I actually think both have valid points here, though @WWEBigE presents his better and @mikethemiz should be aware that “just work hard” isn’t the only pathway to success in wrestling https://twitter.com/andreashale/status/1297535814209961984

Plenty of wrestlers work their asses off and get little to no reward. @mikethemiz’s best work was in 2015-18 and he got no title shots, and ask @HEELZiggler or @WWECesaro if working hard (and being extremely over with the fans) guarantees main event pushes

I don’t believe, as a long-term fan, that WWE is inherently racist, but the white privilege alluded to by the OP and by @WWEBigE cannot be denied. Look how many world champions in history have been white compared to non-white. So Big E’s point is completely valid

I have intentionally mentioned several wrestlers in this thread, I would love wrestling promotions to allow acts to get over (or fail) organically & build their companies around that. If the fans take to a wrestler / character, then wrestling companies should push said act

I’m not saying black talent should be pushed above their abilities, but that the ceiling should be removed for ALL wrestlers. Part of that is by removing crappy racially stereotypical gimmicks that don’t give certain wrestlers the chance to shine

That also goes with crap gimmicks that clearly are earmarked for comedy or short-term runs. How the Hell are people supposed to connect with the audience then? Comedy acts have a place but no wrestler should be pigeon holed

Once these changes happen, when wrestlers are allowed to develop personas and audience connections regardless of race (& it’s not just a black thing, look at the portrayal of almost every Asian or Samoan character through American wrestling history) then wrestling can truly grow

And if/when that happens, the racial spectrum of the World Championship history will organically become more diverse. And who knows? Maybe that will lead to a growth in audience once again for the industry and in particular @WWE?