My impression of whether pro wrestling is racist or not is Vince McMahon is all about getting as many people to events as possible, as much merchandise licensed as possible, etc. an if that means having mostly white "stars" he will have mostly white stars. If demographics were to change, then all those white stars would become heels (or whatever wrestling bad guys are called) and the black guys would become the stars. So it may be the fan base has some racist tendencies and the industry just throws into the ring whatever sells and could care less about looking diversified.

My impression of whether pro wrestling is racist or not is Vince McMahon is all about getting as many people to events as possible, as much merchandise licensed as possible, etc. an if that means having mostly white "stars" he will have mostly white stars. If demographics were to change, then all those white stars would become heels (or whatever wrestling bad guys are called) and the black guys would become the stars. So it may be the fan base has some racist tendencies and the industry just throws into the ring whatever sells and could care less about looking diversified.

 

Exactly. Playing to the audience.

My impression of whether pro wrestling is racist or not is Vince McMahon is all about getting as many people to events as possible, as much merchandise licensed as possible, etc. an if that means having mostly white "stars" he will have mostly white stars. If demographics were to change, then all those white stars would become heels (or whatever wrestling bad guys are called) and the black guys would become the stars. So it may be the fan base has some racist tendencies and the industry just throws into the ring whatever sells and could care less about looking diversified.

 

 

Yep. That's exactly what Jim Cornette did with The Gangsta's in Smoky Mountain Wrestling. He knew some of the crowd would hate them just because of their skin color. He played it up even more by letting them throw gas on that.

 

They'd come out in Oakland Raiders gear, be as stereotypically thug as possible, letting New Jack get on the mic and call fans "imbred", "rednecks", "hillbillies", "tobacco stained", "toothless", and say that they "couldn't make it 5 minutes in LA", stuff like that. They got tons of heat from the crowd, just like the wrestling bad guys are supposed to do.

 

People wanted to come and see them get beat, and if they didn't on that night, they wanted to come back again so they could be there when they did. It made better business sense to do that than to try to make them Hulk Hogan type heroes when there was a debatable portion of his audience who wouldn't have cheered them regardless. It was really successful. Probably too successful considering ECW came along and signed them away shortly after.

 

McMahon's whole Nation of Domination stable was a very toned-down rip off of that.

Also, I think it's fair to keep in mind that just because a wrestler isn't a "good guy" doesn't mean that the company doesn't value them. The show isn't really interesting without the whole good guy/bad guy dynamic. Bad guys are supposed to do things that make the fans dislike them.

Is The Rock not black?

I know I will get lambasted for this but I can't believe anyone watches wrestling. Or Big Brother. Or The Bachelor. The Voice, American Idol, etc. I just do not see the appeal.

 

I agree with you on wrestling, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, The Voice and American Idol.

 

I like Big Brother though, it's pretty entertaining.

Is The Rock not black?

 

Ethnicity:

*African-Canadian (father)

*Samoan (mother)

Ethnicity:

*African-Canadian (father)

*Samoan (mother)

 

"White Hispanic?" … no, wait, that's not it.

If we count The Rock (not my place to say yes or no to) there is/was no denying his talents. He is a mega superstar, he can do it all in the WWE World.

If we count The Rock (not my place to say yes or no to) there is/was no denying his talents. He is a mega superstar, he can do it all in the WWE World.

 

You'd kind of have to look at him in the same vein as Tiger Woods, wouldn't you? A race-transcendent superstar?

You'd kind of have to look at him in the same vein as Tiger Woods, wouldn't you? A race-transcendent superstar?

 

To me The Rock is black but that is just me. Thus the point I am trying to make is even if the WWE is racist The Rock was too talented to deny.

Their facts are wrong then, as he was champ.

 

I don't know if it is racist or not, but the WWE is very clickish and always has been.

 

Above all though Vince is all about making money and if black, white, Hispanic, Japanese....whatever, made him the most money, he would get them over......

I think, ultimately, what it boils down to is personality and stage presence, and being able to perform the stunts without killing yourself. But by the same token, the McMahons aren't going out of their way to upset the current status quo either, and that status quo is quite lily-white, the Rock's Benetton-ish heritage notwithstanding.

Interestingly enough, WWE has just announced the signing of Japanese star Ketna, who I'd expect to get a pretty solid push, as reports are that the WWE wants to expand into Japan with the WWE Network. From what I've seen on YouTube, Ketna looks like a guy who could be fun to watch.

I think, ultimately, what it boils down to is personality and stage presence, and being able to perform the stunts without killing yourself. But by the same token, the McMahons aren't going out of their way to upset the current status quo either, and that status quo is quite lily-white, the Rock's Benetton-ish heritage notwithstanding.

 

Tanning Beds and Spray Tans have kept Wrastlin from being Lily-White for decades! With one or two exceptions.