This is probably one of the most famous instances of overt racism creeping into WWE. In the lead-up to WrestleMania XIX, Triple H began deriding his opponent, Booker T, saying people like you dont deserve to be World Champion. Triple H mocked Booker T.s hair and spinarooni, asking him to dance for him. It felt like people were watching something from our parents generation, where saying stuff like that was just the way it was. Putting aside the despicable nature of the comments, Triple H definitely put himself in the heel category, and the fans were just begging Booker to shut his mouth up at WrestleMania. Jim Ross commentary as Booker made his way to the ring talking about how Booker was the youngest of seven, his mother died when he was 12 and he paid for his criminal mistakes set the stage for a triumphant climax to this less than savory story at the biggest PPV of the year. So naturally, Triple H kicked out of Bookers Harlem Hangover, hit a Pedigree and then laid on the mat for 20 seconds before pinning him. End of story. No day of reckoning for Triple H, no wrestling justice served. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4RebbQqQz4 Did Triple H generate a lot of heat for his Mania match against Booker T? Definitely. Was he the most hated guy in Safeco Field and Booker the babyface everyone was pulling for? Absolutely. Was it worth the promo and angle they used to get there? Well, thats the question with a lot of these examples. It seems like WWE believes that interjecting race and racism into their angles add a layer of depth to the storytelling. But as evidenced by these examples, the use of race and racism doesnt magically elevate a person or angle. In the long run, its just an element that isnt needed in professional wrestling.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
