Konnan Says WWE Treats Minorities Far Better Than They Used To

WWE has been known to be quite controversial in the past, casting minorities in stereotypical roles where their only purpose is to push the “good guys” over. As the world has gotten more progressive and started holding organizations more accountable, WWE has had to keep up. While WWE has evolved to present equal opportunities to all its employees, some believe there is still a lot of underrepresentation within the company.

This week, Konnan released a new mailbag episode of his K100 podcast, and toward the tail end of the show, a Black listener’s email came up, in which they expressed his discontent over how WWE favored talent of Samoan descent over the myriad of prominent Black wrestlers on the roster. Konnan, on the other hand, begged to differ.

“Bro, compared to how they treated brothers before, they treat them way fkin’ better [now]. And they push Bobby Lashley, they push New Day, they push Bianca Belair, they push the Street Profits, what the fk are you talking about? The Samoans are pushed because they’re fking great! Dude, I’ve never seen a bad Samoan wrestler. [The Bloodline’s] storyline is the best storyline in wrestling, so I don’t know what the fk you’re talking about.” 

Konnan went on to compare the present state of the wrestling business to when he came into the fro. He applauded the increased representation and diversity that can be seen across the industry.

“When I came into the business there were hardly no women … hardly no brothers, hardly no Latinos; this [is] way better, my friend,” Konnan stated. “Way better.”

WWE has been criticized in the past for the stereotypical portrayal of various minorities. The Iron Sheik, Cryme Tyme, The Godfather, Papa Shango, Muhammad Hassan are some of the wrestlers that come to mind. In recent memory, Black wrestlers such as Kofi Kingston and Big E have been given opportunities to hold the WWE Championship. WWE has also been pushing wrestlers of Middle Eastern descent such as Mansoor and much more notably Sami Zayn. While it may not be everything, there has been a lot of progress within the past few years.

What’s your take on the status of minorities within the WWE? Sound off in the comments below!