The Death & Legacy Of WWE Legend Bobo Brazil, Explained
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Across all different types of sports, there have been numerous figures who left incredible impacts in their respective fields. True history makers who have broken barriers and helped to make changes better for future generations. In professional wrestling, one of these figures is the late WWE legend Bobo Brazil. When he began wrestling in the 1950s, the Jim Crow Laws in the United States enforced racial segregation. It was an oppressive and disgusting policy that affected Black people in American society in every aspect of life, including in professional wrestling. The contributions of Bobo Brazil helped to forever change the sport, as he became one of the first major Black competitors in professional wrestling. What he did helped to make professional wrestling a better place for all people.
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How Segregation Affected Professional Wrestling
Trained by Joe Savolidi, Brazil made his debut wrestling for the NWA and its affiliated promotions. He was primarily wrestling out of the Detroit area. During this time in professional wrestling, due to segregation, Black wrestlers were only allowed to wrestle other Black wrestlers. They were not allowed to interact with White competitors.
Even though he became popular among both the Black and White fans who watched him wrestle, he still faced discrimination and bigotry inside and outside the ring. However, the popularity of Brazil could not be ignored.
Bobo Brazil Should Have Been A Recognized NWA World Champion
As his career progressed, the popularity of Brazil could not be denied. He had legendary and iconic feuds with The Sheik, Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Abdullah The Butcher, and more. At one point in his career, Brazil went on to challenge “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers for the NWA Heavyweight Championship in 1961. Despite the fact that he won the match, Brazil did not accept the win as Rogers had been injured in the match. The storyline injury saw Rogers reclaim the title the next day, and as Marquis Arnold points out,“The NWA never recognized the title change, which would get swept under the professional wrestling rug.”It was not until Ron Simmons won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship in 1992 that professional wrestling saw the first recognized Black world champion. In addition, Brazil was also involved in the first interracial tag team match in Atlanta.
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The Accomplishments Of Bobo Brazil
Brazil wrestled for four decades, with his final match occurring in 1988 where he successfully defeated Rick O’Toole. Throughout his career, he held a number of different championship titles in numerous promotions. This included the NWA United States Heavyweight Title, the NWA World Tag Team Titles, the NWA International Heavyweight Title, the ESA North American Heavyweight Title, the WWWF United States Heavyweight Title, and more. In addition, he was also inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame by Ernie Ladd in 1994, the NWA Hall of Fame in 2013, and the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008.
The Death & Legacy Of History Maker Bobo Brazil
Unfortunately, in mid-January of 1998, Brazil suffered a number of strokes which had caused him to be in a wheelchair. Following a few days in the hospital, he passed away on January 20th. Inside the ring, Brazil left behind an incredible resume of phenomenal matches and feuds with countless legends. With numerous titles and honors to his name, Brazil was truly one of the best to ever step into the ring. He inspired professional wrestling legend Rocky Johnson and boxing legend Joe Frazier. All of this also ties into the groundbreaking impact and legacy that made professional wrestling a better place for everyone.
In professional wrestling today, we see the changes that have come because of Brazil. Professional wrestling has become a far more inclusive place for people of various races, ethnicities, religions, genders, sexual orientations, and more. What he did caused a significant change within the landscape of professional wrestling that can be seen within the business today. While there is still a way to go and more work to be done, Brazil’s sacrifices contributed an immense amount. As Ian Abugov of ProWrestlingPost wrote of Brazil, he was “A down to earth man with blue-collar roots. Bobo Brazil had a huge sense of adventure left his footprint in an evolving and fascinating phase of our history.”
Sports have seen a number of athletes who have been at the forefront of significant social changes within society. Despite all the discrimination, oppression, and pain that they endured, they fought for what was right and to help make the world a better place. Bobo Brazil is among those names. He is a pioneer, a trailblazer, and history maker for society as a whole. Bobo Brazil is a legend in every sense of the word’s definition.
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