The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns with healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored poddin'. This week, Fam, Matth, and khal return for for a long-awaited conversation with J Boujii, aka Fifty! Later, the squad discusses Trick Williams winning the Iron Survivor Challenge (and the fallout on NXT), CM Punk signing to Raw (and his confrontation with Seth Rollins), the AEW Continental Classic tournament, ROH Final Battle 2023, and much more!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon,
where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)!
We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE,
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The Midwest's Best Kept Secret Isaiah Broner won't be a secret much longer...because we leaked it! The holder of the AIW Absolute and Naptown All Pro championships joins BRP to talk his path to pro wrestling by way of football, Coach Prime, being on the cusp of his career taking off, the importance of being authentic while representing for the culture, and much more!Continue Reading
The All-Father Darius Carter—aka No. 15 on the 2023 #BRP50—stopped by the podcast to talk about what makes him Wrestling's Richest Prize, the #PiledriverPhenomenon, the moment he made at Jobber Slam 3, mixed-gender wrestling, and much, much more!
The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns with healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored poddin'. This week, Mimi, Fam, Matth, and khal are first joined by the All-Father Darius Carter (aka No. 15 on the 2023 #BRP50). The All-Father speaks on everything, from what he calls the #PiledriverPhenomenon to what makes him unique, mixed gender wrestling, and more. Later, the squad breaks down Jimmy Uso causing Jey his Tribal Combat match at SummerSlam (and what this means for The Usos in the future), Bobby Lashley and the Street Profits, Kofi Kingston's return, Dakota Kai flying Spirit to SummerSlam, and Ricky Starks whipping Ricky Steamboat!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon,
where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)!
We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE,
rate, comment, subscribe, and
share!
Ahead of his triple threat match against NXT North American champion "Dirty" Dom Mysterio and Mustafa Ali at NXT: Great American Bash on Sunday, July 30, Wes Lee joins the Black Rasslin' Podcast to discuss his record-making North American title reign, the #BRP50 and the importance of the community, his plans for the triple threat at Great American Bash, what's in his sneaker collection, and much, much more!
The Black Rasslin' Podcast returns with healthy dose of rasslin'-flavored poddin'. This week, Mimi, Matth, and khal are joined by King Tre D of WeLuvWrestling to discuss the 2023 #BRP50 list, the end(?) of The Bloodline, CM Punk's return to AEW, his AEW: Collision promo, and his future in AEW, as well as the Men's and Women's Owen Hart tournament brackets. Stacked show, you know what it is!
You know the routine: you can stream and download this week's episode via SoundCloud, and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify! We stream live every Thursday at 8:35PM ET on YouTube. We also encourage you to become a member of the BRPatreon,
where you can get even MORE exclusive content (and merch discounts)!
We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE,
rate, comment, subscribe, and
share!
Once again, it's on; the FIFTH annual #BRP50
list is here! We're back with our annual look at the Top 50 Black pro wrestlers currently working in the squared circle. As usual, we look at where these wrestlers stack up over the last calendar year (the #BRP50 for 2023 goes from May 2022 to May 2023). For anyone wondering, here is a look at the criteria that goes into making a list like this—now it's time for YOU to see where everyone lands.
Without further delay, here is the 2023 #BRP50, which we will be counting down throughout the week.
50. J Boujii 49. Isaiah Broner 48. AC Mack 47. Willie Mack 46. Shane Taylor 45. Trish Adora 44. Kevin Knight 43. O'Shay Edwards 42. Savannah Evans 41. Shaloncé Royal 40. Fred Rosser 39. Lee Moriarty 38. Michael Oku aka The OJMO 37. Apollo Crews 36. Trinity 35. Kofi Kingston 34. Jay Lethal 33. Nyla Rose 32. Omos 31. Myron Reed 30. Janai Kai 29. Xavier Woods 28. Angelo Dawkins 27. Charlette Renegade 26. Robyn Renegade 25. Keith Lee 24. Lio Rush 23. AR Fox 22. Calvin Tankman 21. Kaun 20. Chris Bey 19. Alex Kane 18. Dante Martin 17. Montez Ford 16. Ricochet 15. Darius Carter 14. Trey Miguel 13. Jade Cargill 12. Max Caster 11. Anthony Bowens 10. Bryan Keith 09. Powerhouse Hobbs 08. Mercedes Moné 07. Willow Nightingale 06. Athena 05. Wes Lee 04. Ricky Starks 03. Bobby Lashley 02. Carmelo Hayes 01. Bianca Belair
When you look at the vanglorious image Jedi Jack Yeti cooked up for the fifth annual #BRP50, there’s one wrestler in particular that feels most “khal-like.” His name is Darius Carter (#15 on the 2023 #BRP50 list), and he's spent almost 15 years bridging the gap. No, I’m not speaking about the gap between Black wrestlers who deserve to get shine and the rest of the world, but the gap between the era that influenced Carter and the era he actually performs in. Carter, the current four-time Warriors of Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, oozes sophistication. For a performer who is so connected with the National Wrestling Alliance of the 1970s, it should be no surprise that Carter prefers to handle business.
“When you get Darius Carter, you get everything,” the All Father told Joel Pearl & SP3 during a recent appearance on In The Weeds. “You get the look, the mic work, the ring work. In and out of the ring, you're getting somebody that you want to put a championship on.”
During the 12 months in the #BRP50 calendar year (May 2022 through May 2023), one of my favorite wrestlers was Bryan Danielson. Danielson, a man close to my age, has been in god mode. Actually, let me stop. The key to Danielson’s performance since joining AEW has been that he’s a true “seasoned veteran.” The vignettes of Danielson with William Regal—someone who Darius Carter mentioned on In The Weeds as an influence—training with the motley crew known as the Blackpool Combat Club inspired me. I don't know about you, but I could see Carter fitting in perfectly with that tough-as-nails squad, both as a performer and as an individual. And while pro wrestling isn’t just about the technical aspects, I love seeing Darius Carter step into the squared circle (rocking what I imagine legends like Regal would wear to the ring in 2023) and get busy with whoever is unlucky enough to have to face him on that night. And sure, he may be remembered as the guy who rocked a gray three-piece during Faye Jackson’s Gray Sweatpants Battle Royal, but that next time you saw him on a card, facing anyone from Savannah Evans to Billy Dixon to O’Shay Edwards to Rev. Ron Hunt, you know you’re going to get the finest in Carter’s style of close-quarters combat.
Serious question: does Darius Carter own a pair of sunglasses? To totally jack a line from this random ‘80s jam, Carter’s future’s looking bright; it may be time to invest in some Cartier shades. Think about it: one of the biggest stories coming out of Bad Bunny bringing WWE back to Puerto Rico was the appearance of Carlito as a part of the LWO. This is the same Carlito who will be a part of a four-way bout for Darius Carter’s aforementioned WOW Heavyweight strap at Ultimate Survival 2023 in July. Carter, who is in his “legend run,” says he’s gunning for Carlito with the title on the line. “This is the type of person I am,” Carter told In The Weeds. “I have a job to do.” That job isn’t just “defend the most esteemed title in WOW,” though. Carter has set his sights on the 10 Pounds of Gold that Tyrus currently holds in the NWA.
Carter, who quickly shouts out the NWA style in regards to what he emulates as a performer, isn’t feeling the current situation in Billy Corgan’s NWA when it comes to the “open challenges” that are given out, openly saying that they don’t feel authentic. “It doesn’t feel, to me, that you’re really giving all the opportunities that you can to the most deserving talent and challengers out there.” Carter explained. Carter also asked if the press that Tyrus gets by showing up on cable TV with the NWA title is positive, which…thank you, Darius. There’s a beauty in being able to say what you mean to say without having to spell it out. And truth be told, Corgan’s NWA would only benefit from Darius Carter holding the top prize. “Give me the mic, give me the ring, you can give me three minutes,” Carter boasts. “You don’t need to give me the world because I can make the world out of a city.”
That’s what attracted me to Carter initially; any time I saw next-day timeline hype about a hot indie event, I’d eventually see photos of Darius Carter looking like the Sophisticated Menace I appreciate. There’s a reason why WWE Hall of Famers like Sean Waltman (a.k.a. X-Pac) felt obligated to post now-deleted tweets celebrating the “f*** ton of star potential” that Carter possesses. He feels like the real deal; throw on a Darius Carter promo and tell me you aren’t ready to see this man take over the NWA, Battle Club Pro, and the world. Hell, many of us saw him in Jersey All-Pro, cutting a scathing interview after his first appearance in the fed.
Let me dial it back a bit. One of the beautiful things about being a part of BRP is our diligence in keeping up with the cutting edge of Black pro wrestlers. It’s a simple aim, especially with the breadth of talent that graces our annual #BRP50 list. It’s a slippery slope though, right? You still have to be dope, and the thing with a performer like Darius Carter is that he’s not just “dope.” He’s the total package (sorry, Luger). Carter’s the most khal-friendly pro wrestler on the #BRP50 because he not only talks like Ric Flair from the early ‘80s, but he wrestles like Regal from the ‘90s with a knowledge of what’s going on in the modern era. . He isn’t just a jack of all trades; Darius Carter is a master of all.
“This isn't just a job or an on and off thing for me,” Carter told In The Weeds. “This is who I am and who I represent, to show people that a persona like this can exist in 2023.” I don’t want to say that the “persona” he’s referring to is “a talented Black man who can catch-as-catch-can with the best of them,” but have you seen him in the ring? That’s the M.O. of a performer who feels they represent “something that is very real and is missing in wrestling. I don't think we have someone who is going back to the tradition and bringing it fully into the modern times,” Carter said. “You have people that are more traditional, but I'm mixing 2023 with the style and look, with a 1970s and ‘80s wrestling approach.”
Does that make Darius is the Greg Nice of pro wrestling? If you want to take one facet out of him out of context, sure. To fully understand what makes a Darius Carter tick, you have to remember that his base of pro wrestling influence starts in the ‘70s. For Darius Carter, pro wrestling is traveling to whatever dump would have you and putting on the best show you could that night. But don’t worry, if this is your first time hearing about the greatness that is Darius Carter, he’s fine with it. Hell, the All Father relishes in those moments.
“That's the feeling I want promoters to have when they book me for the first time,” Carter explained. “'Where has he been? Why didn't I do this sooner?' I'm not saying this to be braggadocious, I'm saying this because I put time and effort and energy, every moment of the day, into who Darius Carter is.” And what is Darius Carter? Let him tell it, he’s the Alpha and Omega, a stellar combination of classic pro wrestling fundamentals with a keen awareness of today. For myself, and many pro wrestling fans like me, Darius Carter is another shining example of Black Excellence and the broad spectrum of what being a “Black professional wrestler” is. All praise due to the All Father.
When we got Charlette and Robyn, aka the Renegade Twins, on BRP back in May of 2022, it was refreshing to unpack many facets of their in-ring persona, from the Jordans on their feet to the way they dap up before matches. Since then, the sinister sisters have done it all—including holding the CCW Tag Team Championship for over a year, as well as capturing the NWA World Women's Tag Team Championship back in February of 2023. This was all while being booked and blessed everywhere from Ladies' Night Out to AEW, where they made regular appearances on Dark, Dark Elevation, and Rampage.
With the way information flows, King Tre D of We Luv Wrestling was the first person I ever saw talking to the Renegade Twins, and over the years, he has become vital part of the creation of our annual #BRP50 list. With 2023 being the year that the Renegade Twins made the 50 (Robyn and Charlette hold the 26th and 27th spots, respectively), it made sense to get an exclusive We Luv Wrestling conversation with the Twins. Check out their conversation below!
