Black Pioneers In Pro Wrestling
Options
Comments
-
Ernie Ladd was bigger than Andre the Giant. I saw a documentary where I believe they interviewed Bobby The Brain Heenan and he said that he advised Andre to never take pictures with Ernie because it would show who the true giant in the industry was. So Andre would do his best to avoid Ernie while in the same room, in fear that he would lose his Giant of the industry title to a black man.
-
Bobo Brazil
Debuting in 1951, Bobo Brazil (Houston Harris) was a trailblazer for today's black pro wrestling superstars. The most famous black competitor of his time, and easily one of the most popular stars overall from the 50s through the 80s, Brazil brought 6'6, 270 lbs. of power and ability to the ring. A gentleman outside the squared circle, Brazil feuded with the nastiest villains in the game, such as The Sheik, Fred Blassie, ? the Bruiser, Brute Bernard, and Ernie Ladd. Fans delighted in watching the Benton Harbor, Michigan native stun opponents with his patented "coco-butt."
Among the long list of titles on Brazil's resume were several versions of the U.S. Title (mostly in Detroit) between the early 1960s and 1976, and two WWA championships between 1966 and 1968.
After concluding an amazing 40-plus year wrestling career in the early 1990s, Houston Harris passed away in 1998. He was 74.
-
WOODY STRODE
Step back, Rocky: Woody Strode was Hollywood’s favorite wrestler-turned-movie star years before The Rock was a twinkle in the People’s Eye.
In fact, Woody Strode also beat The Rock and Ron “Faarooq” Simmons to another honor: he was the first black professional wrestler to come from a sensational college football career. His days as an All-American superstar on the UCLA Bruins football squad earned him a 1992 induction into the UCLA Athletic Hall of Fame. Strode played professional football for the NFL’s Cleveland Rams and the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL before taking his celebrity status to wrestling rings in California. In the state of his first glory, Woody Strode was already a hometown hero, and had a far easier time earning the acceptance of the fans as a babyface.
Strode was 6’4″ and weighed just over 200 lbs. in his prime. He was part black and part Native American, and identified just as strongly with his roots to the Blackfoot tribe as he did to his African heritage. His great grandfather escaped slavery in the south, finding safety with a Creek tribe and marrying one of its squaws. His grandfather would one day marry a woman from the Blackfoot tribe.
Due to his athletic build, Strode would play the role of African warrior or Native American tribesman in many of his Hollywood ventures. Strode eventually earned prominent roles in movies such as The Outlaw Josey Wales, Spartacus (in a very famous scene as a warrior Kirk Douglas refuses to ? ), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Ten Commandments (1956), The Cotton Club, Posse, and the lead role in the 1960 classic Sergeant Rutledge. In a film many have included among the “Blacksploitation” movies of the 60s and 70s, Strode played the lead role in 1971’s Black Jesus as well.
At the age of 76, Strode branched out into yet another successful career when his 1990 autobiography Goal Dust was praised by a host of critics.
Strode died of lung cancer in 1994 shortly after completing work on his last film, The Quick and the Dead. He was 80. -
JokerBadAzz wrote: »
Bobo Brazil
Debuting in 1951, Bobo Brazil (Houston Harris) was a trailblazer for today's black pro wrestling superstars. The most famous black competitor of his time, and easily one of the most popular stars overall from the 50s through the 80s, Brazil brought 6'6, 270 lbs. of power and ability to the ring. A gentleman outside the squared circle, Brazil feuded with the nastiest villains in the game, such as The Sheik, Fred Blassie, ? the Bruiser, Brute Bernard, and Ernie Ladd. Fans delighted in watching the Benton Harbor, Michigan native stun opponents with his patented "coco-butt."
Among the long list of titles on Brazil's resume were several versions of the U.S. Title (mostly in Detroit) between the early 1960s and 1976, and two WWA championships between 1966 and 1968.
After concluding an amazing 40-plus year wrestling career in the early 1990s, Houston Harris passed away in 1998. He was 74.
This just brought back memories for me my grandfather used to tell me stories about when he use to go watch bobo brazil wrestle the shiek at cobo hall (old arena where the pistons use to play )he said the shiek was crazy used to have people in the crowd really about to fight em -
The sheer amount of ? they had to deal with must of been sickening
-
damn we went from this to r-truth?
-
Never disrespect NWA World Champ Ron Killings
-
Ron Simmons winning the WCW title was epic for me in 1992, especially when Sting couldn't get the job done.
-
John Cena
-
Best thread in OTTB.
-
Koko B Ware best dropkick of all time.
-
Dolph Niggler
-
Already Home_17 wrote: »damn we went from this to New Day?
*Fixed -
Thunderbolt Patterson deserves sum love
-
junkyard dog as well
-
No new jack?
-
No Virgil?
-
No TOO COLD?!
-
yall 4got the o.g. from tennessee ....brickhouse brown....if yall check out some of his shoots,he actually talks about alot of these guys....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb02Ss8Qi-s
or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXYPxhQV9FY
or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmSYZhUCqcc -
Brick house vs HHH is a classic
-
Luther Lindsay and Bearcat Wright were inducted into the WWE HOF tonight
-
I loved most of the black wrestlers in the 80s and 90s:
James "Koko B. Ware" Ware
(Sucks he never got a real run for anything....)
[img]https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/find-a-grave-? /photos/2011/156/70395431_130737618123.jpg[/img]
"JYD" Silvester Ritter
Jimmy Harris aka "Kamala"
"Bad News Brown" Allen Coage
-
2 cold Scorpio was dat ?
-
I forgot about them brick house joints lol
-
I loved most of the black wrestlers in the 80s and 90s:
James "Koko B. Ware" Ware
(Sucks he never got a real run for anything....)
[img]https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/find-a-grave-? /photos/2011/156/70395431_130737618123.jpg[/img]
"JYD" Silvester Ritter
Jimmy Harris aka "Kamala"
"Bad News Brown" Allen Coage
I rememba when Bnb put jack tunney in his place on tha brotha love show
