From Bobo Brazil to King Booker: A Brief History of the Black Wrestler
It was a battle between one of the most popular wrestlers of his time and one of the greatest heels to ever wrestle. After the smoke and controversy cleared, and we know there is always controversy, history was made. The first African-American champion was crowned. If you think this happened at the Great American Bash this past Sunday (July 23, 2006) when King Booker, with help, defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. for the WWE’s World Championship, you were off by about forty-five years. And that’s the sad thing. I know people these days don’t often value history, especially the long and storied history of the African-American wrestler. African-American wrestlers have been around as long as wrestling has been televised. But in over fifty years, the number of African-American world wrestling champions can be listed on one hand. Here is a few of the most prominent African-American wrestlers.
Bobo Brazil was one of the most popular and influential wrestlers in the history of the sport. Houston Harris A.K.A. Bobo Brazil began his career in the 1950’s and became a highly popular and decorated wrestler. He was not the first African-American wrestler. Jim “The Black Panther” Mitchell is believed to be the first, debuting in the 30’s. Bobo Brazil did something no African-American wrestler had done. On August 18, 1962, he defeated Buddy Rogers for the NWA World heavyweight Championship when Rogers could no longer continue the match. Brazil refused the title but was awarded it the next day after Rogers was cleared by doctors. His reign was short but it was historic. He initially wrestled only against fellow Black wrestlers but as his popularity grew he was pitted against White wrestlers. He wrestled in one of the first racially mixed tag team matches in Atlanta. Bobo Brazil is considered the “Jackie Robinson” of professional wrestling with good reason. His popularity often transcended the racial prejudice of the times. He was often cheered over his White opponent who often met his end by Brazil’s legendary Coco Butt maneuver. Bobo Brazil continued to wrestle for decades. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame before he died at age 74.
The 60’s bore witness to the emerging black wrestling star. African-American wrestlers began to gain fame and gold in regional leagues and some major leagues. The only gold that eluded the Black wrestler was World Championship gold. There would be no other Black World Champion in any major league for thirty years. Standouts from this era include Ernie Ladd and Canadians, Abdullah the Butcher and Rocky Johnson. Ernie “The Big Cat” Ladd was a force to be reckoned with in the 60’s and 70’s. The one time protégée of Bobo Brazil became one of his era’s greatest heels feuding with several Hall of Famers. Rocky Johnson seems to be known more for being The Rock’s father these days than for his own accolades, which are numerous. The list of titles held by Rocky Johnson is incredible. He was a top contender to several NWA World Champions and was a headlining attraction.
The growth of the number of black wrestlers continued in the 70’s as new talented athletes emerged alongside those stars established in the 60’s. Porkchop Cash, Special Delivery Jones, Rufus R. Jones, Thunderbolt Patterson, and Tony Atlas were standouts of this era. Porkchop Cash, Special Delivery Jones, and Rufus R. Jones would gain fame working in various tag teams and holding many tag team titles in regional promotions. Thunderbolt Patterson was a successful standout of this time that is most remembered for being Ole Anderson’s tag team partner prior to Anderson joining the Four Horsemen. The biggest African-American superstar to emerge from the 70’s was Tony “Mr. USA” Atlas. Tony Atlas brought his body building physique and power to wrestling which made him a legitimate threat to any World Champion, but the gold eluded him. In the early 80’s, Tony Atlas and Rocky Johnson would win the WWE tag-team titles.
The superstar wrestler was created in the 80’s and several black wrestlers became household names. But just as it was after Brazil’s title reign, the Black wrestler was relegated to second string success. The 80’s was a gimmicking and colorful era and so were the wrestlers. Kamala, Bad News Leroy Brown, Koko B. Ware, Virgil, Butch Reed, “Iceman” King Parsons, and the Junkyard Dog were standouts. Jim “Kamala” Harris was supposedly from Uganda and was always portrayed as a savage who needed to be controlled. Koko B. Ware rose to fame with a bird gimmick. Virgil was the controversial man servant of Ted DiBiase. Butch Reed was pure savagery and the Junkyard Dog remains one of the most popular wrestlers of all times. Sylvester Ritter A.K.A. the Junk Yard Dog was a major star for the WWE but never ascended to the top of the mountain due to the popularity of Hulk Hogan. He often pulled children from the crowd into the ring to celebrate. He was a true original character and an ultimate showman.
In the 90’s, opportunities for African-American wrestlers began to increase. New stars like Ron Simmons, Ahmed Johnson, DLO Brown, The Godfather, D’Von Dudley, the Rock, and Booker T emerged. As usual, most of these wrestlers were limited to Tag-Team, Intercontinental, and United States champion gold, but something happened early into the 90’s that hadn’t happened in 30 years.
Ron Simmons was not a household name and truth be told he never became one even though he deserved it. His career began in the late 80’s as a tag-team partner of Eddie Gilbert and then more successfully with Butch Reed, but it wasn’t till the early 90’s that he reached the pinnacle of professional wrestling. Ron Simmons became the second African-American to hold a major World Championship belt when he won the WCW World Championship from Big Van Vader on August 8, 1992. His championship lasted a little longer than Bobo Brazil’s. His career would stagnate in the WCW. Ron Simmons would later go on to fame in the WWE as Farooq.
The Rock is “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment” and he became the WWE’s youngest World Champion at age 26 in 1998. This record has since been broken twice. How much can I possibly say about one of the most recognized wrestlers of all time that has not been said? He was everything he said he was and he has catapulted his wrestling fame into legitimate movie success. Some people argue that because of the fact that his mother is Samoan he wasn’t the WWE’s first real African-American champion. This is a load of garbage. He should be able to take pride in both sides of his heritage. I don’t think he needs to have a certain degree of “blackness” to be considered black. The Rock has been a world champion a total of 7 times as well as holding every major title in the WWE.
As the new millennium began, Black wrestlers have enjoyed a somewhat better outlook about the business. Wrestlers like Shelton Benjamin, Viscera, Monty Brown, Orlando Jordan, Maven, Jay Lethal, Mark Henry, Bobby Lashley, Booker T, and Ron Killings have made their presence felt in a major way.
Booker T became the fourth African-American World Champion in a major league by winning the WCW World Heavyweight Championship from Jeff Jarrett at the 2000 Bash of the Beach. His title reign is not without controversy as it is rumored that he only became the champ because the WCW was trying to avoid a racial discrimination lawsuit at the time. Whether this was the case or not, he has more than proved that he was a fighting champion. He would go on to hold that title 5 times, along with numerous other titles.
Ron Killings became the fifth African-American World Champion when he won the NWA World Heavyweight Champion on August 7, 2002 defeating Ken Shamrock in Nashville, Tennessee. After a less than memorable stint in the WWE as K-Kwick, he moved on to TNA Wrestling and fame. He would hold the same title that Bobo Brazil held almost forty years earlier and he would go on to hold it a second time. Ron Killings remains a contender for any World Championship.
And now we arrive to the newly crowned King of the Ring and new World champion King Booker. King Booker or Booker T or Robert Booker Tio Huffman may indeed end his career as the greatest African-American wrestler of all time. He has held the World Title in two major leagues and has appeared in commercials. But he is not the first African-American World Champ and will surely not be the last. He continues a long standing tradition created by true pioneers such as Jim Mitchell, Bobo Brazil, Ernie Ladd, Rocky Johnson, and many names that have been wrongfully forgotten.
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