One topic that constantly gets brought up among black wrestling fans is the WWE champion rarely being black. This usually turns into a debate about what black wrestlers should have gotten the title. One wrestler who is always mentioned as someone who should have won the WWE Championship is Kofi Kingston.
Kofi Kingston has been a part of the WWE ever since 2007 but did not make his television debut until 2008. Ever since he debuted, he has put on nothing but great matches that were well-received by the fans. I have had the pleasure of seeing him in matches at live shows and he definitely did not disappoint. After all this time spent in the WWE, it's about time he wins the WWE title.
The WWE title itself is not very important. Championships in wrestling are not these prestigious pieces of gold that someone would put on their resume. It is, however, a symbol of a wrestler's status in the company. When a wrestler wins the company's world championship, he is essentially the face of the company.
This is why John Cena became such the megastar he is today. WWE saw that he had potential and gave him the WWE championship. After his championship win came a successful rap album and multiple television and movie appearances.
For some reason, there has never been a black WWE champion except for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson - and even that is still debated since he is not fully black.
I honestly think that part of the reason why Kofi and other black wrestlers over the years haven't been given the championship is racism.
WWE is a company that has proven over and over just how racist they can be, whether intentional or not. Just look at the Hulk Hogan scandal. The man used the n-word and said he hated black people. After three years, he's welcomed back with open arms.
The company has always had a certain racist element in it and I don't think it is going anywhere soon. I also don't think that it will stop Kofi from becoming WWE champion either. His popularity in recent weeks speaks for itself.
Wrestlemania, WWE's biggest show of the year, is coming up in April. I believe that if Kofi is to win the championship, he should win it there. It would be a great moment to see.
To me, him winning the championship itself isn't that important since it is just a belt. It's more about how black people typically don't reach this level of success due to our general position on the socioeconomic ladder.
It sounds cliche, but seeing one of "us" make it, even if he's originally from Africa, would definitely put a smile on my face.
