For more on this show, check out Mimi's full review.
The inaugural ASÉ Wrestling show took place at Charlotte, North Carolina's Grady Cole Center on Friday, December 1st. Unlike your typical wrestling event, this groundbreaking Black promotion featured a unique blend of Black music, culture, and combat sports entertainment, attracting more than 300+ fans in person (with more watching via livestream).
ASÉ is more than just a wrestling promotion; it celebrates Black excellence and creativity. ASÉ Wrestling is the curated vision of "The Revolutionary" Darius Lockhart, a pro wrestler whose motto is "where there is people, there is power." Lockhart wanted to provide a platform for Black wrestlers and performers to showcase their skills.
She’s a cheater!! https://t.co/MMvSCgF0Hf
— Charity KING (@charityking_) December 2, 2023
The night included three more bouts: Jah-C faced Kevin Knight in a spectacular, high-flying opener, Infantry (Trish Adora’s homies Carlie Bravo and Sean Dean) took on TME (Gannon Jones, Jr. and Duke Davis) in a tag team match, and Team Georgia (Owen Knight, Trevor Aeon, Ashton Starr, and Suge D) battled Team North Carolina (Yahya, Movie Myk, Ian Maxwell, and Rehyan Inteus) in a four-on-four match that featured Darius Lockhart’s favorite moment of the entire evening. The event was also blessed with special appearances from Faye Jackson and Billy Dixon.
There was nothing short of impressive about this show. Undoubtedly, Darius Lockhart put a lot of thought and effort into crafting the art of ASÉ Wrestling. The product's branding, show rollout, production quality, and output style are outstanding. A person on the outside looking in cannot help but feel joy seeing the Black community unite and support this historic debut.
"The first ASÉ show may be one of my favorite first shows for a pro wrestling organization in some time. It being all-Black is a primary key, but it felt like TV. Business picked up when Darius Carter walked into the ring, but I must give it to TME. Gannon Jones, Jr.—who picked up IWC gold the following night—was really impressive. Need that ASÉ2 date confirmed ASAP!" — Khal, Disputed BRP Predictions Champion
Words: Andreas Hale
Image: Jedi Jack Yeti
Although social media can be criticized for many things—with Wrestling Twitter having its own special place of toxicity and tribalism—it has been an excellent tool for discovering and finding your tribe of people who share your interests. Perhaps no place is this truer in pro wrestling than the boon of African Americans in the industry. At one time, Black wrestlers and their fans were little more than a novelty that was often met with a raised eyebrow when discussed out in the wild. But the past decade has seen exponential growth in both fans and talent across multiple promotions. And with that growth has come an era today where Black champions are almost normalized.
Thanks to acts like The New Day (Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E), Bianca Belair, Jade Cargill, Mercedes Moné (FKA Sasha Banks), Keith Lee, Bobby Lashley, Carmelo Hayes, Jay Lethal and others, the idea of a Black champion in professional wrestling is no longer a foreign concept.
The mold of what a Black wrestler is supposed to be no longer exists and the archetype that toggled somewhere between mindless brute and smiling Sambo for the better part of 40 years has been shattered. The idea of no longer being hamstrung by stereotypes has opened the door for African Americans to be true to themselves both in and out of the ring.
Why did it take so long?
For starters, the biggest wrestling promotion in the world was run through the eyes of a conservative white man who built the entirety of his company on stereotypes. Foreigners and minorities were often typecast into roles that the All-American white man had to conquer. Mexicans rode lawnmowers, Asians never spoke English, gay wrestlers were treated as jokes, and Black wrestlers were thugs or overly happy and way too eager to entertain the masses. None were ever viewed as champions unless they had white friends or stripped themselves of their culture on their way to the top.
Somehow, pro wrestling is one of the last forms of entertainment to reflect society. Think about this: there was a Black president before there was an African-born WWE champion.
With Black talent holding prominent positions in major wrestling promotions, it’s only right that we’ve seen a significant rise of African Americans in the indie ranks over the past decade. And as we’ve seen for the past decade, the independent scene is ripe with talent that will eventually feed into the major promotions as they seek new stars.
There was a time that you couldn’t find 50 Black pro wrestlers to fill up a list. But there is an abundance of talent to deliberate over that stretches across the globe. From the brilliant stylings of British talent Michael Oku to the physically imposing—but stunningly agile—Calvin Tankman to the technically superior Jonathan Gresham and the inexplicably talented Bianca Belair, there’s something for everyone and no two Black wrestlers are the same.
What makes this era truly special is the community that supports Black talent and, in turn, is responsible for them being pushed to the top of the card. The idea that the straight white male/female is the prototype for a wrestling promotion’s idea of a superstar is antiquated and, as a result, pro wrestling fans of all genders and races simply want their wrestling to reflect a society that is wrestling with diversity every single day. It may not be perfect, but it’s something that we can truly feel that we are a part of.
There are promotions that dedicate themselves to Black talent like Atlanta’s BattleSlam, shows that spotlight the Black indie scene like GCW’s For The Culture and events that bring the community together simply to celebrate one another, like WaleMania. We are no longer spectators yearning for scraps. We are a big chunk of the community that promoters are now forced to pay attention to. Our desires as wrestling fans won’t be ignored. And if they are, we’ll be sure to make a lot of noise.
Ask Black Wrestling Twitter.
While the casual wrestling fan is surely cognizant of the Bianca Belairs, Willow Nightingales, Ricochets, Powerhouse Hobbs and Ricky Starks of the industry because they grace our television screens on a weekly basis, there is a burgeoning community of Black independent talent that is truly tearing up the scene and absolutely necessary to be placed on your radar. The art of discovery is still significant and nobody wants to be late to the party when identifying something special within our community.
Not all of them will make it to the major leagues, and that’s okay. Not all of our favorite rappers end up being signed to a major label, either. And, oftentimes, it’s better that way because it doesn’t water them down. Some are sadistically hyper-violent (Billy Dixon), others are far too in touch with the dark side (Holidead) and then there are the absurdly athletic innovators of offense (Kevin Knight). They are globetrotters who make a living traversing across state lines and getting their passports stamped to showcase their ability. Eventually, some will make their way to the major promotions and (hopefully) continue to display just how uniquely diverse Black wrestlers are.
Remember, before he showed up in NXT, nobody had ever seen a big man move quite like Keith Lee did in the indies. Or, a woman who Vince McMahon would have ridiculed for her overly joyful persona and body type that isn’t rail thin but can absolutely go in the ring like Willow Nightingale. Or, a wrestler who defied gravity to the point that his ariel offense was considered a unique artform like Ricochet.
Black wrestlers continue to innovate and eventually become game-changers.
With that, it’s only right that we spotlight a few so you can make sure you catch them when they pay your city a visit.
***
Andreas Hale is the Senior Combat Sports Writer at The Sporting News. He’s also the co-host of “The Corner Podcast” with ESPN Ringside’s Kel Dansby, an on-air talent on Sirius XM’s Fight Nation and co host of “Fighting Words.” Before covering boxing, MMA and pro wrestling, Andreas held senior positions at HipHopDX, BET and Jay-Z’s Life+Times. He’s also the co-creator of the upcoming animated series “Our Heroes Rock” with Ettore “Big E” Ewen and Jonathan Davenport.
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!
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!
And if you missed it, the mighty Shane Taylor returned to the Black Rasslin' Podcast for a SPECIAL conversation. Do NOT sleep on this one.
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 are even on YouTube. We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE, rate, comment, subscribe, and share!
Continue Reading
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 are even on YouTube. We'll catch you next week; tell a friend to tell their homies to LIKE, rate, comment, subscribe, and share!