Last Updated on March 15, 2024 by Avik Das

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1. The Godfather
   • Versatile wrestler Charles Wright, aka The Godfather, navigated through various gimmicks with creative flair.
   • Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.
2. D’Lo Brown
   • Rose to fame in WWE as part of the Nation of Domination, a heel stable.
   • Achieved success as a singles star, holding both the Intercontinental and European Championships simultaneously.
3. Ahmed Johnson
   • Excelled in the early Attitude Era with a formidable physique, weighing over 300 pounds.
   • First African-American wrestler to capture the Intercontinental Championship in 1996.
4. Jacqueline
   • Influential in the 1990s women’s division, becoming the WWE Cruiserweight Champion.
   • First African-American woman to hold the WWE Women’s Championship.
5. D-Von Dudley
   • Teamed with Bubba Ray Dudley as The Dudley Boyz, dominating the WWE Tag Team division.
   • Ten-time Tag Team Champion and WWE Hall of Fame inductee.
6. Mabel/Viscera
   • Under various gimmicks, including Mabel and Big Daddy V, challenged for the WWE Championship.
   • Won King of the Ring and mainevented SummerSlam 1995.
7. Ron Simmons/Farooq
   • First African-American WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
   • Led The Nation of Domination in WWE and later formed a successful tag team, Acolytes Protection Agency (APA), with JBL.
8. Mark Henry
   • Enjoyed a two-decade WWE career, starting in the late 1990s with Nation of Domination.
   • Fourth black wrestler to become a world champion in WWE.
9. Booker T
   • Dominated WCW’s tag team division as part of Harlem Heat, winning the WCW Tag Team Championship ten times.
   • Achieved success in WWE with a maiden WCW World Heavyweight Championship in 2000.
10. The Rock
    • The most accomplished black wrestler from the 90s, achieving numerous accolades during the Attitude Era.
    • Record-breaking ten-time world champion, Intercontinental Champion, and five-time Tag Team Champion.

The 90s was the golden period for professional wrestling because the business stretched out to a new level with its worldwide popularity, thanks to the Attitude Era, which gave birth to the greatest stars of all time. In addition to the Attitude Era, the decade witnessed the monumental battle of ratings between WWE and WCW. After winning the Monday Night Wars for 83 weeks straight, WWE turned the table as Stone Cold Steve Austin led WWE’s Attitude Era.

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The 1990s Era further witnessed a new revolution of African-American wrestlers. Many stars from the community emerged to make a big effect, whether in WWE or WCW. Today, the generation of black wrestlers must be indebted to the wrestlers from the 90s or their contribution to the business.

In this article, we take a look at ten such black wrestlers from the 90s who made an impact in professional wrestling. 

#10 The Godfather 

The Godfather was a versatile wrestler, who went through several gimmick changes and made them work. Charles Wright, the original name of The Godfather, spent the majority of the 1990s in WWE, becoming a personality to watch out for the inventiveness of each character in the ring. 

His first successful gimmick was Papa Shango, a voodoo practitioner who would influence his opponents with supernatural power. While he didn’t compete in the main event, he did influence the mainevent matches as a voodoo practitioner. He played Papa Shango’s character from 1992 to 1993. He played two more gimmicks named Kama and Kama Mustafa before making his debut as his most famous persona, The Godfather, who was a typical provocative Attitude Era gimmick. His induction to the WWE Hall of Fame 2016 happened as The Godfather. 

#9 D’Lo Brown 

Whilst D’Lo Brown wrestled for various promotions throughout his wrestling career, he rose to fame as one of the prominent black wrestlers from the 90s. His career in WWE commenced after joining Nation of Domination, which was a heel stable.

D’LO Brown shined as a singles star in the late 90s, winning the Intercontinental Championship and the European Championship at the same time. Despite such a noteworthy achievement as a mid-carder, he never ascended the mainevent scene. 

#8 Ahmed Johnson 

Ahmed Johnson was one of the distinguished African-American WWE Superstars from the 1990s, excelling in the early Attitude Era. With Ahmed’s muscular biceps, he had arguably one of the best physiques from that time in WWE. With an impressive muscle mass, he weighed over 300 pounds. 

The big man’s strength was remarkable as he would manhandle a majority of opponents at his own will. Capturing the Intercontinental Championship was the most striking accomplishment of Ahmed Johnson in 1996, and he became the first African-American wrestler to win the belt. He also joined the force of the Nation of Domination, but his career went downhill following his departure from the stable. 

#7 Jacqueline 

Jacqueline spent six years in WWE and debuted in 1998. She heavily influenced the women’s division of the 1990s or the Attitude Era, in general. The most extraordinary feat of her career was becoming the WWE Cruiserweight Champion. She was one of the black wrestlers from the 90s to win the WWE Women’s Championship.

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Her Cruiserweight Championship also made her the first African-American woman to win the gold. Jacqueline received the WWE Hall of Fame status in 2016 for her tremendous achievements in the 1990s.  

#6 D-Von Dudley

The Dudley Boyz, led by D-Von Dudley and Bubba Ray Dudley, was a legendary tag team and two distinguished wrestlers from the 90’s. They were, however, kayfabe brothers because D-Von was African-American, while Bubba Ray wasn’t. 

D-Von Dudely or The Dudely Boyz, in general, dominated the WWE Tag Team division in the Attitude Era. D-Von is a ten-time Tag Team Champion and a Hall of Fame inductee. 

#5 Mabel/ Viscera 

Mabel was a popular figure in the 1990s, especially in the New Generation Era. He equally excelled under gimmicks Viscera and Big Daddy V, but they were played in the 2000s. The Mabel character gave him a big spotlight, making him one of the few black wrestlers from the 90s to challenge for a WWE Championship.  

Winning King of the Ring was the greatest triumph of his career in WWE. Since he won the tournament, he received a substantial push as a mainevent star. He mainevented SummerSlam 1995, challenging Diesel for the WWE Championship in a losing cause. Unfortunately, WWE gave up on him because he was notorious as an unsafe worker. Mable injured a handful of wrestlers at that time, including an elite name, The Undertaker. 

#4 Ron Simmons/ Farooq 

Ron Simmons was a representative of the black wrestlers from the 90s because he was the first African-American WCW World Heavyweight Champion. In the early 1990s, he was one of the top wrestling personalities for the company.

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Besides WCW, Ron Simmons had another remarkable spell in WWE, where he was familiar with Farooq. He was the leader of The Nation of Domination which consisted of other WWE black wrestlers. Even after splitting from  Nation of Domination, he continued making a mark in the late 1990s with Bradshaw, better known as JBL. Their tag team, APL, won the WWE Tag Team Championship three times.

#3 Mark Henry 

Mark Henry enjoyed an illustrious two decades of WWE career, and it all started in the late 1990s, right around the Attitude Era. With an accomplished Powerlifting background, Henry entered the squared circle of WWE with a big reputation.

In the late 1990s, Henry became a member of Nation Of Domination. However, his odd romantic relationship with Mae Young at that time gave him a limelight. Along with the WWE Hall Of Fame honor, Henry is one of the fourth black wrestlers to become a world champion in WWE.

#2 Booker T

Booker T’s achievements were exemplary in WWE, but WCW was the promotion where he wrestled in the 1990s. Harlem Heat, the team of real-life brothers Stevie Ray and Booker T, took WCW’s tag team division by storm, winning the WCW Tag Team Champion a record ten times. 

His rise to the top began with a singles push in the late 1990s. Even though he captured his maiden WCW World Heavyweight Championship in 2000, in the of the previous decade, he was already one of the decorated black wrestlers from the 90s for his tag team titles and a couple of mid-card title wins. 

#1 The Rock 

The biggest box-office draw in professional wrestling history would be The Rock, who is a top-tier Hollywood star at the moment. Therefore, he is, without a shadow of a doubt, the most accomplished and popular among black wrestlers from the 90s. 

The Great One is half-black from his father’s side. As a prominent Attitude Era wrestler, a myriad of his wrestling accomplishments were in the 1990s. With his record-breaking ten reigns as the world champion, he is an Intercontinental Champion and five-time Tag Team Champion.

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Avik Das

Avik Das is the founder of Sportsheed. He is a sports lover with broad knowledge of Professional Wrestling, MMA, Football, and Cricket. He has an English major and has previously written articles for various sports and entertainment websites