As "Redd Dogg" in ECW, Louisiana native Rodney Begnaud wasn't exactly a superstar, but he wasn't exactly at the bottom of the card, either. A perfectly serviceable pro wrestler, when paired with Teddy Long in 2002 WWE as the centerpiece of "Thuggin and Buggin Enterprises," his "White Boy Challenges" weren't exactly setting the world on fire. Again, in a situation wherein race relations will always be a touchy subject in any company, presenting African-Americans as the heels in the situation doesn't exactly make them bad, it proves them to be a) possibly right, and if presented as over-the-top heels, b) comedic. As it was often repeated in many wrestling promotions during the territory era, "funny, no money," meaning that a character presented with more humor than substance will never truly reach the top of the card or be a significant drawing attraction. The "White boy" hating Rodney Mack died a relatively quick death when defeated by Goldberg on June 23, 2002. Though later tagging with Chris Nowinski (held down by "the man" because he was intelligent) and Mark Henry (also black, and similar to Redd Dogg held down because of his skin color) the potential impact of his character had been significantly watered down to the point where there was absolutely no impetus to care, whatsoever.
Besides having been an independent professional wrestling manager for a decade, Marcus Dowling is a Washington, DC-based writer who has contributed to a plethora of online and print magazines and newspapers writing about music and popular culture over the past 15 years.
