Legendary 11-Time Champion never came to WWE because of Vince McMahon's treatment of black wrestlers, says Vince Russo (Exclusive)
Vince McMahon's treatment of non-white wrestlers has been criticized for years now, with only a few exceptions. However, ex-WWE writer Vince Russo claims that a legendary wrestler never joined the company because of how McMahon treated black superstars.
Russo spoke about the importance of representation on the latest episode of Writing with Russo. He emphasized the need for representation even within the WWE creative team, wondering why there aren't enough black writers
Using the example of Booker-T's brother Stevie Ray, who is a 10-time tag team champion and 1-time WCW TV Champion, Vince Russo revealed that the reason he didn't join WWE was due to Vince McMahon's handling of black wrestlers:
"That's why Stevie Ray never went to the WWE. He knew Vince [McMahon] was going to make him stereotypical - however Vince saw a black guy, and Stevie wasn't having it. That's why he never went. But how long do we have to wait for that? That's what I don't understand. I don't get it. (2:55-3:16)
You can watch the full video below:
Why did it take Vince McMahon so long to crown the first black WWE Champion?
A week away from #wrestlemania weekend when the late great Shad Gaspard will be awarded The Warrior Award, I had to watch again when Shad and @The305MVP watched their friend @TrueKofi win the WWE title at the same show 3 years ago. So beautiful. https://t.co/pRWgu1cqSt
There has been a lot of debate over the decades about the first true black WWE Champion in history. While Booker T and Mark Henry had stints as World Heavyweight Champion in the Ruthless Aggression and early PG Era, many consider The Rock to be the first black WWE Champion due to his lineage via his father Rocky Johnson.
However, none were made as big a deal of as Kofi Kingston. He is considered the first true black WWE Champion in history, being the only African-born WWE Champion ever.
This begs the question as to why Vince McMahon took so long to crown one. However, it's unlikely that we will ever get an answer to that question. However, during the last three years of his tenure, three black WWE Champions were crowned - Kofi Kingston, Bobby Lashley, and Big E.
If you take any quotes from this article, please embed the YouTube video and credit Sportskeeda Wrestling.