In an exclusive interview with Esports Insider, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T weighed in on all things wrestling.
He spoke about how Kayfabe is fading away, how far Dominik Mysterio can go and why Trick Williams is the face of the company. Booker T also discussed his favourite video games to play and why.
Esports Insider: Have you ever played many of the WWE 2K games or any of the games in the past?
Booker T: Heck yeah, man, I’m a huge gamer.
I’ve got my switch locked in right now, on the television. But it’s US Open time right now, so I’m playing tennis. I kinda go with the flow – like with football season, I’m playing Madden, baseball season I’m playing MLB, it’s one of those types of things with me.
Wrestling with my son, and we get locked in. Right now, it’s an honour for me, I’m actually doing some of the voiceovers as a commentator for the video games. I’m pretty stoked about that. As soon as I finished this boom, I get started with that in a few minutes. So, I’m a huge gamer. I’ve always been a gamer since I was a kid.
ESI: What’s your favourite game of all time?
Booker T: Has to be ‘Madden’, man. ‘Madden’ is just such a dynamic game. It’s just numbers, pretty much really, but it’s such a dynamic game.
One game that really captivated me over the last year or so has been ‘Ghost of Tsushima’.
Ghost has just taken me somewhere like I’ve never gone before. It’s so freaking detailed. You wonder, how can the human brain put something like that together? That’s what I wonder, how can it get so in-depth with the detail in it, creating this story. You know, with the Mongols, it’s just the craziest thing in the world, but amazing at the same time.
ESI: Social media has a huge influence on wrestling. People like Logan Paul can do both so well. Is it hurting or helping the art of wrestling? Are there more positives or more negatives?
Booker T: I think it’s more negative than positive, because everybody has an opinion on your career and what you do at every moment.
You can’t make a mistake, because they’re gonna call you out and they’re gonna belittle you and make you feel like you’re nothing. So I think that’s the true negative part of it. But I think the positive is, you’re gonna be seen by so many more people. If you’re good, somebody’s gonna give you a call and bring you in. No matter how many mistakes you make, it doesn’t matter if somebody gets signed at the end of the day.
ESI: The Undertaker has recently been disappointed with stars filming TikToks backstage, do you share the same disappointment?
Booker T: I agree with Taker. I truly believe in keeping the character as real as you possibly can. Because that’s your money maker.
I always say, can you imagine if The Undertaker was ‘The Phenom’ on pay-per-view on Saturday night, and then on Tuesday night, he was on TikTok as a chef? You wouldn’t be able to buy The Undertaker the same way, if he was to make you feel that way. So I think believing in the character and keeping the character sacred. It’s something that these young guys really don’t think about or care about these days.
ESI: One person I think is great at staying in character is Dirty Dominik Mysterio. He seems to just be a heel wherever he goes. What have you made of his title run?
Booker T: Oh man, Dominik, he lives the character. He’s really bought in, and that’s why he’s so popular. He’s not a luchador; he doesn’t go out and do a whole lot of flying. He is not the guy that’s gonna be doing lots of jumping around. He’s just a wrestler!
But he is also a really good entertainer. He’s figured out what the business truly is, and of course, he had a great mentor, a few of them, he really did.
ESI: Do you think he can eclipse what Rey did?
Booker T: No, I don’t. And I don’t think that should be the mission for Dominik.
He’s such a great talent, and what he does, I don’t think Rey could do what he does. So it’s such a huge difference between the both of them. But I really think Dominik is gonna go so far. I don’t think the comparison will be needed.
ESI: Another one who has burst onto the scene in WWE is Jacob Fatu. Do you think he’s better suited as a singles competitor or is he better in a faction/team?
Booker T: Of course, I think he fits into a faction, but he’s a solo artist, I think. Jacob Fatu has world heavyweight championship potential. You just gotta be able to put him in the right position because he can talk and you can dress him up and he can look really cool at the same time.
He has all the intangibles to be a really great superstar in this business. But one thing about the characters, going back and forth as far as being in the group and being on your own, all that kind of stuff just comes with the lay of the land. Just take the script and go out there and kill it.
ESI: Who do you see as the future of WWE in NXT right now, watching them week-in-week-out on the mic, backstage and in the ring?
Booker T: Trick Williams is the future of this company.
He’s my guy. I see myself in Trick, and every time I’d see him in TNA, he came out dressed like me when I was in TNA and doing the Black Snow. He wore the whole gimmick and everything. He’s always paying tribute to me, he even uses some of my terminology.
He’s not the greatest wrestler in the world, but you don’t have to be the greatest wrestler in the world to be the biggest star, you just have to be a really good performer. And I think that’s what Trick has picked up on more than anything, on how to go out there and be a really great performer and make fans watch you for so many different reasons than they watch the other wrestlers.
ESI: Do you think Joe Hendry has a future in WWE on the main roster?
Booker T: I really do. Joe Hendry, he’s an entertainer. He is a performer.
He is not the greatest wrestler in the world or anything like that. But that’s not what wrestling is, and I think so many people have gotten caught up in going out and having a five-star match. They have forgotten about what the art of professional wrestling is, and that’s making fans believe and feel a certain way. The biggest era I always thought was the Attitude Era, and the reason why, it was because of the fan participation.
The fans wanted to be involved. They had their chance; they came with the signs. We had more signs in the building back then than you can imagine. It’s because of the fans. We let the fans be a part of the show, and I think that’s something a guy like Joe Hendry does very well, and a guy like Trick Williams also.
ESI: Do you think Joe Hendry would have fit in during the Attitude Era?
Booker T: I think he would’ve fit in. We would’ve had to work with him on a couple of things, fix a few things, a little rough around the edges. But I think Joe is one of those traditional wrestlers.
ESI: Being the most decorated WCW wrestler of all time (21 titles), which was your favourite title run during that era?
Booker T: My tag team title run was special because I was with my brother and Sherri. But my Television Title run, I think was my most fun run because I got to defend the championship every Saturday night.
Got a chance to go out there and prove how good I was and then put myself on the map at the same time. I think that was the birth and the rise of Booker T. My Television Championship run was awesome man. Great times.
ESI: Just a word on Hulk Hogan and what he did for Harlem Heat by helping push you, how important was that?
Booker T: He just talked to the office, they were looking for a tag team and who was gonna be the next team to break through and we were right there, but everybody was looking past us.
And Hulk actually said, “You guys are looking for a tag team. These are your guys right here, Harlem Heat.” That’s when the ball really got kicked off with my brother and I, and we went on a run that never would be duplicated. So I give him a lot of credit for that.
ESI: Did you enjoy working under Vince back in the day? Was it all him, or did you have a bit of influence when you were planning what you were gonna do?
Booker T: No, I loved working with Vince, he was always a guy that was a real man’s man, but he wanted perfection, he wanted you to go out there and perform and not just perform, but perform at a very, very high level he’s very, very demanding, no excuses, get the job done type of guy and I love that.
I learned a lot from him. He’s the reason why I have my own wrestling company right now, blessed me to have my own wrestling company, and I use a lot of those same thought processes to support my guys. I’m the first one to show up, and they have to follow and lead by example. If I could get in there and get it done myself, I would do it. So no, I learned a lot from that dude.
ESI: How is Reality of Wrestling going? Anyone you’re looking to sign in the near future, or just going with the flow?
Booker T: One of my guys just got a tryout. I don’t wanna say his name or anything like that because some stuff might be happening, but I got so many guys, so many girls that are ready to take that journey, ready to get that shot.
Just opportunity, that’s the only thing that we’re looking for, is just opportunity right now with WWE, the ID programme, it’s been working so well for us. We’re growing like crazy, we’re looking to even move into a bigger building here in the next couple years and really put Reality of Wrestling to the next level, of performance level and it’s amazing, the talent right now we have two shows, Rogue Platinum and Rogue Glory, we have 60 plus guys and girls that we’re working with, trying to get them on television, trying to let them be seen, so they can go on this ride as well so it’s amazing, what we’re doing at Reality of Wrestling right now.
ESI: Roxanne Perez, one of your pupils, said that you and Sharmell are like her second parents. How proud are you of how well she’s doing on the main roster?
Booker T: She fits right in, not even a hiccup, not even a ripple, she just stepped right in there, and her confidence is sky high right now because she’s so freaking good. She’s not the biggest dog in the fight or anything like that, but her way of working, she works so much bigger than she actually is, when you actually watch her work, and you go, wow, man, this girl is really, really good. So you forget about everything other than how good she is in the ring.
So I’m so proud of her man; she started with us when she was 16 years old, and now she’s a mega star all over the world.
ESI: Is there a wrestler you wish you could have had as one of your pupils?
Booker T: I wish I could have worked with Dominik. I almost got a chance to work with Dominik and then he went to Lance Storm, Lance Storm is an awesome trainer as well, so it couldn’t have been in better hands, but I wish I could’ve worked with Dom, but I don’t think I could’ve taught him too much more because he’s smart.
That’s the one thing about the business, if you’re smart man, you pick it up like that and he’s like a computer just downloading information. So I wish I could have worked with someone like that.
ESI: Do you have much to do with Oba Femi backstage in NXT?
Booker T: The only thing I do with Oba is hype him up, I tell him how good he is, he’s very green in the business, but he’s, he’s so smart already. He’s a generational talent, he could have worked in the seventies, the eighties and the nineties.
He stands heads and shoulders above so many in this business already, just three years in. So I’m like Oba Femi’s hype man, he does so many things so well, and I don’t think you could teach it just. It’s just something that is in his DNA, so I love what Oba is doing, he’s one of my, one of my favourite guys.
ESI: Who would you’ve loved to have a match with and would’ve suited you to a tee when you were in your prime 20 years ago?
Booker T: I look at the main roster, the only guy that I really wanted to mix it up with was Roman, you and the reason why is not because of him being the tribal chief or anything like that, but I look at his in ring prowess and I see things that most people don’t see that Roman has brought to the table.
And you can go back and look at the plethora of guys that Roman has faced, all of those guys walk away and they have a really, really good match. And most of the time, it’s not because of that guy, it’s because of Roman. He really knows how to set things up, and make you look at it and go, wow, it’s magical. And so for me, that’s the way I always worked. I think him and I, we could have really had a great something, you know. But other than that, the only guy on the roster that I wanted to wrestle was Shawn Michaels.
ESI: He’s done a great job with Logan Paul as well, hasn’t he?
Booker T: He’s done a really great job, he’s just a natural talent too, though he works hard too; he doesn’t call it in or phone it in.
He really puts in the work to actually go out there and make you people believe that, man, this guy’s a phenom. You don’t become a phenomenal talent if you don’t put in the work. It just doesn’t happen, by osmosis or anything like that, which most people probably think it does for him, but that dude puts in a lot of work.
ESI: What would be your top three crowds that you’ve wrestled in front of?
Booker T: You know what, I never really thought about it like that. It’s more cities. But the one crowd I think I remember the most was in Manila, in the Philippines.
I was working against Batista. And we were in the arena, and it was sold out, jam-packed. I have a photo in my office of me and Muhammad Ali yelling face-to-face. And this arena was the same arena where Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali fought. And they had a big banner up top with ‘The Greatest Muhammad Ali’. I took a photo of King Booker in that spot. And I remember, man, I was dancing like Muhammad Ali that night, for like a minute straight. I didn’t do anything but just dance, and then I stepped back in the crowd, and they just started cheering.
I was like, ah, man, it’s just like Muhammad Ali. So that’s what I remember, the audience. I don’t remember a lot of the towns and the cities. I remember certain things because it made me feel a certain way. If it didn’t make me feel a certain way, it was just work.
ESI: Were there ever any ideas that you pitched to the producers that you really wanted to do but just never went anywhere?
Booker T: You know, I feel like a lot of guys these days do that. I never pitched an idea throughout my whole career.
Literally from the beginning to the end. I’ve never once pitched an idea. Just because I didn’t wanna know what I was gonna do. I just wanted to be able to get the script, look at it and see exactly what I could make it, no matter how small or how big. That’s just more work! That’s the writer’s job to come up with that kind of stuff. When you’re a talent’, you don’t have to think or worry about them writing something for you and writing really good stuff, which they had. So for me, I was always ‘talent’. They always wrote good stuff for me.
ESI: What was your initial reaction when the storyline came in involving Kurt Angle and your wife?
Booker T: It’s movies! Kurt didn’t like it. Because Kurt respects me so much, but it’s movies.
My wife and Kurt, they never came close to each other outside the camera. So it was movies, it was making fans feel a certain way. And for me, I have always looked at wrestling like it’s a movie. We had a lot to do with the way things were played out, so when you do it, you gotta make it real. So I had no problems with it. Kurt is one of my best friends.
ESI: I just wanted to know what you made of the release of Karrion Kross and Scarlet, whether you thought it was the correct decision?
Booker T: No shock or anything like that. This is a moment for Karrion. This is the opportunity for Karrion Kross to really cash in! So I’m gonna see exactly what he does with this moment. Because it’s a blessing in disguise.
It’s literally one of these WWE Unreal moments. So I’d say to the world, sit back. Sit back and just let this thing play out. I think it’s gonna play out a certain way. We’ll see. And I don’t wanna give anything away or anything like what I’m thinking, but I think this thing is gonna play out at the end of the day that people are gonna be like, bad, stupid, crazy.
