5. Bobo Brazil
Born on a cotton farm in Arkansas in 1924, Houston Harris was a tough, hardworking boy who grew up to be a tough, hardworking man. He picked fruit and drove trucks and basically did whatever he could do to earn a buck. By the time stardom came calling, for example, he was working at a foundry in Michigan for $50 a week. Harris was discovered by former World Champion Joe Savoldi (who, as I discussed in my recent article on Cesaro cheap plug!- was an allied spy in WW2, in addition to being a football star with the Chicago Bears). Harris was soon being trained and booked by Savoldi (who, unusually for the time, refused to segregate his shows). Houston Harris was initially billed as BuBu (sometimes written as Boo-Boo) Brazil, but an advertising cock-up led to him being called Bobo and the name stuck. A natural showman and a born babyface who had more than enough ring savvy to punish any overzealous opponent Bobo Brazil soon became a prominent star of his era. In the 1950s, Brazil rose to fame as one of wrestlings first televised stars. The gimmick was simple; Bobo the black babyface would face off against a veritable army of sneaky white heels. For American audiences of the time, Bobos victories demonstrated that a black wrestler could be every bit the equal of a white wrestler and, by getting over with the fans, Bobo was able to break boundaries and challenge stereotypes wherever he went. He would go to local radio stations and implore his fans to come and see him wrestle I cant win without you he would say and, black or white, they would flock to the arena in their hundreds in order to cheer him on. Brazil was not the first African American wrestling star, not by a long shot, but he is recognised by many as the first black World Heavyweight Champion, winning the NWA World Championship from Nature Boy Buddy Rogers in 1962. It should be noted that another legendary black wrestler, Bearcat Wright, had held a different World Championship a year earlier in 1961, but this was the NWA World Heavyweight Championship and, as such, the win had far greater exposure. Sadly for Bobo, the booking decision was completely unauthorised by the NWA Board of Directors and was seen as a publicity stunt by booker Willie Gilzenberg and, as a result, it was subsequently not recognised by the NWA. However, regardless of postscript, on that night, a very large audience witnessed a black man proudly holding the World Championship aloft for the very first time. He would become later become officially recognised as a two-time World Champion in the World Wrestling Alliance (WWA), first in 1966 and again in 1968. In the 1980s, Brazil wrestled for the WWF as the tag team partner of Rocky Johnson, father of multi-time WWF/E Champion (and movie star) The Rock. Amazingly, Bobo Brazil wrestled into the 90s and was always popular amongst audiences of any colour (he was even World Champ in Mexico at one point). His legacy will forever be one of dignity, respect and the art of transcending barriers by being genuinely loved by your audience.