WWE Hall of Famer Edge took to Twitter to shed light on Sweet Daddy Siki’s role in his career. His tweet was beaming with compliments and admiration for his mentor. Apart from Edge, Sweet Daddy Siki also trained Edge’s long-time best friend Christian Cage.
Twitter user @MuscleManMalcom tweeted, “Sweet Daddy Siki is the MOST IMPORTANT figure in wrestling. Having the 1st integrated matches & being the 1st black wrestler to challenge for the World Title! He also trained @EdgeRatedR & @Christian4Peeps! Thank you for the platform @WrestleTalk_TV”
Sweet Daddy Siki is the MOST IMPORTANT figure in wrestling
Having the 1st integrated matches & being the 1st black wrestler to challenge for the World Title!
He also trained @EdgeRatedR & @Christian4Peeps!
Thank you for the platform @WrestleTalk_TV ✊????https://t.co/1Xj8FOpnqr
— MuscleManMalcolm (@MalcolmMuscle) February 14, 2022
The Rated R Superstar retweeted this with a quote tweet, “So happy to see this. He needs to be in the HOF. A lot of people have no idea the influence this man has had on our industry in so many ways. The doors he kicked open. And that’s a shame. Personally, I wouldn’t be here without him. More importantly, he’s a great man. #SweetDaddy.”
So happy to see this. He needs to be in the HOF. A lot of people have no idea the influence this man has had on our industry in so many ways. The doors he kicked open. And that’s a shame. Personally, I wouldn’t be here without him. More importantly, he’s a great man. #SweetDaddy https://t.co/xCO1eamwGj
— Adam (Edge) Copeland (@EdgeRatedR) February 14, 2022
With all this admiration flowing in for Sweet Daddy, let’s take a look at the man everyone’s been talking about.
Who is Sweet Daddy Siki?
Former Pro-Wrestler Sweet Daddy Siki was a trailblazing performer in more ways than one. Calling himself, ‘the ladies’ pet and the men’s regret’ Siki broke race, fashion, and cultural barriers In the 1960s and ‘70s.
Edge’s former mentor broke racial barriers when he took part in what’s thought to be the first integrated world championship match in wrestling history when he faced in-ring rival and real-life friend “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers in Greensboro, North Carolina. Both men were threatened by the Ku Klux Klan: Siki for daring to touch a white man, Rogers for helping integrate the sport. Klansmen sat at ringside. Thankfully, Rogers and Siki left the arena unharmed. Throughout his career in the United States, Siki would have more run-ins with the Klan but refused to back down in the face of threats.
Siki was a fashion trendsetter in the pro-wrestling industry. At a time when solid trunks were generally seen as wrestling attire, Siki’s were candy-striped. His boots were white, with the backs cut out to show off his calf muscles. (The cut-away boot would be a style The Rock would make famous nearly 40 years later). His look had a lot in common with ‘80s wrestling stars like Ric Flair, Macho Man Randy Savage, and Jesse “The Body” Ventura. He was doing it 20 years earlier.
He was a master working the audience and cutting promos on the mic. People like Edge and former WWE and WCW Champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart used him as inspiration when creating their characters decades later.
Sweet Daddy Siki’s achievements in pro-wrestling folklore are nothing short of legendary. His former student Edge is on spot demanding a Hall of Fame Induction for his mentor. Hopefully, he also does the work behind the scenes to make this happen!
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