|
|
Post by EoE: Well There's Your Problem on Mar 22, 2019 9:58:50 GMT -5
It's fine, there's like a thousand people these days that could be on the Florida loop shows on any given weekend. It's impossible to remember everyone, regardless of their race. How are you accessing Florida Loop shows from Australia? I don't mean that in an offensive way or anything. I just want to know because I never hear or see much of anything about the Florida Loop/PC talent. Just following the right Twitter accounts and hashtags. It's very interesting because you see a lot of beta testing for matches, gimmicks and groups that may never even see NXT TV. For example, just last night, they had Robbie E from TNA making his first appearance on the loop as a manager of all things, for a couple of mean-looking Indian guys. |
|
|
|
Post by abjordans on Mar 22, 2019 10:27:05 GMT -5
How are you accessing Florida Loop shows from Australia? I don't mean that in an offensive way or anything. I just want to know because I never hear or see much of anything about the Florida Loop/PC talent. Just following the right Twitter accounts and hashtags. It's very interesting because you see a lot of beta testing for matches, gimmicks and groups that may never even see NXT TV. For example, just last night, they had Robbie E from TNA making his first appearance on the loop as a manager of all things, for a couple of mean-looking Indian guys. I am going to the house show tonight in Tampa and I got excited for this when I saw the tweet last night. I think manager is a great role for him, I was skeptical when they signed him on what role he really had. |
|
|
|
Post by Tea & Crumpets on Mar 22, 2019 10:53:29 GMT -5
Probably going to feel vindicated when WM ends with Kofi as WWE Champion. I have a question: I know there has never been a black WWE Champion outside of The Rock. But, what Black pro wrestlers should have been WWE Champion? Booker T, but he was World Heavyweight Champion, so then the question is was that deliberate to give him the one that isn’t Vince’s baby. Same with Mark Henry. But, have there been a lot of black pro wrestlers that were missed opportunities to be WWE Champion? I can’t think of many. I feel like that might sound bad, but hear me out. It is not meant as a knock in the slightest. A lot of the great black pro wrestlers that have worked for WWE have been bad timing. Now, have guys not been seen as missed opportunities maybe because they simply weren’t GIVEN opportunity? That is another question. I think it moreso boils down to pro wrestling is something a lot of black peoples simply don’t pursue in large numbers. They are a minority that is even more a minority in the wrestling business. That becomes another debate, why is that? I think it is interesting to think about. JYD was a giant star as top babyface in mid south, but I don’t Think he was given a bad shake not being WWE Champion, no one on the planet should have been top babyface outside of Hogan in the 80s. Ron Simmons had a lot of miles on his body from football before he came to wrestling, by the time he came to WWE he couldn’t be the top guy. I think we will see more black WWE Champions going forward. I see more and more black wrestlers on shows. I think Riccochet will be WWE Champion. I think he can be a great tool for representation for young African American youth to want to grow up to be a pro wrestler. Even moreso than Kofi, he does things that could be really awe inspiring to all of the younger audience, the kind of thing that really triggers the “I want to do THAT” mechanism in young minds. I think there is a big future for Montez Ford. Velveteen Dream is a no brainer. The dude who gets chants to sit down on the NXT house show loop has a big upside, I apologize for not knowing his name, but this dude has loads of charisma. I can’t remember his name, but I talked for a long time to this dude who was working security at a NXT house show. He was signed by Jerry Brisco after being a college wrestler at UNC. This dude charmed everybody he spoke to and had a great look, I will definitely be watching for him. Basically, this is a long winded way of saying I think we will be entering a new day, pun intended, for representation and opportunity for the black community in WWE. Booker T absolutely should have been WWE Champion, he won the WHC eventually sure but a) he should have beaten HHH and b) he could easily have been WWE champion if the title had been on the same brand as him, and really would have been a good pick to take the title in the InVasion. That said, while his HHH feud absolutely went super racist and was atrocious on TV to have the racist win, I've always got the vibe that behind the scenes it was just about "Let's put HHH over every WCW/ECW guy" because this was the same run where he beat RVD, Steiner, Nash and Goldberg. Regardless, Booker is to me a 5-star main eventer and a guy you can always put the title on, but in WWE he was an upper midcarder. I'm a colossal Ron Simmons mark and will forever say that WCW should have kept him as a main event talent after the Vader win instead of sliding him back down the card, and when he went to WWE as a gladiator it was a farce. He had miles on his body sure and by 1997 was not likely to be a world champion anyymore, but I could have seen him having a VERY brief transitional reign as Nation leader. Lashley seemed to be handpicked for the top, but he never caught on. How much of him failing to reach the WWE title was down to him simply not being that good versus racism is hard to say, because he was overpushed and not good for the title, but at the same time we've seen other guys get that sort of push. Although generally even white guys who were like 2005-07 Lashley didn't reach the top title either- McIntyre, Corbin currently, Braun currently, it's hard to say. I'm surprised he didn't get the title, but also don't think he should have, so... I feel like MVP could, when he was actually hot in 2006-07, definitely have been groomed to become a world champion. Instead he had his losing streak and face turn and became locked into midcarder for life. R-Truth, I was always a big fan of in TNA as Ron Killings where he did actually manage to hang as a main eventer and champion for a brief period. He'd lost his luster by the time he came back to WWE, and at the time even during his heel turn I didn't buy him as a champion anymore, but in hindsight it could have been ok. Kofi much as I love him has taken until now to really click for me as a main eventer- much like Mark Henry did- but I feel like Big E has been RIGHT THERE as a potential champion for YEARS with nothing done, and I still remember the rumours that Vince originally wanted Big E back when the decision to go with Reigns as the next guy was made. All in all I think there's a lot of if-but-maybe guys who you can also see why they didn't get the rocket strapped, but also a few guys where it's a definite missed moment. I think this does apply for a lot of white wrestlers too given the sheer amount everyone complains about WWE booking, but I'm hesitant to rule out race as a factor. I could be off mark here, or coloured by my perceptions of him onscreen, and I'm not alleging anything but I feel like if there's one of WWE corporate actively not wanting to push nonwhite stars, it's more likely to be HHH, than Vince- who I think is more likely the out of touch old man vibe, where he doesn't mean to be bigoted or hateful he's just not in tune with a lot of sensitivites. HHH though, there's the Booker feud, Alberto calling him out as a racist when he was first fired, the fact he allegedly pushed for Roman over Big E...I just feel like if there's an actively institutionally racist behind the scenes element in WWE, it's more likely to be the guy who covers himself in iron cross designs than it is Vince. I've also always gotten a very strong vibe that WWE is more about xenophobia than racism, if that distinction matters- how many actually people not from North America have held the WWE or World Title? The only guys I can think of are Sheamus & Finn, who kind of fall under the McMahon Family's Ireland fetish, Andre, who held it for a minute, and the Iron Sheik, who was less than a month. Other than that I cannot think of a WWE Champion born outside North America. And heck, even most of the billed-as-foreign guys like Yoko, Eddie, Rey, were all born in the USA. The list of guys born outside North America to have been in WWE but not won the big one is pretty significant. |
|
The Ichi
Patti Mayonnaise
AGGRESSIVE Executive Janitor of the Third Floor Manager's Bathroom
Posts: 37,627 
|
Post by The Ichi on Mar 22, 2019 15:54:58 GMT -5
I still think Bryan's retaining.
|
|
|
|
Post by Tiger Millionaire on Mar 22, 2019 16:49:46 GMT -5
No, no, pal. We tell stories. In this story, the Mr. McMahon character is being presented as being out of touch. At no time race was brought up, it's presenting the Mr. McMahon character as having trouble understand this new generation of Superstar Millennials. Vince McMahon, the chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment, has long cited Martin Luther King Jr as his personal hero, and has promoted African American athletes throughout his time running the WWE, from The Junk Yard Dog, the Rock, and the "Almighty" Bobby Lashley.
|
|
