The WWE is, in case you didn’t know, a scripted, choreographed form of entertainment. For many, it’s essentially a soap opera that takes place in the realm of a wrestling company. However, one thing you cannot deny is that it’s truly entertaining; the skill and the quality of the athletes on the show is truly impressive. What is even more impressive, though, is the fact that the company has become a home for so many people who go on to achieve great things in society. The next in-line for that accolade appears to be Bianca Belair.
Belair has made history, winning the 2021 WWE Royal Rumble event for women. It was a huge event, one of the most watched on the calendar for the company, and it also featured a landmark winner. Not only was it was first time victory for Belair, but it was the first time in WWE history that a black woman had held the title. Now, she looks set to inspire a young generation of athletes that you can make it, you can break down barriers, and you can achieve success that has yet to be completed by a previous generation.
Records are there to be broken; barriers are there to be pushed over. This is what the story of Bianca Belair tells us. Setting the ambition of what you can achieve based on what has come before is a reductive way to think; instead, you should be looking to put your head through the glass ceiling as opposed to cramping your neck trying. Belair is proof that great things can happen, even in highly contentious and competitive industries such as wrestling.
Change comes from our desire to make it so, and our ability to work at making it real.
A truly landmark moment for wrestling
Despite being the home to many superstars from non-white backgrounds, it would be hard to argue that the WWE does not have some issues with diversity. Though it definitely goes further than many other companies and sports to make it an open-door location for others, the fact we’ve seen the first women winner of the Royal Rumble who is black despite prevalent and popular black stars in the past is a shock.
Belair, though, has finally snapped that one and broke the barrier down for others. Many hope that it will last for good, and that the WWE will now begin a period of giving others a chance to live in the limelight. For years, the biggest names and stars have been from the traditional wrestling backgrounds; now, that is changing. With many older stars and legends retiring in the last few years, the time for new blood is here.
And thanks to people like Belair, we might be seeing a live-time change in the way that sports like the WWE work and interact with their fans. Times are changing, and with those times comes a desire to see more legends born from different backgrounds. So, congratulations to Belinda Belair – you might have just created a very important part of WWE history.