Wrestling's radically progressive view of race and nationality

[JerryvonKramer]

This is something I've pondered for years now. While a knee-jerk reflexive view of "race in wrestling" would tell us that it is typically marked by jingoism, xenophobia, and small-minded patriotism, I'm going to argue that while that might have been true of the crowds it is not true of the performance practices of the wrestlers.

 

Race and nationality are cultural constructs -- they are constructed and performative in ways that are obvious. In wrestling, they have always been fluid in ways that are remarkably "progressive" if one thinks about it.

 

- Think of Sheik Adnan Al-Kaisey, who spent a good portion of his career in the native American gimmick of Billy White Wolf, and tagging with another "Native American" who wasn't really Native American, of course, the Italian-American Chief Jay Strongbow.

- Later on, Adnan, played up his real-life association with Saddam Hussein. As part of the angle, he recruited Col. Mustafa, aka the Iron Sheik, of course an Iranian. And the bloodshed and turmoil of the Iran-Iraq war was forgotten in an instant as an Iraqi and Iranian stood side-by-side with an American.

- There are countless examples of "Japanese" wrestlers, who are, in fact, Hawaiin.

- What about that famous firey Irishman Red McNulty? You know, the one who is actually Canadian and spent over 25 years playing "Ivan Koloff", the Russian Bear?

 

A lot of these gimmicks were exploitative in terms of playing on the prejudices of their audiences, and playing to the political hot-button topics of their day. But look behind the curtain and what do we find? It's actually a view of race that says "you know what, we're all the same, it actually doesn't make a difference if you are Canadian, Iranian, Hawaiin, Native American or whatever ... a gimmick is a gimmick, they won't know the difference, and who cares". It seems counter-intuitive to say that this is "progressive", but it seems to me that if everyone had this view of race we would have less racism.

 

The Carny mindset is an interesting one to consider. It's a club. Once you're in the club, it doesn't matter where you are from, you are part of the club. I think of Tod Browning's Freaks (1932) and its real themes of inclusivity. Yes, it is an inclusivity based on an "us" and "them" mentality against a hostile world, but still, within the carnival, everyone is family. And wrestling retained a sense of this from its side-show roots, I think. Wrestling had its fair share of misfits, but they were all part of the crew.

 

When your attitude is all about working the fans, then everything in life -- even race and nationality -- becomes a work.

[overbooked]

Was there ever the equivalent of the color line in wrestling? Did wrestling integrate before or after other sports? That may add to the argument...or not.

[Scarlet-Left]

It was integrated by Sputnick Monroe wasn't it? Or am I confused? Where did I read that?

[Ricky Jackson]

That had to do with segregated seating at the old arena in Memphis or Nashville, not with wrestlers.

 

It's an interesting question. I'm not sure when or where white vs black wrestling began exactly

[Eduardo]

I'm falling to see how this is "radically progressive". Unless you're a fan of Rachel Dolezal, or this is some joke post.

[Migs]

Most of the examples (other than Adnan), generally involve a white wrestler cosplaying as a minority. Are there as many examples going the other way? If not, it's progressive in the idea that race and ethnicity is fluid, but regressive in that such practices were exclusionary (why not employ an actual Native American?).

[El-P]

- Later on, Adnan, played up his real-life association with Saddam Hussein. As part of the angle, he recruited Col. Mustafa, aka the Iron Sheik, of course an Iranian. And the bloodshed and turmoil of the Iran-Iraq war was forgotten in an instant as an Iraqi and Iranian stood side-by-side with an American.

- There are countless examples of "Japanese" wrestlers, who are, in fact, Hawaiin.

- What about that famous firey Irishman Red McNulty? You know, the one who is actually Canadian and spent over 25 years playing "Ivan Koloff", the Russian Bear?

 

To me it's more about "these stupid people won't know the difference anyway" than anything else. The idea that hawaiian playing japanese would fly seems pretty racist to me. Iron Sheik playing an Iraki sympathiser was particulary hilarious though.

[Phil Schneider]

This feels like someone discussing how racially progressive blackface is.

[Luchaundead]

What I see more from them isn't an we are all one mentality but a more if I just play to this stereotypes people will believe I am of this other race which I find to be very racist in that they actually believed that other races could easily be boiled down to those basic stereotypes.

 

I was really kind of hoping this was going to be a goof about Harley Race.

 

 

This feels like someone discussing how racially progressive blackface is.

 

I believe you mean to say trans-racial performers

 

I was really kind of hoping this was going to be a goof about Harley Race

[JerryvonKramer]

 

- Later on, Adnan, played up his real-life association with Saddam Hussein. As part of the angle, he recruited Col. Mustafa, aka the Iron Sheik, of course an Iranian. And the bloodshed and turmoil of the Iran-Iraq war was forgotten in an instant as an Iraqi and Iranian stood side-by-side with an American.

- There are countless examples of "Japanese" wrestlers, who are, in fact, Hawaiin.

- What about that famous firey Irishman Red McNulty? You know, the one who is actually Canadian and spent over 25 years playing "Ivan Koloff", the Russian Bear?

 

To me it's more about "these stupid people won't know the difference anyway" than anything else. The idea that hawaiian playing japanese would fly seems pretty racist to me. Iron Sheik playing an Iraki sympathiser was particulary hilarious though.

What's funny is that the one legit Japanese guy, Killer Khan, played a Mongolian.

 

Nikolai Volkoff was pretty racially flexible, he also played a Mongolian, as well as a Russian, while he was from Croatia. Geeto Mongol, meanwhile, was from Canada.

 

Another one to think about is The Grand Wizard: he was a Jewish guy who played an Arab when he was managing the Sheik as Abdullah Farouk.

[Gutenberger]

I can't agree with this wholeheartedly.

 

I can't stress enough how much I hate the stereotypical german, or german speaking, newcomers in wrestling. While not anymore beeing portrayed as Nazis, thank God!, coming in it's still the old evil foreigners. Take Alex Wright, who got rebranded and was supposed to get a push, as the evil german in a leathercoat, Berlyn. Of course I know this was WCW, but still... Take Cesaro. When he came into WWE, he was a heel who spoke german to offend everyone. Idk how it was in NXT 'cause I wasn't watching at this time though... My newest example, wehich really po'd me, is Alexander Wolfe. OF COURSE he comes to the ring with a german flag around his neck. Of course he's a nondescript evil german guy. And then the commentary describing him as a nasty man whose nichname in Germany was Axeman. Sure, he got called that, but that's because his real name is Axel Tischer, thus the moniker Axman... God, I hate this!

[JerryvonKramer]

Have you ever seen the footage of Waldo Von Erich doing a Nazi salute at MSG? This was when he was coming in against Bruno, who of course grew up eating snow during WW2, but the match is against Strongbow.

 

In terms of sheer outrageous ballsiness on the part of a heel, Waldo doing that in New York in 1975 is right up there. And it's really really interesting footage to watch.

 

Waldo, of course, like so many guys who played someone of a different nationality, was Canadian, although his dad was German. He also wasn't really Fritz's brother.

[Gutenberger]

I don't think I've seen that, though it sounds like I should really seek that out.

 

I have seen JBL parading on the apron in goose step here in Germany to get heat, though. And that was only I'll say 12 or 13 years ago. It was a minor quibble in the news here, but from what I've heard back in the day must have caused some serious discussions in America.

[JerryvonKramer]

Here it is:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz-ReXs3xqY

 

Say what you want about the gimmick, but that is fearless commitment to getting heat.

[van_Fair]

That had to do with segregated seating at the old arena in Memphis or Nashville, not with wrestlers.

It's an interesting question. I'm not sure when or where white vs black wrestling began exactly

At least according to the announcer this is the first integrated tag match, though of course that has to be taken with a grain of salt. It also features old school drunken racist commentary, for the standards of the time it probably passes as progressive.

 

[Gutenberger]

I'm gonna watch this as soon as I get home, watching it at work is probabl not the smartest idea, and watching it without sound probably takes away the most of it.

[El-P]

Take Alex Wright, who got rebranded and was supposed to get a push, as the evil german in a leathercoat, Berlyn.

 

I actually liked Berlyn. Well, of course the name was stupid, but the whole Rammsteinish image was kinda cool. Although Alex Wright the euro-trash dance gimmick was much much better. Loved his music theme.

 

Do I have to go into how xenophobic and completely idiotic La Resistance was ? Two CANADIAN playing French. Using the monicker from the Second World War from the people who were fighting against Nazis in an occupied country ? People who were on the same camp as the USA ? Stupidest gimmick ever this side of Iron Sheik as an Iraki sympathiser. Not to mention the xenophobic pettiness of it, just because France didn't go into that disastrous Iraki war, which was the only good thing Jacques Chirac did during his second presidential stint.

 

And then, in NXT : Sylvester Lefort. A name straight out of the 50's Halles strongmen. Well, if that's your gimmick, kinda like the Vaudevillains, ok. But for fuck's sakes. Sylvester Lefort ? Do anyone has any idea what French people are in the WWE ? I mean, HHH's real name if Paul Levesque, he should know *something* about it, he's from french origin. (reminds me that hilarious FOX News reporting about the No-go zone in Paris two years ago. It had us living in Paris rolling with tears of laughters.)

[van_Fair]

 

Take Alex Wright, who got rebranded and was supposed to get a push, as the evil german in a leathercoat, Berlyn.

 

I actually liked Berlyn. Well, of course the name was stupid, but the whole Rammsteinish image was kinda cool. Although Alex Wright the euro-trash dance gimmick was much much better. Loved his music theme.

Do I have to go into how xenophobic and completely idiotic La Resistance was ? Two CANADIAN playing French. Using the monicker from the Second World War from the people who were fighting against Nazis in an occupied country ? People who were on the same camp as the USA ? Stupidest gimmick ever this side of Iron Sheik as an Iraki sympathiser. Not to mention the xenophobic pettiness of it, just because France didn't go into that disastrous Iraki war, which was the only good thing Jacques Chirac did during his second presidential stint.

 

And then, in NXT : Sylvester Lefort. A name straight out of the 50's Halles strongmen. Well, if that's your gimmick, kinda like the Vaudevillains, ok. But for fuck's sakes. Sylvester Lefort ? Do anyone has any idea what French people are in the WWE ? I mean, HHH's real name if Paul Levesque, he should know *something* about it, he's from french origin. (reminds me that hilarious FOX News reporting about the No-go zone in Paris two years ago. It had us living in Paris rolling with tears of laughers.)

The whole Berlyn thing always leaves me with a sour taste in my mouth because of the Neo-nazi undertones they gave the whole thing. Because obviously the only thing the German guy in the 1990s could be is a nazi. But yes French representation in wrestling except for Andre has been horribly stereotypic as well. Even British guys suffered from this for a long time and its only recently with guys like Neville that they moved away from it. Also just a reminder this was Becky Lynch just two years ago.

 

[Matt D]

I think Riverdance Becky totally had some wings. Granted, i think Steampunk Becky (collect all 5) could too if they dug deeper on it. Having Cole or Saxton say "She's a Steampunk Enthusiast" and giving her goggles and clockwork gear isn't exactly character development. Granted, can you imagine someone trying to explain "Steampunk" to Vince?

[JerryvonKramer]

They should let French guys just be themselves if they really want them to get heel heat.

[El-P]

They should let French guys just be themselves if they really want them to get heel heat.

 

EXACTLY

[van_Fair]

They should let French guys just be themselves if they really want them to get heel heat.

How many actual French guys have there been though in US wrestling besides Andre? Most of the guys portraying French guys are from Quebec

[El-P]

 

They should let French guys just be themselves if they really want them to get heel heat.

How many actual French guys have there been though in US wrestling besides Andre. Most of the guys portraying French guys are from Quebec

 

Yeah, that was part of my point. It's like a guy from New Zealand portraying a New Yorker.

 

Eddie Carpentier was french (born in Poland, but still French)

Andre was from Grenoble, in the French Alps. This always cracked me up as I guessed people in the Madison Square Garden must think this was some kind of wild and exotic place. Grenoble. The home of Miss Kittin & the Hacker :

 

 

I'm not sure there were any true frenchmen before Lefort showed up. He's from Nice (pronounced Neece). The gimmick writes itself. God, there is so many french heel gimmick I can think of that would not be stupid stereotypes.

[Gutenberger]

So, is this a big promotions thing or all across the board? A friend of mine who was to America for a year told me they don't exactly have that much knowledge of things in Europe. What about the world of wrestling? Are only the big ones ignorant because they can afford it?

[NotJayTabb]

reminds me that hilarious FOX News reporting about the No-go zone in Paris two years ago. It had us living in Paris rolling with tears of laughters.)

I'm pretty sure it was also Fox news who brought in a terrorism expert, who claimed that the city of Birmingham was a Muslim stronghold and that white people didn't go to Birmingham (think it turned out 20% of the city were Muslim), which was news to those of us who used to regularly pop to Birmingham to go to gigs in the early 00's