# Forbes: “AEW’s Viewership, Like Its Main Event Picture, Is Very White



## Botchy SinCara (Apr 24, 2013)

Forced diversity isn't really diversity and I would think a race of people would wanna stop being viewed as a charity case


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## -You Can't See Me- (Sep 20, 2021)

What kind of racist article is this ?


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## Undertaker23RKO (Jun 11, 2011)

Here come the race baiters. Ignore them and they'll move onto their next target.


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## Smark1995 (Sep 18, 2020)

Yes, let's give them titles now just because they are black! After all, it works so well in Hollywood - where almost all roles are given solely for the sake of quotas and to please the SJWs, despite the fact that all these films suffer box-office failure after box-office failure.


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## La Parka (Oct 28, 2008)

Is it fair to give NXT credit for hit row and the other people mentioned but ignore that Ricky Starks was in a program with Sting, Jade debuted with Shaq as her tag partner and Ogogo first feud lead to a PPV match with Cody Rhodes?


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## Honey Bucket (Jul 3, 2012)

Awful shit.

Bin this cretinous shite.


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## KingofKings1524 (Aug 27, 2007)

Dear lord…


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## Upstart474 (May 13, 2018)

All male World Champions AEW are white so I am not surprised.


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## adamclark52 (Nov 27, 2015)

As a fat person with a Neckbeard I’m offended that I wasn’t included in the AEW fanbase profiling


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## RD25 (Jan 2, 2010)

Urgh the worst type of article I couldn't even be bothered to read it all 

Enviado desde mi IN2023 mediante Tapatalk


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## Klitschko (May 24, 2020)

To the person that wrote that. Fuck of with your forced diversity.


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## Geeee (Aug 9, 2010)

I guess this is the type of stuff we have to deal with now that people realize AEW exists LOL


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## Hermann (Jul 28, 2020)

Yes. AEW is the white man's fed. Let's hope it stays that way.


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## -You Can't See Me- (Sep 20, 2021)

Hermann said:


> Yes. AEW is the white man's fed. Let's hope it stays that way.


Um....they have hispanic tag champions....


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## Pure_Dynamite12 (Nov 3, 2015)

Did Big Swole write this shit?


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## ShadowCounter (Sep 1, 2016)

Isn't this the same clown that said Shida was only champion cause she was sleeping with Omega? Fuck this guy. He only cares about diversity when the faces are all black.


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## THANOS (Jun 20, 2006)

If you're talented enough to be a world champion, who gives a shit what your ethnicity is.

Jade Cargill is a future women's world champion and will be because she's an athletic beast with loads of presence and charisma. It will have nothing to do with the colour of her skin.

Scorpio Skye sucks and that has zero to do with his ethnicity. He's boring, face or heel, and is generic in the ring.

Powerhouse Hobbs could be a future champion, once he gets more experience because of his talent and presence. 

Not going to beat the dead horse any longer, but I hate articles like this.

Pick the best person for the job/role period.


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## arch.unleash (Aug 31, 2016)

I hate this world we're living in.


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## Arkham258 (Jan 30, 2015)

Merit > diversity 

The best guys and gals deserve the top spot regardless of race. Does anyone really think Scorpio Sky should be the AEW champion? I honestly don't know why they wasted Jericho's first ever loss in AEW on Scorpio. Is Big Swole more entertaining than Britt Baker? No, she's not. 

Jade is more than likely going to be women's champion someday, but these same people will be silent when that happens because they can't use it to race bait. 

I welcome more POC to AEW, and I welcome them in the main event scene...if they earn it.


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

It's time to put the world championship on Scorpio sky


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## ClassicFan (Jan 27, 2018)

Well, I think I would book Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Undertaker, Triple H, and Kurt Angle to be the top guys in the company instead of Special Delivery Jones, the Junkyard Dog, Bad News Brown, Ahmed Johnson, D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry, the Godfather, and D-Von Dudley. The Rock is a mix, so he is in a different category than the rest. At the end of the day, the most talented guys who have the biggest following should be at the top. I don't see people complaining about the landscape of the NBA or NFL.


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## neolunar (Apr 19, 2012)

AEW is obviously racist, misogynistic and homophobic and should be taken of the air and canceled.

Not liking this post makes you racist too.


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## Eva MaRIHyse (Jun 20, 2014)

Making race into an issue somewhere it just isn't so, yep thats modern culture for you.


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## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

It’s not a shock because well they are a mostly white roster at the top anyhow. Powerhouse and Jade are good but not ready yet.

Now this becomes an issue if a member of New Day, Lashley, Bianca, Sasha, or even Jay Lethal become free and they don’t make them a real offer and push them when they are all more credible than their top acts not named Bryan, Omega, or Punk and all draw more money than them too. 

Kiera Hogan should be featured more as well based off the amount of tv time she’s gotten on impact and ppv and her accolades would be pointed out because of their door. She’s easily more accomplished than Ruby but Ruby has the skin color , no way around that. 

It not a non-story, its more of a to be continued.

But to be fair WWE is going to always skew black and Hispanic. UPN was a black network. CW was a black and Hispanic, and women demo network and skew that way still. MYTv took over old dead upn markets and aired telenovelas and black sitcoms when smack down ran there too. WWE always before they moved to SD tried to have a broadcast network carry their blue brand and that blue bran always skewed black and Hispanic which is why Mysterio, Batista, Melina, King Booker, and Henry stayed on SD. Fox is a network that skews black and Hispanic and always did dating back to the days where they ran NY Undercover, Living Color, Living Single, Martin, Roc, and so on to present days where shows like Empire, Star, and Pitch became common. That’s why Vince jumped to go there because he knew it was a broadcast audience with a demo that always supported SD more so than Raw. It’s also why Raw and SD when they ran separate tours went to different cities. For instance Raw goes to Lafayette and SD goes to New Orleans, he knows his audience.

The closest thing TNT has to a black show is Inside the nba and basketball games. The closest thing TBS has is some Tracy Morgan stuff, so AEW went with their target audience and network which ain’t dumb.


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## elo (Oct 25, 2006)

At the end of the day, professional wrestling isn't a "real" sport so it should appeal to as wide an audience as possible and even someone like me who despises diversity ratios noticed not a single black male talent on the All Out main card in any role from wrestler to presenter to commentator, zilch - it was just weird.


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## One Shed (Jan 7, 2014)

This is what happens when you go along with identity politics. You lose eventually.. If the first thing that goes through your head when you see someone is the color of their skin, the problem is you.


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## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

Two Sheds said:


> This is what happens when you go along with identity politics. You lose eventually.. If the first thing that goes through your head when you see someone is the color of their skin, the problem is you.


Not really. You don’t think it’s weird that All Out, one of their big 4 didn’t even feature not even 1 black person prominently?

You would be hard pressed to point out when WWE hasn’t featured a black wrestler in an important role on their brands and PPV. ROH constantly uses Lethal. And Impact spent the better half of over a year with Fire and Flava getting weekly time on Xplosion, Ppv, and tv. I mean it is what it is.


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## One Shed (Jan 7, 2014)

wwetna1 said:


> Not really. You don’t think it’s weird that All Out, one of their big 4 didn’t even feature not even 1 black person prominently?


Not every company needs to feature people in direct proportion to their population makeup in society. Can you imagine the NFL or NBA doing so in 2021? Every team would instantly suck more, right? The current WWE champ as well as the last one were both black, but that would never happen if there was a quota system. I like Bobby Lashley and Big E because they are great athletes, not because of biological characteristics they have no control over. I really hate the current injection of identity politics into practically everything in society. It makes everything worse than it otherwise would be.


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## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

Two Sheds said:


> Not every company needs to feature people in direct proportion to their population makeup in society. Can you imagine the NFL or NBA doing so in 2021? Every team would instantly suck more, right? The current WWE champ as well as the last one were both black, but that would never happen if there was a quota system. I like Bobby Lashley and Big E because they are great athletes, not because of biological characteristics they have no control over. I really hate the current injection of identity politics into practically everything in society. It makes everything worse than it otherwise would be.


That’s where me and you differ. I’m not asking them to use their roster and make any of the black talent they have the guy as of right now. Powerhouse is not ready and that’s all they really have as their other black talent are old and retired

That said if you are only having 4 PPVs a year, you should have 1 match on those cards that reflects that portion of your audience. You might lure in this older black family, that black kid who thinks you’re so cool, or even a young teenager and their friends with the way they wrestle.

AEW didn’t feature not even 1 and that can be a problem. I mean Ruby and Kiera to me is a given to, that Is the land of the smart fans in the crowd who know the Indy scene. Ruby isn’t accomplished, she’s not been a ppv or title act anywhere, yet she got the grand last entrance. She got pushed to win and then she got the showcase and title match hopping over everyone. Kiera has been on tv for years, worked the indies for years, worked Empowerr, been a tag champ in a place AEW has an open door with, and yet she’s just there. That’s not a talent based decision because Kera has the better talent, the better look, and is better in the ring .. it’s just the way they book and overlook people like her when it’s time for big cards and moments. Even now with the whole TBS title stuff, they are really saying make Jade a title so she doesn’t have to be promoted vs DMD


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## Don Draper's Ghost (Sep 22, 2021)

Everyone's getting caught up talking about push people based on talent not skill which I agree with but AEW not having that many POC at the top of the card is only part of the issue this article brought up.

Out of all the mainstream wrestling shows AEW has both the highest percentage of white viewers and the lowest percentage of black ones. If we're going to tout this demo and that demo you'd think you'd want more than just 1 race and gender watching.

The Lucha Brothers as tag teams champions is good but I can't think of too many other POC who are really doing much of note. 

Yeah, Ricky Starks has had some high profile moments and is currently injured but compare him to guys like Darby, Hangman and MJF.

Shida has seemingly died since she lost her title and Thunder Rosa hasn't done much since she beat Britt in that Light's Out match. Britt lost and got a monster push and Thunder isn't even consistently on Dynamite. That's a problem.

I agree people like Swole and Scorpio suck and/or are boring and shouldn't be pushed but if you want to reach non 18-49 white guys you're gonna have to feature and push more talented POC like Lucha Bros, Shida, Powerhouse Hobbs, PnP and Thunder Rosa.


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## One Shed (Jan 7, 2014)

wwetna1 said:


> That’s where me and you differ. I’m not asking them to use their roster and make any of the black talent they have the guy as of right now. Powerhouse is not ready and that’s all they really have as their other black talent are old and retired
> 
> That said if you are only having 4 PPVs a year, you should have 1 match on those cards that reflects that portion of your audience. You might lure in this older black family, that black kid who thinks you’re so cool, or even a young teenager and their friends with the way they wrestle.
> 
> AEW didn’t feature not even 1 and that can be a problem. I mean Ruby and Kiera to me is a given to, that Is the land of the smart fans in the crowd who know the Indy scene. Ruby isn’t accomplished, she’s not been a ppv or title act anywhere, yet she got the grand last entrance. She got pushed to win and then she got the showcase and title match hopping over everyone. Kiera has been on tv for years, worked the indies for years, worked Empowerr, been a tag champ in a place AEW has an open door with, and yet she’s just there. That’s not a talent based decision because Kera has the better talent, the better look, and is better in the ring .. it’s just the way they book and overlook people like her when it’s time for big cards and moments. Even now with the whole TBS title stuff, they are really saying make Jade a title so she doesn’t have to be promoted vs DMD


I am not really trying to argue here, just understand others' points of view.

I will try to break these things down as well. I like Powerhouse Hobbs a lot and I think he is getting better every week, but we both agree he should not be getting world title matches right now. Bobby Lashley should have been a WWE world champ 15 years ago and I have (mostly) loved his run and the early Hurt Business stuff as much as I can with the WWE creative insanity. But I would argue that the bad writing and creative in WWE hurts everyone equally. It just sucks all around. Thankfully Bobby was still able to break through that and be a great champ.

I hear you on the Ruby Soho point, and I pointed out the inconsistency this week when people brought up the ranking system that she somehow magically got ranked #1 at 1-0 and got a title match. I do not think that has anything to do with her skin color though, just the lack of storylines and depth of the women's roster. I think if Sasha Banks or Bianca Belair were in the same situation coming in hot, they would have been in the women's title match too. I could be wrong, but given their popularity, I would say both are well above Soho in popularity and talent and would have been treated as such in AEW. I am also with you that Jade should be the centerpiece of the division. She is a once in a generation talent that you can build a brand around.


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## Lesnar Turtle (Dec 6, 2011)

Fucking racist tv remotes only allowing white folks to tune in.


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## Phil_Mc_90 (Mar 3, 2008)

So I've seen comments like this quite a bit lately and what bothers me is that there appears to be a lot of focus on AEW being an all white promotion (ignoring the black and Hispanic talent that have had prominent roles/storylines so far in this companys 2 year existence) but no alternative being offered

I can't think of a free agent BAME talent that has been overlooked by the promotion or passed over for a white talent. It's said AEW isn't promoting Black talent but who would those arguing want to be pushed instead currently? This company is still relatively new and are building a large number of young talent a good proportion of which are BAME. The big name free agents on the market in the last 2 years have all been white there hasn't been anyone passed off or not signed because of skin colour. As someone else mentioned if Kofi or Bobby Lashley are released tomorrow and not picked up by AEW then absolutely there should be a conversation but right now I do feel it's too early to be making these claims. 

I do agree it's weird that All Out featured no black talent, my question would be on that card what match/talent are you taking out and who are you replacing them with and is that done for the betterment of the show or to promote someone because of their colour?

I actually love the diversity on this roster with Lucha Bros getting their tag title run, Thunder Rosa in line to have a run soon, Jade looking better and better every time she's in the ring. Ogogo looking solid in his first outing (shame injury knocked his momentum), Hobbs having massive potential and being used nicely by the promotion thus far and Miro finally getting the run he's deserved for years. That's not to mention the large number of talent they have on Dark and Elevation which it's been made clear is their development territory


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## Blade Runner (Jan 24, 2012)

Why is there such a lack of diversity in the NBA?


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## mazzah20 (Oct 10, 2019)

They should make Sunny Kiss the AEW champion- both male and female.


Talking of which, author is baiting. 

AEW already hit a home run with their diversity when Nyla Rose was Champ. That should have them 25 years of SJW cred atleast.

They also had Cody as TNT champ, and he is red.


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## Don Draper's Ghost (Sep 22, 2021)

Phil_Mc_90 said:


> So I've seen comments like this quite a bit lately and what bothers me is that there appears to be a lot of focus on AEW being an all white promotion (ignoring the black and Hispanic talent that have had prominent roles/storylines so far in this companys 2 year existence) but no alternative being offered
> 
> I can't think of a free agent BAME talent that has been overlooked by the promotion or passed over for a white talent. It's said AEW isn't promoting Black talent but who would those arguing want to be pushed instead currently? This company is still relatively new and are building a large number of young talent a good proportion of which are BAME. The big name free agents on the market in the last 2 years have all been white there hasn't been anyone passed off or not signed because of skin colour. As someone else mentioned if Kofi or Bobby Lashley are released tomorrow and not picked up by AEW then absolutely there should be a conversation but right now I do feel it's too early to be making these claims.
> 
> ...


I mean, QT fucking Marshal had a PPV match, big free agent signing Paul Wight's first ever match in the company no less. I get that it was a squash match but he still got that PPV check and lots of TV time leading up to it.

You can definitely argue a guy like Hobbs should've been in that spot instead.


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## alex0816 (Jul 27, 2011)

can a write an article about how it's wrong that there's 0 White Cornerbacks playing in the nfl and it's a problem?

sorry that Big swole sucks ass and shouldn't be on tv ever.....

latino tag champs in Lucha bros
scorpio was a tag champ
shida and nyla were womens champ

also if you think Brandi rhodes is cringe, you're a racist cause reasons

what loser wrote this lol


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## alex0816 (Jul 27, 2011)

Don Draper's Ghost said:


> I mean, QT fucking Marshal had a PPV match, big free agent signing Paul Wight's first ever match in the company no less. I get that it was a squash match but he still got that PPV check and lots of TV time leading up to it.
> 
> You can definitely argue a guy like Hobbs should've been in that spot instead.


Hobbs just had a match with the most popular guy on the roster......


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## Don Draper's Ghost (Sep 22, 2021)

alex0816 said:


> Hobbs just had a match with the most popular guy on the roster......


I know but we were talking about how there weren't any black wrestlers on the card at All Out. Instead of QT having a match with Paul Wight I think Hobbs should have.


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## alex0816 (Jul 27, 2011)

Don Draper's Ghost said:


> I know but we were talking about how there weren't any black wrestlers on the card at All Out. Instead of QT having a match with Paul Wight I think Hobbs should have.


well i think we all agree that was a waste of a match

but why is it that people complain about no black people rather then minorities in general? cause it doesn't fit their agenda?

Jade, Big swole and Red velvet were both in the battle royal btw. as was Thunder Rosa, Nyla, Tay Conti, all in there as well

Lucha Bros won a banger of a cage match


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## ShadowCounter (Sep 1, 2016)

alex0816 said:


> well i think we all agree that was a waste of a match
> 
> but why is it that people complain about no black people rather then minorities in general? cause it doesn't fit their agenda?
> 
> ...


Starks is current FTW champ. Half of first tag team champs was Scorpio Sky. Nyla Rose is former women's champ. Shida, Riho, Lucha Bros, Santana and Ortiz pioneering Stadium Stampede matches and Blood and Guts match in AEW. This whole article is a joke.

Let's look at some of WWE's black champions, shall we.

Big E started in WWE in like 2008. 13 years to become a world champion. Practically the same for Kofi. How long was Lashley around before he became a world champ? AEW isn't even 2 years old yet. That's next month. And for those who are gonna invoke Rock or Roman you can't. If the idiots who believe in this article refuse to acknowledge hispanic and asian faces as POC in AEW then you can't use Samoans as POC for WWE either. See how dumb that is?


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## Phil_Mc_90 (Mar 3, 2008)

Don Draper's Ghost said:


> I mean, QT fucking Marshal had a PPV match, big free agent signing Paul Wight's first ever match in the company no less. I get that it was a squash match but he still got that PPV check and lots of TV time leading up to it.
> 
> You can definitely argue a guy like Hobbs should've been in that spot instead.


Honestly... I'd completely blocked QTs match from my brain. 100% agree thats the match that should have been replaced perhaps with a starks or hobbs match to build them further for the Punk angle


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## CRCC (Sep 25, 2017)

The USA is obsessed with race. This can't end well.


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## Rick Sanchez (Dec 30, 2012)

Who gives a shit?


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## hnlee (Sep 25, 2021)

I just joined this forum and sorry, this thread is a non sense. I am from Asia, you count that as well?


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## 5 Star Giulia ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Apr 21, 2014)

Two Sheds said:


> Not every company needs to feature people in direct proportion to their population makeup in society. Can you imagine the NFL or NBA doing so in 2021? Every team would instantly suck more, right?


*Not quite. The reigning NBA MVP is a chubby, unathletic (relatively speaking) eastern European. Luka Doncic is a top 5 player. We've long evolved past the days where Dirk Nowitski is an anomaly. It's becoming much more common to see that type of player thrive in today's NBA. Defensive rule changes helped a lot, but I digress. 

I'm all for a merit based system, but they could definitely feature Jade more. She just proved last week that she can have a real match and they don't have to baby her with these squashes. I guarantee you that having Jade be more of a regular presence would diversify the demographic and bring more female viewers at the same time. This is where AEW struggles and it could get them over that 1.3 million hump for big shows.*


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## Swan-San (May 25, 2019)

Stupid article, pathetic.


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## DUD (Feb 21, 2021)

I hate pointing out the obvious to anybody that wants to push this agenda but the person that's making the decisions in AEW isn't white.


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## floyd2386 (Sep 28, 2010)

So blacks aren't watching because the roster is predominately white? That's racist!


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## Smark1995 (Sep 18, 2020)

floyd2386 said:


> So blacks aren't watching because the roster is predominately white? That's racist!


It only works one way! Have you forgotten about it?


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## Gwi1890 (Nov 7, 2019)

Botchy SinCara said:


> Forced diversity isn't really diversity and I would think a race of people would wanna stop being viewed as a charity case


as a black man my self I have to agree with this, it’s nothing to do with AEW being racist or lacking diversity, there’s a Bulgarian TnT champ a former Japanese women’s champion a former transgender champion, Mexican Tag champions, one half of the first ever tag champions was black, for a 2 year old company that’s plenty of diversity, what do people expect just put the belt on powerhouse Hobbs just for the sake of it? Kingston and Big E had to wait years for the title they had to become respected workhorses before getting the belt


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## matt pointer (Nov 24, 2020)

So diversity means just Black?? What about other minorities?

Black population is just 14% yet they are over-represented in film and media (18%). Hispanics are 18% of population, but they only get 5% of roles. And roles for other minorities are almost non-existent. 

Enough of this nonsense. I don't have a problem with diversity and yes more minority wrestlers would be welcome in AEW. But let's stop this horseshit that diversity only means Black.


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## rbl85 (Nov 21, 2017)

What a stupid article....


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## Jericolcaholic (Jul 26, 2021)

Yeah no black people doing anything of note..
Who was cm punk destroyed by again?


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## Arkham258 (Jan 30, 2015)

CRCC said:


> The USA is obsessed with race. This can't end well.


The far left is obsessed with race and they unfortunately have their hands in a lot of media, colleges, politicians, and corporations. They are largely driving USA's culture right now because they have so much power and influence. It's only going to get worse with far left puppet, fake president, Biden in the White House


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## Kopros_The_Great (Jun 26, 2014)

neolunar said:


> AEW is obviously racist, misogynistic and homophobic and should be taken of the air and canceled.
> 
> Not liking this post makes you racist too.


Pff. I was racist long before I didn't like your post.


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## Arkham258 (Jan 30, 2015)

As for AEW not featuring black talent in high positions, we've seen that Tony Kahn is liberal and that AEW is somewhat woke. What does that mean? It means that they would totally LOVE to have a POC as their world heavy weight champion or TNT champ. The fact that we're not seeing that just proves that no one of color in AEW has the talent to reach that brass ring...at least, not yet. It's not like they are in a company that wouldn't want that. Scorpio was getting pushed hard at one point, and he couldn't measure up. They wasted the first tag titles and Jericho's first loss ever on this guy

The other thing too is that guys like Lashley, Kofi, Keith Lee, etc. are in WWE. Who knows what would happen if they ever came to AEW? I think I could see Keith Lee as champion


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## Metalcrack (Oct 2, 2008)

Didn't AEW have a transgender as the Women's Title holder at one point? Who are the tag champions....oh yeah not white guys. Bugger off.


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## Arkham258 (Jan 30, 2015)

Metalcrack said:


> Didn't AEW have a transgender as the Women's Title holder at one point? Bugger off.


Yes, but people get mad whenever that gets brought up. Liberals hate facts so we have to play along and pretend he's a woman


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## Passing Triangles (Feb 2, 2015)

That's what happens when 70% of the country is caucasian. Why do people pretend that demographics aren't actually a thing? You wouldn't act surprised if most stars were Japanese in NJPW, would you? 😂


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## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

Isn´t the OP the same guy who post unverified "news" in the WWE section?
Link to the original article please.


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## Stylebender (Oct 12, 2019)

This type of thinking is whats actually racist and I'm black. The best wrestlers should be on top of the card. You could make a case for Bianca and Sasha being two of the best women in wwe hence why they have been champs. There is not a single black wrestler in aew that is more over or more worthy or more talented then the guys they have on top. This article is bullshit. Why should people feel sorry for us black people all the time like we are parentless kids or some shit. Fuck off and we can compete with the best like everyone else.


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## Smark1995 (Sep 18, 2020)

yeahright2 said:


> Isn´t the OP the same guy who post unverified "news" in the WWE section?
> Link to the original article please.











AEW’s Viewership, Like Its Main Event Picture, Is Very White


AEW has the highest percentage of white viewership and the lowest percentage of black viewership of pro wrestling TV shows.




www.forbes.com


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## Fearless Viper (Apr 6, 2019)

Geeee said:


> I guess this is the type of stuff we have to deal with now that people realize AEW exists LOL


This. Now that AEW has a buzz, these sick fucks are here to ruin it.


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## Chris22 (Jan 7, 2010)

Diversity matters but it shouldn't be forced just because. If a person does well in their job or exceeds expectations then they should be rewarded, they shouldn't just be given opportunities because of their ethnicity.


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## Michael Myers 1991 (Sep 27, 2016)

I'm black and most of my friends are too and we love AEW... I don't care if the champion is green as long as he's entertaining.

Meanwhile Big E (while I'm happy for him) bores me to tears 😭


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## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

Smark1995 said:


> http://[URL]https://www.forbes.com/...ip-like-its-main-event-picture-is-very-white/[/URL]


There we go. Now we can discuss 

Can´t say it comes as a surprise. We know what kind of fanbase AEW had when they started, and we know where the EVP´s (and some of the top talent) stands politically.
However, that might change with the addition of former WWE top stars like Punk and Bryan.
But the bottom line for me is -a guy (or girl) shouldn´t be pushed because of color or race, but based on talent.


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## RainmakerV2 (Nov 8, 2017)

Kay. Couple things. 

1. This is why you don't pander to the woke mob. Once you give an inch, they take a mile. (Oh, Hulk and Linda Hogan are BANNED from AEW forever..uh...okay wtf?) (Oh you guys demand Big Swole be on the PPV in one of the dumbest gimmick matches ever? Okay.) 

2. For those saying why arent white dudes in the NBA..uh..you're kinda going down a slippery slope there..white dudes aren't in the NBA because of most of them can't hang. If I'm making a one to one comparison off what you're saying...then..yeah..see where I'm going? 

3. Black representation in pro wrestling is always going to small. Simple reason really, most black kids who are super athletic go into ball sports. Basketball, Football, Baseball, where they can make REAL money. They grow up wanting to be in the NBA or the NFL. Unless they grew up watching wrestling, it's not something any of them even consider. If you look at a lot of really successful white pro wrestlers, they played ball sports but weren't good enough to go pro so wrestling was a fallback. Nash, Austin, etc. Basically the question is, do you wanna go for the NFL or NBA where you can make 100 million if you're great, and even 7 figures if you're not..or do you wanna go get your ass kicked on the road 200 days a year learning to be a pro wrestler where you MIGHT end up making 6 figures if you're lucky. 

UFC has the same issue, especially in the HW division. 40 some year olds like Andrei Arlovski are still top 15. Again, young black athletes that size are going into ball sports, not trying to get the shit kicked out of them learning MMA, where again, the pay is peanuts compared to pro ball sports.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

The best way to explain it is this. Think of how much the hardcore bubble appreciates guys like Punk, Bryan, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens. When fans in our bubble talk about them you hear relatable brought up a lot. Fans can see themselves in those guys, but not say folk born with the genetic lottery like Goldberg and Lesnar. Like sure Lesnar and Goldberg are white, but it's hard for anybody to relate to being a 6ft 3in mountain of muscle. But it's a lot easier to see yourself in a normal sized dude who had to work their ass off to get their spot. Fans want to see those guys succeed at the top levels because they feel they deserve the chance to show they can be the guy too. 

That's the same fucking feeling being expressed when black fans speak out for black wrestlers. Or minority fans speak out for the pushing of minority wrestlers. Okay Hobbs isn't ready, well why not give him a string of opportunities to get ready, like they do with Jungle Boy? Okay Jade Cargill isn't ready, well why isn't she being paraded out every week to talk or wrestle like Britt Baker was so she can get ready.

A stat like Red Velvet has had 6 TV matches this year despite being on the roster all year, and Adam Cole has had 2 TV matches in his first month should be a great point of what folk mean


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## yeahright2 (Feb 11, 2011)

RainmakerV2 said:


> 2. For those saying why arent white dudes in the NBA..uh..you're kinda going down a slippery slope there..white dudes aren't in the NBA because of most of them can't hang. If I'm making a one to one comparison off what you're saying...then..yeah..see where I'm going?


Are you saying White men can´t jump?


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## FITZ (May 8, 2007)

Don't those viewership numbers actually line up with the US population? Like it seems like the article is criticizing AEW for having 13% and 16% black viewership when black people make up 14% of the population... Like there are more white people than any other race.


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## Bit Bitterson (Sep 18, 2020)

Black man here, wrestling has typically been white as f***. I do find that a black talent will rise to the top if the quality is there.


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## Chip Chipperson (Jun 29, 2019)

I don't think this is really a surprise or even needs to be talked about. Who here didn't know that most of AEW's live audience was generally 18-45 year old white men?

It'd be like someone writing an article that not many women are into AEW.


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## MyMelody (Feb 4, 2019)

Yea Tony Khan, biased white guy who runs the company only hiring.... oh wait.


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## hardcorewrasslin (Jun 29, 2016)

They forgo to mention that that Rampage's card featured 16 white wrestlers and 10 POC wrestlers... I don't know how this dude who wrote the article is even employed since he can't even fact check.

Heck the owner of AEW Tony Khan isn't even white, lol.


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## 3venflow (Feb 3, 2019)

Scorpio Sky vs. Sonny Kiss to headline Full Gear to appease the woke.


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## JBLGOAT (Mar 24, 2014)

There are lots of minority groups not represented in the main event scene in AEW why should blacks be singled out.

And Marko Stunt is basically a minstrel show for people with less hypertrophic growth plate chondrocytes.


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## CenaBoy4Life (Jul 31, 2013)

All Elite Whites Baybay.

I bet WWE is licking their chops to steal the real stars in AEW that is Hobbs, and Starks. AEW can keep its vanilla midgets Jungle, sammy, darby and mjf.


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## BrrrGoesWooo! (Mar 29, 2021)

Two Sheds said:


> I am not really trying to argue here, just understand others' points of view.
> 
> I will try to break these things down as well. I like Powerhouse Hobbs a lot and I think he is getting better every week, but we both agree he should not be getting world title matches right now. Bobby Lashley should have been a WWE world champ 15 years ago and I have (mostly) loved his run and the early Hurt Business stuff as much as I can with the WWE creative insanity. But I would argue that the bad writing and creative in WWE hurts everyone equally. It just sucks all around. Thankfully Bobby was still able to break through that and be a great champ.
> 
> I hear you on the Ruby Soho point, and I pointed out the inconsistency this week when people brought up the ranking system that she somehow magically got ranked #1 at 1-0 and got a title match. I do not think that has anything to do with her skin color though, just the lack of storylines and depth of the women's roster. I think if Sasha Banks or Bianca Belair were in the same situation coming in hot, they would have been in the women's title match too. I could be wrong, but given their popularity, I would say both are well above Soho in popularity and talent and would have been treated as such in AEW. I am also with you that Jade should be the centerpiece of the division. She is a once in a generation talent that you can build a brand around.


Pretty sure Ruby got the title match for winning the battle royals.


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## NXTSUPERFAN (Oct 19, 2018)

They need to sign moose! Honestly there just isn’t that many black wrestlers, they all seem to be signed at the moment. They feature a lot of hispanics, and Japanese wrestlers? I am so tired of the current world narrative.


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## Makish16 (Aug 31, 2016)

Love How nobody writes an article about other minorities because it seems like they don't exist to wrestling journalists 

Sent from my SM-T860 using Tapatalk


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## AuthorOfPosts (Feb 9, 2020)

Whoever wants to watch a show, can watch a show. These statistics are irrelevant. It's like stats on the amount of viewers with facial hair watching a show.


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## ThunderNitro (Sep 16, 2021)

Did Stephen A.Smith write this article?


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## CMPunkRock316 (Jan 17, 2016)

This Alfred guy sucks and his takes are almost always awful. I remember him spewing crap on B/R and everyone made fun of him.


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## somerandomfan (Dec 13, 2013)

If we really want to go for race baiting mental gymnastics, why not point out who really got the biggest pop in AEW, these guys.


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## Krin (Apr 8, 2018)

I don't give a flying fuck. Nobody is owed representation.


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## shandcraig (Mar 23, 2008)

they should be taken that privilege away from being able to watch the show. Disgrace really


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## NapperX (Jan 2, 2014)

Is Forbes admitting to wanting tokenism or are they admitting to bait while ignoring Brandi, Nyla Rose, Cargill, etc?


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## Krin (Apr 8, 2018)

CMPunkRock316 said:


> This Alfred guy sucks and his takes are almost always awful. I remember him spewing crap on B/R and everyone made fun of him.


Is it the Alfred from the Wrestling Inc podcast? He is a black male, race baiter hipster type. A white guy from Wrestling Inc on their show yesterday described AEW as having too many "mayonnaise" wrestlers. It's so cringey when white people think insulting other white people and making racist comments towards whites will make them look more progressive. They were also very offended of the Wayne Gacy (new NXT wrestler) who was going to do a woke heel gimmick. A lot of the big wrestling podcasts are used as a platform to push woke politics. Same with Fightful.


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## Smark1995 (Sep 18, 2020)

Krin said:


> Is it the Alfred from the Wrestling Inc podcast? He is a black male, race baiter hipster type. A white guy from Wrestling Inc on their show yesterday described AEW as having too many "mayonnaise" wrestlers. It's so cringey when white people think insulting other white people and making racist comments towards whites will make them look more progressive. They were also very offended of the Wayne Gacy (new NXT wrestler) who was going to do a woke heel gimmick. A lot of the big wrestling podcasts are used as a platform to push woke politics. Same with Fightful.


What woke about Fightful?


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## HankHill_85 (Aug 31, 2011)

I'm glad I never became one of those race-baiting writers. I've just never, ever seen the benefit of it. All it does is piss one half of the people off while the others simply roll their eyes at the "wokeness" on display.


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## Krin (Apr 8, 2018)

Smark1995 said:


> What woke about Fightful?


Just listen to their podcast and you'll see. They push a lot of leftist talking points. When Jaxson Ryker wasn't getting released like Sean Ross Sap and Denice Salsado anticipated and instead got a push they would go on and on about it every week. Wrestling Inc as well, their owner Raj Giri went on a drunken rant about Ryker and then edited the podcast the next day to remove all the inflammatory things they said. Ironically they also invited Ryker on the channel to interview him a few weeks later.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

Race and gender i find is the most tenuous of ‘connections’ a fan can have

i always find in anything, the support dies down if the only driving force is ‘put race X and gender Y in the main event’

i’ve never once in my life felt ‘represented’ by a white male…. Ever


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## ThunderNitro (Sep 16, 2021)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Race and gender i find is the most tenuous of ‘connections’ a fan can have
> 
> i always find in anything, the support dies down if the only driving force is ‘put race X and gender Y in the main event’
> 
> i’ve never once in my life felt ‘represented’ by a white male…. Ever


Unless you are categorized by Juju.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

ThunderNitro said:


> Unless you are categorized by Juju.


there’s that


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## zaz102 (Jul 26, 2011)

Diversity is a good thing, but I'm having trouble of thinking who should be higher on the card. Rosa should get the title, but now was definitely Britts time. She should have next though. 

Hobbs, Starks, Jade, Dante Martin, etc. are on the rise. They should be there eventually, but not yet.

Just got to keep grooming the talent and they'll be there. I feel like for a lot of things, if you just force something for it'll backfire. They need a real plan such as to keep grooming the talent that the article writer is saying is just being there. Pretty sure that's their plan. Hell, Hobbs just wrestled Punk in a competitive match.

And of course keep an eye out for those main event talent rosters when their contracts are up. As we seen recently, you never know who's going to be available.


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## Heath V (Apr 9, 2014)

Lol who cares? Forced diversity should not be a thing, you earn your spot regardless of color. Is the WWE main event scene too black or not white enough? Again who cares! Everybody is so damn sick of hearing about race and sexual orientation 24/7. That's legit all you hear about anymore.


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## PuddleDancer (Nov 26, 2009)

Lmaoo at all these folks in this thread saying forced diversity.. that’s not at all what I got from the article but I can already tell by their comments that they’re probably closet WASP. Learn comprehension skills before commenting yall or you just look stupid


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## GTL2 (Sep 1, 2016)

Do we know how many short people watch NFL? If they are underrepresented, we need more of them. Or they could just make a product and if people want to watch it they can.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Heath V said:


> Lol who cares? Forced diversity should not be a thing, you earn your spot regardless of color. Is the WWE main event scene too black or not white enough? Again who cares! Everybody is so damn sick of hearing about race and sexual orientation 24/7. That's legit all you hear about anymore.


The thing is what defines earned in a business like wrestling?

Most would agree early Britt wasn't great, yet she was allowed to grow and improve on Dynamite?

Most world agree Jade Cargill has something, though she's green. Why isn't she be allowed to try and grow on Dynamite just like Britt was?

Why has Jungle Boy been given multiple mini feuds and moments to show himself and improve? Meanwhile Hobbs mostly plays the background and does fuck all?


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## ShadowCounter (Sep 1, 2016)

RapShepard said:


> Most would agree early Britt wasn't great, yet she was allowed to grow and improve on Dynamite?
> 
> Most world agree Jade Cargill has something, though she's green. Why isn't she be allowed to try and grow on Dynamite just like Britt was?


Because Britt spent years on the indy scene learning the fundamentals and Jade is starting from scratch.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

ShadowCounter said:


> Because Britt spent years on the indy scene learning the fundamentals and Jade is starting from scratch.


Yet, Britt still came in not being fundamentally sound enough in the ring to the point folk wanted to see her in a match and had no character that folk wanted to watch. Yet through being given time and a chance she developed, funny that.


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## ShadowCounter (Sep 1, 2016)

RapShepard said:


> Yet, Britt still came in not being fundamentally sound enough in the ring to the point folk wanted to see her in a match and had no character that folk wanted to watch. Yet through being given time and a chance she developed, funny that.


True but she still had the foundation in place. Jade's been a bodybuilder. She is still building her foundation. She's doing quite well at it but what do you think would happen if she was put in the ring with a newbie? Britt could walk said newbie through an ok match, Jade would be lost.


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## zaz102 (Jul 26, 2011)

Britt was further along than Jade and at the time the woman's division was much thinner. Jade has been given big opportunities right off the bat and is presented as a big deal.

They are clearly trying to build her as a top woman. Not sure how anybody could argue this lol. Just got to give her a little bit of time and throw here more challenges (like selling which she did for Leyla).

Pretty clear they are investing in her.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

zaz102 said:


> Britt was further along than Jade and at the time the woman's division was much thinner. Jade has been given big opportunities right off the bat and is presented as a big deal.
> 
> They are clearly trying to build her as a top woman. Not sure how anybody could argue this lol. Just got to give her a little bit of time and throw here more challenges (like selling which she did for Leyla).
> 
> Pretty clear they are investing in her.


But again look at the levels. Britt was allowed time to grow on Dynamite. She was allowed to flop as a character, but recover and grow into the awesomeness she is now all on Dynamite. Hell prior to being champion she was getting more promo time and story direction than the first 3 women's champions combined. When Britt was INJURED she was still getting time and having a feud built with Big Swole. During that time Shida was sitting in the crowd, doing nothing.



ShadowCounter said:


> True but she still had the foundation in place. Jade's been a bodybuilder. She is still building her foundation. She's doing quite well at it but what do you think would happen if she was put in the ring with a newbie? Britt could walk said newbie through an ok match, Jade would be lost.


I don't think Britt would've lead a newbie to an okay match, heck she couldn't lead Ruby to an okay match this week .


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

zaz102 said:


> Britt was further along than Jade and at the time the woman's division was much thinner. Jade has been given big opportunities right off the bat and is presented as a big deal.
> 
> They are clearly trying to build her as a top woman. Not sure how anybody could argue this lol. Just got to give her a little bit of time and throw here more challenges (like selling which she did for Leyla).
> 
> Pretty clear they are investing in her.


putting her with Thunder next like they are doing is the right call

she’ll be put through the paces and learn even more / thunder might even hand her that first loss


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> But again look at the levels. Britt was allowed time to grow on Dynamite. She was allowed to flop as a character,


Brandi was also given lots of time to fail


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## zaz102 (Jul 26, 2011)

Agree. Great point!


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> Brandi was also given lots of time to fail


Well she failed then smartly went back where she belonged besides Cody. But God that is neck and neck with Retribution as worst stable in recent memory lol


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> Well she failed then smartly went back where she belonged besides Cody. But God that is neck and neck with Retribution as worst stable in recent memory lol


well, she got preggers

tell me with all honesty if she did not get pregnant, that she would not be given as much chance as Baker and most likely would’ve been champ by now

this is a non-issue and we should frankly all move on

edit> she also didn’t just ‘move back to cody’s side’ - she was gearing up for a major shaq / jade feud 😂 😂 😂


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> well, she got preggers
> 
> tell me with all honesty if she did not get pregnant, that she would not be given as much chance as Baker and most likely would’ve been champ by now
> 
> this is a non-issue and we should frankly all move on


Before getting pregnant she was barely wrestling, she still got more time then she deserved, but she also has booking power and sway to get herself on. 

And it may be a non-issue for you, but clearly there is a segment of the fan base sees this as an issue. Instead of dismissing it, it's okay to examine it and see if things can be done to improve the issue. 

That doesn't mean to do something dumb like put the title on Scorpio or Shotty Lee Johnson or stall out Britt for Jade. It just means find more time to consistently feature black talent so they can shine as well. Look at how they've done Daniel Garcia, the last month. He got a chance to impress on TV multiple times last month against names.


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## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> Before getting pregnant she was barely wrestling, she still got more time then she deserved, but she also has booking power and sway to get herself on.
> 
> And it may be a non-issue for you, but clearly there is a segment of the fan base sees this as an issue. Instead of dismissing it, it's okay to examine it and see if things can be done to improve the issue.
> 
> That doesn't mean to do something dumb like put the title on Scorpio or Shotty Lee Johnson or stall out Britt for Jade. It just means find more time to consistently feature black talent so they can shine as well. Look at how they've done Daniel Garcia, the last month. He got a chance to impress on TV multiple times last month against names.


she wasn’t ‘barely wrestling’ - she just beat velvet twice in a short program and was gearing up for Jade with that promo

i’m dismissing it, cause its a non-issue - there’s clearly a lot of non-white wrestlers getting exposure and climbing the ranks every week / even moreso with rampage now there as well - it feels very much like ‘fake concern trolling’ to me


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## GothicBohemian (May 26, 2012)

Since I'm half First Nations (Canadian native) and LGBTQ+, I guess I have to be Nyla Rose's biggest fan, huh?

Being serious though, the representation argument has merit. People do tend to watch and participate where they see others who look like themselves succeed. That's human nature. No, I'm not saying everyone's favourite will end up being whoever they share the most in common with or whoever has the same racial background. What I am saying is that having the option to support someone like that is what gets people who aren't already fans of specific talent to pay attention in the first place.

AEW does have diversity - though I'm still not sure why Miro keeps being brought up in these threads as an example of that - and I don't think that's the issue. It's that AEW has a dual challenge in that they are competing with a product that's better known in diverse markets and that the active big name hires to AEW have been White, Japanese and Hispanic.

If we're talking Black roster members who should start moving up the card soon, there's obviously Jade and Hobbs. They aren't ready for the top titles yet, but they're starting to move into midcard title range. Lee Moriarty has signed, so we'll start seeing more of him. Ogogo, whenever he makes it back, is promising. Red Velvet is trying all the big moves, even if she doesn't have them all down perfectly yet, and once she hits he stride she has major potential. I like her a lot. Dante Martin, though he's still very young, seems poised to move into the group with the other 'AEW homegrown" young stars. Ricky Starks just did commentary this week, so he's getting exposure, and I'm not sure how much his neck injury may have derailed recent plans for him.

Now about Black talent that I feel are just waiting there to be used in bigger matches - while they've been featured mainly as the jobber team that can hang with anyone, and who sell like crazy thus make their opponents look amazing, I think Private Party deserve more of a spotlight. I love them. I'd like to see more of Kiera Hogan too.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> she wasn’t ‘barely wrestling’ - she just beat velvet twice in a short program and was gearing up for Jade with that promo
> 
> i’m dismissing it, cause its a non-issue - there’s clearly a lot of non-white wrestlers getting exposure and climbing the ranks every week / even moreso with rampage now there as well - it feels very much like ‘fake concern trolling’ to me


Brandi didn't wrestle for 4 months after the Nightmare Family disbanded in February. From then in June until she got pregnant she wrestled 2 matches on Dynamite the other 11 matches on YouTube. In the same February to November time period Britt wrestled 12 times, 9 on Dynamite, 1 in a cinematic PPV match, and twice on Dark this included her being out for 3 months during the time frame. To say her and even Brandi got the same opportunity and Brandi mind you has actually sway would be weird. 


And why dismiss it? Okay how about this, instead of looking it as a "this guy is giving a hot take, saying AEW is racist" try and see it out a similar lens as when fans are making fun of Vince for his big guy fetish. When folk talk about Vince's size fetish do you think they're arguing that "Vince should never ever use a big guy in a prominent role, and only smaller more relatable looking wrestling focused guys should dominate the top". Or do you think most fans are just arguing, "hey Vince should expand his idea of what talent and stardom could look like. If he gave these smaller guys a chance, some of them could be stars too"? 

Because the latter is what I take away from an article like this once you get past the All White jokes.


----------



## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> Brandi didn't wrestle for 4 months after the Nightmare Family disbanded in February. From then in June until she got pregnant she wrestled 2 matches on Dynamite the other 11 matches on YouTube. In the same February to November time period Britt wrestled 12 times, 9 on Dynamite, 1 in a cinematic PPV match, and twice on Dark this included her being out for 3 months during the time frame. To say her and even Brandi got the same opportunity and Brandi mind you has actually sway would be weird.
> 
> 
> And why dismiss it? Okay how about this, instead of looking it as a "this guy is giving a hot take, saying AEW is racist" try and see it out a similar lens as when fans are making fun of Vince for his big guy fetish. When folk talk about Vince's size fetish do you think they're arguing that "Vince should never ever use a big guy in a prominent role, and only smaller more relatable looking wrestling focused guys should dominate the top". Or do you think most fans are just arguing, "hey Vince should expand his idea of what talent and stardom could look like. If he gave these smaller guys a chance, some of them could be stars too"?
> ...


i‘m dismissing it because all of the great non-white wrestlers already on the roster that are making waves. I’m dismissing it because they are already doing what most people are ‘clamouring’ for - investing in the growth of non-white wrestlers and giving them more prominent spots and i am mostly dismissing it because its a helluva slippery slope

south africa and usa has very similar histories in regards with race. apartheid was a horrible thing and it was the best possible outcome to abolish it. Thereafter there was affirmative action and ‘representation’ was at the forefront - and the idea was pure - get non-white people of all races represented in the workplace, sport, politics and entertainment

but look 20 years later how that concept got out of hand to the nth degree. Now there are arguments about our sports teams - there has to be 50% ‘african black’, 15% coloured (don’t be offended, this is the term for a specific race in our country), 10% indian and 25% white as an example (real numbers differ by sport)

now you get people analysing their history trees to find out ‘are they black enough’ or ‘were they oppressed enough’ and the % gets adjusted without regard of the people ’benefitting’ or ‘suffering’ from these calls. The wrong kind of ‘black’ person would lose a movie role for instance because they are from a specific ‘less-opressed’ group

and ‘benefitting’ from a seat gained by representation has its own poison chalice - now people disregard the merit and the individual becomes a ‘token this’ and ‘token that‘ and their own self image suffers

we have a LOT of experience with this in africa mate / blow this horn at your own risk


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## PhenomenalOne11 (Oct 2, 2016)

Look I'm all in favour of representation for everyone, I truly believe everybody deserves someone they can look up to in the media who is just like them, but I don't think this is as big of an issue in AEW as they're making it out to be.


----------



## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> i‘m dismissing it because all of the great non-white wrestlers already on the roster that are making waves. I’m dismissing it because they are already doing what most people are ‘clamouring’ for - investing in the growth of non-white wrestlers and giving them more prominent pots and i am mostly dismissing it because its a helluva slippery slope
> 
> south africa and usa has very similar histories in regards with race. apartheid was a horrible thing and it was the best possible outcome to abolish it. Thereafter there was affirmative action and ‘representation’ was at the forefront - and the idea was pure - get non-white people of all races represented in the workplace, sport, politics and entertainment
> 
> ...


But because you guys over did it doesn't mean to not attempt with representation at all, especially in something like wrestling where it's not merit based at all. Wrestling isn't like sports where you can have a try out and somebody can provably out work somebody. You talk about merit, but what merit did Britt have to deserve all the TV time she got? She had no merit besides somebody in the back decided to give her a chance and see what she could do. She stumbled in that chance, but got more chances and eventually started to kill it. 

It's this weird thing where like Jungle Boy is not ready at them moment, but fans embrace the multiple times he's been given spots that help build him up so in the future he can be ready. But when black fans say, "well hey why not do some of that with the black wrestlers more consistently". The reply is "well they're not ready". Like how do they get ready if they aren't consistently given shots to get ready. Sure wrestling on Dark is mat time, but it's not get in front of the world and see what works and what doesn't time.


----------



## LifeInCattleClass (Dec 21, 2010)

RapShepard said:


> But because you guys over did it doesn't mean to not attempt with representation at all, especially in something like wrestling where it's not merit based at all. Wrestling isn't like sports where you can have a try out and somebody can provably out work somebody. You talk about merit, but what merit did Britt have to deserve all the TV time she got? She had no merit besides somebody in the back decided to give her a chance and see what she could do. She stumbled in that chance, but got more chances and eventually started to kill it.
> 
> It's this weird thing where like Jungle Boy is not ready at them moment, but fans embrace the multiple times he's been given spots that help build him up so in the future he can be ready. But when black fans say, "well hey why not do some of that with the black wrestlers more consistently". The reply is "well they're not ready". Like how do they get ready if they aren't consistently given shots to get ready. Sure wrestling on Dark is mat time, but it's not get in front of the world and see what works and what doesn't time.


who do you think should be getting the ‘jungle boy’ experience then?

cause by my count Dante Martin, Will Hobbs, Private Party, Daniel Garcia all had it or are having it - hell, dante and garcia is getting it in spades at the moment

Jade, Red Velvet is getting it

you’re acting as if none of this is happening and keep circling back to Baker for some reason - disregarding to some degree the amount she did get better in a very short time which got her more opportunity - and rightfully so - the division was just her, nyla and shida that could really wrestle

when she was shit it wasn’t like she was featured more heavily than the rest


----------



## BroncoBuster3 (Apr 19, 2021)

Instead of complaining I want them to give us some examples of who should be pushed. AEW has some great non-white talent on their books but who is ready for a top spot? Andrade, Anthony Bowens, Anthony Ogogo, Max Caster, Hobbs, Ricky Starks and Santana are all future main eventers but aren't ready yet. There's a lot of talent that are unsigned that could be the future of the company too, but that's not something that is feasible right now. 

Alex Kane, Calvin Tankman, EJ Nduka, Edge Stone, Jacob Fatu, Jase Osei, Juicy Finau, Labron Kozone, M'Badu and Prince Agballah are all viable options for future main event spots in AEW but again, they're currently doing their thing on the way to becoming main eventers. They're still not there yet. AJ Gray is fat and unmarketable and despite being talented in the ring, that's not all pro wrestling is.


----------



## Thomazbr (Apr 26, 2009)

I'm a mutt.
My grandmother mother was a slave and it's very likely my father is the illegitimate son of a white landowner (he doesn't like to talk about it) so I get the struggle thing.


But American fascination and fetishization with race creeps me the fuck out. This is seen more clearly in porn where you can't have a misceganed couple without getting into some weird BLACKED/BLEACHED/COLONIZED fetish. Which I y'know it's a fetish I get it being fucked up that's just part of how the brain works, but it's so prevalent and endemic that I'm fairly sure that influences how couples perceive one another.


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## Thomazbr (Apr 26, 2009)

If I was on Brandi position I would be freaked out about my husband cutting a promo about saying he ended racism because he got me pregnant with a biracial kid.

All that being said I think most of the black talent with a clear chance to be a main event stat (like Jade) are being protected AND are making regular appearances on TV all the time.


----------



## Mister Sinister (Aug 7, 2013)

I posted in the Grand Slam Dynamite thread ahead of the show that they needed to replace MJF vs Pillman with a Jade match. Jade is their only black star with potential.

They simply have no main event black stars. Jade is their only prospect who stands out as a potential champion. Kiera Hogan is probably their best black wrestler at wrestling and they haven't shown any interest in doing anything with her since they signed her. They haven't pursued black prospects. They haven't used their relationship with Impact to bring in Moose. They haven't tried to bring in a black (American, babyface) MMA star to try to create some crossover. The management just is not showing interest in creating black draws for black kids. I don't think Jade would have gotten her chance to even try out if not for Shaq flexing his power with TNT.

It's f'n crazy that they booked an all-white Dynamite and booked Rampage with their talent of color. How does something like this happen?

Look at how virtually every male wrestler of color is either a villain (Hobbs, Private Party, Sky, Starks, Andrade, Ogogo) or on the edge of being villain (Lucha Bros, PnP).


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## Kopros_The_Great (Jun 26, 2014)

Mister Sinister said:


> *They haven't used their relationship with Impact to bring in Moose.*


This I will continuously hold against them.
There is a slight chance they actually tried to get him on their shows and he didn't like the ideas pitched to him, but how Moose is still only with Impact, and not even their Champion, is beyond me.


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## Mister Sinister (Aug 7, 2013)

It's not just about signing or crowning a black champion-- they have to have the creative desire to write a hero black character for kids. You have to have black heroes for black toys and so black kids can select a black babyface in the videogames. Kids are affected by the fact that everyone who represents them is programmed as the bad guy.


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## IHaveTillFiveBitch (Nov 11, 2010)

You have to get over with the fans to be main eventing


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## Yukoncornelius (Mar 12, 2021)

Identity politics is a virus that spreads endlessly. Once people start seeing everyone as an actual person and not just an identity it’ll be a much better world to live in. That and a system overhaul in areas of need like education.


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## Jedah (Jul 16, 2017)

Here come the woke indulgence sellers with their divide and conquer, emotional blackmail attempts. They always have to show up somewhere. This will be ignored and then they'll show up to try and grift off of someone else.


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## AthleticGirth (Jul 25, 2020)

I know that in the West we have a complicated history with race with some communities still having open wounds. But looking at everything through the prism of race is self defeating and keeps those divides up.

The opener for Rampage was all about an active wrestler who was bigger, stronger, younger, hungrier than his opponent, in only his second match after a seven year absence. Skin colour wasn't a factor. That's a lot of progress from the days of the Kamala gimmick, Piper calling Atlas 'boy' and names being used like 'Kid Chocolate'.

Same with every Japanese wrestler not now being a salt throwing heel, every British wrestler a toff/lord and every German a Nazi. The business has moved on.


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## Driver79 (Sep 19, 2021)

wwetna1 said:


> That said if you are only having 4 PPVs a year, you should have 1 match on those cards that reflects that portion of your audience. You might lure in this older black family, that black kid who thinks you’re so cool, or even a young teenager and their friends with the way they wrestle.


I don't think you meant to, but this is an insanely racist thing to say. You are basically inferring that people only take a special and unique interest in those that share the same skin color. In my opinion there's no reason why a black kid couldn't look up to a white wrestler. People, especially kids, naturally do not focus on skin color. That is why millions of white fans looked up to Michael Jordan in spite of the fact that he wasn't white.

If what you said is true, and people virtually cannot connect with someone unless they share their skin color, then there is no really no argument against white supremacy at that point. You're basically justifying it.


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## cai1981 (Oct 2, 2016)

Even as a man of color and heavy critic of AEW's overall lackluster product, this is ridiculous! It is far too early to criticize them for this. Though their leadership is unapologetically right wing, they have been very accommodating and welcoming to everyone.

This discussion can be had in a few years if they flagrantly do not push people of color who are worthy of a big push...e.g.: Powerhouse Hobbs showed he can be a big time player in a couple of years if he can work with Punk more and the likes of Bryan Danielson as hey can make him. 

Right now, when the company is still new is nit the time to raise this.


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## Boldgerg (Apr 2, 2017)

Yawn.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

LifeInCattleClass said:


> who do you think should be getting the ‘jungle boy’ experience then?
> 
> cause by my count Dante Martin, Will Hobbs, Private Party, Daniel Garcia all had it or are having it - hell, dante and garcia is getting it in spades at the moment
> 
> ...


I keep pointing out Baker because she's the best example of the point the article is talking about. Folk lean heavily on the "well the black talent isn't ready for a major spot" but Britt's constant push even through failures shows how bull shit those type of responses to this request some people have. You're either forgetful as hell or purposely pretending to not remember all the promo time and time to grow on Dynamite Britt got even when she sucked. You're unwillingness to actually look at things because you already decided to dismiss the topic is having you argue nonsense like Britt and Jungle Boy didn't get out the ordinary pushes

Hell even the fact you keep falsely comparing pushes highlights the point. You can't with a straight face say Hobbs, Dante Martin, and Private Party have got a Jungle Boy type push. Jungle Boy has won a PPV battle royale with title shot implications and is in his 2nd feud with The Elite. To compare that to anything the aforementioned has done is phony. Aww

A team like Private Party should be used better they started them off as if they'd be a big deal with The Bucks win, and they've fell off a cliff since then. Hobbs needs to continue getting things after Friday.


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## Dizzie (Jun 22, 2019)

All this political correctness clashing with itself, bashing aew for not pushing more people of diversity but then also wanting to cancel a talented guy like caster.


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## Dizzie (Jun 22, 2019)

RapShepard said:


> I keep pointing out Baker because she's the best example of the point the article is talking about. Folk lean heavily on the "well the black talent isn't ready for a major spot" but Britt's constant push even through failures shows how bull shit those type of responses to this request some people have. You're either forgetful as hell or purposely pretending to not remember all the promo time and time to grow on Dynamite Britt got even when she sucked. You're unwillingness to actually look at things because you already decided to dismiss the topic is having you argue nonsense like Britt and Jungle Boy didn't get out the ordinary pushes
> 
> Hell even the fact you keep falsely comparing pushes highlights the point. You can't with a straight face say Hobbs, Dante Martin, and Private Party have got a Jungle Boy type push. Jungle Boy has won a PPV battle royale with title shot implications and is in his 2nd feud with The Elite. To compare that to anything the aforementioned has done is phony. Aww
> 
> A team like Private Party should be used better they started them off as if they'd be a big deal with The Bucks win, and they've fell off a cliff since then. Hobbs needs to continue getting things after Friday.


Jungle boy would not be as pushed if he wasn't the son of a deceased celebrity and private were too green to be pushed further and would have ended up being too much too soon. I think this cooling down period for them turn out to be a blessing and I myself have started to enjoy their work as heels in the hardy stable.


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## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

Driver79 said:


> I don't think you meant to, but this is an insanely racist thing to say. You are basically inferring that people only take a special and unique interest in those that share the same skin color. In my opinion there's no reason why a black kid couldn't look up to a white wrestler. People, especially kids, naturally do not focus on skin color. That is why millions of white fans looked up to Michael Jordan in spite of the fact that he wasn't white.
> 
> If what you said is true, and people virtually cannot connect with someone unless they share their skin color, then there is no really no argument against white supremacy at that point. You're basically justifying it.


My issue is they call it a place of opportunity but it is not. You have 4 ppvs a year, damn a super card at 10E.

You give QT Marshall a ppv match and slot. Then you leave off the ppv in any capacity Starks, Powerhouse, Private Party who have Matt with them that is highly recognizable. You do that and then you don’t feature not one black male talent on your whole ppv making sure they don’t get that exposure, they don’t get that pay, and they don’t even get that growth? You have an open door with Impact but you will not use Moose or Swan, instead you cycled them on Impact and said they weren’t great talents, they weren’t good enough, they weren’t equals with you, and their company was garbage and they couldn’t save it as your champions which is literally what they said before burying, beating, and leaving them both there with no titles.

You bring in Ruby Soho, a nobody. A wwe jobber that wasn’t used that often, has a terrible look, isn’t a great worker, and no accolades. You promoteher in that battle royal. But you have Velvet who you never invest in. You have Kiera Hogan who is in her 20s, world traveler, trained by Booker T, multiple time tag team champion of Impact, half of the defunct Fire and Flava, been on tv for years, worked Gail/Rayne/Taya/Deona/Havok/Rosemary/Dashwood and is easily better in a ring that even Britt but can’t get a push off Dark. You have access to Yasha Steelz through your open door too who is again world traveled, champion, and trained. And you have Jade who you don’t want to actually follow through with as a company like Jungle Boy so much do that you will ignore her, keep her on Dark, and try as a company to act like Bunny and Ty deserve that development or Brit didn’t have warts early.

We may have to agree to disagree because right now there is nothing AEW has done with their make talent, female talent, or open door that says hey we will invest in you. You got to be Taz or Henry to get any kind of weekly feature there and it’s jarring the treatment


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Dizzie said:


> Jungle boy would not be as pushed if he wasn't the son of a deceased celebrity and private were too green to be pushed further and would have ended up being too much too soon. I think this cooling down period for them turn out to be a blessing and I myself have started to enjoy their work as heels in the hardy stable.


Yeah Jungle Boy has that, but it's not exactly something of merit nor is he a complete package. Yet he's been allowed to work through that on the big stage, even with admittedly wanting to avoid promos. Now I'm not saying that's wrong by any means, push him let him learn. But when folk are saying black wrestlers could probably use some more chances, the "well they're all green" response falls flat when you can easily point at green white talent that are allowed to learn in prominent spots. Private Party is in a low card stable with 3 other tag teams.


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## go stros (Feb 16, 2020)

TK opened the forbidden door and had opportunities to do things with both Swann and Moose but chose not to.


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## zaz102 (Jul 26, 2011)

It's clear that AEW is investing in diversity and you can nitpick how they are doing it, but got to give it some time as there hasn't been anything egregious. And also, they need to make sure they do their best to address it.

The bigger issue are the pathetic people that latch on to stories to like this and try to push as many reasons as they can hoping that AEW will fail (same for fans doing that to other promotions including WWE). These are people that make things a bigger deal than it is or only think what they like is the only way wrestling should be when they could just find something they like and support it (which also would be more impactful). Frankly, they make it embarrassing to be a wrestling fan.


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## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

go stros said:


> TK opened the forbidden door and had opportunities to do things with both Swann and Moose but chose not to.


He did do it with them. He went there on their show and proclaimed that they were not stars, they were not once in a generation talents, they didn’t belong in a ring with Omega or the elite. They tore those two to shreds on the microphone and then they beat their ass to shreds and took both their titles. Then they shut the door on their ass so Christian can come in and save them, retire they TNA belt with honor, and those two just sit back and avoid him or AEW. They destroyed those two bad which was stupid on the part of Impact for letting them do it as well just so the Good Brothers can stand in a crowd and look cool


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## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

Thomazbr said:


> If I was on Brandi position I would be freaked out about my husband cutting a promo about saying he ended racism because he got me pregnant with a biracial kid.
> 
> All that being said I think most of the black talent with a clear chance to be a main event stat (like Jade) *are being protected AND are making regular appearances on TV all the time.*


Did we just not have a grand slam Dynamire where not one person who worked it was a minority in primtime on live tv? If you were a minority you were put on taped Rampage which is known to have less viewers and you came on at 10E on Friday after SD. Did we also just not have any male competitors who were black get on All Out at all? And did the only female black characters they have get skipped over for Ruby, a certified jobber?

I mean come on if you want to see Jade, Kiera, and company you better watch Dark on YouTube. If you want Private Party featured go to Dark. If you want to hear Starks despite him having a title, listen to Rampage.

It’s a standard theme though for real, you have guys from Japan come in even and leap frog people but you go tell me a CW champ and World Champ swann can’t get in the door? Or that a NFL player, a TNA world champ, and specimen compared to most their roster and main event guys can’t get in the door that’s supposedly open to be made to look good. It’s just silly.

It goes back to Tasha Steelz interview on her podcast where she admittedly told Kiera be careful going there and to value happiness first with how she could be treated compared to being a knockout


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## Thomazbr (Apr 26, 2009)

wwetna1 said:


> Did we just not have a grand slam Dynamire where not one person who worked it was a minority in primtime on live tv? If you were a minority you were put on taped Rampage which is known to have less viewers and you came on at 10E on Friday after SD. Did we also just not have any male competitors who were black get on All Out at all? And did the only female black characters they have get skipped over for Ruby, a certified jobber?
> 
> I mean come on if you want to see Jade, Kiera, and company you better watch Dark on YouTube. If you want Private Party featured go to Dark. If you want to hear Starks despite him having a title, listen to Rampage.
> 
> ...


I mean for all we know Starks is currently still recovering from the whole broken neck thing because he hasn't even had matches on Dark for example.
Also let's not pretend Rampage is like three levels below considering it's the show that had the return of CM Punk for example.
Are we also going to pretend that the "guys from japan" aren't minorities?


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Thomazbr said:


> I mean for all we know Starks is currently still recovering from the whole broken neck thing because he hasn't even had matches on Dark for example.
> Also let's not pretend Rampage is like three levels below considering it's the show that had the return of CM Punk for example.
> Are we also going to pretend that the "guys from japan" aren't minorities?


Of course it shouldn't be ignored. But it also has to be remembered that Tony Khan is a big NJPW and Japanese wrestling fan. It has to be noted that The Elite aka the EVPs have huge ties to NJPW and Japanese wrestling in general when it comes to Kenny. It has to be acknowledge Moxley currently works for NJPW.


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## Thomazbr (Apr 26, 2009)

RapShepard said:


> Of course it shouldn't be ignored. But it also has to be remembered that Tony Khan is a big NJPW and Japanese wrestling fan. It has to be noted that The Elite aka the EVPs have huge ties to NJPW and Japanese wrestling in general when it comes to Kenny. It has to be acknowledge Moxley currently works for NJPW.


Right. These guys (Kenny specifically) built their career around Japan and Japanese wrestling and there's a buzz coming around them relating to these guys, coming to the US and having wrestling matches.
Should Moose get a shot in AEW, probably yeah.
But like
Jade got positioned strongly on the battle royale, Nyla got positioned strongly on the battle royale, Hobbs got to have a competitive (but bad) match with one of the big stars, you had Scorpio Sky who I particularly think is dull as fuck get inserted into a "big" angle involving Jericho, you have Dante Martin (if you consider him black) beginning a solo run being positioned as one of the possible future stars.
You also have Latinos doing stuff, asians doing stuff.

I get the struggle, I really do, but I also think this point right now is really silly.
Those are my 2cents at least. But then again as a mutt, I don't really care for race.


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## RapShepard (Jun 20, 2014)

Thomazbr said:


> Right. These guys (Kenny specifically) built their career around Japan and Japanese wrestling and there's a buzz coming around them relating to these guys, coming to the US and having wrestling matches.
> Should Moose get a shot in AEW, probably yeah.
> But like
> Jade got positioned strongly on the battle royale, Nyla got positioned strongly on the battle royale, Hobbs got to have a competitive (but bad) match with one of the big stars, you had Scorpio Sky who I particularly think is dull as fuck get inserted into a "big" angle involving Jericho, you have Dante Martin (if you consider him black) beginning a solo run being positioned as one of the possible future stars.
> ...


It's not that they do 0 with the black talent. It's just folk would like for what's going on with them to get more time on Dynamite as that's where the most eyes are. Have Jade get more TV squashes, and let her current feud being set up play out on TV. Make sure Hobbs gets another program on TV after this Punk stuff is over. That's all they got to do and it wouldn't take any real effort. 

And agree Scorpio Sky is boring as fuck.


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## go stros (Feb 16, 2020)

wwetna1 said:


> He did do it with them. He went there on their show and proclaimed that they were not stars, they were not once in a generation talents, they didn’t belong in a ring with Omega or the elite. They tore those two to shreds on the microphone and then they beat their ass to shreds and took both their titles. Then they shut the door on their ass so Christian can come in and save them, retire they TNA belt with honor, and those two just sit back and avoid him or AEW. They destroyed those two bad which was stupid on the part of Impact for letting them do it as well just so the Good Brothers can stand in a crowd and look cool


and you just proved my point and what the fuck were you watching? Tore who to shreds? TK had two perfect opportunities and at no time did he bring either of the two black men into AEW to advance the story.


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## Blade Runner (Jan 24, 2012)

wwetna1 said:


> My issue is they call it a place of opportunity but it is not. You have 4 ppvs a year, damn a super card at 10E.
> 
> You give QT Marshall a ppv match and slot. Then you leave off the ppv in any capacity Starks, Powerhouse, Private Party who have Matt with them that is highly recognizable. You do that and then you don’t feature not one black male talent on your whole ppv making sure they don’t get that exposure, they don’t get that pay, and they don’t even get that growth? You have an open door with Impact but you will not use Moose or Swan, instead you cycled them on Impact and said they weren’t great talents, they weren’t good enough, they weren’t equals with you, and their company was garbage and they couldn’t save it as your champions which is literally what they said before burying, beating, and leaving them both there with no titles.
> 
> ...


I'm sure that it's mostly just coincidence. I have a lot of issues with Tony Khan as a booker, but he certainly doesn't strike me as being racist.


If you start booking cards with the mentality of "there's gotta be a black wrestler on the card!" then you might as well also start looking for Asians, Indians, Mexicans, Russians...ect. You essentially begin booking based on skin pigmentation, and less on merit. It becomes challenging because the majority of Americans are white-caucasian. The majority of those living in Japan are Japanese, which is why NJPW book mainly Japanese talent at the top. AAA book Mexican talent at the top for the same reason.


It's not like AEW is completely devoid of black talent. They are grooming Jade to be a big star, and they're giving Hobbs some significant TV time. I seriously doubt that it'll stop there. Right now the guys at the top are people that were already established elsewhere. The WWE have the biggest established black wrestlers under contract. It'll take some time for AEW to build NEW stars (of all color). A single card having no black wrestlers on it doesn't automatically mean that they did it on purpose. I'm willing to bet that Tony Khan didn't give it a thought until that guy made the article moaning about it.


You don't want a situation where black wrestlers get special treatment for being black. Give them the title/spot if they are the best option for the position, but not for any other reason.


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## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

go stros said:


> and you just proved my point and what the fuck were you watching? Tore who to shreds? TK had two perfect opportunities and at no time did he bring either of the two black men into AEW to advance the story.


I watch impact on AXS every week just like Rampage and Dynamite. They did tear Swann and Moose to shreds on the mic on impact and when they went in the crowd and heckled them, talked about saving their pathetic company, and how unlike them was a real talent. Then they went to their ppvs / exclusive events and beat them there too. Swann and Moose haven’t recovered from the losses or the damage they got did to them on the mic. The AEW door is one sided so they never let them come over there and look credible despite being more credible than most their roster


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## wwetna1 (Apr 7, 2005)

KYRA BATARA said:


> I'm sure that it's mostly just coincidence. I have a lot of issues with Tony Khan as a booker, but he certainly doesn't strike me as being racist.
> 
> 
> If you start booking cards with the mentality of "there's gotta be a black wrestler on the card!" then you might as well also start looking for Asians, Indians, Mexicans, Russians...ect. You essentially begin booking based on skin pigmentation, and less on merit. It becomes challenging because the majority of Americans are white-caucasian. The majority of those living in Japan are Japanese, which is why NJPW book mainly Japanese talent at the top. AAA book Mexican talent at the top for the same reason.
> ...


I guess that’s fair too, Kahn is semi new at this. It’s sometimes easy to forget it, but I do agree with a portion of what the author said if for no reason that it is never pointed out to him, then he may never pay attention to it. I’m not saying make anyone the champ but I am saying time devoted to QT or Dark Order (if not getting bray) could be given to give Jade, Kiera, Tasha, Hobbs, Starks, or even Swann and Moose time…. If you go open the door to Impact don’t just do it to take their titles to boost up Kenny, clown their top guys, not use their girls many of which are better than yours (black or white), and let Kaz, Daniels, and Christian get wins.

That said I will say once more I’m not shocked their audience skews that way .. Vinces audience had to skew Black/Hispanic because of UPN, CW, and Fox


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## go stros (Feb 16, 2020)

wwetna1 said:


> I watch impact on AXS every week just like Rampage and Dynamite. They did tear Swann and Moose to shreds on the mic on impact and when they went in the crowd and heckled them, talked about saving their pathetic company, and how unlike them was a real talent. Then they went to their ppvs / exclusive events and beat them there too. Swann and Moose haven’t recovered from the losses or the damage they got did to them on the mic. *The AEW door is one sided so they never let them come over there and look credible despite being more credible than most their roster*


exactly my point TK had opportunity and fail to take it. As far as the rest I thought you meant they did no competitive matches. Swann had a good showing but lost. The Moose loss is pretty questionable.


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## Mister Sinister (Aug 7, 2013)

Fact: Japanese wrestlers do jack and shit for growing your black and Latino audience in the US. This is all about business in the US.

Moose>>>>>>>>>>anyone from NJPW



zaz102 said:


> It's clear that AEW is investing in diversity and you can nitpick how they are doing it, but got to give it some time as there hasn't been anything egregious. And also, they need to make sure they do their best to address it.
> 
> The bigger issue are the pathetic people that latch on to stories to like this and try to push as many reasons as they can hoping that AEW will fail (same for fans doing that to other promotions including WWE). These are people that make things a bigger deal than it is or only think what they like is the only way wrestling should be when they could just find something they like and support it (which also would be more impactful). Frankly, they make it embarrassing to be a wrestling fan.


It's tokenism and an empty geture when you hire people and only squash them and never commit to giving them stories and allowing the narrative to become that they are strong or are a dangerous submissionist or cunning like Eddie.


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## Driver79 (Sep 19, 2021)

wwetna1 said:


> I guess that’s fair too, Kahn is semi new at this. It’s sometimes easy to forget it, but I do agree with a portion of what the author said if for no reason that it is never pointed out to him, then he may never pay attention to it.


The author is a fucking moron and I don't even think he believes a single word he is saying.

Anyone who starts out by saying that WWE has a diversity problem is already proving themselves to be totally full of shit, as if the McMahons haven't catered to literally every group under the sun throughout their storied history. As if they aren't the same company that went with The Rock as their #1 guy. As if they aren't pushing a non-white dude as their #1 guy as we speak.

These fucking marks have gotten so worked up they literally think the reason why their favorite wrestlers haven't gotten pushed is because Vince doesn't like black people or something. And yet in the same breath they admit to watching his show and supporting his company. I mean shit if Vince is an evil racist, or if Khan and Cody are all racists, what the fuck does that say about the guys currently under their employ? What does that say about you guys for being fans?


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## Wolf Mark (Jun 5, 2020)

Who gives a shit. Push people by competence, not skin color. 

Also aren't Forbes supposed to be a Conservative publication? They usually do not care about this. Although maybe it's to put AEW's nose in it.


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