The Collective is back for the 2020 WrestleMania Week, and this year looks to be even bigger than it’s inaugural year this past spring. Game Changer Wrestling (GCW) has united various indie promotions together for a unified front of independent wrestling from around the world, and the latest addition could be it’s most important showcase to date. Rising indie star AJ Gray made the announcement on Sunday that The Collective will feature an event that showcases wrestlers of color called For The Culture. Gray is the reigning Black Label Pro Midwest Champion, Crown of Glory Champion in Glory Pro, and Paradigm Pro Wrestling Champion.
I was approached about an idea a couple weeks ago to give US a platform…
This isn’t a clout chase, this isn’t striking while the iron is hot…
It hurts that this is the time I’m getting to drop this…
BUT
This is going to be a show FOR US! BY US! pic.twitter.com/5cEACBHToC
— Aj Gray (@RichHomieJuice) October 27, 2019
The timing of the announcement couldn’t have come at a more appro pro time, as Gray pointed out when he said “it hurts that this is the time” of it. Earlier the same day, NXT Superstar Jordan Myles (formerly ACH on the indie circuit) released a photo of his new WWE shirt, which looks horribly like a blackface smile as seen in blackface dolls in past times.
https://twitter.com/GoGoMyles/status/1188393687983759360
With more and more people getting tired of uninspired representations in the WWE and gross underrepresentation in AEW, the time is right for people to see what people of color are actually doing on the independents. There are so many African-American stars tearing up the US indie scene, as well as in Canada and the United Kingdom, that For The Culture is absolutely essential for the inspiration of future generations who may be getting disenfranchised by seeing their own people in often stereotypical portrayals of their culture once they make “the big time.” While WWE is often the biggest antagonist in this department, at least this year they finally have an African-American a lengthy World title reign, as Kofi Kingston set a record for the longest African-American to hold a WWE World Championship this year at 180 days.
With AJ Gray making the announcement, it’s safe to assume we’ll see the multi-belt champ in action at the event, but there’s a wealth of talent available for such a showcase, such as AC Mack, Rich Swann, AQA, Faye Jackson, Holidead, OJMO, Chris Bey, O’Shay Edwards, PB Smooth, and many more.
Who would you like to see on the card? Let us know in the comments below!
