IS IT TIME FOR MORE BLACK MANAGERS IN WRESTLING?

So, a couple of things. One, I know it's been a while since I've posted on this particular blog. I post a lot on my other blog, which you can read them if you fancy (in my Ben Potter voice) here. And I always have a lot of thoughts on professional wrestling, but I just never get on my laptop and type them out, but I'm going to give some of the thoughts in this post.

One thought is that I think WWE is missing the mark on black managers. Not in the Alicia Fox situation in that she's Noam Darr's valet, which I have a problem with big time but that's another post. What I'm saying is, with the popularity of Lavar Ball, and Stephen A. Smith has always been known for how he talks, I think it's past time for wrestling to have a black manager on the grand scale. I know in ROH there's Prince NaNa, who is entertaining in his own right. He's about the only one I know about. I don't know if there's anymore, but either way, I think that's a massive gap that's missing. I'm glad Naomi is on top of the SD Live women's division, not just because she's black, but because her talent is finally getting recognized. The gap I'm talking about is the strong black figure that can put talent over by talking. Not in a shucking and jive way like Slick, with all disrespect to Slick, he made it work.

I'm talking about a manager that brings that Lavar Ball type heat. That Stephen A. Smith type heat. I'm sure that guy is out there that can cut a promo as well as Paul Heyman, but also doesn't have to be another Slick or Teddy Long. Look up Stephen A. Smith's speech when he said to Kevin Durant, "You don't want to make an enemy out of me." You mean to tell me that kind of thing won't work in a wrestling landscape? Lavar Ball's heat speaks for itself. The guy is putting his son over and himself over at the same time. He's selling his own merch without any big company to back him up. He is his own big company. He lives what he believes and has everybody talking about him. Isn't that one of the goals of a good wrestling personality?

Now the question comes who could be that character. Who out there at home or in the independents could bring that kind of, lack of a better word, swagger to the ring and command that presence? Is there a retired black wrestler that could do that? Ron Simmons could, I think, if he wanted to. He was the original lead guy of the Nation of Domination. Maybe Stevie Ray, Booker T's brother.

Just my opinion. Feel free to share your thoughts on this.

~Daniel Richerson