January 2025:
2025 is upon us and it’s time to revisit Black Wresting in WWE. Super. Black. just posted about Oba Femi’s NXT Championship win at New Years Evil 2025. Now its time to take a look at how other Black superstars are doing in WWE.
Carmelo Hayes – Trending up 📈
Let’s start with Smackdown’s #1 draft pick from NXT once more. Hayes has a very start-and-stop journey. One that seems typical of the Black males superstars on the roster. His Best of 7 Series with Andrade was loved by fans and a great showcase of both wrestler’s talents. Unfortunately, the final match was marred by poor booking, seeing LA Knight (who already had the US Title at the time) interfere and cause a triple threat match for the title. Carmello continues to gain and lose momentum, teasing stories with top talent like Cody or even Braun, that have yet to translate into anything real. That being said, he is featured, sharing the screen with vets, and getting time to work and get over. Sometimes that’s all you can ask for.
Apollo Crew – Not Trending
Oh, Apollo. His booking continues to be dismal. His last tag parter, Baron Corbin, left to company just as they moved back up to Smackdown from NXT. When Giovanni Vinci redebuted, Apollo was tapped to work him. That evaporated within 2 weeks as Vinci has not been seen since. When he does get in the ring, he is normally booked to take the pin. A shame for sure as he remains an underutilized in-ring talent. Man can do a full flip from a standing position, after all. Yet, there is a glimmer of hope. Recently, Apollo has appeared week to week alongside tag champs DIY, Street Profits, and Pretty Deadly. He’s been a bit of a snitch, but any TV time is good. Time to maximize minutes for Crews and get him moving towards some matches with wins.
Ashante Adonis & Cedric Alexander – Trending down 📉
This tag team continues to work in the shadows. After some tag matches in NXT, I am not sure where thye are now. I admittedly, don’t watch NXT regularly so they may still be making a splash there, but the team is technically Smackdown talent and have all but 0 matches on the blue brand since the last time we ran this report. Given the resurggence of the Smackdown tag division lately, Ashante and Cedric could at least be enhancement for Motor City or competition for Pretty Deadly (another underused team).
Bobby Lashley
He’s gone.
Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford – Trending up 📈
The Street Profits, a.k.a The Pride, a.k.a Suit Profits are back to working great matches and potentially having an ongoing story. They are booked to have static with the newly heel tag champs D.I.Y. THis is a huge step up from putting over The Bloodline for months, or flowndering between being contenders and stepping stones. Hopefully this new fued leads to highlightning new aspects of the Street Profits. They don’t need to win gold, per se, but they do need to nurture their characters and potentialy refine their team into one the fans can call a match around. Think of The Dudley Boys. That kind of dynamic is what the Street Profits need to aspire to.
R-Truth – Always up 📈
Truth is truth. The man knows what makes the people happy and he delivers every time. I’ve heard people complain he’s too much of a comedy act. I disagree. R Truth is vital. He gives you something different. He breaks up the segments, allowing you to enjoy the absurdity of wrestling in a weirdly meta way. No, he probably won’t be IC champ anytime soon, nor World Champ. But I defy you not to smile when he refers to John Cena as his childhood hero.
The New Day – Trending up up up 📈
Dude, what a turnaround. The New Day has gone full villain, turning on everyones favorite smiling giant, Big E, and cementing themselves as WWE’s resident assholes. Week to week they come out, full of resentment and the sort of smug self-confidence only a comic book villain can have. Their wardrobe changes ever-so-slightly week to week, showing their descent into heeldom. And don’t think we didn’t catch Kofi wearing the Majin symbol around his neck for the better part of 3 months. Xavier Woods is always incredible, and moreso now that he gets to interact with various nerdy celebs who get to them him and Kofi that they suck. I am waiting for them to get in the ring as I am hoping they are refining their tag team moves to align with their new personas.
Trick Williams – Trending up 📈
Trick recently dropped the NXT title to Oba Femi after an impressive run, with some great defenses. That inclused his loss to Ethan Page in the scummiest heel win I have seen in a while. Trick will probably work a program with Oba going into and past Royal Rumble just to solidify the gold transition. Then, the sky is the limit for Trick. I don’t know if he is ready for the main roster yet, but there isn’t much left for him down in NXT. Maybe send him to TNA to beat up their roster?
Oba Femi – Trending up 📈
The new NXT Champion, Oba Femi, is one of my favorite new wrestlers. He’s got the look, the strength, the voice, and the poise to make it big in the wrestling business. This title win puts him on a direct path to the main roster to be a dominant force. Should the powers that be deem it so. I long for a GUNTHER/Oba match, or a Oba vs Bronson Reed tussle. Or perhaps a Femi vs jacob Fatu match. Sure, jacob would wrestle circles around him, but the spectacle would be phenomenal.
June 2024:
In my book, we just crossed the summer solstice, marking the middle of 2024. It’s time to take a look at the state of Black wrestling in WWE. Why? Because I love wrestling. I religiously watch WWE Raw and Smackdown, follow the rumors, and ramble about booking decisions. I read a post on Cagesideseats about MVP’s campaign to bring back The Hurt Business, which was shot down by former wrestler and Chief Creative Officer HHH. MVP insinuated that the group’s demise and lack of return were racially motivated. A fan commented, “The Triple H era is emasculating black men. I’m really hating it.”
Is Black Wrestling broken in WWE?
That comment struck me. Are they emasculating Black men in this new “Renaissance Era”? I couldn’t pinpoint a specific example, so I decided to take stock of the current Black Male roster of WWE and see where they are based on booking decisions over the past six months. Maybe by the end, we will have a clearer picture of the state of Black Male Wrestling in WWE.
Carmelo Hayes
Let’s start with Smackdown’s #1 draft pick from NXT this year. Since the WWE Draft, Hayes has been featured prominently on Smackdown weekly, with a few wins to call his own. He continues to grow and is consistently put in positions to maximize his time on the mic and in the ring. His matches have been great, tussling with legends like Randy Orton and doing toe-to-toe with LA Knight on the mic. He still has a long road ahead of him. He just earned a spot in this year’s Money In The Bank so it’s looking up for Hayes.
Apollo Crew
Oh, Apollo. This man cannot catch a break. Apollo is a gifted wrestler and performer who falls way short of his potential. He’s been a losing loser who loses with no upside in sight. He put over Andrade in both Raw and Smackdown debuts this year, got jumped by Santos and Legado Del Fantasma before a match for god knows what reason, and is usually seen in backstage segments in what I can only assume is catering. Apollo needs an advocate backstage. The man needs a gimmick and a motivation because right now, he’s buried under terrible booking.
Ashante Adonis & Cedric Alexander
This makeshift duo exists, yet I have not seen them do anything besides a fashion-focused vignette announcing their partnership. I believe they wrestle on house shows and whatever pre-Smackdown tapings are happening. The team has yet to debut on the main roster, so there is no booking to speak of. They were shown and mentioned at Clash of the Castle, along with another M.I.A team Pretty Deadly. To what end remains to be seen? Currently, these two are treated the same as they always have been. Poorly.
Bobby Lashley
Lashley is an anomaly. While he’s a key player on the roster, he is a rudderless ship in choppy waters. His partnership with The Street Profits remains fruitless, as the trio continues their 50/50 booking, gaining zero ground towards singles or tag team gold. Bobby’s character work remains confusing as he flip-flops between heel and face, not giving the fans the best of either world. He’s currently injured and off TV, leaving the Street Profits to fend for themselves. Speaking of which…
Angelo Dawkins & Montez Ford
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Once tag team champion contenders, the Street Profits are now fodder for The Bloodline and a team booked to put over current champs. This duo has done the post-mania job of putting over the newly crowned champs two years in a row. First, losing to Sami Zayn and Kevin Owns after their historic win at Wrestlemania 39. A full year later, they took the L against newly crowned WWE Tag Champs Austin Theory and Grayson Waller. Entertaining as all hell, The Street Profits are caught in limbo, being too good to be jobbers and not booked well enough to be champs.
Odyssey Jones
Who?
R-Truth
Truth continues to carve his uniquely undeniable path through the history books. R-Truth is an enigma, making the best of every situation he is given. Relegated to a comedy act, Ron continues to shine in every segment he’s given, maximizing his minutes to the umpteenth power. He finally got his Wrestlemania moment, winning the World Tag Team titles with Miz at Mania 40. Since then, he’s been doing his job, making people laugh and defending his gold. You can’t ask for much more.
The New Day: Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods
Touted as one of the greatest teams in WWE history, The New Day continues to shine whenever they can. Currently locked in an angle with Karrion Kross and his band of angry theater kids, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston, put in the work. They have taken a backseat to many new teams and stars, doing the job for new guys like Ludwig Kaiser, GUNTHER, DIY, and more.
Xavier Woods Cont.
I will call out Xavier Wood’s booking for a moment. I think that man is grossly misused and consistently overlooked. His entire career has revolved around making his teammates look good. A career support character. When he was given the opportunity to become King of the Ring, his crown, music (his first solo theme, mind you), and the title of King was stripped away from him unceremoniously. Everyone rightfully calls out the burial of Kofi’s championship reign by Brock and Vince, but you rarely hear about Wood and his glass ceiling. Big E and Kofi were bestowed singles gold, while Xavier holds his trombone, waiting for an opportunity. It doesn’t look like that opportunity will ever come, so allow me a moment to acknowledge King Woods. We see you.
Trick Williams
Right now Trick is on top. He’s holding gold and leading the NXT roster. I must admit, I don’t watch NXT, but every clip I see of it revolves around Trick (or the TNA collaboration). The man is over, has a mouthpiece in Booker T, and continues to grow as a performer.
Wes Lee
Lee returned and was immediately put into a program with the monsterous North American Champ, Oba Femi. Wes was always an incredible NA champ so it makes sense he’s back in that race. I watched his triple threat at Battlegrounds and Lee hasn’t lost a step. I’m sure he’s poised for another NA run, if he can “David & Goliath” he way to victory
Oba Femi
This guy came out of nowhere and impressed the hell out of everyone. So much so they wrapped that tile around his thick waist, making him the first Next In Line grad to win gold in WWE. He’s fast, strong, and dominant. His triple threat against Joe Coffey and Wes Lee was a banger and I see nothing but success in his future.
Black Wrestling Assessment
That is certainly not every male Black wrestler on the roster (there are numerous in NXT) but those are the ones I am most familiar with / in programs at the moment. I wouldn’t say their booking is emasculating. I would call it lacking across the board. While NXT gold is dominated by strong Black competitors, The Culture on the main roster is struggling on the wins front.
Teams like Street Profits nd New Day are languishing in a sea of losses while Apollo Crews continues to be mishandled and fed to folks.
Who deserves an immediate push?
Xavier Woods: I had my rant above and I will continue it here. Woods needs a fresh start. That may be the demise or at least halting of the New Day train. The group hasn’t been the same since Big E hand to exit the ring. As a tag team they feel incomplete. It could be time to reinvent the former King of the Ring and pick up the Sami Zayn underdog persona on a bid to grab singles gold, finally. Xavier Woods is capable, knowledgable, and strong. If nothing else, get that man in a program that connects him with fans and lets him show off his myriad of skills.
