How Pro Wrestling Puts Diversity Onscreen
As far as entertainment formats go, professional wrestling is one of the more diverse content offerings out there, both in terms of onscreen talent and fans.
Major wrestling companies WWE and AEW frequently have champions who are Black, Latine, Asian or Pacific Islanders, with rosters from both companies also featuring several LGBTQ+ performers.
This diversity translates into fandom. Research provided by consumer insights specialists Maru for VIP+ shows that 7 out of 10 Black Americans have at some point in their life been a fan of pro wrestling, versus under half of the total population. One-third of Black adults are currently fans, versus one-fifth of white adults.
The audience composition of professional wrestling also reflects diversity. Data published by wrestling analytics site Wrestlenomics for Q1 2022 showed the majority of major pro wrestling shows airing on cable and broadcast saw a more diverse audience than total TV viewers. While this information is a year old at the time of this article, it still holds as valid analysis given it is very unlikely that huge demographic shifts have occurred within 12 months.
Maru's poll for VIP+ also found that a sizable number of pro wrestling fans — just under half at 44% — thought that pro wrestling shows are more diverse than TV in general, with just 1 in 10 saying the performers on air were less diverse than what’s typically on.
To dive deeper into how wrestling is a diverse form of entertainment, VIP+ recently sat down with AEW stars Eddie Kingston, Jade Cargill and Anthony Bowens, as well as AEW owner Tony Khan, to get their perspective. Key highlights are included below.
As a person running a wrestling company, you’re a cultural steward, shaping pop culture both domestically and internationally. Do you see it as a responsibility to help showcase diverse cultures given this?
Tony Khan: No, I haven’t seen it that way before. It’s a great thought. I’ve seen it both from a pro wrestling standpoint and as a TV fan as trying to present great wrestling and TV. But you’re right, this is a culture. I grew up with this. It means a lot to me, and I think it means a lot to people all over the world. Presenting a diverse group of wrestlers all across the world is great, but the most important thing is that they are great wrestlers, it’s what they have in common.
What is it about wrestling that makes it appeal to a diverse audience?
Jade Cargill: It’s not here to reach one audience. We’re here to reach that Black little girl, that Hispanic little girl. We’re here to reach a lot of people. There are a lot of layers to wrestling in general that can reach different people.
Eddie Kingston: Every person in the world can understand struggle. Every person in the world can understand a fight. I’m not a pro wrestler—I’m a pro emotion person. That’s my job, to grab you by the throat and bring you with me on this story.
Tony Khan: Anyone all over the world can get into wrestling, no matter how much money they have or where they’re from. That’s how I got into wrestling. I’d go to shows with my dad, and you see people from all over and they’re sitting together.
What does it mean for someone to watch wrestling and say, “That person looks like me,” or “That person understands my struggle”?
Eddie Kingston: It means everything. It’s why we’re here. We’re here not just to entertain but to inspire people. I want to make sure that a kid who lives on East 237th Street sees someone like me who came from around that area and can see what I’ve gone through and the dumb things I’ve done when I was a child but forged ahead. If I can do it, anyone can do whatever they want, in all honesty.
Anthony Bowens: It means a lot. I always say I’m privileged because I’ve been through a lot, but it’s only a morsel of what other people go through. They may live in an area where it isn’t as safe to be out as an LGBTQ athlete or person in general. I had the support of my friends and family, but the whole process was draining.
When you’re living a life — well, a double life basically — you’re living a life of anxiety, you’re living a life of fear, and I had so many moments where I felt hopeless. To be able to be somebody on television every single week, it doesn’t matter if you’re gay, bullied or feel like all hope is lost. I’m hopefully an inspiration to those people for them to know that someone out there experienced what they did and overcame it.
Jade Cargill: I’m here for the confident women. I love it when someone tells me, “You can’t do something,” because I’m like, “Okay, watch this — I’m going to do this 10 times better than you could imagine.” I’m here for the underdogs, I'm here to prove people wrong, I’m here to bridge to other cultures out there. I represent a lot of layers: I’m a strong African woman, I’m a mother, I’m a child psychologist, I’m a trainer. In wrestling, you’re probably not going to get all of them represented, but this is why we do interviews like this — to explore more about ourselves.
What’s been a positive fan interaction from seeing you onscreen?
Eddie Kingston: I talked about mental health, that’s a real thing to me. It’s bugged out that I’ve had people come up to me and tell me they didn’t commit suicide because they heard me talk. [My reaction is] I just spoke from my heart, what do you mean, but that makes me happy.
Anthony Bowens: I get a ton of messages all the time from other athletes who are out, people who have been bullied. Everyone’s situation is different, but we all know what fear is, anxiety is, sadness is. We all get those emotions from a different range of experiences, but we can all relate to the same thing. What I went through as a result of my sexuality might be the same emotion someone went through as a result of losing a family member, which is feeling sad. We have the opportunity of connecting with people, which is really cool but it’s also scary. You don’t realize how much impact you have until you have interactions with people.
As an openly gay man performing on a wrestling show, has the embrace of fans changed how you saw yourself?
Anthony Bowens: Honestly, the last thing that kept me in the closet was wrestling. Back then, in 2012, it wasn’t the same kind of environment it is now. Not that there were threats or anything, but it wasn’t very comfortable for anyone who was closeted or wanted to be themselves. My best friends knew, my parents knew, which was enough for me, but I didn’t know how the fans would react, if I would have to get into the ring and protect myself against someone who would take liberties.
My boyfriend Michael asked me to make a video for his YouTube channel, and at first I was like, “Nope, that’s not happening,” which was terrible, but once I did it, I got some texts from some of the wrestlers who said they saw it [and] we love and respect you, we wish you would have told us earlier. I felt a real weight come off my shoulders. My industry respected me, the fans respected me. It was the best decision I ever made. For an out person of color to be so accepted by the fans, it’s really cool.
You’re the first female Black wrestler to be featured on a video game cover. How empowering do you think your achievements are to young Black girls watching?
Jade Cargill: I believe it’s very empowering. I started wrestling two years ago. I practice every day, I try to be the best person I can, and I believe that if you put your mind and body to something and tell yourself you can do it, you can do it. That’s what I’m here for, to inspire the next generation, to inspire women in general and inspire all the little Black girls that it’s not what society says, it’s about what you feel is enough for you. There’s no ceiling in your world if you keep on pushing.
