Pride: 10 of the best wrestlers of African origin

During the 1980s, most of the shows on television were overwhelmingly white. From Dynasty to Simon and Simon, it seemed that representation of African heritage was almost unheard of.

Not so in the wrestling business. During the WWE's classic era, for example, you could see stars like Junk Yard Dog and Tito Santana being treated as equals to white wrestlers such as Dino Bravo.

Let's take a look at 10 of the most influential, skilled, and in some cases dearly missed wrestlers of African origin.

#10 Bobo Brazil

One of the early, successful African American wrestlers, Bobo Brazil was a titan of a man who could still move with feline grace.

Originally, he was only allowed by promoters to wrestle other black athletes, but eventually, he would be pushed to the top of the card and work with the entire roster. Bobo's name was originally intended to be Bubu, but due to a printing error on a promotional poster the name Bobo stuck.

He was the first POC to win the coveted, prestigious NWA heavyweight championship, which he lifted from Nature Boy Buddy Rogers. Bobo was one of the earliest inductions into the WWE Hall of Fame and ran a restaurant after retirement.

#9 Viro Small

Viro Small is one of the first, if not THE first, black wrestlers in America. — Viro Small is one of the first, if not THE first, minority wrestlers in America.

Viro Small didn't just start at the bottom, he started off as being considered less than human. The former slave turned to wrestling as a way to keep himself fed--and out of the prison system, which was already becoming a surrogate for slavery.

Many historians credit Viro Small as being the first African American pro wrestler, but this has been challenged by other scholars. What is known for certain is he was the first popular black wrestling star.

Viro was as old school as it gets; He would often challenge people from the crowd to last a few minutes in the ring with him. Viro is certifiably the first black man to win a wrestling championship, as he was the Vermont Collar and Elbow title-holder twice.

Allegedly, Small fought dirty and used outside interference when the wrestling matches were still legit--he even had a cohort point a loaded gun at a referee during a match! One of his opponents was so angry with Small he even shot him in the neck, though Small lived.

While many wrestling fans have never heard of Small, and his era of shoot wrestling is long gone, he is still deserving of recognition on this list.

#8 Abdullah the Butcher

One of the most violent, downright scary wrestlers who ever lived, Abdullah is a terror in the ring but is well-loved by his wrestling peers when he's not performing.

Abdullah came to fame during the 'blacksploitation' phase of the 1970s, but rather than represent his African roots, he chose to portray an Arab man from Sudan. With OPEC on everyone's lips, this was a good way to get cheap heel heat.

The Butcher usually carries his trademark weapon--a dinner fork--into the ring, though he will use anything that he can get his hands on to pummel an opponent into oblivion. Abdullah rarely won titles, and his win/loss record isn't the greatest, but he is one of the most iconic African-American wrestlers of all time.

#7 Ernie "Big Cat" Ladd

The former football player brought plenty of real-life toughness to his role as a wrestler. Though he was often playing a cocky heel, Ladd still received his share of cheers from wrestling crowds in the 1970s.

One of the few men to ever slam Andre the Giant, Ladd was one of the strongest wrestlers of all time.

Ernie Ladd passed away in 2007 and is a member of the WWE Hall of Fame.

#6 Thunderbolt Patterson

A fixture in the southern promotions, especially the Georgia regional federations, Thunderbolt Patterson was beloved by the fans and other wrestlers alike.

He racked up multiple reigns as the Georgia TV champion and worked extensively for Crockett's NWA promotion. The easy-going Patterson had several caucasian tag team partners, a rarity for his era, with whom he also won gold.

Most modern wrestling fans are familiar with Patterson for an ignoble reason; He was one of the first wrestlers betrayed by the Four Horsemen stable. At the time he and Ole Anderson were NWA tag team champions, but Ole swerved his one-time ally and chose kayfabe brother (actually his son in law) Arn Anderson for his new partner.

Patterson became an ordained minister, and still runs Christian themed camps for children. Wrestling fans, especially those in the southern territories, always have a soft spot in their hearts for the personable Patterson.

#5 Soul Man Rocky Johnson

While most fans today know Rocky Johnson as the Rock's father, during his heyday he was considered a top draw.

The former boxer had a stiff right hand but was also versatile and adaptable in the ring. He could out-technical wrestle Bob Backlund, out-fight Bruiser Brody, and out-bleed Abdullah the Butcher.

Rocky has held over thirty titles in his career and is a member of the elite St. Louis Wrestling Hall of Fame.

One can only assume he's quite pleased that his son has out-performed him!

#4 Tony Atlas

A former Bodybuilding champion, Tony Atlas has held the crown of "Mr USA" no less than three times.

Atlas was a frequent tag team partner of Rocky Johnson, and also had a successful singles career. Unlike Johnson, Atlas wrestled all over the country and was a star in New England as well.

Tony Atlas had a less than memorable run as "Samba Simba" in WWE. Part of the reason for his failure was that most fans instantly recognized Simba as Tony Atlas, and rejected the new character.

Atlas took bookings well into his fifties and still seems in great shape. Most recently he signed a Legends contract with the WWE, after acting as Mark Henry's on-screen manager.

#3 Mark Henry

There are dozens of men who have claimed to be 'the world's strongest man' in wrestling, but only Mark Henry has the accolades to back up that claim.

A powerlifting champion in 1995, Henry earned the World's Strongest Man title. He still holds many weightlifting records today and was a bronze medalist in the Olympics.

Trained by the legendary Hart family, Mark Henry moves with surprising grace for such a large man. He's held numerous titles in his wrestling career, most impressively the WWE world title. Henry's longevity and athletic acumen, as well as his influence, are what earn him a spot on this list.

Mark Henry weathered terrible gimmicks and storylines done in poor taste to win wrestling's richest prize and remains an icon in both the powerlifting and wrestling worlds.

#2 Booker T

Booker Tio Huffman overcame a rough upbringing and short prison term to become one of the most celebrated wrestlers of all time.

Originally Booker T teamed with his brother Lash--known on screen as Stevie Ray--as part of Harlem Heat, one of the most successful tag teams of the early 1990s. Though both men were skilled wrestlers, Booker T's insane agility and sense of timing set him apart from his brother and he eventually broke out on his own.

Booker T worked his way up the card in WCW, first holding the WCW Television title before making it to the main event. He was the 'flagship' wrestler for WCW during its dying days, holding the world title on numerous occasions and getting good matches out of even broken down wrestlers like Scott Steiner.

Once he signed with WWE, his career continued upward, as Booker T held the promotion's big gold belt several times over. Booker is still on television today, acting as a color commentator for the Raw brand, but we're willing to bet he can still pull off a Houston Hangover.

He teased a return for the Rumble, just saying!

#1 The Rock

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, The Rock belongs at the top of this list.

Given his membership in the Anoa'i tribe and his famous father, Rock is wrestling royalty. After a failed football career he gave the family profession a try.

At first, the fans rejected the Rock. They disliked both his 'goody two shoes' persona and the fact he was being force-fed to audiences as the next big thing. Eventually, he would change to a heel persona that wound up being more over than his babyface gimmick.

The rest is well-known history. Based on the strength of his personality rather than in-ring acumen, the Rock became the most popular wrestler of the 1990s/early 2000s and made the transition to Hollywood actor.

Now the Rock is the biggest movie star in the world and commands the highest salary. Not bad for a man whom the fans used to ridicule with "Rocky Sucks" chants!

There you have it; ten great wrestlers of African heritage from all eras of wrestling.

Edited by anirudh.b