2021 Was A Great Year To Be Black In WWE

2021 was a historic year for Black talent in WWE. In the face of AEW’s glaring diversity issues, 2021 was an unprecedented step forward for Black WWE Superstars, and WWE finally found consistency in cultivating Black top stars amid a checkered past.

WWE is set to kick off the New Year with its inaugural WWE Day 1 pay-per-view. With WWE champion Big E entering his 110th day as WWE champion, his presence in a pay-per-view world championship match in 2022 is an auspicious sign of more of the same from 2021.

2021 featured the Blackest WrestleMania ever, full stop. In fact, history was made many times over at WrestleMania 37. Big E and Apollo Crews wrestled the first all-Black Intercontinental Championship match at a WrestleMania. WrestleMania 37 featured the most Black talent ever to compete at a WrestleMania (nine) and the most Black Superstars to win or retain championships at WWE’s biggest event (four). Of course, the coup de grace was Bianca Belair and Sasha Banks becoming the first Black women to main event a WrestleMania, but WWE didn’t stop there. Black History year in WWE extended into December.

July’s WWE Money in the Bank featured the first-ever singles match between two Black men for the WWE Championship as Bobby Lashley destroyed Kofi Kingston. That same night, WWE crowned its first Black Money in the Bank winner as Big E secured the briefcase in one of the year’s feel-good moments. Big E followed up with a historic cash-in on the September 13, 2021 broadcast of WWE Raw. Big E’s victory over Lashley was the first instance of a WWE Championship going from one Black Superstar to another.

In 2021, non-Black WWE Superstars held the WWE Title for 51 days (Drew McIntyre and The Miz). Black Superstars (Lashley and Big E) went on to dominate WWE Championship reigns for the remainder of the year, or 314 days to be exact.

Finally realizing his moment after seeing his fellow New Day members win world titles, Xavier Woods became the first Black King of the Ring since King Booker in 2006 after defeating Finn Balor in the King of the Ring finals at WWE Crown Jewel in October.

“I think right now it’s just a great time for Black men and women in our industry,” Big E said in an interview with Atlanta Journal-Constitution (h/t Wrestling Inc).

“We’re in a boom period because there is so much talent who are very good and happen to be Black, whether it’s Bianca Belair, Sasha Banks or Bobby Lashley, who I won the title from. A couple of years ago, it was Kofi Kingston, my partner of seven years with New Day.”

“They’re all richly deserving from what I’ve seen. When you talk about inclusion or diversity, I think it’s important you’re not just putting people of color in these positions merely because they’re a person of color. When you look at Bianca, Sasha and Bobby, they’re all talented and unique and they just so happen to be Black.”

Big E’s comments speak to the continued normalization of Black excellence in WWE. Though historic accomplishments for Black talent continues to be a beautiful thing, the less history that is attached to these achievements, the more it suggests it has become part of WWE’s once-embattled culture of inclusion. On March 1, 2021, Bobby Lashley made quick work of Miz to become just the third Black WWE champion in history, but it didn’t feel like history. It just felt like a red-hot Bobby Lashley winning a world title after several months of effective booking.

He just happened to be Black.

Even in NXT 2.0, Carmelo Hayes emerged as one of the brand’s top stars. Alongside charismatic heater Trick Williams, Hayes is following the Shawn Michaels template amid a reign as NXT North American champion. At New Year’s Evil, he could become a historic double champion as he looks to unify Roderick Strong’s Cruiserweight Championship.

WWE’s run of Black excellence comes as chief competitor AEW continues to struggle mightily in that department. AEW’s continued struggles to promote Black top stars was recently the subject of intense controversy as former AEW star Big Swole spoke out against the promotion’s lack of diversity.

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“Outside of [lack of structure] their BIGGEST issue, which is diversity. I do not beat around the bush when it comes to diversity and my people,” Swole said.

“There is no representation, truly, and when there is, it does not come across in the black community as genuine. At all. I don’t know why everybody is so afraid to accept it or say it, but it’s not a good look.”

“What happens is, you have this wonderful company that treats people like family, but there is nobody that looks like me that is represented at the top and in the room with them,” Swole continued.

“They are not helping to necessarily influence decisions, but to explain why certain slang and certain words shouldn’t be said. There is no one else who can explain our culture and experience except for us.”

Swole went on to note that her daughter started watching WWE over AEW since “there’s nobody that looks like me on AEW. There’s nobody that looks like daddy (WWE Superstar Cedric Alexander).” Swole also debunked the popular AEW talking point of WWE getting away with marginalization for over 50 years (when people like me weren’t around to call it out). Swole feels three years without Black excellence in AEW is unacceptable as they should have learned from WWE as to “what not to do.”

Tony Khan responded to Big Swole, citing a (limited) number of Black wrestlers who won on television in December before dismissing Swole as a subpar wrestler.

“The top 2 @AEW execs are brown (me & Megha)!! Jade, Bowens, Caster, Dante, Nyla, Isiah & Marq Quen all won on tv this month. The TBS Title Tournament has been very diverse. I let Swole’s contract expire as I felt her wrestling wasn’t good enough. #AEWRampage Street Fight TONIGHT! [sic]” wrote Khan.

Khan’s tweet led to a polarizing response from fans and the wrestlers themselves. Furious with Khan’s testy reply—a budding staple of Tony Khan on Twitter—AEW star Lio Rush called on the AEW President to apologize. Team Taz member Will Hobbs came to Khan’s defense by talking up the “heavy” spots he has been featured in while commending the company for being there for him when his mother passed away. Captain Shawn Dean, who recently took a squash-match loss to Wardlow, lauded AEW for giving him an opportunity as an extras coordinator, while Jade Cargill talked up her success in AEW despite no prior wrestling experience.

Others, however, were not as effusive in their praise to AEW. Darius Lockhart, who has appeared on AEW Dark, did not mince words in a series of tweets calling Khan’s response to Swole “disrespectful.”

“This is not the change you promised, this is more of the same @TonyKhan, and it’s been more of the same, and it’ll be more of the same because you are not listening,” said Lockhart.

Whether Tony Khan is able to see it or not, AEW has a long way to go in effectively promoting Black talent. With its four self-identified pillars mostly white, diversity and inclusion has been a thorn in AEW’s side for the majority of its existence. Hopefully AEW can continue to listen and learn in 2022. Otherwise, these criticisms will only continue to grow louder.