Pride: 10 of the best wrestlers of African origin

There are two world champions in this picture--Rock and Ron Simmons/Farooq

#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.

Did you know a top WWE Superstar just wrestled outside the company? More details HERE

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.

About the author

Christopher Scott Wagoner is a writer from Austin, Texas in the United States. He is also a proud descendent of the Choctaw and Lakota people.
Chris has an English and Creative Writing degree, and is a published author with Simon and Schuster. He's ghost-written over eight million words in more than 500 books.
A long time wrestling fan, Chris is also a professional journalist who covers sports-entertainment. He's been writing for Sportskeeda since 2018.

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Edited by anirudh.b