10 WWE Gimmicks With Racist Undertones

8. Virgil

Virgil WWE
WWE

Lost to a generation of young fans experiencing their first taste of pro wrestling in the 1980s, the power dynamic between Ted Dibiase and Virgil remains uncomfortably driven as much by race as it was the fictitious fortune.

But it wasn't just bad taste that should have seen the gimmick stutter long before it did. Almost everything about the persona was a rib. The name itself was a joke at Dusty Rhodes' expense, doubled down upon thanks to accusations from many within the industry that 'The American Dream's patter was a stolen style rather than an homage.

He'd never escape his fate as a downtrodden inside joke even after turning babyface in WWE. A mid-1990s divide crossing saw him stripped of his refinery to represent the lowest level of the New World Order totem pole as 'Vincent'.

Just as he was used and abused for the first shot across the bow, so too was he considered worthy of the receipt. WCW even renamed him 'Shane' as he fell further down the ranks, as if the joke hadn't already been beaten half to death.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation for 10 years. Alongside the production of daily written, audio and video content covering WWE and AEW, he also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot on the UK's wrestling podcast charts with over 10,000 episodes and 70,000,000 total downloads. He also co-hosts Benno & Hamflett, In Your House!, Podcast Horseman: The BoJack Horseman Podcast, and has guested on long-running Sunderland AFC podcast Wise Men Say. With WhatCulture, he has provided in-person coverage of some of the biggest pay-per-views and Premium Live Events in wrestling history, including WrestleMania, Survivor Series, All In & Double Or Nothing in destinations such as New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. He has also been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, Fightful, POST Wrestling, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana, 411Mania and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in music and culture magazines The Crack, Pilot as well as Sunderland AFC's premiere fanzine A Love Supreme. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it every other Saturday at the Stadium Of Light, and at Cribs gigs nationwide.