7 Incredibly Messed Up Allegations From WCW's Racial Discrimination Lawsuits
5. WCW Made Harlem Heat Dress Up Like Slaves
This was never a secret, but it's the only time it was acknowledged publicly by someone who was involved. In 1993, when WCW hired Booker T and Stevie Ray, they didn't start as Harlem Heat, The Ebony Experience (their team name in the GWF), or even G.I. Bro and Super Collider (their initial names as rookies in Houston independent promotions). No, they were The Posse, managed by Col. Robert Parker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRsZNxTpUl4 In case you weren't aware, Col. Robert Parker was Robert Fuller dressed as a plantation owner. And, well...The Posse came out chained together. From the complaint Stevie Ray filed against WCW: A friend of mine who was there that night told me that the mood at Center Stage Theater in Atlanta was a combination of shock and tension. Remember, these tapings drew heavily black crowds, too. Thankfully, someone wised up and it never made air. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9I9JJ0WY1k Well, mostly. When Harlem Heat debuted on TV, they had one match where they wore prison uniform tops along with their wrestling tights. The match never aired in the United States, only in Germany as far as anyone knows. Whether that was by design or just random WCW weirdness, that's best left undecided for now.
Formerly the site manager of Cageside Seats and the WWE Team Leader at Bleacher Report, David Bixenspan has been writing professionally about WWE, UFC, and other pop culture since 2009. He's currently WhatCulture's U.S. Editor and also serves as the lead writer of Figure Four Weekly and a monthly contributor to Fighting Spirit Magazine.
A friend of mine who was there that night told me that the mood at Center Stage Theater in Atlanta was a combination of shock and tension. Remember, these tapings drew heavily black crowds, too. Thankfully, someone wised up and it never made air. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9I9JJ0WY1k Well, mostly. When Harlem Heat debuted on TV, they had one match where they wore prison uniform tops along with their wrestling tights. The match never aired in the United States, only in Germany as far as anyone knows. Whether that was by design or just random WCW weirdness, that's best left undecided for now.