Reed was going to be given the IC title but didn’t show up that night so it instead went to the Honky Tonk Man. Koko Ware had also been a star in Memphis but in the WWF was given the goofy “Bird Man” gimmick, mostly a mid-carder with more attention to his dancing and his bird, Frankie. There was also Virgil, basically the servant of Ted DiBiase, always taking hits for his boss with no thanks at all. Virgil would eventually turn on DiBiase and enjoy some mild success but was constantly remembered for being the silent man who let this white guy boss him around (and those barber pole pants).

But another star of that era would get off much, much better. Sylvester Ritter had started out as “Big Daddy Ritter” in Stampede wrestling, capturing the North American title. He found his way to the Mid-South area where Bill Watts took one look at his powerful build, tough talk and unique style and thought of a line from a Jim Croce song. After being given a chain and a collar, Ritter became the Junkyard Dog.

JYD was a massive hit, coming to the ring, doing a dance by the ropes, always having the fans backing him. One memorable feud had the Freebirds blinding him with cream and a blind JYD faced off against Michael Hayes in a cage match. The key to the character’s success was that Watts made sure to put him in situations that seemed impossible but JYD would always get out of them without anyone’s help. He would be one of the biggest draws of the area, holding the North American title a few times, the tag titles eight times with various partners and feuding with other heels in the area. He would journey to the WWF in 1985 and quickly became even more famous, one of the most popular stars of the era. He was known for his tough talk but sweet nature, his crawling headbutt and THUMP powerslam. He never held a title in WWF but somehow it didn’t matter that much; he was one of those stars who didn’t really need the rub of a belt, he was always over as proven when he’d have kids in the audience join him in the ring to dance. He left the promotion in 1989, traveling to WCW for a bit, making a final comeback in 1992 to win the USWA title. His last appearance came at an ECW show in 1998 where the ECW crowd, usually against anything either “old-school” or reminding them of WWF, cheered and chanted JYD’s name. Sadly, only weeks later, Ritter was killed in a car accident, cutting short a good life but lots of great memories.

The ‘90’s brought a shift in how blacks were presented in wrestling which coincided with the “urban black motif” with rap and films like Boyz in the Hood. It got started in a way, in 1989, when the Steiners began to be attacked by Doom, a pair of heavily muscled masked black men. The sight of a pair of black men in hoods wasn’t exactly a good one so it was almost a relief when they were unmasked and revealed to be Butch Reed and Ron Simmons. That seemed to be the end of it but someone in WCW saw some potential in the duo. They were hooked up with former referee turned evil manager Teddy Long and improved their ring work. They ended up beating the Steiners for the tag titles and held them for the rest of the year. They split up after losing them, Simmons going at it solo. He and Lex Luger feuded for the WCW title with the idea that Luger felt “Simmons’ people” weren’t right for the belt, which was pretty cheap heat. In 1992, Bill Watts, now in charge of WCW, decided to try out Simmons as the main eventer and had him beat Vader to win the belt. Watts no doubt figured that he could make Simmons as big a star as JYD had been. Unfortunately, Simmons never had the charisma JYD had and the fact he was defending the belt against the likes of the Barbarian hardly helped. While he may have made history as the first recognized black world champion, Simmon’s reign wasn’t a success.

Sadly, as I’ve noted, wrestling does often go to stereotypes and black men have been forced to endure many of them. One of the biggest was the rap phenomenon, starting with Men on a Mission. The mid-size Mo and the giant-sized Mabel would come to the rings with manager Oscar rapping on a mic. While they were actually over a bit, it was more cheap heat from the rapping than any actual ring ability. Mabel would go heel and become King Mabel, actually main-eventing a few shows but the fans didn’t care for it. And as bad ideas never die out in wrestling, WCW would have Master P and his No-Limit Soldiers who would bounce around rings in goofy garb. However, as WCW had its roots in the South, they never took off and became yet another time-wasting, money-consuming angle that helped push WCW closer to the grave.

As with so much in wrestling, ECW pushed things to an extreme in terms of race. New Jack and Mustapha Seed formed the Gangstas who would go at opponents with no care whatsoever about the rules, using every weapon they could. Even worse would be their mic work as they would make jokes about black activists, use watermelons as props and would win matches on two counts, claiming it was Affirmative Action. So not only did whites dislike them but blacks hated them for being so utterly racist and seemingly not caring about the image they presented. They would hold the ECW tag titles before splitting. New Jack would be involved in the infamous Mass Transit incident, suffered brain damage and loss of vision in one eye after being thrown off a scaffold in 2000 and getting into various battles (verbal and physical) with many people. Not exactly a sterling example for the black athlete.

In 1997 came one of the more infamous black gimmicks around. Ron Simmons had started in WWF as Faarooq Assad, starting with a goofy gladiator gimmick before forming the Nation of Domination. After a brief run that included Crush, Savio Vega and PG-13 as members, Simmons announced he’d be making a “blacker Nation” and by 1998 he had D-Lo Brown, Mark Henry, the Godfather and newly heel Rocky Maivia. They would get into the infamous “gang wars” with the Disciples of the Apocalypse and Los Boricaus before the newly named Rock took over and kicked Simmons out. The Godfather’s gimmick as a pimp coming to the ring with “hos” and offering them to opponents if they’d drop a match was incredibly biased…yet it actually got him over, earning him a run as IC champion. He would shift it by “cleaning up” his act and becoming the “Goodfather” with the Right to Censor but pops up now and then in his old style. Henry, of course, would have the “Sexual Chocolate” act where he’d go after Chyna only to be set up with a female impersonator. Despite the various dumb gimmicks given to him (many speculate Vince was trying to get him to quit so he wouldn’t have to pay out the rest of his ten-year contract), Henry stuck in there. D-Lo Brown got over for a bit with a wild style that led to a face turn and the European title. However, after a messed up powerslam by D’Lo ended the career of Darren Droz, he found himself pushed down the card, eventually landing in TNA for a while in 2003.

As for the Rock…oh, do I need to explain how he became the biggest black star in the history of wrestling?

Sadly, the race issue is brought up far too much for black workers. When Booker T faced HHH for the World Title in 2003, HHH gave the idea that Booker’s “people” didn’t have what it took to be champion. This was a pretty low move but also didn’t make much sense seeing as how Booker had held the WCW title five times already. Meanwhile, Teddy Long popped back into the picture as a manager of an all-black stable, telling D’Lo, Christopher Nowanski, Rosey, Mark Henry and Jazz that it was racism that was holding them back and said he could lead them to glory. He actually did help Jazz win the women’s title and you got the feeling Long was speaking a bit from the heart on how blacks weren’t given the shots they deserved. However, calling the organization “Thugging and Bugging Enterprises” and saying stuff like “Don’t be drinking that Hate-o-rade!” pushed it a bit too much into parody. Eventually, the whole thing was dropped and Long turned into the goofy GM of Smackdown we’ve grown to love.

An interesting case to discuss is that of Ron Killings. One of the first stars of TNA, Killings started to get attention due to his promos where he would openly complain over how he was being held back because he was black and that was the Truth, coining his nickname. He would adopt a tougher style in the ring and his promos started to get him over with the crowds. TNA noticed and so they had him beat Ken Shamrock to win the NWA World title. He would defend it for several months but now that he was a face champion, his edge seemed to dull. The fans who had cheered him on soon started to chant “overrated!” when he was in the ring. He dropped the title to Jeff Jarrett, bouncing around before getting in with 3 Live Kru. Since then, he’s become known for his goofy dancing and rapping and his “going Hollywood” act is just a new spin on his original gimmick, using the more stereotypical ideas of his race.

I talked a lot about Booker T in an earlier column so I don’t feel as much to add now. However, the King Booker gimmick gave a new spin to Booker’s long standing persona. The sight of this street guy talking like royalty is truly unique and the fact he’s great in the ring adds to it. In many ways, Booker is using the very stereotypes of blacks in wrestling to his advantage and the way he took off as King proves it. Sadly, other blacks in WWE aren’t doing as well. Shelton Benjamin is a great worker but just hasn’t clicked in charisma with the fans. His “big fat overbearing loud-mouthed lack mama” bit was truly bad and thankfully has been dropped. MVP is starting to click with the arrogant athlete persona that could let him go far. And then there’s Cryme Time who are catering to the lower parts of the fanbase with their flippant street punk attitude. Still, that might be able to click if they can match it in ring work.

You can argue there’s still a lot of guys who deserve a better push but promoters and owners seem resistant. Bill Watts gave guys big pushes, ironic considering that his tenure at WCW in 1992 was cut short when an interview he did with the line “if I don’t want to serve blacks, I shouldn’t have to, it’s my resturant” landed on the desk of Henry Aaron. Interestingly, Jim Crockett seemed to resist the idea of black superstars despite as did Verne Gagne. WCW didn’t really push them either but then giving breaks to good workers was never one of WCW’s high points. As for Vince, you can argue he leans more toward blacks being potrayed in a sterotypical way. However, whatever else his faults, even Vince’s worst critics wouldn’t accuse him of being racist. It’s just his usual pride and knee-jerk sensibilities toward the fanbase that lead to the characters created. And as with guys like Simmons (who managed to segue from the Nation to the better APA character), they do have the opportunity to rise higher.

Yes, wrestling does thrive on stereotypes when it comes to blacks. Then again, so does much of Hollywood. Hell, Saturday Night’s Main Event had probably the most minorities of any other NBC show this season. And yes, there could be more black superstars. However, as I’ve just illustrated, they have come a long way and quite often, it’s not the color of their skin that determines success or failure but in-ring work and charisma. Often they can rise above any dumb and backward gimmicks as the Rock and Booker T have done. In many ways, it’s the same struggle they have in all fields of life: They’ve come a long way but there’s still a lot to do to be truly equal. We can hope they succeed as it’s one of those things even bigger than wrestling, that can effect even more in the way we live and think. Hopefully by looking back on how far they’ve come, they can go even further.

Around 411mania:

That Was Then takes a look at the Friends of Hogan.

Just S’Pose gives an alternate version of the XFL.

Evolution Schematic bids a farewell for a while. A shame, I really loved that column.

Piledriver Report talks about health problems for injured workers. A shame we’ll never see a wrestling union, that would solve problems.

Julian counts down the Top 10 HBK matches.

Don’t forget Triple Threat, Column of Honor, Ask 411, Friendly Competition and the rest.

All for this week. Next time, I theme it to Valentine’s Day with a look at wrestling romances. For now, the spotlight is off.