Fans have shown out to support Bianca Belair after the WWE superstar received a wave of racial abuse for being named a WWE 2k24 cover athlete. Belair appears on the cover along Cody Rhodes and Rhea Ripley. Belair was the 2021 Women's Royal Rumble champion and is a two-time WWE champion. She is expected to mount a title challenge against Iyo Sky in the near future.
"Bianca Belair receiving racial abuse for simply being on the cover of a video game is a very upsetting thing to see. Nobody deserves that kind of abuse for anything at all. People are simply cruel and probably jealous of her overwhelming talent. That’s it," one fan wrote on social media. Other fans expressed their disgust for the racial abuse being leveled at Belair.
Who Is Bianca Belair?
Belair began her career as a track and field athlete at the college level. She attended South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Tennessee over the course of six years. As a Volunteer, she was named to both the All-SEC and All-American lists. However, as transitioning into professional CrossFit, Belair was looking for a new job after revealing a diagnosis for intercostal chondritis, or shifting rib syndrome.
She would join NXT in 2016 after entering her info into the WWE Prospects database on a whim. When she was contacted about the WWE's interest, she was working in the sales department at a flavoring company in Atlanta. Weaponising the "Kiss of Death" as her finish, Belair has gained a devout following for her "EST of the WWE" persona and her powerhouse wrestling style. She first captured the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 38 in 2022 and would hold the title for 420 days until losing the belt to Asuka. Belair would recapture the belt at SummerSlam 2023, holding it for 95 seconds before losing it to Sky. Belair the honor of being both the longest and shortest-tenured women's championship.
[via]