# Almost no black talent on the male roster



## IronMan8 (Dec 25, 2015)

AEW promote having progressive beliefs about diversity, and Cody is married to a black woman, so this isn't a criticism about their values. But for whatever reason, there's almost no black talent on the male roster, and from what I saw at first glance there's none within reach of the main event.

Then I noticed the crowd at DoN looked to be 90%+ white males.

Meanwhile, WWE opened their first post-AEW Raw with Kofi Kingston as world champion, and women/kids are everywhere in the crowd. 

With CM Punk likely debuting in Chicago, AEW is starting to look like a white male fest, especially at the top of the card.

Who can AEW sign as a main event star to better represent the company's values before the honeymoon period fades? Any good black indy wrestlers being rumoured?


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## LIL' WINNING FOOT (Sep 21, 2004)

Stop.

Go back to the history of wrestling. NWA, a promotion regionally based in the South, had a diverse fanbase to where the likes of Ron Simmons became World champion along with Junkyard Dog being a fan favorite. There is a reason Dusty Rhodes and even Ric Flair had a strong black fanbase, as well.

This kind of mentality is going to be what ultimately stifle and ruins the AEW momentum and building process. You don't try to use a quota checklist to pander to groups who, for some, aren't going to necessarily tune in every week because they'll demand you to do certain moves and actions that may not reflect any stories you may have lined up. This is not to shit on a Sonny Kiss or Scorpio Sky because if their hard work and talent pay off then it isn't a problem but is it going to get to a point where they should get a title shot against a Jericho or Omega because...they're black?

That's a disservice to what they can offer to your company beyond that label. Unless you make it into a story that takes months and time to develop where the pay off is justified (WWE didn't with Kofi, quickly thrusting him to that spot although it still was a Mania moment for sure), that's not going to do anything long term for your company. It's bad enough WWE has to virtue signal for some philosophy and PR points from sponsors and charities.

You get the best men and women who are good to great for the job and reward them as such. Period.

(And just in case you or people like you try to throw every empty insult or phrase possible like always, I am black...breh :mj)


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## DJ Punk (Sep 1, 2016)

And here we go..


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## ObsoleteMule (Sep 4, 2016)

Ehh this is a very nitpicky complaint. For one there isnt many black people looking to become professional wrestlers (you will get the occasional former athlete trying their hand at wrestling after washing out of the pro league but those guys are usually WWE bound) and secondly the majority of wrestling fans are white. It just is what it is. No issue here.

This is coming from a black guy btw


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## SPCDRI (Mar 15, 2010)

Scorpio Sky was great as per usual, though. They still have plenty of talent money, you don't think if they find a good prospect who is black that they won't sign that prospect? Of course they would, probably after "hosses" and women, the next in line is to land some black talent, I guarantee it. The promotion barely even exists at this point. Its not they went years on end without black champs or something like that. They say they want all types of people at all level of the company, I believe it.


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## Beatles123 (Jan 26, 2010)

Willie Mack could arrive in the future. :shrug


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## Lesnar Turtle (Dec 6, 2011)

The only solution to this travesty is to hand out free tickets to black fans, women and homosexuals. And make Sonny Kiss the FOTC.


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## Rick Sanchez (Dec 30, 2012)

:eyeroll

OP calling AEW racist despite only having ONE show so far. 

And Kofi opening Raw doesn't mean shit.

And who cares how many fans there were white?


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## nWo4Lyfe420 (Apr 22, 2013)

IronMan8 said:


> AEW promote having progressive beliefs about diversity, and Cody is married to a black woman, so this isn't a criticism about their values. But for whatever reason, there's almost no black talent on the male roster, and from what I saw at first glance there's none within reach of the main event.
> 
> Then I noticed the crowd at DoN looked to be 90%+ white males.
> 
> ...


That's because he tosses pancakes, not because he's black. WWE is a children's show. AEW is targeting lapsed wrestling fans.


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## Twilight Sky (Feb 19, 2019)

I just figured there historically has'nt been many black wrestlers because it simply doesn't interest a whole lot of them. The notable few has been mentioned in this thread. You get the few guys like Shelton Benjamin but he has been relegated to "appear out of no where" jobber status, and let's not forget about Orlando Jordan. In AEW's case, may just be there is no black guys out there that is looking to wrestle, and few in the WWE don't wanna leave I guess.

Case in point, I don't think there is anything suspicious about this. As a black guy, I can tell you we don't do _everything_, and when you don't see us, it doesn't always mean there is some racism going on.


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## The One (Jul 16, 2012)

Roman Reigns fans are weird...


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## the_flock (Nov 23, 2016)

IronMan8 said:


> Meanwhile, WWE opened their first post-AEW Raw with Kofi Kingston as world champion, and women/kids are everywhere in the crowd.


Yeah and it took him 13 years to become world champion in WWE and that was only because the fans were demanding it, not because they wanted it to happen. Many fans have also asked why Big E and Xavier Woods haven't won any major honors yet either. Ron Killings won the World title in TNA twice, yet didn't win one in WWE, despite being massively over. Shelton Benjamin never won it at the height of his popularity either.

Perhaps AEW haven't hired any yet, because there's none available which make sense to their product and they're waiting until they're available.


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## A PG Attitude (Nov 5, 2012)

There s always one.


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## IronMan8 (Dec 25, 2015)

Guys, criticism like this will be coming eventually, you know that right? 

Brandi is their brand officer or something, so I understand it's just the way the cards fell. I just saw there's about 64 talents signed up and there's only like 4 black people.

I agree it's mostly because it's so hard to find black wrestlers in the first place, but then the WWE seems to have a lot.

If there's a couple of hot indy wrestlers who are good and happen to be black, I could see AEW prioritising them.


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## Therapy (Jul 28, 2011)




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## FROSTY (Jan 22, 2015)

Sunny Kiss, Scorpio Sky, Kong, Private Party (tag team in the Battle Royal) are all Black, almost a dozen Japanese men & women, numerous Hispanics on like a 50 person roster right now. Close to half their roster is not white...


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## LIL' WINNING FOOT (Sep 21, 2004)

IronMan8 said:


> *Guys, criticism like this will be coming eventually, you know that right?*
> 
> Brandi is their brand officer or something, so I understand it's just the way the cards fell. I just saw there's about 64 talents signed up and there's only like 4 black people.
> 
> ...


Yeah but so fucking what? 

The company doesn't need to force "diversity" for the sake of looking like they accomplished something. People can see right through that. The reason why WWE has gotten so much flack for it is because of their history and how they have let some many great black talents NOT become their primary World champion (No, Rock doesn't count. Booker and Henry won the secondary WHC title so no, either.) when the timing called for it. They just put it on the wrong one in Kofi when it should have been Big E. I don't see AEW having a problem with that like WWE has. THAT'S the difference.

The only people who really treat this as a prioritizing issue are those looking to fish for problems that largely don't exist there.


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## RubberbandGoat (Aug 9, 2016)

Can’t believe they’re being criticized already! They’re just getting their footing going. Every match had a different race represented!


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

Hopefully sunny has lots of success. I was live at don and people got behind him a lot

Sunny should be really entertaining on the weekly show!


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## the_flock (Nov 23, 2016)

IronMan8 said:


> WWE seems to have a lot.


AEW has had 2 show. WWE has been going for about 70 years. There's the difference. 

Even so, WWE have around 20 black wrestlers out of the 110 or so talent on the main roster. Less than 20% and how many of them are being pushed? About a quarter of them are semi-retired.


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## headstar (May 16, 2012)

Pro wrestlers are generally white.

Wrestling fans are generally white. The crowd at DON looked to be 97% white.

With AEW gaining momentum, more and more wrestling feds are locking down their top talent regardless of race.

American pro wrestling is not like the UFC, Basketball, Baseball, etc which generally attract people of various races. Wrestling is more like Hockey and NASCAR. It attracts primarily white people as fans and performers.


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## Chris JeriG.O.A.T (Jun 17, 2014)

From the responses in this thread it seems people only read the title, got all indignant, and started anti-SJW shitposting. OP is just basically asking are there any black talents on the indys AEW could sign to help make their fan base more diverse.

That's not an offensive question and it doesn't imply anything about giving black people affirmative action main event pushes, and yet people still got butthurt simply at the mention of race.


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## zrc (Nov 14, 2011)

Awesome Kong > the divas.


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## oleanderson89 (Feb 13, 2015)

There aren't a lot of good talented black pro wrestlers outside of WWE. The ones who are in WWE are comedy jobbers so it is fine. I would be surprised if and when AEW continues to grow for the next five years and does not create homegrown talents who are from a minority.

I sincerely hope and pray for the next real economic depression so that this sort of beta thinking (manipulating others into thinking that you are good just because you throw bread crumbs to minorities) dies quickly.


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## Sonicyoot (Jan 29, 2019)

Why does this matter? A good wrestler is a good wrestler despite color and race. 

To answer your question, I don’t think pro wrestling attracts a lot of African Americans to the point where they want to make a career out of it. 

Dumb thread


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## Boldgerg (Apr 2, 2017)

Oh fuck off.


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## Death Rider (May 18, 2011)

Willie mack would be a good signing. It is tricky cause the main one I thought of was Shane Strickland but he has gone to wwe.


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## LIL' WINNING FOOT (Sep 21, 2004)

Chris JeriG.O.A.T said:


> From the responses in this thread it seems people only read the title, got all indignant, and started anti-SJW shitposting. OP is just basically asking are there any black talents on the indys AEW could sign to help make their fan base more diverse.
> 
> That's not an offensive question and it doesn't imply anything about giving black people affirmative action main event pushes, and yet people still got butthurt simply at the mention of race.


No, they didn't. I, at least, answered his concerns and warned him about what those inquires could cost AEW in the long term. Just because you or anyone else don't approve of those answers does not invalidate them.


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## SayWhatAgain! (Jul 25, 2016)

Well the majority of indie wrestlers available to them are white guys, and the majority of smarks who will buy a ticket to their shows are white guys. You think AEW are turning down talented black wrestlers dude? fpalm 

I think we sometimes look too deeply into race. I mean the NBA crowd is predominantly white, yet the talent is predominantly black. Maybe_ people_ pay to see talented _people_ do what they are good at?


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## Hephaesteus (Aug 20, 2018)

To answer the question since you know the majority of the people in this thread seem determined to be fake offended, it takes a while to build up and diversify one's roster. Sure they can fill the roster with minorities and have them win belts at all levels right away, but then nobody will take their divisions seriously. The fact that they're openly addressing these issues to the press is the important thing.

As for Kofi as champion for the wwe, it sticks out like a sore thumb for the wwe, that's like their fourth black champion ( and contrary to idiotic belief, Rock does count) and if anything, their current sasha situation highlights their diversity problems. So Im pretty sure that WWE is the last organization that they should be looking to as a model of diversity.


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## Natecore (Sep 16, 2013)

You’re right.

They should hire Fred Yehi immediately.


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## BulletClubFangirl (Jan 30, 2016)

Keith Lee would've been a great fit for AEW and would've helped their lack of hosses too but he's signed with NXT. I'm not in touch with the independent scene enough to make suggestions. I don't believe in diversity for the sake of diversity anyway. Trying to appeal to diverse fans by hiring diverse talent is just an extension of that. Nyla Rose is a good example of a diverse hire for the sake of it if you ask me. Everyone keeps telling me she's this talented wrestler but can't point me towards one good match she's had on her own. Even in the fatal four way from DON she was the weakest part of the match that featured a near immobile past her prime Awesome Kong. Sonny Kiss has charisma at least and he managed to pop the crowd with the Dreamer spot.


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## patpat (Feb 17, 2019)

Look from one black guy, I dont give a single flying fuck. If there is no black guy they think is great enough to be in their roster, it's cool. Throwing blacks in there for the sake of it is a profound disrespect. 
That's bullshit


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## Chris JeriG.O.A.T (Jun 17, 2014)

WINNING said:


> No, they didn't. I, at least, answered his concerns and warned him about what those inquires could cost AEW in the long term. Just because you or anyone else don't approve of those answers does not invalidate them.


So AEW can sign gay, transgendered, Latino and Asian wrestlers but trying to find quality black wrestlers is too SJW? 

All the OP asked is if there's any main event level black talent AEW could sign, he didn't imply anything about manufacturing a black star, or pushing someone who doesn't deserve it. You said AEW should sign and push the best talent regardless of race, that's fine, OP didn't imply otherwise, he just asked if there's anybody on the Indies who fits the bill.

If you don't think there's any main event quality black wrestlers on the indys then that should've been your response to OP, not bashing him for an agenda that he didn't actually present.

If I say Adrade is a main event caliber star who can appeal to a Latino audience that's not me saying he should be pushed _ because_ he's Latino but it's an added benefit.


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## Piers (Sep 1, 2015)

Is there a contest for shittiest threads in here this week ?


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## zrc (Nov 14, 2011)

They Call Him Y2J said:


> Is there a contest for shittiest threads in here this week ?


nice to see the AEW section already has a collection of dung.


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## RiverFenix (Dec 10, 2011)

I think it is something they need to be cognizant of. They have Sky, Kiss and Private Party and Kong seems to be staying around for a bit at least. Also Brandi Rhodes is EVP or something and has a very public leadership role. I was hoping they'd get Strickland. Apollo Crews would be so better off - I wonder how long he has left on his wwe deal.


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## Jersey (Jun 24, 2014)

Relax, they haven't finished signing people.


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## IronMan8 (Dec 25, 2015)

All I'm saying is if there's some good indy talent out there who happen to be black, they could be quite valuable to AEW by October as they continue to shape their roster. I think it's a good thing they're not forcing anything. That's rare these days among "progressive companies" who are usually looking for cheap PR. By not caring how it looks, they're truly being fair and indiscriminate. I wouldn't expect them to say, sign Apollo Crews and pit him against Omega instead of Moxley.

A part of me also kind of expected them to become the CNN of wrestling... a bit silly I guess, but from afar I wondered if there's any left-leaning strings attached to their backing or something, in which case I would've expected forced diversity. 

I came into this PPV knowing only the WWE guys, and the names Omega, Bucks, and Pentagon vaguely. I have no idea who else is left on the indies for AEW to snap up before October. From the heavy diversity stuff I saw pre-PPV, I just thought this was a bit strange.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

IronMan8 said:


> All I'm saying is if there's some good indy talent out there who happen to be black, they could be quite valuable to AEW by October as they continue to shape their roster. I think it's a good thing they're not forcing anything. That's rare these days among "progressive companies" who are usually looking for cheap PR. By not caring how it looks, they're truly being fair and indiscriminate. I wouldn't expect them to say, sign Apollo Crews and pit him against Omega instead of Moxley.
> 
> A part of me also kind of expected them to become the CNN of wrestling... a bit silly I guess, but from afar I wondered if there's any left-leaning strings attached to their backing or something, in which case I would've expected forced diversity.
> 
> I came into this PPV knowing only the WWE guys, and the names Omega, Bucks, and Pentagon vaguely. I have no idea who else is left on the indies for AEW to snap up before October. From the heavy diversity stuff I saw pre-PPV, I just thought this was a bit strange.


Almost every single match on the card had diversity..

Pre-show:
Battle Royale had plenty of African Americans.
Sammy Guevara is Cuban.

Main show:
Opening match had an African American guy and three Japanese guys.
Second match had a Native American and an African American woman.
There was a 6 man woman tag with all competitors being Japanese.
Lucha Brothers are Mexican.

In fact outside of the Battle Royale, HALF of those competing were of a different race or ethnicity. 

Mixed in with many different wrestling styles - I think they accomplished something that really doesn't need talking about.

The question has been raised to Cody and those in charge PLENTY of times over the last few months, most recently by Mark Henry. AEW are going to sign THE most talented guys and girls that are available regardless of race, ethnicity, religion etc - but they have a roster of about 50 people now which is a lot and a lot of great wrestlers AREN'T available.


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## MOX (Dec 6, 2011)

I've also noticed that there aren't any black people in the Young Bucks.


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## SayWhatAgain! (Jul 25, 2016)

Can someone explain to me why Rock becoming arguably the biggest star in WWE history "doesn't count" as a black guy succeeding in WWE? Becuase he's half Samoan? 

People care WAY too much about what race they think people are. If you go back far enough, we are all hybrids of different races. People just judge with their eyes as to what race they think someone is. Look at people like Keanu Reeves and Naomi Campbell, people just see a white guy and a black woman, and have no idea that they both are biracial and have Chinese in them, because they look white and black respectively. I have no fucking idea what race Vin Diesel is, and does it matter? Fuck no it doesn't just put the deep voiced motherfucker in an action movie and let him do his thing.

WHY DOES IT MATTER? JUST HIRE THE BEST PEOPLE FOR THE JOB REGARDLESS OF THE TONE OF THEIR SKIN!


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## The Wood (Nov 7, 2003)

There has to be the talent in wrestling for them to be signed.


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## Odo (Jun 9, 2013)

0/10


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## NotGuilty (Apr 6, 2015)

They should sign New Jack


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## thelaughingman (Jul 5, 2016)

SayWhatAgain! said:


> Can someone explain to me why Rock becoming arguably the biggest star in WWE history "doesn't count" as a black guy succeeding in WWE? Becuase he's half Samoan?
> 
> People care WAY too much about what race they think people are. If you go back far enough, we are all hybrids of different races. People just judge with their eyes as to what race they think someone is. Look at people like Keanu Reeves and Naomi Campbell, people just see a white guy and a black woman, and have no idea that they both are biracial and have Chinese in them, because they look white and black respectively. I have no fucking idea what race Vin Diesel is, and does it matter? Fuck no it doesn't just put the deep voiced motherfucker in an action movie and let him do his thing.
> 
> WHY DOES IT MATTER? JUST HIRE THE BEST PEOPLE FOR THE JOB REGARDLESS OF THE TONE OF THEIR SKIN!


To answer your question, The Rock really doesn't claim his black side as proudly as his Samoan side. He shows more Samoan pride than anything so people generally associate him more with being Samoan. Examples of this would be his tribal tattoo on his arm, him performing a Samoan tribal dance, him singing a Samoan song on tv, and his social media post. I agree with you race doesn't matter just wanted to answer your question.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

thelaughingman said:


> To answer your question, The Rock really doesn't claim his black side as proudly as his Samoan side. He shows more Samoan pride than anything so people generally associate him more with being Samoan. Examples of this would be his tribal tattoo on his arm, him performing a Samoan tribal dance, him singing a Samoan song on tv, and his social media post. I agree with you race doesn't matter just wanted to answer your question.




__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1108202967671496704


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## Schwartzxz (Jul 9, 2017)

people who pay that much attention to skin color are assholes in my book.


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## reyfan (May 23, 2011)

Doesn't it make you racist for noticing if everyone else just saw people and not skin colours?


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## Yato (Jun 23, 2013)

This "problem" will be taken care of eventually. We don't know everyone AEW is scouting and it's possible there are black male talent they want to sign, but are unable to due to extenuating circumstances (I.E. currently signed with another promotion).

AEW is still in its infancy and the make up of the roster will change as the company moves forward.


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## The Raw Smackdown (Jan 8, 2017)

I mean, there are black people on the roster now and you know they'll get more black talent as they go along. AEW just started so give it time.


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## 260825 (Sep 7, 2013)

*Let's hire 'x' people, just because.

Nah, the world is clown enough as it is.*


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## Soul Rex (Nov 26, 2017)

Apart from probably Big E and Kofi I don't know any other black male wrestler who is not garbage today.

I am half black so you can't call me racist, just speaking facts.



The One said:


> Roman Reigns fans are weird...


You are weird as fuck by just hilighting the fact OP is a Roman fan as it matters or as if every Roman fan shares his view.


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## FaceTime Heel (Sep 1, 2016)

I'm not too worried about that just yet. I did drop a list of a lot of lesser known Black talents (both men and women) in another thread that I'd love to see get opportunities on a bigger stage.

I will say, after one show, AEW seems to be nailing it in the diversity department. I have no major complaints in that department. Rome wasn't built in a day.


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## The One (Jul 16, 2012)

Soul Rex said:


> Apart from probably Big E and Kofi I don't know any other black male wrestler who is not garbage today.
> 
> I am half black so you can't call me racist, just speaking facts.
> 
> ...


I mean, they most likely defy logic. I mean, they are Roman Reigns fans after all. Just look at this post, it defies logic..


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## Soul Rex (Nov 26, 2017)

The One said:


> I mean, they most likely defy logic. I mean, they are Roman Reigns fans after all. Just look at this post, it defies logic..


Which defies logic is your obsesion with Roman to try to akwardly make this about him or his fans.

Or maybe not, we all know The Big Dawg can't be ignored on here for much long.


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## The One (Jul 16, 2012)

Soul Rex said:


> Which defies logic is your obsesion with Roman to try to akwardly make this about him or his fans.
> 
> Or maybe not, we all know The Big Dawg can't be ignored on here for much long.


What defies logic is your defense against this post.


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## Chris JeriG.O.A.T (Jun 17, 2014)

People who anti-virtue signal are worse than people who virtue signal, of course race matters, of course representation matters. Look how much money movies like Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians and Wonder Woman made because people are desperate for representation. Oh, you don't see color? Cody Rhode's wife said it to him best: "If you don't see race then you don't see my struggle". 

If you're a business man like Cody it's ignorant to say "wrestling fans are 90% white so our roster should be 90% white", that ignores the potential engagement of a much broader audience. I don't think there's anything biological or cultural that predisposes black people from liking wrestling, maybe if historically more than a handful of black wrestlers got serious pushes there might be more black fans and as a result, more black kids would grow up wanting to be wrestlers. I know I did as a kid, and since I didn't even know the Rock was black, I thought my chances of being a successful black wrestler we're almost nil. Did you see how the internet exploded when Kofi won, black people crying real tears for what they thought would never be possible, how many little black kids you think that inspired? 

Nobody wants untalented bums manufactured into stars, not even people that share that person's race (see: India with Jinder) but if there's non white talent out there, push 'em, and if there isn't try to cultivate it. People like Montez Ford and Bianca Bel Air didn't grow up wanting to be wrestlers, but NXT went out and courted them.


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## Soul Rex (Nov 26, 2017)

The One said:


> What defies logic is your defense against this post.


I don't even agree with OP, i am just pointing out you are weirdo, trying to call somebody else a weirdo.


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## deepelemblues (Sep 26, 2011)

Why don't you give AEW longer than a week after its first show to fill out its roster

They'd be fools not to try to appeal to the black demographic especially black kids and families and the Khans are not fools in that way judging by how Daddy Khan has run the Jaguars at least


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## ObsoleteMule (Sep 4, 2016)

Chris JeriG.O.A.T said:


> People who anti-virtue signal are worse than people who virtue signal, of course race matters, of course representation matters. Look how much money movies like Black Panther, Crazy Rich Asians and Wonder Woman made because people are desperate for representation. Oh, you don't see color? Cody Rhode's wife said it to him best: "If you don't see race then you don't see my struggle".
> 
> If you're a business man like Cody it's ignorant to say "wrestling fans are 90% white so our roster should be 90% white", that ignores the potential engagement of a much broader audience. I don't think there's anything biological or cultural that predisposes black people from liking wrestling, maybe if historically more than a handful of black wrestlers got serious pushes there might be more black fans and as a result, more black kids would grow up wanting to be wrestlers. I know I did as a kid, and since I didn't even know the Rock was black, I thought my chances of being a successful black wrestler we're almost nil. Did you see how the internet exploded when Kofi won, black people crying real tears for what they thought would never be possible, how many little black kids you think that inspired?
> 
> Nobody wants untalented bums manufactured into stars, not even people that share that person's race (see: India with Jinder) but if there's non white talent out there, push 'em, and if there isn't try to cultivate it. People like Montez Ford and Bianca Bel Air didn't grow up wanting to be wrestlers, but NXT went out and courted them.


Well this is definitely worth a discussion because I do believe too many claim “i dont see color” or “racism is done” kind of things but the problem I had with this post was that OP seemed to imply that AEW was some kind of white guy party. It was bad to imply that because pro wrestling’s fanbase is predominately white (thems just the facts) and theres a small talent pool of black wrestlers out there on the indy scene. WWE gobbles up all of the decent ex sport prospects so what exactly is this young promotion supposed to do? You cant sign black wrestlers that dont exist.


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## LIL' WINNING FOOT (Sep 21, 2004)

Chris JeriG.O.A.T said:


> *So AEW can sign gay, transgendered, Latino and Asian wrestlers but trying to find quality black wrestlers is too SJW? *
> 
> All the OP asked is if there's any main event level black talent AEW could sign, he didn't imply anything about manufacturing a black star, or pushing someone who doesn't deserve it. You said AEW should sign and push the best talent regardless of race, that's fine, OP didn't imply otherwise, he just asked if there's anybody on the Indies who fits the bill.
> 
> ...


That's not what I said. At all. Don't do that.

What I said is that AEW should hire the best talent available, no matter the race/gender/religion/sexual preference, if their merit, worth, and talent is accustomed to what AEW is looking for. When you start to treat the talent scouting like a quota fill, you dilute the roster (and product) and possibly put people in positions they aren't prepared for or warranted to have over others.


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## Ger (Jul 20, 2018)

IronMan8 said:


> AEW promote having progressive beliefs about diversity, and Cody is married to a black woman, so this isn't a criticism about their values. But for whatever reason, there's almost no black talent on the male roster, and from what I saw at first glance there's none within reach of the main event.
> 
> Then I noticed the crowd at DoN looked to be 90%+ white males.
> 
> ...



For some reason people ignored the marked part so far. The AEW crowd was made with more hardcore/traditional oriented wrestling fans and some of them are totally anti-WWE. Both of these groups include less women & kids.
Also, because AEW is pretty new thing, some parents are very cautious with bringing their kids to such an event, where they can`t sure what happens there (incl. none-inring stuff)


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## Buffy The Vampire Slayer (May 31, 2011)

_*They will hire some black wrestlers once a few of their contracts are up in different promotions. Just show a little bit of patience. Geez. *_


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

What has come to parents being so soft. Our generations had much slacker up bringing and we're fine. Pretending to raise your kids like the world is this gentle soft place


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## Jupiter Jack Daniels (Jul 18, 2011)

To actually answer your question first:





IronMan8 said:


> Who can AEW sign as a main event star to better represent the company's values before the honeymoon period fades? Any good black indy wrestlers being rumoured?



Nobody.


It's not like there's an abundance of black male wrestlers that aren't under contract elsewhere and can be easily slotted in as a main eventer in a company's early stages, without reinforcing the complaint that many had about the CBR.


With that being said:





IronMan8 said:


> AEW promote having progressive beliefs about diversity, and Cody is married to a black woman, so this isn't a criticism about their values. But for whatever reason, there's almost no black talent on the male roster, and from what I saw at first glance there's none within reach of the main event.



It certainly come across as a criticism, as you seem to be taken them to task because they're not giving a black man a token push.





IronMan8 said:


> Then I noticed the crowd at DoN looked to be 90%+ white males.



Which could be for a variety of reasons that have literally nothing to do with the makeup of the roster.




IronMan8 said:


> Meanwhile, WWE opened their first post-AEW Raw with Kofi Kingston as world champion, and women/kids are everywhere in the crowd



They would've been there even if Kofi didn't open the show.




IronMan8 said:


> With CM Punk likely debuting in Chicago, AEW is starting to look like a white male fest, especially at the top of the card.


So, how do you fix that? 



I know. Hire Freight Train & Darius Carter and push them to the moon. Tony might end up rethinking his investment but at least AEW won't look like a "white male fest", right?


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## Stadhart02 (Aug 31, 2016)

Just take that chip off of your shoulder....


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## Stadhart02 (Aug 31, 2016)

And i can't be bothered to read this thread but I am hoping most people are telling the OP to do one. We just can't have anything anymore without an SJW ruining it and I suspect the OP is white preaching on behalf of others


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## DOTL (Jan 3, 2012)

This whole quota mentality is so darn superficial.


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## CHAMPIONSHIPS (Dec 14, 2016)

I would say that OP is both right and wrong and that there simply isn't a huge talent pool of black wrestlers to choose from but that doesn't preclude racism as a reason for that. So you interrogate the system to find an answer for why that is. Lots of black people love professional wrestling. But there are always systematic barriers to minorities entering certain fields. Whether that be the economic costs associated with a professional wrestling lifestyle or racist gatekeeping at certain gyms and wrestling schools, it doesn't do much to vent outrage at a startup company for working with a shortage that they didn't systematically create

At the same time, Willie Mack should have been signed ahead of a lot of people so maybe AEW actually does have a bit of unconscious bias present in their scouting process :shrug


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## DOTL (Jan 3, 2012)

Communist Anti-capitalist said:


> I would say that OP is both right and wrong and that there simply isn't a huge talent pool of black wrestlers to choose from but that doesn't preclude racism as a reason for that. So you interrogate the system to find an answer for why that is. Lots of black people love professional wrestling. But there are always systematic barriers to minorities entering certain fields. Whether that be the economic costs associated with a professional wrestling lifestyle or racist gatekeeping at certain gyms and wrestling schools, it doesn't do much to vent outrage at a startup company for working with a shortage that they didn't systematically create
> 
> At the same time, Willie Mack should have been signed ahead of a lot of people so maybe AEW actually does have a bit of unconscious bias present in their scouting process :shrug


I think it's less systemic than just people not actively pursuing it. There seems that there was more famous black wrestlers back then than now. 

The reality is some kids just don't know something is a profession they can realistically go after. When I was little I didn't know movies had writers. It was just something I never thought about. Odds are, if you're athletic, you're probably going to pursue another sport other than wrestling. Why? Exposure.


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## CHAMPIONSHIPS (Dec 14, 2016)

DOTL said:


> I think it's less systemic than just people not actively pursuing it.


You can say this, but until we audit the system and have some actual data and have relevant experiences from black people who have pursued or wanted to pursue wrestling. Until then, we're just making assumptions about a complex phenomenon which I'm not going to do, because I'm an adult.



> The reality is some kids just don't know something is a profession they can realistically go after


Even this presents so many questions about institutional racism and marginalized upbringing. 

Here's an interesting starting point though, being an indy wrestler is costly in gas and foregone wages and we know that black people, on the whole, have a harder time shouldering those costs. That's not an assumption, that's data so you already have to start thinking with more complexity than "that's just how it is".


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## Darkest Lariat (Jun 12, 2013)

I agree they should have more. But not because of their ethnicity but their work ethic. It's a disservice to everyone if they hire a guy based solely on race and that they wrestled before. Just because they're black doesn't mean they deserve a spot. There's some great black wrestlers out there that I hope they pick up. Such as ACH and Gresham. 

But AEW is far more diverse as it is. No need to rush things just because people demand it.


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## Versatile (Apr 4, 2015)

AEW signed Tye Dillinger but not Darren Young...


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

Versatile said:


> AEW signed Tye Dillinger but not Darren Young...


That's because Darren Young absolutely sucks.


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## DOTL (Jan 3, 2012)

Communist Anti-capitalist said:


> You can say this, but until we audit the system and have some actual data and have relevant experiences from black people who have pursued or wanted to pursue wrestling. Until then, we're just making assumptions about a complex phenomenon which I'm not going to do, because I'm an adult.


Who's making an assumption? You're the one that's all but ready to chalk something you admittedly don't understand to systemic bias. Why? because it probably fits your pseudo-revolutionary disposition. If you were being honest about this new found tact, you wouldn't need to wait until after you posited your race based hypothesis to all of a sudden be concerned about "evidence." 




> Even this presents so many questions about institutional racism and marginalized upbringing.
> Here's an interesting starting point though, being an indy wrestler is costly in gas and foregone wages and we know that black people, on the whole, have a harder time shouldering those costs. That's not an assumption, that's data so you already have to start thinking with more complexity than "that's just how it is".


Thank you, sir for giving me insight on being black. Who needs decades of experience, when I have you!

Read into that, as you will.

Seriously, I managed to work out the existence of screenwiters. . .btw. Didn't need to spend a dime. I did know about animation and wanted to be an animator early on. On both cases, I don't remember the big mean white man keeping me from that esoteric knowledge. If I remember him, I'll let you know.

(As an aside, for a guy that's all about the science and being an "ADULT," you're certainly ready to defend your pet hypothesis without any new data. I won't say that's a double standard
...but I will happily type it:*That's a double standard.*)

I didn't make certain choices because by the time they occurred to me, I already loved something more. You know, like humans sometimes do. And as for money, that's not a viable explanation. Asian descended people make more money on average than any other race, yet, there's a greater deficit of Asian American wrestlers than black. I doubt they even meet population levels. You want to talk about complexity, let's talk about complexity. And by that I mean, let's not assume that any explanation that doesn't satisfy your biases fails to meet that threshold of complexity, which is tantamount to vanity. 

But let's take your explanation and parse it out to its logical conclusion. How much money does an indy wrestler make? How long would it take to exhaust savings? At some point, assuming the wrestler doesn't have any other form of capital, they will all have 0 savings. Why? because independent wrestling pays next to nothing and takes forever to get past, that's why. Now, as much as you'd probably love to assume every white indy wrestler is Britt Baker and every black indy wrestler is shucking and jiving for nickles at an intersection, that's probably true for most starting wrestlers, black or otherwise, at some point in their career.

So, now that I said all that, am I to believe that black people are just too stupid, poor, and oppressed to do better at filling modern rosters in proportion than generations ago, rosters made up of men who were objectively poorer and most certainly more oppressed; or is it more rational to believe that black people simply aren't choosing that profession as much to grow the demographic, especially now that wrestling clearly isn't as popular as it was back then? 

I'll let you decide that.

I'm sure that some Ole Anderson is out there ready to keep out the brown people; but I refuse to assume black people are helpless.


Next time, don't assume a conclusion isn't thought out because it wasn't rendered from your preferred premise. That's just silly.


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## Versatile (Apr 4, 2015)

MJF said:


> That's because Darren Young absolutely sucks.


So does Tye Dillinger, the WWE had no problem letting him go.


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## Erik. (Mar 17, 2014)

Versatile said:


> So does Tye Dillinger, the WWE had no problem letting him go.


Difference being Dillinger is FRIENDS with The Elite.

So if they were going to sign someone who sucks to be in the low card, it was more likely to be their friend.

Plus, I am not entirely sure they've actually signed Dillinger.


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## Miss Sally (Jul 14, 2014)

WINNING said:


> Stop.
> 
> Go back to the history of wrestling. NWA, a promotion regionally based in the South, had a diverse fanbase to where the likes of Ron Simmons became World champion along with Junkyard Dog being a fan favorite. There is a reason Dusty Rhodes and even Ric Flair had a strong black fanbase, as well.
> 
> ...


Knew this was only a matter of time when I seen the AOC comment thread. The Bucks stated it before, they don't care who you are, as long as you're *elite*. Not that they're going to hire just anyone. People don't listen.

I'm sure the right people who are talented will be hired and used and then some other complaints will be launched because, well it's what people do.


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## IronMan8 (Dec 25, 2015)

Stadhart02 said:


> And i can't be bothered to read this thread but I am hoping most people are telling the OP to do one. We just can't have anything anymore without an SJW ruining it and I suspect the OP is white preaching on behalf of others


I'm anti-SJW as they come. Here's the thing: Because wrestling is scripted, a bunch of less knowledgable fans will glance at this product (or any entertainment product, like Hollywood movies) and wonder 

"why don't they push black people?" 

or 

"why aren't there any black actors in this movie apart from the taxi driver?"

Very few fans understand what the black indy scene is like or the reasons behind a roster build. 

You can't expect everybody to automatically understand why the top half of a card is predetermined to be all white. That's just how the world works right now, I'm not saying I like it.


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## Scissor Me Daddy-O!! (Apr 13, 2011)

IronMan8 said:


> AEW promote having progressive beliefs about diversity, and Cody is married to a black woman, so this isn't a criticism about their values. But for whatever reason, there's almost no black talent on the male roster, and from what I saw at first glance there's none within reach of the main event.
> 
> Then I noticed the crowd at DoN looked to be 90%+ white males.
> 
> ...



OP, I'm glad you appropriately brought up a question of demographics. It's not wrong to ask this question. It's a fair analysis and something you noticed. 

The way you asked your ending question could be interpreted that you think a black person is owed a main event spot simply for being black. I believe you are asking who has the potential to be a main eventer _AND_ is also black. 

Shane Strickland, Willie Mack, The Maine Event. Those are my top three, third being a tag team.

I quoted everyone who didn't read your post. They should feel bad. This topic should be open to discussion and they shouldn't have assumed you were racist. Everyone below here is lazy and faking rage.






Rick Sanchez said:


> :eyeroll
> 
> OP calling AEW racist despite only having ONE show so far.
> 
> ...





Boldgerg said:


> Oh fuck off.





Sonicyoot said:


> Why does this matter? A good wrestler is a good wrestler despite color and race.
> 
> To answer your question, I don’t think pro wrestling attracts a lot of African Americans to the point where they want to make a career out of it.
> 
> Dumb thread





They Call Him Y2J said:


> Is there a contest for shittiest threads in here this week ?





SayWhatAgain! said:


> Can someone explain to me why Rock becoming arguably the biggest star in WWE history "doesn't count" as a black guy succeeding in WWE? Becuase he's half Samoan?
> 
> People care WAY too much about what race they think people are. If you go back far enough, we are all hybrids of different races. People just judge with their eyes as to what race they think someone is. Look at people like Keanu Reeves and Naomi Campbell, people just see a white guy and a black woman, and have no idea that they both are biracial and have Chinese in them, because they look white and black respectively. I have no fucking idea what race Vin Diesel is, and does it matter? Fuck no it doesn't just put the deep voiced motherfucker in an action movie and let him do his thing.
> 
> WHY DOES IT MATTER? JUST HIRE THE BEST PEOPLE FOR THE JOB REGARDLESS OF THE TONE OF THEIR SKIN!





Odo said:


> 0/10





reyfan said:


> Doesn't it make you racist for noticing if everyone else just saw people and not skin colours?





Wrastlemondu said:


> *Let's hire 'x' people, just because.
> 
> Nah, the world is clown enough as it is.*





shandcraig said:


> What has come to parents being so soft. Our generations had much slacker up bringing and we're fine. Pretending to raise your kids like the world is this gentle soft place





Stadhart02 said:


> Just take that chip off of your shoulder....





Stadhart02 said:


> And i can't be bothered to read this thread but I am hoping most people are telling the OP to do one. We just can't have anything anymore without an SJW ruining it and I suspect the OP is white preaching on behalf of others


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## Piers (Sep 1, 2015)

All Elite Wanking said:


> OP, I'm glad you appropriately brought up a question of demographics. It's not wrong to ask this question. It's a fair analysis and something you noticed.
> 
> The way you asked your ending question could be interpreted that you think a black person is owed a main event spot simply for being black. I believe you are asking who has the potential to be a main eventer _AND_ is also black.
> 
> ...


Oh I did read the OP. Still a shit thread, there is no need to bring up demographics because they shouldn't matter. It's the same as the Oscars.


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## Fearless Viper (Apr 6, 2019)

Here comes diversity talk or so it already begun.


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## Hangman (Feb 3, 2017)

See. This is why we can't have nice things.


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## floyd2386 (Sep 28, 2010)

Anyone know what Killshot and Famous B are up to now that Lucha Underground is belly up?


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## Chris22 (Jan 7, 2010)

AEW management signs a few black wrestlers, goes to their list and ticks off 'sign a few black wrestlers because inclusivity'.

It shouldn't work like that. AEW should sign talents due to ability and potential, not for a skin colour or to cover a particular demographic.

They have 4 black wrestlers officially signed by looking at their roster page, two seem to be a tag team. Scorpio Sky is a hunk.


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## Tag89 (Jul 27, 2014)

topic was over after first reply

dunno why it's still going


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## Odo (Jun 9, 2013)

no rage here kid, just a shit incendiary topic :draper2


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## RiverFenix (Dec 10, 2011)

floyd2386 said:


> Anyone know what Killshot and Famous B are up to now that Lucha Underground is belly up?


Killshot _is_ Shane Strickland. He recently signed a developmental/NXT deal.


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## floyd2386 (Sep 28, 2010)

DetroitRiverPhx said:


> Killshot _is_ Shane Strickland. He recently signed a developmental/NXT deal.


Oh. I didn't know that. Damn. Thanks!


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## Rex Rasslin (Jan 6, 2014)

What OP is trying to say is that AEW is a fucking altright nazi business organisation which hates minorities and loves Adolf Hitler what the fuck! The Democrats of the US have to stand united against these facists and stop them and Trump for good REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..

:lmao


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## Post-Modern Devil (Jan 26, 2010)

Isn't AEW's roster already diverse with women, Latinos, and Asians though? As a black dude myself, I never get why the lack of Black-Americans in an entertainment product _specifically_ is always focused on but this sentiment isn't nearly as prevalent with regards to Latinos, Middle Easterners, Indians, Aboriginal Americans, East Asians, Southeast Asians, Pacific Islanders, or even native African Black folk.


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## King Kong Brody (Jan 21, 2018)

There's no white corner backs in the NFL. Only about 3 running backs. When are you lefty ******* going to address this startling lack of diversity?


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## ScottishPsychopath (May 25, 2019)

Cody Rhodes with his black wife is clearly racist against the Black People!


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## ECWFanEU (Jan 22, 2019)

If color doesn't matter and we are diverse and accepting then why the hell do we bring this rubbish up every 5 seconds?

So AEW has no black male talent right now? Ok? There isn't anybody they either want yet or that approached them or that they deem good enough?

They shouldn't be signing people for the sake of it and to keep SJWs on twitter happy.

Awesome Kong was one of the star attractions of the show... Brandi is one of the main people in the business.. the KHAN family run the company, we had Chinese talent, Japanese talent and god knows where else from present. 

Just enjoy the show.

If they start cutting promos with white hoods on then you might have a point


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## Nothing Finer (Apr 12, 2017)

If they're discriminating against black talent there's a big problem. If there's no discrimination, there's no problem, nobody should be hired or fired because of their race. If it happens to be that more or better white wrestlers have tried to join the company then that's an issue that will sort itself out sooner or later just by hiring the best talent.

Are there any black wrestlers who've tried to join but been turned down or offered unfairly low contracts?


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## CesaroSwing (Jan 30, 2017)

Would you rather: potentially make change or hire Tye Dillinger? :hmmm

It's interesting that some of the most promising wrestlers around like Lio Rush and Velveteen Dream are black, but people on here don't think AEW could scrape together one or two of them better than Dillinger. 
I agree with OP. No hate for AEW right now, but it's something they have to alleviate expeditiously.


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## Greatsthegreats (Apr 15, 2015)

maybe a coincidence


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## CRCC (Sep 25, 2017)

I care for this as much as I would've cared if the roster was 100% black.

I don't give a crap about race, give me a talented roster with the ability to entertain me and I'll be satisfied.


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## kchucky (Jan 30, 2017)

CRCC said:


> I care for this as much as I would've cared if the roster was 100% black.
> 
> I don't give a crap about race, give me a talented roster with the ability to entertain me and I'll be satisfied.


I agree


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## Boldgerg (Apr 2, 2017)

Joke of a thread.


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## Bryan Jericho (Sep 8, 2014)

I'd hold out to at least wait and see what their roster looks like when they have weekly TV, rather than a PPV a month or whatever.


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