The Black Wrestler Report gives an update on the state of Black Wrestling on WWEs main roster. We’ve covered Black Wrestling in WWE, as well as NXT’s love of a Black champion. Now, how did Black wrestlers fare on WWE’s main roster during Black History Month in 2025? The month was wild for the main roster of men and women of color – did you notice all those heel turns?
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Black Wrestler Report – Feb 2025: Heeling and Growth.
The Guys Are Going Dark
Let’s talk about the Black male wrestlers on WWE’s roster right now. Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, Carmelo Hayes, Montez Ford, and Angelo Dawkins have ALL gone heel. That’s crazy, right?
The New Day famously turned on Big E a couple months back in January, and February saw their complete transformation. New music, new attitude – Xavier Woods even got a freaking Majin symbol tattooed on his shoulder! That’s something you can’t take back. The dude’s just gonna be a heel for life now.
Carmelo Hayes continues to wow people with great matches and great selling. His mic work is improving, and he’s also figuring out his character more. The more TV time Hayes gets and interactions with top stars like Cody Rhodes and The Miz, the better Carmello Hayes gets. Carmello just needs time to work out the kinks, but he’s always incredible in the ring. That match with R-Truth? Great stuff.
Then we’ve got the Street Profits turning heel, or maybe not full heel, but definitely tweeners with an edge. It’s that standard cliched wrestling thing – “You guys keep screwing us over, now we’re getting violent.” Montez is preaching, Dawkins is upset. It’s working for them. Hopefully, they get new music, and honestly, I’d love for them to change their name. I’ve never been a fan of “Street Profits” – it feels a bit reductive.
R-Truth is just a stalwart. The man is beloved, and now he’s on SmackDown. Always good to see him featured. I mentioned to myself R-Truth needed to move to SmackDown because there wasn’t much for him to do on Raw. The worst part, though? They moved The Miz with him. I don’t need more of their interplay, but maybe they’ll shift into a new gear.
Naomi, Bianca, Jade, and upcoming drama in the Women’s Division
On the women’s side, Naomi and Bianca lost their tag team titles to Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. But Jade Cargill is on her way back, and I think the culprit for who beat her ass that day is going to be Bianca.
Why? Bianca has been subtly changing her attitude. She’s not as smiley as before. She’s wearing darker makeup and the grills Montez Ford has been rocking in his heel promos. Her mannerisms are more dismissive, and her gear has become decidedly darker. Her entrance on Raw gave me that feeling – I was like, “She’s gonna turn heel tonight!” She didn’t, but losing those titles will set up her WrestleMania match against Jade, with Jade being the returning hero and Bianca as the villain.
Everyone’s been positioning Naomi as the attacker, but that feels like a red herring. Sure, they showed Bianca in the ring when Jade was discovered, but that doesn’t mean Bianca didn’t throw Jade around before the match.
I don’t think Naomi has the sauce to carry a heel turn right now. But Bianca has been a straight-up babyface her entire time on the main roster. From what I hear, her heel work in NXT was excellent. After years of learning and growing, a heel Bianca with a title would be just what the doctor ordered. I’m hoping these changes weren’t just aesthetic. She doesn’t need to align with Street Profits, but interestingly, she looks more like her husband now.
NXT remains a bastion of Black Wrestling
In late January, NXT crowned Oba Femi as champion, and his reign continues. Moose, the X Division champion from TNA, called him out, so now we’ll get a Nigerian versus Nigerian fight, which should be fun!
NXT remains a bastion of black wrestling, with many black champions, challengers, and great angles. Despite all that, I still haven’t watched a single moment of NXT—not because I don’t want to, but because I just don’t have the time. I have Mondays and Fridays slotted for wrestling, and it’s hard to carve out more time. But I might have to start. Oba Femi is excellent, and I want to give Moose some shine when they clash.
B-Fab has been elevated to an actual in-ring wrestler in the past few months, which is excellent. She’s doing really well and getting props from fans. They paired her with Meechan as a springboard to get her in the groove. Michin (who’s half-black) was doing better in that dumpster match a while ago and had great matches against Chelsea Green for the US title, but he hasn’t crossed back to the top since feuding with Rhea Ripley.
What’s Next?
The state of black wrestling on WWE’s main roster and NXT feels good. It’s funny that all these heel turns happened in February, but they’re getting TV time. The New Day is thriving again. Hopefully, Xavier Woods will get closer to a singles championship, or they will get back to the tag titles.
I want heel Bianca feuding with Jade and Naomi. I suspect Jade might show up during Elimination Chamber somehow. Apollo Crews is on the shelf – hopefully, he gets better and gets some shine when he’s back. Unfortunately, Ashanti The Adonis remains a ghost on the main roster, and Cedric Alexander was let go. But he’ll land on his feet – he’s an incredible athlete, and they weren’t doing anything with him anyway.
If I missed anybody, I’ll pick them up next month when I do another check-in on how black wrestlers are doing on the main roster – who’s coming in, who’s moving out, who’s getting over, and who’s getting buried.
Take it easy, everybody.
