Racist gimmicks

[Guest Maurizio C... Version 2]

Steve Austin 1997/98 - basically a natural born killer skinhead ripoff.

 

Norman Smiley - so he was a goof... and he was black... a black goof... why?

 

Virgil - King of racist gimmciks. 2 times in his career he's been called with names of promoters and bookers (virgil Runnels and Vincent Mcmahon) to make THEM look BAD. how stupid...

 

care to add someone?

[Guest DEEP THOUGHT]

The Orient Express

- Kato wore a mask that had narrow slanted eyes on it.

 

Akeem

- White man thinks he a black man so he starts to "act" like one.

[Guest Tony149]

Slick - Dress liked a pimp. Watch the "Jive Soul Bro" video.

[Guest AM The Kid]

The Nation Of Domination- "By Any Means Necassary", all black wanting equality.

[Guest nWoScorpion]

Saba Simba; need I say more?

 

Dusty Rhodes wasnt a gimmick that was SUPPOSE to be black, until he debute dthe "American Dream": msuic sung by slaves an him dancing around with a black chick talkin slang.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Tatanka.

Akeem.

Saba Simba.

Kaientai.

Kwang.

[Guest BA_Baracus]

Currently...

 

...Booker T and Tajiri.

 

In the past...God...there was so many I can't even remember them all.

[Guest Some Guy]

Booker T's gimmick doesn't seem to be very far off from what he is/was like in real life, he is stupid, his performance on the Weakest link and Howard Stern were laughable and he used to rob fast food restaurants, so the car stealing angle is actually a less serious crime.  He has been doing the Spinarooni since his early WCW and he used to breakdance as a kid.  I can't think of anything they've had him do that could be construed as racist.

Tajiri aside from Lawler's commentary and his entrance music doesn't have a racist gimmick really.  He's a 5 ft tall Japanese guy who gets to bang one of the hottest chicks in the company in the storylines, doesn't sound racist to me.  If Torrie were to mock his size and they were to keep yelling "Pearl Harbor" at him or calling him slurs then I might see his gimmick as racist.  Austin is also not a racist gimmick although he has said a few things that might be questionable.  Norman Smiley was just a goof, so what?  Commissioner Mick Foley- so he was a goof... and he was white... a white goof... why?  see it doesn't seem so bad when you look at this case.

 

Saba Simba was pretty bad, as were the Nation, Boriquas, DOA, Klub Kamikazee (sp?)/ Kaentai haven't been to bad since "choppy choppy your pee pee".  Virgil is probably the worst case, but his color was never mentioned at all as far as I can remember in any way, negatively or positivley.  Bad News Brown was IMO a racist gimmick given to a somewhat racist person.  Saphire was also a racist gimmick.

[Guest Mystery Eskimo]

I think Harlem Heat had a very brief slave gimmick with a white manager. I don't really remember it very well, but I think it was shelved *very* quickly, as you would imagine.

 

God knows what idiot came up with that one.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Steve Austin 1997/98 - basically a natural born killer skinhead ripoff.

 

Norman Smiley - so he was a goof... and he was black... a black goof... why?

 

I fail to see how Austin was a skinhead ripoff. His bald head?

 

Norman Smiley looked like more of a goof to me before he became Screamin Norman and I think it is better for him to act like a goof intentionally than to be a goof unintentionally.

 

Booker T's gimmick doesn't seem to be very far off from what he is/was like in real life, he is stupid, his performance on the Weakest link and Howard Stern were laughable and he used to rob fast food restaurants, so the car stealing angle is actually a less serious crime.  He has been doing the Spinarooni since his early WCW and he used to breakdance as a kid.  I can't think of anything they've had him do that could be construed as racist.

 

How do you know what the man is like in real life? Are you secretly Stevie Ray? I don't want to hear about his peformance on the Weakest Link and Howard Stern because a) Austin didn't like too bright during his appearance and plenty of other celebrities get the same questions wrong and b) his Stern appearance featured him being placed in isolation because they were afraid that he would kick someone's ass and nobody would be able to stop him from doing so. If this doesn't scream credibilty as a wrestler, I don't know what does.

 

As far as the whole robbery incident, I don't see where that was a reflection of his past or his personality. He paid his debt to society and has not been convicted of any crimes since then, so why is it necessary to act like Booker killed the Jews? I'm not making excuses for him but, the guy was in a bad financial situation and sought to improve it through unwise (and illegal) means. He apparently has learned from his mistakes so I don't see where it is necessary to keep chastising him for it.

 

The spinaroonie is not necessarily a racist thing, but there are other things about Booker T's gimmick and on air treatment that are questionable. For example, let's look at how people make fun of his hair. You might not see where the racism lies in that so I will try to bring it to light. Ever since Booker T got into the WWF, his hair has been made fun of constantly. When you make fun of someone's physical features that can be attributed to their race, that can be considered racist. My roommates and I were having a discussion about the concept of "good hair." I don't know if anyone is familiar with this concept but this term disturbs me. Amongst black people, when they say someone has good hair, it usually means that their hair is similar to the hair of a white person. I have never subscribed to this brand of thinking because I can see where it came from. Basically, it is the continution of the idea that all things european are the things that the earth revolves around. I hope I am not the only one who sees the absurdity behind the idea that having hair like a white person means that you have "good" hair. This thinking is not confined to the minds of some black people or the WWF, but you can see it is a sentiment that has been reinforced on WWF TV lately. Everyone in the WWF has made fun of Booker T's hair from Big Show to the Rock (who has "good hair" by the way). He was put into a damn feud over a shampoo contract! I'm sure everyone is not going to see my point. Perhaps I have failed as a writer or people just refuse to acknowledge any of this as true because ignorance=bliss. However, I would still like to believe and know that my point was made.

[Guest thebear]

Well the rock is a racist skinhead type character *L*

 

wasn't it a us senator that said that... I remember reading about it on canada's slam wrestling site...

[Guest muzanisa]

You could argue that William Regal, Billy Jack Haynes and Hillbilly Jim were racist. I don't like the way Booker is being portrayed. The WWF has a very shaky record, Saba Simba, Farooq as the "street" gladiator,Slick, Akeem.

With the exception of Raven I can't think of many gimmicks that haven't used mental heuristics at least at the start. What usually happens is the wrestler adds layers to their character over time.

Col DeBeers was the worst though.

[Guest nl5xsk1]

While Col Debeers was the most blatant, it only happened in the AWA, which was a relatively small market by then.  I think the WWF having Terry Funk assault Mel Phillips (the ringside attendant) for being a black man who dared put on his cowboy hat was every bit as bad.  But it led to the pretty cool Funk-JYD feud, so it wasn't all bad.

[Guest dreamer420]

How about the entrance music used for every Asian wrestler ever in the WWF?

[Guest the 1inch punch]

Allegedly, the Harlem Heat being Col. Rob Parkers slaves was Sid's idea

 

Yes, Sid, as in squeegee, and scissors

[Guest Some Guy]

"How do you know what the man is like in real life? Are you secretly Stevie Ray? I don't want to hear about his peformance on the Weakest Link and Howard Stern because a) Austin didn't like too bright during his appearance and plenty of other celebrities get the same questions wrong and b) his Stern appearance featured him being placed in isolation because they were afraid that he would kick someone's ass and nobody would be able to stop him from doing so. If this doesn't scream credibilty as a wrestler, I don't know what does.

 

As far as the whole robbery incident, I don't see where that was a reflection of his past or his personality. He paid his debt to society and has not been convicted of any crimes since then, so why is it necessary to act like Booker killed the Jews? I'm not making excuses for him but, the guy was in a bad financial situation and sought to improve it through unwise (and illegal) means. He apparently has learned from his mistakes so I don't see where it is necessary to keep chastising him for it.

 

The spinaroonie is not necessarily a racist thing, but there are other things about Booker T's gimmick and on air treatment that are questionable. For example, let's look at how people make fun of his hair. You might not see where the racism lies in that so I will try to bring it to light. Ever since Booker T got into the WWF, his hair has been made fun of constantly. When you make fun of someone's physical features that can be attributed to their race, that can be considered racist. My roommates and I were having a discussion about the concept of "good hair." I don't know if anyone is familiar with this concept but this term disturbs me. Amongst black people, when they say someone has good hair, it usually means that their hair is similar to the hair of a white person. I have never subscribed to this brand of thinking because I can see where it came from. Basically, it is the continution of the idea that all things european are the things that the earth revolves around. I hope I am not the only one who sees the absurdity behind the idea that having hair like a white person means that you have "good" hair. This thinking is not confined to the minds of some black people or the WWF, but you can see it is a sentiment that has been reinforced on WWF TV lately. Everyone in the WWF has made fun of Booker T's hair from Big Show to the Rock (who has "good hair" by the way). He was put into a damn feud over a shampoo contract! I'm sure everyone is not going to see my point. Perhaps I have failed as a writer or people just refuse to acknowledge any of this as true because ignorance=bliss. However, I would still like to believe and know that my point was made."

 

Oh come on now.  I don't know Booker personally, obviously but he was far and away the worst performer on the Weakest Link, he said Thanksgiving was in October for Christ's sake.  His stupid gimmick didn't start until after that and didn't really kick in until Edge brought it up on Raw.  Which brings me to my next point Jerry Lawler makes fun of Edge's hair a lot, he made fun of Razor's, HBK's, Bret's, many other long haired wrestlers as well, he also used to make fun of McMahon's hair.  Is this evidence of racism? I've listed 5 white guys with "good hair" who get/got their hair made fun of, so I don't think so.  

BTW, Rock's hair wouldn't really fit your definition of "good hair" check out Survivor Series 96.

[Guest teke184]

God, Blue Chipper Rocky Maivia's hair looked like a damn Chiapet.

 

However, I don't think that looked nearly as stupid as Chris Jericho's pineapple-style hairdo that he has during his early months in the WWF.

[Guest Karnage]

But Thanksgiving is in October.

[Guest dreamer420]

But Thanksgiving is in October.

That's what I was thinking.

 

 

 

Nice avatar BTW.  Andy French kicks ass.

[Guest Some Guy]

maybe in Canada or some other un-important country  But in America it's in November.

[Guest muzanisa]

What's Thanksgiving?

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

Booker T's gimmick doesn't seem to be very far off from what he is/was like in real life, he is stupid, his performance on the Weakest link and Howard Stern were laughable and he used to rob fast food restaurants, so the car stealing angle is actually a less serious crime.

 

Oh come on now.  I don't know Booker personally, obviously but he was far and away the worst performer on the Weakest Link, he said Thanksgiving was in October for Christ's sake.

 

You admit you don't know him personally, yet you felt inclined to comment on what kind of personality he has in real life.

[Guest]

Commentry on a koko b ware (circa '88) match:

 

"Look at the little choco warrior"

 

Jim Ross said the N word during one of the PPV's last year, all the more odd was that it was completely out of context in the sentence he saying.

[Guest Choken One]

On the Booker T arguement, the character is not remotly racist, since it's merely an extention of his actual being and the question of his intelligence, If he was Canadian or English, I would not think second about him being a "Idiot" since he is not  known to American holidays but he lived in Texas and America his whole life, so thus proves his lack of intelligence. Then again, you could argue he was nervous under the lights but for someone who performs in his Underwear in front 20,000 people, I doubt that's a issue.

[Guest Shaved Bear]

any asian wrestler

[Guest Some Guy]

You admit you don't know him personally, yet you felt inclined to comment on what kind of personality he has in real life.

 

I think I explained what I meant in a previous post, but I'll do it again.  He performed horribly on Weakest Link, he performed horribly on Stuttering John's quiz, he doesn't seem to have a good grasp of English (I'm not refering to his slang or accent or anything like that, he uses (and mispronouces) large words in the wrong context, listen to any non-Kayfabe interviews he's done, he is a convicted armed robber, he did pay his debt to society, but it is part of his past, so the car stealing angle which was lambasted as racist on the net, despite Austin, Angle and others doing the same thing, was not that far off of what he has been convisted of doing in his youth, and as such I presumed that his character was an extension of his personality, just like Austin, Rock, HHH, etc.. claim theirs are.  I'm sorry if I offended you in any way, but that's my opininion.  

Furthermore I do not deny that there is and has been some racism in pro wrestling and the WWF.  I listed gimmicks that I thought were racist in a previous post as well.

 

Saba Simba was pretty bad, as were the Nation, Boriquas, DOA, Klub Kamikazee (sp?)/ Kaentai haven't been to bad since "choppy choppy your pee pee".  Virgil is probably the worst case, but his color was never mentioned at all as far as I can remember in any way, negatively or positivley.  Bad News Brown was IMO a racist gimmick given to a somewhat racist person.  Saphire was also a racist gimmick.

 

For the record I am a huge Booker T fan and think he deserves a big push and the world title.  I don't feel this way as a result of of his color or anything like that. I feel that he is one of the most consistantly entertaining performers in the WWF.  The fact that he has remained over despite not winning any singles matches on ppv or ever beating a main eventer or upper mid-carder cleanly.  I don't care what color his skin is or what anyone else's skin color is, all I care about is whether or not they are entertaining on TV.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

How do you make comments on someone's personality that you don't know? I'm not addresing Some Guy this time, I'm addressing the guy that lent his two cents and questions Booker T's grasp of the english language and doesn't know how to spell argument himself. Actually reading your post, I'm beginning to question your grasp of the english language.

 

If he was Canadian or English, I would not think second about him being a "Idiot" since he is not  known to American holidays but he lived in Texas and America his whole life, so thus proves his lack of intelligence.

 

When you live in glass houses don't throw stones. Incidentally, who actually thinks Booker  doesn't know which month Thanksgiving is in, since I believe that Thanksgiving is probably oone of the few days that he gets to spend at home instead of on the road.

[Guest pinnacleofallthingsmanly]

BTW, how do you know what interviews are non-kayfabe? An interview is kayfabe if a wrestler wants it to be. He might answer questions somewhat honestly, but that doesn't mean that it isn't a kayfabe interview because the guy could be in character. Keep in mind Vince McMahon on Byte This when you talk about kayfabe interviews.

[Guest DebilitatorX]

TAKA Michinoku's babyface theme is called "Yamato Suite Pt. 4", and he brought it over from Michinoku Pro. So unless the Japanese are racist against themselves...

[Guest]

I'd say the most racist gimmicks are:

Akeem, The African Dream

Saba Simba

El Matador

Colonel Debeers

Dick "The Rebel" Slater

The Truth Comission

The Nation of Domination

Kato

Kwang

Shinobi.