The WWE's complex "Black" history

[@always_serpico]

Something that always pisses me off is the excuse people give for Shelton Benjamin never being a world champion. People would always say “He’s not good on the mic” or “He doesn’t have charisma”. Meanwhile, Jeff Hardy is a multi-time world champion. Jeff was definitely not the best on the mic, and despite them trying to force the narrative of him being the “charismatic enigma”, he has the charisma of paint drying. And I love Jeff, but it is what it is.

[@mars7304]

Jeff has the charisma of a Shameless character. "Enigma" was their excuse buzzword for "bad but we're gonna lie about it"

[@wrestlinganime4life288]

Also Jeff addiction was soo problematic and yet they still gave him the shot

[@dreamusmenus3759]

To be fair though, the hardy boys are black

[@dbgrfdg]

bro that's cap Jeff was levels above Shelton, he had severeal legendary WrestleMania and SummerSlam matches, not just one superkick that made it to highlightreels. Also Jeff was very beloved by the the sparce womens audience in this male dominated product, you don't have that often. He truely was charismatic in his artsy kinda way + of course his outfit and his moveset. Shelton was closer to a default create a wrestler in that kinda regard. + Shelton didn't have the benefit of being part of the attitude era. So please stop with the cope and don't state you subjective opinions as a fact

[@kwanli_beats]

Shelton Should've Definitely Been A Champion But To Say Jeff Had No Charisma Is Crazy. Man Was Jumping Off Scaffolds

[@ellis7796]

FD, my 55 year old bus driver in North Carolina listens to your videos like a podcast while he drives the bus. He plays it over the speaker system so we can all listen, lol. Just thought you should know

[@jinxedjosie5934]

Best bus driver ever 😂

[@autoimmunedefficiencysyndrome]

Do you think FD thinking to himself, "damn, how's this gonna sound on the bus though?" while recording now? 😂

[@Sensei_BigJoe]

I'm 43 in Selma NC, that's a cool bus driver lol

[@DullyDust]

Absolutely badass busman ❤❤❤

[@eliasmg9144]

@@autoimmunedefficiencysyndrome 50/50 chance

[@ForeignManinaForeignLand]

I never got into WWE despite being a wrestler but a lot of what Unc dives into here can be applied to the experience of "wrestling while Black". I'll extend it to any sport but there's something special about grappling sports as it's so tactile, intimate and also dyadic. what ought be group therapy for my teammates and I often ended up being an afro atrocity exhibition that they got to explore at my expense.

[@mars7304]

Social spaces surrounding wrestling as a sport just have never seemed healthy, and I really think it's because a lot of wrestlers use the violence inherent to the sport to avoid any discomfort they may feel regarding how intimate the sport is.

[@kilgore_trout_37]

@@mars7304big agree- all of my wrestling friends and I fall into the category of “you wouldn’t know by looking at us”. As a girl people were always surprised I liked wrestling, and if they were also into it they were heavily skeptical of my bona fides (all girls are fake fans, we know this! 😂). I feel like this is true of so much nerdy fandom though, right? Star Wars fans are literally everyone, but the super fans- toxic AF. Way to try to gatekeep the monoculture!

[@BrickDaniels-qu7bz]

@@kilgore_trout_37 The hell is monoculture?

[@mars7304]

​@@kilgore_trout_37 I'm a little confused. I meant wrestling as Foreign meant it. The Greco-Roman style singlet-wearing no-homo contest of a sport. The one in the Olympics.

[@joshwhite5730]

@@kilgore_trout_37foreign was talking about the actual award

[@Lyhnmyu]

This was an extremely dope video. Didnt even feel like an hour man. It just breezed by. I had no idea of all this wrestlin history man.

[@paulgraham3902]

One of the craziest things about Kofi winning was apparently Danielson had to go fight to make his win happen and convince McMahon that it was important and the fans would love it. They did all that story and Vince STILL didn't want to finish it. I don't really f with WWE anyway but I'm so glad that Vince is gone from the biz, rest in piss

[@brody10123]

I was at Mania 35, I can’t believe Kofi losing was ever even a thought everyone in the building was pulling for him

[@VolcyThoughts]

“I enjoy destroying lives” was absolutely insane when I first heard it. Then 20 years later, I learned that he wasn’t acting. He really did enjoy destroying lives.

[@ThatElfTorunn]

The phrase "when someone tells you who they are, believe them" springs to mind. I never really thought Vince was playing a character. It came too easily to him.

[@fredericchristie3472]

@@ThatElfTorunn You can see him discovering "the character" when he went to Memphis. On the one hand, it's cool to see someone learning to present this version of themselves. On the other hand, yeah, you can see the sheer joy in him in letting loose that malice and not having to pretend.

[@fluidthought42]

Vince doesn't understand the meaning of kayfabe.

[@deepblue8143]

Whose life did he destroy? He's helped more people in his lifetime than you and others will do in ten lifetimes.

[@Zoroasterisk]

@@deepblue8143 Owen Hart and Chris Benoit come to mind

[@elreytriton]

Kamala is my grandfather. He was an 8th grade dropout raised by a single mother of 4 that got in trouble a lot as a teen in a very small town in Mississippi. He eventually straightened up and started driving trucks in his 20s and got married. Memphis wrestling became a thing and he kept being told he should try it since he was so tall and large. Jerry Lawler kept coming up with gimmicks until he came up with the Ugandan Giant one. He had to pay for his own travel, lodging, and food. Manager given to him by the wwf was getting huge cut. The other wrestlers like the Ultimate Warrior and etc had everything paid for. The money he was making seemed like a lot because he was from Mississippi but he was getting ripped off. He said they were told that losing a match paid more money. The other wrestlers kept telling him the money was funny and he should say something to Vince. By the time he said something to Vince, Vince smiled and told him he could leave whenever he wanted if he was unhappy. His generation of wrestling was over by then. Chris Hedges spoke about this years ago saying wrestling was another caricature of America. Blonde haired blue eyed white guys defeating giants, savages, and foreigners.

[@fredericchristie3472]

Thanks for the story! Vince really is a carnie.

[@blackjack23able]

Kamala was always one of my Favorites.

[@songkongphooey]

I remember him as Sugar Bear Harris before his Kamala gimmick. He seemed like a really good man in real life.

[@LordTalron]

Kamala was responsible for a lot of butts in seats its so unfair that he didnt benefit from the money he made wwe

[@ren17x50]

Cornettes needs to listen to Hedges view on wrestling

[@jihadx5307]

In Rock’s book, he spoke about not wanting to be typecast as an “angry black man” while in The Nation. He said he took his father’s advice about not talking “jive” or becoming a stereotype so he didn’t marginalize himself. However, Rock embraced black culture because his gimmick was based on Deion Sanders & his fashion choices echoed Puffy, Biggie, Tupac & Suge with the Versace shirts, sunglasses & gold chains. Rock even used a cover instrumental of Biggie’s “Hypnotize” as his entrance theme in 1998. Personally, Rock lived with Mark Henry early in his career & bought his house around the corner from D’Lo. He also only traveled with Mark Henry, D’Lo & The Dudleys because they weren’t into drugs. Rock never even traveled with his Samoan relatives that were on the roster.

[@BlingoTTM]

This!!!!❤

[@elijaharvinger1178]

Rock never embraced black culture. To this day he reps his Pacific Island roots almost exclusively and that's fine. Lets not rewrite history. Versace shirts and gold chains isnt black culture.

[@jihadx5307]

@@AJ-lq3jz that’s not true. When he came to the main roster he was traveling with Mark Henry (who he was already living with) and Brian Christopher joined them when he came up to the main roster. The only relative he had on the road in 1997 was Rikishi (aka The Sultan) who traveled with Undertaker & The Godwinns (BSK). Rock is the one who got Mark Henry put into The Nation an entire year afterwards due to their friendship .

[@Yvanehtnioj2000]

No let’s be real here the Rock did not want to be seen as a Black wrestler and he said it on his Insta live when he was talking about Owen being in the Nation. He didn’t have to schuck and jive, that’s not the ONLY thing Black people are good for WTF that in itself just FURTHER proves how and why he tried to alienate himself from being seen as a Black wrestler. It’s why he has ALWAYS carried himself as a Samoan wrestler and ONLY brought up being Black when his father was mentioned. But they ALWAYS put more emphasis on him being Peter Maivia’s grandson. Just look how Samoans are treated. Way better than the Black talent, second only to the White talent. What’s funny is they mostly ALL put on Black man personas aside from Umaga and Roman to get over while The Usos, Rikishi, Rock, kinda Solo. Rosie and Jamal. Like come on…they use Samoans to be their Black culture even though they have actual Black people on the roster. The only Black wrestler Vince ever really liked was Bobby Lashley and he’s one out of HOW MANY? Prime example, the Rock said on his live he put Owen in the Nation because he didn’t want it to be all Black people and didn’t want their angle to be about being Black but it was the WHOLE POINT of the Nation. HE just didn’t want to be boxed in. But anytime a Black celebrity came on the show back then the Rock was the one affiliating with them in some way. He was sure to make us all remember he was Black THEN when he wanted to social climb in those “urban” spaces. He had NO issue ever being called a Samoan wrestler. He never tried to detract from that EVER. Don’t let the fact that he BASED his character off a Black man confuse you. Only being Black when it’s convenient for him isn’t helping his case. Look at him now that he’s more himself in wrestling. He’s NOTHING like how he used to be, not even HALF as good. He basically had to put on Blackface to get where he’s at. Smfh.

[@yandhi_6382]

@@Yvanehtnioj2000 Exactly, typecasting wasn't the issue, it was the race that was. He knew being seen as black in wrestling would stiffle his career. Truly weapponized his proximity to blackness

[@erichmyles4481]

I can't believe a writer Wrote the nappy hair line, and then let him win. That's crazy

[@agc2757]

As a lifelong fan I genuinely don't know if the result of a match has ever been so widely rejected. It was more than just a poor decision in the context of the story, it was a genuine insult.

[@17-MASY]

‏‪54:10

[@scottavenged7x]

WWE has made a LOT of mistakes, but as far as storytelling and fuckin hell, just making money, this is the dumbest thing they ever did imo. I was dumbfounded then and I am now. Just brutally stupid booking.

[@thesolidestsnake]

Imagine what it could have been. If Booker one. Beating the racist aristocrat triple H for the three clean and proving him wrong. I bet it would have been remembered far more positively if Booker won.

[@Dfizzleshizzle1]

To this day that match is largely considered to be one of the worst booking decisions in wrestling history. Even white fans with basically 0 racial consciousness still talk about how horrific a decision it was, and the creative people responsible for the decision still receive questions and hate about it whenever they stick their faces in public. I feel like once every couple months and stop what I'm doing and think "man...I can't believe they let HHH win that match against Booker..." Even from a purely wrestling perspective it was doubly insulting because they had HHH hit his finisher and then wait for what felt like an eternity before pinning Booker, which felt like an intentional insult to make Booker look weaker before he got kicked back down the card.

[@thisizn8]

It's so hard to explain how epic Kofimania was and how much it was needed for long time minority fans. As a latino, Eddie Guerrero beating Lesnar was that moment for me. I was overjoyed for Black fans that got to see Kofi's rise to the title.

[@Monstructer]

I was so happy to see this in person. It was my very first Wrestlemania and just close enough to Canada. I went on a whim cause it was always a bucket list item for me, and I was so glad it was this one. Being in that audience was otherworldly when Kofi finally got his win.

[@BabyMaharaja0]

and it was so incredible seeing Brock end it in 5 seconds. the difference between a real main event star and a forced one

[@jeffreytripp-v3w]

Th fans wanted that belt and him and he deserved to be world champion he paid his dues and earned it.@@BabyMaharaja0

[@tabitha245]

@@BabyMaharaja0he’s not though

[@madtheorist1856]

​@@BabyMaharaja0yeah, Kofi was able to put on a hell of a show, whereas Brock is just a big guy

[@justhearmeout3959]

"one part athlete, one part stuntman, and one part actor" I never thought about it that way before.

[@deadforever]

Oh shit, this gonna be good.

[@alexr3156]

There are more theater kids in in Indy wrestling nowadays than people who could be considered "athletes"

[@Loch1210]

How did you think about it?

[@mrmoyd007]

That’s what I appreciate about the sports entertainment aspect of professional wrestling. Logan Paul thrives off of this aspect, as you can learn the bumps and moves on the fly

[@justhearmeout3959]

@@Loch1210 I'm gonna be completely honest. For most of my life I thought of wrestling as crap, at least the wrestling were talking about here. Mostly because my dad would watch it when I was a kid and I swear it was the only thing he ever seemed happy about. Fiq is who opened my mind up about it. He's piqued my interest, but I still never fully understood it. Prolly still won't (fully) after this video but I'll understand it at least understand it better than I once did.

[@emmaarmo379]

Something that I really appreciate about your content is that for long-form video essays, you are relatively concise. I've seen a lot of video essays recently that have about 20-30 minutes of actual content stretched out to 3-4 hours. This is a long video, but it's paced well and deserves that length

[@kilgore_trout_37]

Seriously an epidemic of this lately, and also video essays that turn out to not be essays at all, just a meandering re-reading of a timeline without any point or thesis. I’ve started so many of these that you gotta get halfway through before it’s like- oh, this isn’t going anywhere, we’re just having a chat I guess?

[@ocher8931]

People really yappin’ and saying nothing on this platform. FD saving my sanity.

[@Tulpen23]

Agree!

[@FlyForAWhiteTy]

Probably comes from his curriculum admin experience

[@cnking27]

I find that I'm getting to like 8 minutes with more and more videos and I'm like, "you've said that three times now and haven't gone anywhere else, I know where this is going"

[@macdonnyy]

Honestly wasn't expecting this to be my top 3 F.D Signifer video. The build up starting from the history of wrestling to Kofi Kingston's story had me shedding tears. Brought up memories of watching wrestling with my auntie. Great video essay F.D.

[@stephen9302]

Tell Owen Hart's wife how "fake" wrestling is...

[@fabianjon698]

​@stephen9302 He died performing a ridiculously dangerous, STAGED entrance into the ring. I think Owen's wife knows he was in a scripted, sports entertainment industry that has wrestlers perform dangerous acts for the fans thrills. It's a shame how he died, many in the industry say it was unnecessary.

[@doejersey]

“So let’s talk a little bit about Vince McMohan” has to be the most loaded thing ever said on KZbin.

[@doejersey]

Literally one of the most evil people. But he definitely knew how to make a wrestler and a good show.

[@princemwamba5230]

Like he's fucked up but without I just honestly don't see wrestling getting to the level it is today ​@@doejersey

[@fromoakandrowan2794]

As long as that wrestler has a steroid build that he can drool over.

[@Firebert]

@@fromoakandrowan2794 "You want your 5 star matches? Your 30 min classics? Not me! I WANT BIG MEATY MEN SLAPPING MEAT"

[@ctbcardinal]

@@Firebertunironically, he ‘hated’ Kane, so.. somewhat…

[@chrisballard6410]

The most devastating part of Booker T’s loss to Triple H was how weak it made him look. The breadth of time between HHH hitting the pedigree and covering him for the pin lasted an eternity. It may as well have been a squash match. It wasn’t just damaging to Booker’s image, it was disrespectful.

[@fredericchristie3472]

Totally unnecessary for storytelling and totally spiteful anti-WCW nonsense on top of implying the racist is correct. A shameful chapter.

[@diallo1347]

Wrestling legend Sting said he didn't go to WWE because he saw how badly they disrespected Booker T and called it "disgraceful treatment of a megastar."

[@View619]

Agreed, losing wasn't so bad. It's the idea that Booker was so weak, he couldn't kick out after almost 20 seconds before a pinfall happened. It was just HHH being spiteful.

[@RobJarrell63]

That kind of thing is why stevie ray didn't go

[@SaloneUCE]

To this day I don’t rock w/ Triple H bc of this

[@subalternprecariat]

Vince McMahon doesn't play a character. He was playing a character up until the steroid allegations and the Attitude Era. Vince plays himself.

[@dumisatonyjohnson8145]

You sir are correct He’s been himself since the Montreal screw job at the 1997 Survivor Series

[@klover19]

​@@dumisatonyjohnson8145 yep in fact they themselves mention McMahon started to be himself as the villain after the screw job on the "9 lives of Vince McMahon" documentary by vice TV.

[@george._sir._gemini.175]

He is a rerepublican.

[@zachramsay]

“I love mankind, but I find to my amazement that the more I love mankind as a whole, the less I love man in particular.” Fyodor Dostoyevsky, the Brothers Karamazov, talking about Vince McMahon and all the other exploitative owners, probably.

[@KWillo]

IDC how you feel about it but Durag Vince was hilarious 🤣.It seemed like he was being his true self then.Michael Jai White said it best in that you can't hide from the camera.

[@ianbyrne465]

I think the fact that Bobby Lashley (a guy who’s built like black Brock Lesnar, can move like a man half his size, and also has a background as an MMA champion, like Lesnar) never got more than a few fairly perfunctory periods with the title, despite being a Vince McMahon wet dream tells you all you need to know about Vince’s feelings on black people.

[@Helldog6]

Okay, while I agree partially - Bobby definitely deserved better than he got - I will say Brock just did everything Bobby did, but better. And this is in regard to pretty much everything. It also didn't help that Bobby was a clear supplement for Lesnar, after Lesnar left the business.

[@abellabarbie]

Facts. And he is so professional

[@CoolPorygon]

For what it's worth, Lashley was at least treated better in recent history by Vince than he was by Triple H. But Lashley is definitely one of the biggest and most recent names of men who most definitely deserved so much more.

[@toxiczombiewolf5692]

Bobby is great really enjoy his work

[@_Pauper_]

He suffered FROM being a Vince guy (wrestling fans being adversarial anyway). He could have been the big man heel gatekeeper/sometime baby face champ

[@hackprefect]

55:10 Not only did Booker lose, it takes a full 15 seconds for him to get covered and he just takes the pin. 15 seconds is a lifetime in matches like that, and it just shows the level of callous disregard the company had for Booker. WWE was openly hostile to WCW talent after the buyout and merger, due to Vince's aforementioned petty bullshit. That and the Kofi/Brock squash will always leave a bad taste in my mouth that no amount of Sasha/Bianca main events (a moment that legitimately makes me cry to this very day) will ever wash out.

[@blackjack23able]

It's stuff like that that gives me pleasure watching their downfall. Yeah I'm being just as petty as them.

[@mike04574]

@@blackjack23ablethey ain’t going down anytime soon but aew is

[@Ramonesaehs]

The Booker T thing stopped me from consistently watching wrestling ever again.

[@blackjack23able]

@@mike04574 But AEW.... - Cult of Mcmahon Worshipper

[@Ishbikes]

I remember undertaker beating the shit out of DDP. DDP didn’t even get to touch Taker. It was insane

[@deadmanthehekatonkheire994]

As a Black man (South African), I stopped watching wrestling over a decade ago for the same reasons you stated. But when I caught wind of Kofi's match with Daniel Brian I was glued to my TV screen, watching every second of it. Because of the dread that loomed over me the entire match, I managed to convince myself that I was only watching because I had nothing better to do than watch the WWE give me false hope only to dash it away at the last second. Let me tell you the way I screamed when Kofi won that match. I was high on life the whole week, you couldn't tell me nothing. All for this sporting event I hadn't cared about in so long. I never went back to watching the WWE even after that. I just always wanted that moment to be the last thing I remembered about this company that had let me down so many times. Thanks for this great video.

[@darrengordon-hill]

RACIST

[@fredericchristie3472]

One day recently, hearing updates on Big E's neck injury caused me to be in a funk all day. The New Day are brilliant performers and have positively touched so many people. You chose a great time to get out, seeing a man who deserved it get a prize he earned.

[@murk4552]

​@@darrengordon-hillfor wanting Black wrestlers who kicked ass to be acknowledged?

[@notNajimi]

@@darrengordon-hillbro what

[@homeoftek5844]

​@@murk4552the only thing that needs to be acknowledged is DRAWING. CHARACTERS draws ratings, not skin tone 😂

[@AntagonistVideo]

Kofimania running into Brock, just the most deflating thing.

[@randomnerd3402]

Especially now knowing for sure that Brock was a POS. The stories were there in the past but the most recent one serves as concrete confirmation

[@aliuniversal4100]

Brock, vinces personal ubermensch

[@javiers5599]

Literally two days later was THAT Hell in a Cell match between Seth and The Fiend. It nearly killed both their careers

[@javiers5599]

Combined that with AEW Dynamite's debut beating NXT that week and WWE 2k20's release. WWE couldn't stop taking Ls in 2019

[@CasualFox12495]

Also, remember that happened on the debut episode of smackdown on Fox.

[@Amelthon]

I'm not a wrestling fan, but just from seeing your recap Kofi's story you had me so invested in it. I get it. I barely knew about most of these people an hour ago and I was still going to be mad if that match had had a bullshit ending.

[@lilbilliam]

PSA: This might be the first time me and FD disagree on anything publicly lol. So don't y'all go starting no drama when when my jawn drop. It is NOT a response video lol

[@Fooacta]

Appreciate the heads up, but we all know anyone who *needed* to be told this is gonna act an ass anyway

[@lilbilliam]

You right​@@Fooactabut just thought I'd do my due diligence anyway🤣

[@Princespady]

Can’t wait for that to drop

[@hatetharealme]

thank god please stand up for me bc i cant get behind this one either

[@ATTACKofthe6STRINGS]

I’m ready to start needless drama over a misunderstanding. Where can I set up the pitchfork booth for the time-honored tradition of mob chaos following the public disagreement of two beloved content creators?

[@calmcmeekin3491]

It legit pisses me off that they had the strongest man in the world and relegated him to a shitty name and being in a relationship with a 70+ year old women. His Hall of Pain run was phenomenal

[@ShadowCloutJutsu]

lol it’s cus he wasn’t good at the time let’s be real it took Henry a bit to find himself in pro wrestling

[@doublerdub1]

​@@ShadowCloutJutsuHis Hall of Pain run only came about because Vince was effing with him.

[@1kizhun]

And he got that run after the backlash when fans found out that Micheal P Hayes told Henry he wasn't good enough to become champ even if it was his honest opinion at the time but it backfired thankfully we finally got to see Henry cut loose

[@shawnathin7450]

If they would have booked Mark Henry as just a strong man and a gimmick where he mostly wrestles 2 on 1 and at some point you can redo the slam like Andrea the giant. As much as I love wrestling and I’m a white man there people like Ron Simmons who could have been better if WWF/WWE gave him better storylines. I don’t care about the colour of a wrestler but to often people get over looked because of looks and it doesn’t have to be colour but we all know Vince has said they have to have a look that he likes. Now if I was booking and Brock Lesnar vs Koby Kingston I would have book it the same way that night because it was a shock. Now I would have had Kofi Kingston say “ hey you got lucky i messed up, I want my rematch at the next PLE the match would be at least 15 minutes and Kingston would win clean and keep the championship for at least a year. When you have someone so over go with it and you will make the fans happy and happy fans pay for live events and merchandise.

[@zamplify]

It took working with Jim Cornette in OVW for Mark Henry to find himself in wrestling.

[@LongLostYellowRanger]

I was supposed to start my wrestling training almost 10 years ago at Reality of Wrestling (Booker T's promotion) but my health took a dive again. 10 years later, this fall I will finally enroll. It's been one of my dreams since I was a little girl to wrestle!!! Love the content! Keep it up!

[@thatoneguy9473]

Good luck. RoW is one of the best gateways to NXT. I hope you succeed.

[@LongLostYellowRanger]

@@thatoneguy9473 Thank you so much!!!

[@LeeRoss-bw3yd]

Good luck

[@aye_its_karate6169]

I started training at JPWA about 2 years ago. That's Kane and Dr. Tom Prichards school. I ended up breaking my collarbone during training. I haven't been back since I healed. But I definitely want to give it another try.

[@LongLostYellowRanger]

@@aye_its_karate6169 Omg I'm so sorry about that! Give it another go!!!

[@cyn2509]

A little surprised by no mention of Mark Henry's world heavyweight title, and the 'destroyer' archetype they gave to both him, and Karma within a few years Absolutely loved the video anyway, amazing storytelling, great job

[@joshthefunkdoc]

Kharma was such a "blink and you'll miss it" WWE run due to issues in her personal life at the time, sadly. She deserves more flowers - as Awesome Kong in TNA she was one of the key players in the revival of US women's wrestling!

[@tmac731]

Yea he forgot to mention the Hall of Pain and that was a big run

[@KingHiki]

Bianca vs Sasha was one of the few times I ever teared up watching wrestling; and I didn’t even care about the match leading up to the event because it felt like WWE trying to check off another “first” but when match started, and the ladies started crying during the opening stare down, it hit me. Even if it was a calculated decision from a billion dollar cooperation that doesn’t change the fact that this was something that would’ve never happened a decade ago and for the first time black boys and girls got to see themselves in the main event of the biggest show in the business.

[@SpiteHook09]

It helps that the match itself was really good. Bianca especially looked like a million bucks out there.

[@DefaultName-du3kr]

@@SpiteHook09 Yeah the current womens division is leagues above what it used to be when I was a kid.

[@yourpalfred]

I don't watch wrestling but KZbin showed me the clip you're talking about and even I cried haha

[@mythpfizer3995]

Another thing that made this feel important is the sheer bond that those two seemed to share. Sasha being the often overlooked vet and Bianca being the talented, yet inexperienced and anxious challenger.

[@mythpfizer3995]

​@@yourpalfredPretty sure the full match is available on the WWE's channel

[@dta1329]

I’m a 40 yr old, black, straight woman who grew up on wrestling. I remember writing letters to an injured hulk Hogan when I was a kid and was inconsolable after Owen Hart. I stopped watching by the time The Rock transitioned into Hollywood and the Attitude Era ended. But I was a fully involved fan- went to matches at the LA Forum, posters on my wall (even got one framed 🙃), fabulous moolah and all. 💅🏾 All this to say, IVE NEVER watched one second of Kofi and never knew he existed. However, legit tears fell down my face when I watched your clip of him winning the championship, but also while not being a stereotype or heel. It’s crazy how representation is so powerful. Wonderful job, hun. BRAVO. 🙌🏾

[@Tito-ze4hw]

A black person being a fan of hulk hogan is crazy

[@dta1329]

@@Tito-ze4hw chill out, I was literally like 7. 😂 What’s really crazy is I thought Hulk was light-skinned until I was 8, after my letter writing campaign 😂,… cuz he said ‘brother’ and I didn’t understand what tanning was. 🥴 I’ve never said this in public… please be gentle 🫣

[@kaiserruhsam]

@@dta1329 lmao that's wild but adorable

[@godofthisshit]

@@dta1329You cut out right before one of The Rock shortest and arguably best run(Hollywood). I stayed with it a little longer(like I remember a brand new Kofi Kingston). Wrestling was my favorite thing to watch for half my life.

[@kaygeo]

Glad you got to experience the Kofi story it's pretty incredible. I also stopped watching for a long time around then (I think a lot of folks did.) Also since you mentioned Owen, I'm from Calgary and was lucky enough to meet him and Brett back in the 90s when they came to a Cub Scouts event thing I was at and Owen might have been the nicest and most approachable person I ever met. I'm still kind of in disbelief about what happened to him.

[@richmondwotters]

My dad used to wrestle under the moniker “Sargent Lewis” with Memphis wrestling and my mom used to tell me about how they would always cheat him out his money

[@Aldeyau]

I hope that someday, your dad finally gets what he is owed and so much more. I hope you and your family are doing wonderfully.

[@fredericchristie3472]

Carnie bullshit!

[@ibn1989]

Yeah I heard Jerry Lawler was horrible to his wrestlers when he ran Memphis

[@chronometa]

Everybody got cheated.

[@kaygeo]

@@ibn1989 I might be biased but I always thought of Lawler as like...the opposite of Stu Hart. I might be indoctrinated since I'm from Calgary but every Stu Hart story I've ever heard was about how he seemed kind of stoic and evil but gave everyone a fair shake and paid people well whereas Lawler seemed super approachable and charismatic and is/was an actual cheapskate and a legit monster.

[@robc4736]

This is one of my favorite videos I’ve ever seen. I’ve haven’t seen any of your material before this but I am a fan now and will be checking out your other content immediately. I clicked on it because I’m a wrestling fan, not knowing the importance of the message I was about to hear, but I feel like I’ve really learned something. I’m a 37yr old white guy that’s been watching wrestling for almost 30 years and while I’ve always been a Kofi fan, I was blind to just how important he, his title win and run were. Thank you again!

[@maxthemannequin4143]

"To non-wrestling fans, this seems silly." Nah. I don't give a single solitary shit about wrestling, but listening to you tell Kofi's story of triumph after so many setbacks has me crying. What an incredible story.

[@groovy3443]

fr this vdeo just completely change my opinion about wrestling and helped me understand why so many people love it

[@natsuccubus]

i know this video is about more than wrestling but another good well produced intro into why people like it is found in EmpLemon’s video on Monday Night Raw. It’s really just theatre (not to detract from FD’s point of the video though)

[@WabbyDoo]

right there with you

[@panashe5268]

Tbh I thought it was a bit disingenuous. Trying to portray what Randy did as racist when in reality REAL wrestling fans know Orton has always had a terrible temper and played in role in several people being fired including Mr Kennedy who was a white man with blonde hair. Meanwhile, he downplayed what Triple H and Michaels did to The Rock (trying to get him fired) as “backstage antics” and claimed the Triple H and Booker storyline had “racist undertones” as though it wasn’t plain, in your face racism. I’m sensing heavy favouritism towards certain white wrestlers.

[@Shockkings0714]

It was a rip off copy and paste from Bryans story. Nothinf special

[@FlyoverStatePark]

"They wanted to see the American Hero wrestle a cow... that's how it worked." -F.D Signifier 3/22/2024

[@KazeShikamaru]

I laughed hard at that line.

[@EyeOfTheWatcher]

They had Jesse Owens out there racing horses.

[@dacommish23]

....Kofi Kingston wasn't a "Foundational Black American (FBA),so that doesn't count...

[@Aidan_ODonnell]

I had stopped watching WWE in mid 2018, Kofi Kingston was one my childhood favorites so when i heard about his Mania push i started watching them again. Seeing him drop the belt to Brock (especially with everything we know now through Ms Grant’s lawsuit) fills me with a rage i can’t quantify

[@eliasmg9144]

And yet (or at least in my case), we can't stop watching

[@MrGrandure]

BIG BLACK DIGGS!

[@iThinkMyNamesBenH]

Ok, Im with you. Didnt deserve the squash that he got from Brock. However, at that time, when Kofi had the belt. It didnt feel like the championship was the main event. His run was similar to hangman's reign in aew. Their peaks were winning the belt, their reigns were lackluster and by the end of it they were seen as mid carders again. They were never main event talent and thats fine.

[@mars7304]

​@@iThinkMyNamesBenH Kofi was absolutely main card talent. His rematch against Daniel Bryan was the only match I watched that entire year. Or did you forget that Kofi reached headline status a decade before up until Randy Orton literally went to management and got him demoted.

[@Keithchan2024]

Brock Lesnar has been considered overrated since Wrestlemania 30 for breaking the Streak and fighting Bill Goldberg

[@MatthewShannonEco]

I am late to the party, FD. I saw the thumbnail and the subject "Wrestling" and was like, "Nope, sorry FD. I'm skipping this one," but this video was top tier. Sorry your view counts aren't up to snuff. You are a legend, keep making videos.

[@mini_worx]

As a Puertorican who grew up idolizing wrestlers and loving wrestling and one being just a few years older than you, it's weird how the dynamics worked differently between the island and the mainland. The longest reigning World Champion in Puerto Rico's most important wrestling organization (World Wrestling Council) was Carlos "Carlito" Colón, father to WWE's Carlito Colón. He's what in Puerto Rico we affectionately call a "Mulato", a dark skinned Puertorican and he battled a lot of the 80's WWF wrestlers who would make their way to Puerto Rico like Kamala, Abdullah The Butcher and many other African American wrestlers. These international wrestlers, from some of the interviews they have done as well as the Puertorican wrestlers and promoters, said they enjoyed coming to the island because they weren't discriminated against and many of them won the belts and battled for years for the top promotional spots. I still recall the Colón/Abdullah match like it happened yesterday and I gotta say, to this day one of the absolute best rivalries I can remember. Always enjoy your content. Amazing to see the growth of the channel.

[@iLLiCiT_XL]

It’s crazy because I never hated Booker T lol, even as a heel, my friends and I loved him after he switched to WWE. Mind you, I’m Hispanic and most of my friends were Black and Hispanic. He was awesome in Harlem Heat and exploded after. I remember him and Eddie Guerrero being in these really special places for us. I’ve fallen off of wrestling for years, I’m just kinda passed it. But I still get little updates here and there. And I gotta tell you, I’m watching with tears in my eyes watching Kofi win the belt. It’s a truly special moment and something that only wrestling can produce because it’s theater. Because you buy into it, knowing that it’s a show. That said, Brock Lesnar ain’t shit when it comes to wrestling.

[@MaxwellGriffin001]

Everybody loved Booker T. Those matches with Benoit were epic and that's why everybody loved him.

[@ctbcardinal]

Kurt Angie whooped his ass for real anyway.. fuckem, he ran from UFC also, rampage Jackson would have whooped his ass

[@rise8604]

Booker t when I never knew who he was, appeared in WWE, and It was clear that he was one of best wrestlers in the company, when they stopped treating him like a WCW reject

[@Hakar17]

I grew up in a small town around mostly white people and everyone liked Booker...."5 TIME!!"

[@AvanteTard]

You missed something about virgil. He is named Virgil in WWF after Dusty Rhodes real first name. Why would a guy like Vince McMahon hire a black guy to play a bumbling subservient character who always manages to job in the midcard and even main event for years and name him Virgil after his competitor? Then Virgil goes to WCW and is suddenly in the NWO but named Vince. Then he is briefly known as Shane. tl;dr Virgils entire career was a way for wrestling promoters to call each other a N*****. I apologize for having to be the one to point this out.

[@suros8105]

I'm not a wrestling fan by any means, but the way you described Kofi Kingston's path in his career had me at the edge of my seat. It truly is a great story born from happenstance due to someone being injured, and you did justice to it in the retelling of it.

[@DoneRandomLee]

The Usos and new day storyline made me cry. They were incredible rivals who bled together and the Usos could have used all that rivalry to destroy them but instead they thought what they were having to go through was wrong. So they gave up their spot and took punishment for it if I remember right, because of how much respect they had for them and wanted them to have a chance to finally succeed

[@cartilagehead]

Mike Jones, the wrestler known as Virgil for much of his career, passed away in February of 2024 after suffering two strokes and being diagnosed with cancer. He retired from wrestling in 2000 but stayed fairly active in the scene for the rest of his life, including a brief return with DiBiase Jr in 2010. According to WWE he had a math degree from UVA and became a high school math teacher after retiring from wrestling, so he probably wasn’t a Republican. Apparently nobody knew his real age and people thought he was a decade younger than he really was (he was 72).

[@johnnychopsocky]

Dude lived the kayfabe, even after dying.

[@thegamingprozone1941]

Rip 🙏

[@tansbizarreadventure]

damn uncle you have 2 videos now in my list of favorites for this year ngl i was shedding a tear

[@SLOBones-]

Bro, had me mid sip "SHUT THE F#@K UP!" Not gonna lie. I lost my drink.

[@eme.261]

I hollered. That was completely unexpected and absolutely appropriate. 😂😂

[@enemyskill4286]

shit scared tf outta me 😭 i thought i was gonna chill for an hour 😂

[@Busto]

It was friggin brilliant!!🤣🤣🤣

[@BobDole1216]

Yeah, that was pretty startling and incredible.

[@Whosaskin]

Would you happen to have the timestamp of the "stfu" moment?

[@kieranczyzyk9064]

When New Day came in to fight for Kofi's chance??? And then the Usos forfeit in solidarity???? I've never watched a wrestling match and I teared up just listening to that story arc, the plot and the way you describe it just tugged my heartstrings. That plot wouldn't feel out of place in a battle anime tournament arc. Good video!!

[@MrGrimmshaw]

Sir, as a 40 year old gas station pizza eating Iowan, I can honestly say you are an amazing storyteller. Phenomenal video, had me gripped the entire time. I stopped watching wwe in the early 2000s, but have been slowly coming back, and you have definitely contributed to that. Wish you and yours all the best

[@silvastone6989]

I may be months late and this might get buried but I just stumbled on your channel and of course immediately watched the first wrestling video i found, and this has quickly become one of my favorite wrestling videos. The way you recapped every black champion's story especially kofi's is genuinely beautiful and reminds why I love this crap, it may be fake but the emotions those stories evoke are so real

[@justinchain1668]

Time to watch FD give me another crisis

[@KinggDC]

@@Feeled_RecordingsI honestly think that’s a disingenuous reading of their content, they’re just critical of things even the things they like. Hence why FD made a video praising canibus while also being critical of certain things he did. Being critical and being positive or speaking positively aren’t necessarily seperate.

[@getnkosi]

​@CollectCarsNotRings 😂😅😂 Hilarious. The subtle nuances of your sarcastic sense of humor may be lost on the internet.

[@dnycebushton5008]

ikr...im kinda sad now

[@assassin923ck45]

I’m a 17 years and counting wrestling fan and yeah man the industry can fucking SUCK sometimes. It gets to fly under the radar bc people give all the vitriol to Hollywood and the music industry (deservedly so btw) but pro wrestling can be just as bad

[@mars7304]

​@@Feeled_Recordings this gotta be bait

[@DavidAntoine-t8e]

Bro I haven't watched wrestling in 20 years and the breakdown on Kofi Kingston got me so invested. Amazing story telling

[@theoctopusesgardener]

i gotta say, despite you saying that non wrestling fans must think you’re crazy- i think i get it now. i legit cheered at my screen when Kofi won (which is a bit embarrassing but whatever), and i don’t know if it was your retelling or just the emphasis of wrestling story telling, but god damn was it effective on me. maybe i’m just easily swayed, and i’ve certainly always loved listening to people talk about their passions, but i have never understood wrestling until today and i love the feeling of just /getting it/ now. like i legit feel inspired in aspects of my own storytelling! that’s fuckin crazy! i love it!

[@DoctorLazers]

Wrestling is a wild world of entertainment. I think at its best, wrestling is the same vibe as a Kaiju movie. A superhero crossover fight. Battle anime when the hero and villain clash. It builds up these mythic figures, paragons of virtue and villainy, and pits them against each other in heightened battles of will and fortitude. It's fucking cool, and the amount of lore, history and legacy in it is astounding.

[@zachramsay]

For real, after years of being a mediocre fan, but always finding a match when I needed a little inspiration…. I’ve finally got my “Love is Blind” and “Bachelor in Paradise” aphiliac wife on board for some great new era wrestling drama - and she absolutely loves the stories and the physicality and the simple Britishness, but also the intricate artisanship of making something look really easy. We have been enjoying a discovery of professional wrestling together, and particularly enjoy the female matches between Bianca, Sasha, and up and, well HERE-comer, Rhea Ripley. Such talented athletes.

[@consciousbuddah]

Hey dude, I discovered you from the Canibus video you put out, and while watching that video I couldn't help but draw a parallel between rap culture and professional wrestling, then by some algorithmic magic, this video was suggested next. Great info here. Always cool to run across other knowledgeable fans on this platform

[@brezzyFbaby1011]

My father is in the hospital and this is my first day staying home and taking care of my house. Seeing this upload brought me some joy. Thank you FD🙏🏽

[@OnilUribes]

11:54 "The first black actor to ever win an Oscar was Sidney Portier for a movie called Lillies of the Field" no, he was the first to win an Oscar for leading role, the first Black actor to ever win an Oscar was Hattie McDaniel for supporting role in Gone with the wind in 1939.

[@TR-tt1fq]

she’s an actress, sidney is an actor. he stated what he said correctly

[@dogsandyoga1743]

Also, I assumed he meant Best Actor

[@user-jb1mb5xh9t]

​@TR-tt1fq the word actress has been obsolete for a fair few years now, they generally just use actor or female actor for women in the field now.

[@TR-tt1fq]

@@user-jb1mb5xh9t if it was obsolete, then the oscar categories would include both sexes instead of their respective categories…

[@user-jb1mb5xh9t]

@@TR-tt1fq funnily enough, I don't base my knowledge on whether or not the oscars do it.

[@Skillz_251]

Sensational storytelling. Sometimes you find a gem. Hopefully WWE allows the story you shared to remain on YT. GREAT JOB🤘

[@rodprops]

I second that 👍👍

[@Isaiah_Drake]

I’m 21 years old right now and I grew up through the PG era. When I was younger I actually used to say I wanna be the first black WWE champion ever. Kofi was somebody I lived vicariously through for years whenever I watched wrestling, and when he won the title, I genuinely immediately cried because I didn’t actually think it was going to happen. This video really made me feel seen like as a black man

[@DKamui06]

I am not even black but Latino and I shed tears for Kofi winning. I was a big fan of him from the get go and was totally invested with his story. We stopped watching at the same time but mine because of AEW and refusing to support the evil of VKM any longer after the Saudi deal. Kofi being buried was the last show I watched of theirs in its entirety. Great video because I vividly remember seeing the wrestlers from the late 80s and 90s and not thinking anything of it but as an adult seeing how they had racial undertones. You put this video together fantastically and this is why I love your content.

[@icykalmc]

It's funny I relate to this because I'm Black but felt the same when Eddie won the title and also when Roman won. When Latino's and Samoan's win, it feels like they're representing all minorities somehow.

[@seangreen6456]

I like video essays about wrestling so much more than real wrestling.

[@michaeljmyers1995]

Reminds me of that south park EP. People literally didn't care if it was fake it was about the acting soap opera. Then when a real wrestler complains that make fun of him cuz real wrestling looks gay AF.

[@reggiejames8626]

lol... is it that bad these days to you or you just kind of grew away from it?

[@KevenSylvain]

U sound as me

[@KevenSylvain]

​@reggiejames8626 eye grew away

[@andocommando3071]

Watch better wrestling. I promise there is great stuff out there

[@donaldsemienjr7707]

I just started my pursuit to be a pro wrestler this past November and this video came at the perfect time for me 🙏🏾 you got a subscriber out of me

[@picahudsoniaunflocked5426]

Good luck! I hope you have good experiences pursuing your passion.

[@starmanda88]

Good luck! I hope you make it!

[@KazeShikamaru]

I hope to see you in AEW one day.

[@CarmelloWhite-lu3yd]

Good luck bro

[@rockymonk8557]

Where you based out of?

[@drmsd14]

Not me crying over Kofi Kingston winning the belt like I actually followed WWE at the time! Great video. Loved the use of the Lauryn Hill poster.

[@mrqh406]

If you haven't seen . Watch when RON SIMMONS won the belt . No lie , I had a tear or two 😂.

[@joe2k20]

Which is why bianca belair is such a fresh of breath air. The company promote her outside wwe constantly while still be being face

[@krimzon2676]

a fresh of breath air!! 😂

[@dpo5000]

I have 2 issues with bianca: 1. her character is little ms perfect. she always smiles, she is a tier 1 athlete from a tier 1 college, comes from a good home, says her prayers, eats her vitamins, etc. she is john cena, back when everyone hated john cena, except she gets away with it because she is a black woman. she particularly bores me, and I think I'm not the only one that feels that way, because what's she doing for mania with all the hype behind her? the good news is she looks like she is going heel and hopefully she can pick up some charcter depth she can take with her when she goes back face. 2' now that they have their token black chick, they can continue to shit on the other black women on the roster. so yeah, bianca is on the cover of wwe 2k24 and she has her own reality show, but naomi just got squashed on last week's smackdown, and b-fab cant even get a match on tv. i want black WOMEN to have success in this business, not just a black woman.

[@eliasmg9144]

Honestly, yeah, she's among my top 3 female wrestlers right now

[@SpiteHook09]

@@dpo5000 What is wrong with her being a top athlete and coming from a stable household? That's some hater shit to imply she hasn't been through any kind of adversity. Bianca isn't Cena. Cena was the most white meat babyface that ever babyfaced. Whereas face Bianca is still sassy a lot of the time (like that six-woman promo on RAW before elimination chamber 2024). Saying she gets away with anything for being a black girl is almost laughable. People online were racially targeting her for simply being on the cover of a VIDEO GAME just 3 weeks ago. She has to deal with scrutiny like that on a daily basis. Cena doesn't. Your talk about tokenism doesn't make much sense. Naomi/Trinity is actively involved in a storyline at the time of this comment, Jade has been given the star treatment without even having a match, and then you got girls like Lash Legend, Jakara Jackson and Kelani Jordan being regularly featured on NXT. Bianca didn't get the main event push for being a POC, she got the push for having "it" factor.

[@godofthisshit]

@@dpo5000Her back story is real, and she’s more likable.

[@montel111]

The Kofi WM build had me a GROWN BLACK MAN crying. IT FELT REAL!!! That crappy Brock loss made me come back to reality!!

[@EyeOfTheWatcher]

Could never get into the new day, as their is a difference between dancing like Too Cold Scorpio and shaking your butt like a unsavory woman.

[@martinl7612]

"People like you don't deserve to be World Champion." - HHH

[@justjoshua5759]

That’s honestly the worst case since that was pretty damn recent and triple h had no business winning that. Also wanted to quickly add that unlike the blatant exploitation of ppl like vigil or the more subtle history behind brock and kofi. This was uncomfortably pretty real with the insults and reality of the situation in the storyline. Brought up crime, the entertainment stereotype and everything. And after overcoming the odds. Triple h made it seem like everything said was right in a structural level. This is the worst one for me for those reasons. The others are either too subtle or blatant for it not to reach that sweet spot of uncanny discrimination and it’s effects in real life. Systemically and in the story. Booker was not meant to win which sucks.

[@WrestlingGuy19]

I’ll never forgive him for this

[@wrestlinganime4life288]

I love hate HHH for that cuz let's be honest without his affairs with Stephanie...i highly doubt he would have been relevant.

[@jonathanyaloussa]

​@@wrestlinganime4life288 That's pretty much a lie.

[@dangerousd1312]

never forget

[@DarkLadyMarie]

holy shit that run up to Kofimania is so cool! I got out of wrestling years ago but I wish I had been following Kofi's return live. Incredible video!

[@catpissontherocks5438]

Bro trying to break the record for most thumbnail changes.

[@BeastNationXIV]

Almost changed as many times as Big Show turned from face to heel and vice versa.

[@madman12273]

The 16 time thumbnail changer

[@xxBrokenDreams666xx]

pretty sure he changed the title at least once too.

[@brianbadonde9251]

It's so when it pops up in your recommendations you think it's a different video that you weren't interested in before. I added it to my watch later yesterday and today it has different title and thumbnail. I don't even watch wwe videos so idk why they even recommended it to me

[@ReshonBryant]

👉🏽🥸

[@t_harris2_489]

As a black woman that is a WWE fan this was an awesome video!!! 💯

[@taylork7530]

I still remember when I first saw Bianca on the Mae Young Classic. Green, naturally, but I was rubbing my hands together thinking, “She has it! Give her the same time and grace given to other girls (blondes) and she will run this!” She is legit their woman Cena…which I don’t like completely, because she’s also an amazing heel.

[@kingphillieman]

Nice...I'm impressed.

[@KAlovesherkitties]

What do you think of Jade? Same, black woman WWE fan and none of my girls give a shit so asking that question to them would go over their heads lol

[@taylork7530]

@@KAlovesherkitties Now, that she’s getting actual training, soooo much potential. They’re setting up this 6-woman tag, so she can get all of her good spots in without getting exposed too soon. PS: Do you watch NXT? Lash Legend and Jakara Jackson are on the come up. Real quick about the men: HBK and JB are doing everything right with Trick, Melo, and Oba.

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

F.D. Sig is a stunningly well rounded person. Every time I think I know all his areas of expertise, he pulls out another long form documentary on another completely separate topic. He may be the Most Interesting Man In The World

[@darrengordon-hill]

INSANE diksuk!! Dude's a basic racist. How is more of an "expert" on wrestling than.. The wrestling podcasters I regularly listen to??

[@FishareFriendsNotFood972]

@@darrengordon-hill Hmmm, INSANE diksuk....is that an insult or an offer? 😘

[@d2dar459]

​@@FishareFriendsNotFood972 Neither. It's whats branded on his butt cheek.

[@RevShifty]

@@d2dar459 The clown car didn't take long to drop that one off, did they?

[@d2dar459]

@@RevShifty Lol

[@Krazidawg]

Was surfing KZbin and discovered this channel. I like this channel, Mr. Signifier has very interesting topics.

[@Acoldlake]

FD acting like we wouldn't watch 4 hour video essay by him is so funny

[@monzorella1]

😂😂😂😂 I would gladly watch 4 hours

[@thetaarakian]

I'm surprised at no mention of Junkyard Dog. He was the only black wrestler I even knew in the 80s as a kid. He was in the cartoon and had toys and everything.

[@TheBlackEsquire]

This is very much a millennial pov

[@eldraenpharr8222]

Yeah JYD was a glaring omission but there's a Dark Side of the Ring that covers him pretty well.

[@ibn1989]

Maybe he didn't see JYD growing up

[@TheBlackEsquire]

@@eldraenpharr8222 He also missed Coco B Ware

[@View619]

Yeah, JYD seemed like an obvious mention.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot2]

This is by far my favorite video you’ve done. I’ve had a complicated relationship with pro wrestling my entire life. Been a fan since 1986 when my cousin got me in to it. Would go to the WWF house shows at Selland Arena in my home town of Fresno California and hang out after trying to get autographs or even shoutouts from the guys as they left. Used to meet a few guys when I’d go hang at my godmother’s newspaper stand at the hotel across the street where they stayed. So as much as I loved all of it, it was rough seeing caricatures like Slick and Rocky King (NWA jobber with an Afro) and Tony Atlas repackaged as Saba Simba and Koko B Ware having to sing everything. And worse, guys like Jesse Ventura saying racist stuff like “he’s shuckin and jivin” describing Black wrestlers. So the detail of this…much appreciated. Because the way those folks reacted to Kofi, that’s how 13 year old me was for Ron Simmons. The top spot is recognition. To get that, it means you have to be seen three dimensionally. And far too often, Black representation was stereotypical, superficial and cynical. It’s nice to see that’s slowly changing.

[@Baddawg_313]

Yoooooo props to even making this!!! Needed to be made

[@SketchBlakely]

Fun fact about Virgil: He’s only named that because Dusty’s real name was actually Virgil. It’s yet another intended jab of The American Dream, and with this one, I question its subtext.

[@Ishbikes]

Well damn

[@WeCominForYouWrestlingCast]

And he was named Vincent in WCW as a shot right back at them!

[@hakimedwards2276]

As his son Cody, said Dusty’s character and speech was something he copied from Thunderbolts Patterson. A black wrestler that sued most of the promoters back in the day

[@cannibalisticrequiem]

You know, when you recontextualize wrestling as a long-running soap opera, it makes me think about how much more entertaining the catfight between Joan Collins's Alexis and Linda Evans's Krystle on Dynasty would've been if the two had gotten into a wrestling ring and body slammed each other! 😂

[@OfJournalandJourney]

Lmfaoooo 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@RevShifty]

I've actually been calling it a soap opera in speedos since the early 2000s. It really is just a soap opera for people who like lots of really silly stories and an element of hyper dramatized "danger". And I don't say any of that disrespectfully. At the time I started calling professional wrestling "As the Ring Turns", I lived in a house full of wrestling hyper fans. The kind of guys who were following all WWE and ECW shows, other hyper local wrestling orgs, and were at a live event somewhere at least once a month. I don't have anything against professional wrestling or its fans, but I can't pretend it isn't, at least in part, just a soap opera for a different crowd.

[@fluidthought42]

​@@RevShifty Same with some comic books. Spider-Man is mainly a melodrama with acrobatics and super science. Far too many Spider-Man comic runs and adaptations forget this, but the reason why Spidey has had staying power is because of that element.

[@arnezbridges93]

​@@fluidthought42yes! People don't understand that the "Parker Luck" factor is a real thing were the character is fated to have a shitty love life in exchange extreme luck in beating bad guys. Bendis does a fantastic job of answering the question what if Peter Parker had a better love life? The Ultimate Spider-Man run sees him gather a larger harem than a Tenchi Muyo Movie!! But the downside is he does not have come back to beat the villian Rizz anymore. Unfortunately a lot of readers were too busy going nuts over him being placed by Miles Moralez. Which is just dumb because 616 Peter Parker still exists. I guess it's just another case of a black guy not getting a fair swipe at the championship belt 😅

[@fluidthought42]

@@arnezbridges93 I mean I wouldn't mind Peter having both a better life _and_ more realistic drama. Frankly, Marvel needs to hire people more suited to writing romance and drama, because as is the writing staff is deathly allergic to writing for Mary Jane Parker.

[@franklinventura8810]

im convinced you posted this during work hours on purpose, me and my stack of unwritten counseling notes appreciate you

[@patandmacmusic]

Bruh I also have a whole bunch of paperwork I am ignoring at this moment 😂🫠

[@kxjx]

The sun never sets on the British empire

[@raymondlaney8508]

This was so well done. Really appreciate this and totally agree

[@joshmakeitrite]

fun fact i learned (of all places) from a jim cornette podcast: there was a wrestler named Sputnik Monroe who got heat by bringing black people to his shows. since his fans were black he made promoters desegregate their shows so his fans could sit closer. he use to hang around black ppl at clubs and barbershops and cops arrested him for mopery. kofi kingston had me back watching wrasslin. great vids and rip Virgil.

[@EyeOfTheWatcher]

You got the story about Sputnik Monroe partly incorrect, as black people was already attending the shows in the "crow nest", which was section for black people in the segregated building way before Sputnik Monroe was wrestling for that promotion. Even when the building was half full black people was not allowed to move out of the crows nest to sit closer to the ring. Monroe became popular with black people and the younger white audience, as if you look at the local year books from the time you will see some of the guys sporting blonde streak that Monroe was known for. Monroe was around black people outside of the ring because he like the music, the company, and the drink. He got arrested for that and had a local black lawyer represent him. Ultimately he took a stand and said that he would not wrestle in that building if black people had to remain in the crow nest and when they ended segregation in the building he made it a point to tear down the crow nest. In the end the promotion made money because black people was no longer limited to a small section of the arena. Also, he teamed with a black wrestler and it they made it seems that was his son as well. He got heat for doing the right thing and actually being against anti-black racism during a time were far too many people stayed quiet those issues.

[@joshmakeitrite]

@@EyeOfTheWatcher Thx for the added depth

[@DoctorThundah]

Oh god that fucking thumbnail. This is gonna be a wild ride.

[@andrewklang809]

Aaaaaand he already changed it. Keep surfing that crazy algorithm.

[@1deron1]

What was it originally ​@@andrewklang809

[@nickjohansen9038]

which one, he's got 20 of them

[@daChief-khalife]

Meaning ​@@nickjohansen9038

[@afro_physicist_3143]

I'm actually going to Smackdown tonight in my hometown with my sister. Hoping the Rock will be there.. My sister is a big fan of Naomi.. Man when Kofi won, I could not believe it. I mean sure how he lost the title rubbed me the wrong way but they way they booked that story with Daniel Bryan was genius. I was so invested I was watching the show every week. That WrestleMania moment will never be forgotten, for all fans, both black and non black.

[@royjohnson3361]

Well done. Also, fun to see clips from "Atlantic Grand-Prix" Wrestling promotion from the Canadian Maritimes, used to illustrate Sweet Daddy Siki's section. We get to see the Cuban Assassin, one of my favorite heels from back in the day.

[@PowderKegel]

Believe it or not FD, I work with Slick. He is a substitute teacher at my Elementary School. Entertaining dude I gotta say.

[@Covingtonao]

I would love to sit in on one of his classes

[@superfan931]

You mentioned Big Daddy V a lot for the sex gimmick, but that was when he was still Viscera in 2005-2007. He became Big Daddy V later, and he was portrayed differently. Also, he debuted in 1993 as Mabel in a black tag team called Men On a Mission. Him with tag partner MO and manager Oscar was a somewhat popular tag team for a good two years and also won the tag titles.

[@EyeOfTheWatcher]

Viscera needed to stop talking viagara like they was candy before he would go to the ring.

[@DrunkenHotei]

I really like how people like you and SuperEyepatchWolf have gotten me to appreciate wrestling. Growing up in the 90s, my main memories of the WWF (WWE at the time), were of the "cool" kids in my middle school coming up to me in the halls and yelling "suck it!" while smacking their crotches with both hands, and of schoolyard arguments about whether or not it was fake. I was a theater kid, and always hated sports, so wrestling seemed like the polar opposite of anything that would interest me. Little did I know that it was actually at least half excellent theater all along. Knowing that, I might have given it a chance if my classmates hadn't been so insufferable.

[@mikeymessier]

I never thought of Sabu as an "evil foreigner". He was more of a reckless, win-at-all costs daredevil who barely spoke himself. He never pushed a foreign angle at all by my memory.

[@Mr_Leo_DS]

Yeah, Iron Sheik is probably a better example

[@KasumiRINA]

I mean he's literally a guy who came out in a turban, harem pants, did a move called the Arabian press, was a nephew of original Sheik, and not speaking much is also part of a foreign heel gimmick. Eventually he got a Genie as his manager... But he also was tongue in cheek, like being booked from Bombay, Michigan. Like his character kind of relied on him mostly playing a foreigner in a circus show. Iron Sheik was different, I know him as he's a beloved social media hero who hated Hulk Hogan at the height of his first big racism scandal. Everyone loved bubba, he's like THE babyface of all time, GREATEST OF EARTH. I can't really imagine myself in an era where Terry Bollea is considered to be a good guy... I mean he was known for his doping scandals before outing himself as extreme racist. TO BREAK HOGANS BACK AND MAKE HIM HUMBLE!

[@1sportsfan]

@@KasumiRINA I was in attendance at a show in MA. Sabu and RVD in a tag match, I think against The Eliminators, in the weeks building up to Barely Legal. There's tables all over the place in this Sabu/RVDvs Eliminators match. A table is in the ring, upturned, so the legs are facing the ceiling. Sabu goes for a Jericho Lionsault-type move off the ropes. He misjudged his landing spot and lands MOUTH FIRST on one of the upturned table legs. He lets out a blood-curdling scream and the whole venue of about 400 people goes silent. The match continues for a few minutes without him, obviously, The Eliminators and RVD are trying to salvage a decent match and wrap it up. Then Sabu returns to the ring. Mouth and throat heavily taped up. I stood up and screamed Sa-fuckin-bu. The rest of the crowd follows my leads and starts chanting Sa-fuckin-bu. The match goes another 10 minutes before Sabu and RVD get the victory and Taz makes an appearance at the end, to build up the Taz vs Sabu match at Barely Legal. It becomes clear this whole tag match was important enough to Sabu so the Taz spot didn't get thrown aside. He was quite literally risking his life to promote a PPV in front of a live crowd of about 400 people, with no television cameras in sight. So, tell me again how Sabu was playing a foreigner in a circus show.

[@Mr_Leo_DS]

@@KasumiRINA surely we all agree with the fact Sabu was presented as a foreigner. I think the guy is questioning if he was ever a foreigner HEEL

[@vemberyte]

Yo this made me cry in ALL the ways possible happy sad... Man the last bit with kofi, I was crying the whole time. Instant subscribe. Keep the good work dude, when I can I will join you

[@bobjoe1343]

Fun fact, Scooby Doo (2002) only had literally only ONE black guy in the whole run time. He was a voodoo guy lmao.

[@geraldjohnson3216]

Dam right

[@brutallyhonest123]

More than one would have been too spooky

[@Diamondsdontgr0wontrees]

thats crazy i never thought of the black representation in scooby doo 😭

[@calbaccus]

The Harlem Globetrotters?

[@rollinlikebuer9059]

@@calbaccus I think he's talking about the live action movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar and Matthew Lillard.

[@ebososa]

I still remember when Ron Simmons power slammed Vader and became HW champ. I literally cried as Jim Ross screamed, the whole crowd went nuts and the entire locker room emptied out and rushed to the ring to congratulate him. To this day it still effects me 😢🥲

[@SaturnStarOfDavid]

WWE is being saved by black women today. Bianca, Jade, Sasha, Naomi.

[@ColeYote]

Sasha Banks left WWE over a year ago, she’s with AEW now (and going by Mercedes Moné)

[@mikexciv6781]

I wouldn’t say saved but they definitely help

[@donniebrasco1364]

Lol😂

[@calvinperson9732]

Why do people refuse to acknowledge that Black Samons ? The Bloodline is black .

[@eddiestefon7041]

Don't forget Nia. After coming back and improving herself, she's doing great now! Honestly these days, it's mostly the black wrestlers that draw my attention and I'm so happy they finally get their shots.

[@ivyanderson7]

Amazing video, FD. Legit shed tears a couple times. I will say, shoutout to Jazz as well though, who was presented as the toughest woman in ECW of all places where she always wrestled against men and was seen as a legit badass. That eventually brought her to be a 2-time women's champ in WWE and in a triple threat against Trish Stratus and Victoria at Mania '19.

[@ivyanderson7]

Also, Swerve and Ricky Starks are the future!

[@Chuck_EL]

​@@ivyanderson7 The acclaimed too awesome tag team

[@Oh-Grr]

I've never seen a better ad for Nebula in my life. Damn are you incredible at making videos I need to see MULTIPLE times over and over.

[@Afroriqan]

I stopped watching around 2010 honestly but I was obsessed as a kid

[@ahfimiwonawun]

Bruh! This was an excellent analysis! Sharing it now.

[@ReshonBryant]

Vince McMahon being grimey is like finding out Santa Clause ain't real all over again🤣

[@unwrittenbylj]

This was sooo good!! As a 35 year old ‘black’ woman, I know NOTHING about wrestling, and never truly cared but I REALLY love Wale and was on the fence of going to Walemania here in Philly next week. I bit the bullet and bought my ticket and was simply hoping for the best but you truly helped me to understand the allure of wrestling!! I’m so excited to go to the event now & I won’t be completely lost or confused with all of the fanfare about Wrestlemania. THANK YOU & Great Job!!! This was so well done 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@skylerhmoore]

i grew up admiring the hardy boyz, jacqueline and chyna, so this hits different for me. the attitude era essentially made my childhood, even though i was born around the time it was coming to an end. i appreciate this video because i felt so bad not being into wwe anymore, even after YEARS of attempting to. this video kinda sums up why. i watch newer clips here and there but the spark for me is just not the same, maybe one day that’ll change! :)

[@NauvooHalflingHouse]

I don’t know how this keeps happening, but you release a new banger every time I’m about to go on a roadtrip. And it’s the highlight of the trip every time. Thank you for your excellence.

[@b.w.22]

Man, this was an incredible piece of work. Thank you so much.

[@harveybeadman]

I started watching AEW a few years ago instead of WWE. Excited to watch this in full after work!

[@Owesomasaurus]

I think the Nation of Domination was one of those things where the performers went so hard the gimmick went through the cringe and wrapped around to being awesome again. Problematic, absolutely but the energy was undeniable.

[@VenusAD]

I watched this on Nebula this morning and your narration of Kofi/New Day's story had me literally in tears. AWESOME job!

[@Lin10uson]

I love your videos! I have been watching your content for a few years now, and you really know what you're doing. The way you articulate your points and back-them-up with research is such a reprieve from what I usually see in the zeitgeist of bologna that is the Internet. I grew-up watching 'W.W.E.: Smackdown v. Raw', playing the games, and watching a few character films, and watching W.W.F., and this gave me a lot of knowledge I didn't have and just as much affirmation of that of which I was already aware. I always look forward to hearing what you have to say.

[@fieuline2536]

I'm disappointed this isn't getting more love. This is one of my favorite videos you've done in a long time, and I'm a longtime fan.

[@justhearmeout3959]

I know nothing about wrestling, but I'm here to watch you talk about it. Don't know what that says about me, but it speaks volumes about you and your character ❤

[@RevShifty]

Absolutely. I haven't watched or even thought about wrestling since I was 12, almost 30 years ago now. But I'm still going to sit through every second of this, because I enjoy and appreciate FD and the quality of his work that much.

[@MrEazyE357]

As a white man that spent a good deal of my youth in a mostly black neighborhood, I just want to thank you so much for what you are doing. Speaking so eloquently yet so digestiblely on subjects that every american, no matter what color, race, or financial situation and/or background needs to hear. Views and popularity aside, what you are doing is so important.

[@pryncjericho]

Kofis win was so emotional in person it was literally grown men and woman crying in the stands

[@brooklyn_geek]

I ain't gonna lie I was tearing up when he brought the kids into the ring after winning the belt. I met him years ago at San Diego Comic Con and he was very cool. As chill as he seems on TV