Black Wrestlers Made History, Too

While we celebrate Black History Month, lets take a look at some of the ground-breaking Black wrestlers — some of them made history just by stepping into the ring…

Koko B. Ware

Inducted into the WWE hall of fame in 2009, Koko started his wrestling career in 1978 and rose to fame in the late ’80s and ’90s. He began as part of  the wrestling tag team duo High Energy as well as a solo competitor. He became a fan favorite when he made his entrances to the ring, he  would enter with Morris Day and The Time‘s “The Bird”,  flapping his arms while carrying his bird “Frankie.” Koko brought nothing but high energy and fun during his time in the WWF making him a fan favorite.

Jazz

The former basketball star dropped out of college after she was approached with a chance to become a full time wrestler. The opportunity paid off after she was offered a contract with ECW (Extreme Championship Wrestling) going by the name Jazzmine. After having great success with ECW, the WWF showed great interest in the upstart and sent her to Ohio Valley Wrestling for training. After her training Jazz signed on with the WWF and was repackaged as Jazz.  Jazz made history in 2002 when the WWF changed its name to WWE, making her the last woman in WWF history to hold the Women’s Championship Belt in the WWF and the first  hold it under the WWE name.

Virgil

Starting his career in WWF under the moniker Lucius Brown, he then became Virgil in the summer of 1987 when he appeared as the bodyguard for “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.  Virgil went solo in 1991 and became a superstar in his own right. After a short stint in the WWF as solo wrestler he then joined NWO in the WCW in which he became the head of security. In 2000 he called it quits and became a math teacher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Kamala

Funny fact about Kamala: he was known in the WWF as the “The Ugandan Giant” but he was actually born and raised in Mississippi. Kamala got the pseudonym from National Geographic Magazine in which there was an article about a Ugandan doctor with the same name. The WWF made him a gimmicky cannibal because they thought he would be great character to add but his wrestling skills were pretty poor. Despite that, he became a beloved character in both the WWF and WCW.

James Dudley

Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 1994, Dudley made history when he became the first African American to head a major arena in the United States.  WWE CEO Vincent McMahon said that Dudley was an “important cog” in the WWF and “had there been no James Dudley, the WWF possibly wouldn’t exist as it does today.”

ALSO READ: The Top 10 Greatest Black Wrestlers Of All Time (NewsOne)

Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson

Atlas and Johnson made history  30 years ago when they  became the first African American World Tag Team Champions in the WWF. Atlas was also inducted into the WWF Hall of fame in 1996. Johnson is the father of WWE superstar the Rock, who has been WWE/WWF champion 9 times and has gone on to leading acting roles, such as this summer’s upcoming movie “Fast and The Furious 6.”

Ron Simmons

Simmons was the very first African American to become the WCW champion in 1992 by defeating Big Van Vender for the WCW Championship. Before pursuing a career in Wrestling Simmons had successful career in football. Playing college football at FSU. He was Heisman finalist and drafted by the Cleveland Browns and then finishing his playing days in the  USFL.

JunkYard Dog

One of the first Black superstars in the WWF, JunkYard became one of the more recognizable wrestlers in the early to mid ’80s. He was also the first wrestler to win the Wrestling Classic , the very first wrestling pay per view event.

Black wrestlers were some of the most colorful in the history of this distinct form of sports and entertainment. Let’s not let them be forgotten. If we missed a favorite Black wrestler, let us know in the comments.