By Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt on Twitter)

2/2/2018

As I was re-listening to the Royal Rumble predictions made by myself and my Brothers of Discussion counterpart, Mike, I heard how we had assumed there would be no way we would see Nakamura and Asuka win both the Men’s and Women’s Royal Rumbles on the same night. Surely the WWE wouldn’t make the decision to have their main events led by two individuals not only of diverse background but also people who had made names for themselves outside of the WWE… right?

After all, the proof is in the numbers:

• WrestleMania has had 81 superstars in the main event
• Only 13 have been non-white, non-European Superstars
• Of the 13:
• 2 are Mr. T
• 2 are Yokozuna
• 1 is Lawrence Taylor
• 5 are the Rock
• 3 have been Roman Reigns from that past three years
• So… 3 celebrities and 5 total individuals
• On top of that:
• The much easier to calculate 0 representatives in Starrcade (WCW’s self-proclaimed WrestleMania equivalent)

If I’ve missed someone, forgive me, but the difference would still be damning to the results.

The lack of diversity in Starrcade demonstrates how this is bigger than the decision making of the WWE. Pro-wrestling in and of itself is stuck on stereotypes (see Jinder Mahal). It’s a problem with the networks that hope to provide a path for their television shows to go with. It’s a problem with portions of the audience who feel they can’t relate to a diverse superstar (regardless of how pudgy their middles are compared to that of Cena…or even Bray Wyatt. I love you Bray!). It’s a problem with so many different aspects of our everyday lives and that goes without saying…but, some people like to pretend it’s not a problem…so…I made you read it again!

So the point of this story isn’t to rag on the world of pro-wrestling or the bigger world problems. It’s to point out how great this is! That this is a sign of change. That we are moving in the right direction as a society. That, as a wrestling fan, I can admit that I am ashamed of the lack of diversity in something I spend so much time watching. It has become a chore for my brother and I to have to explain why Jinder Mahal’s character is so miserably behind the times. Any step in the right direction is a reason to celebrate.

Fan acceptance also can’t be ignored in the changes that are better for our viewing pleasure. The WWE is a business and we’d be insane not to think that T-shirt sales, Box Office numbers, and segment ratings don’t do a lot of the script work. Fans are showing their discontent with the product, both in WWE subscriptions and attendance at shows. Sure, WrestleMania breaks records every year, but head over to a Smackdown Live event once in a while and feel free to spread out and enjoy a whole row to yourself. Fans want to see the best guys in the business, no matter who they are, get their main event comeuppance. So let’s applaud the fans for wanting to get past the old norms and the WWE for recognizing it.

This trend of change and forward-thinking is already evident in the Women’s division knocking down obstacles, doors, walls, and whatever barrier you could conceive. I mean…WE GOT A WOMEN’S RUMBLE! FINALLY!!! AND THEY WERE THE MAIN EVENT AT THE ROYAL RUMBLE SHOW!

So what does this mean for the future?

• Again, the eventual end of stale archetypes like Jinder Mahal. Go back and watch Jinder Mahal’s first attempt at building himself when he won the title. He didn’t sell himself as a strictly Indian wrestler. He didn’t base his actions on a general hate of wrestling fans because he’s Indian. He built a promo off the fact that he deserves more respect than we have ever granted him. The fans loved it and Jinder was selling a real message.
  
  Once the writing for his character changed to being about his country of origin and Indian culture, I’d argue that Jinder started getting real “go away” heat rather than heel heat. The fans, even if they didn’t realize it, were bored of the, “I hate America character” and weren’t going to give any feud Jinder was involved in any real attention.
   
• Creative builds of stories and characters…you know…like every other great TV show. The WWE shouldn’t hold themselves back because they think the audience needs something simple to like their show. The audience’s love of the result this past weekend was proof enough. They are ready for leaders in the art of pro-wrestling
   
• ANYONE CAN WIN! My brother and I can now stop deciding Nakamura and Asuka can’t win based off of history. We can look at a night like this past Sunday’s Royal Rumble and not have to feel like we can’t possibly get the outcome we truly want.
   
• Obviously, it means way more than wrestling or what I’d like to see happen as a fan of wrestling. Every step in the right direction is a reason to celebrate.

Matthew Klink (@klinkmatt on Twitter)

@BODPodcast for Twitter and Facebook