Booker T has set the record straight over the confusion concerning his former Starcast III appearance.
Speaking on a recent episode of his podcast, The Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore, the Hall Of Famer broke down that the issues arose from a miscommunication between himself and Conrad Thompson. He stressed WWE were not behind the decision.
“Conrad [Thompson], he texts me a date that he wants me to do an autograph signing on. That autograph signing was August 31st, that day was in Chicago—he told me all of that. What he didn’t tell me is that it was Starrcast, I didn’t know it was Starrcast. I didn’t find out it was Starrcast until you, Brad, texted me and said, ‘Are you doing Starrcast? And I was like, ‘No, I’m not doing Starrcast.’ [You replied], ‘Well, they’re advertising you.’ I immediately tweet out and say that I wasn’t going to be doing Starrcast because I did not know that the Conrad booking was Starrcast, because he did not say that it was Starrcast.”
He added, “[…] it was never mentioned one time in text or verbally that it was Starrcast, and if he said, ‘Hey Book, would you like to do Starrcast III?’ I would have said, ‘Hey man, I appreciate it but no.’ But it wasn’t framed that way, so I just want the people to know that I did not pull out of Starrcast… I was never in Starrcast; I was booked for a date, for an autograph signing, not knowing that it was Starrcast.”
“They Did Not Pull Me”
Booker explained that “WWE had zero to do with me not doing that booking, they did not pull me from it. […] WWE is not scrambling to find somebody else because it was never a WWE booking. I was never supposed to be at Starrcast from the beginning.”
Starrcast III takes place between August 29-September 1st 2019 from the Hyatt Regency Chicago in Schaumburg, Illinois.
With Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff once again returning to notable creative positions within WWE, the pro wrestling landscape seems to be on a precipice of change as WWE continues to gear up against All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
WWE Hall Of Famer, Booker T, spoke about these changes on his podcast, The Hall Of Fame.
He claims that with Heyman and Bischoff respectively directing RAW and SmackDown, they will be going back to the “blueprint of what wrestling always was” which is “giving the fans some great wrestling, great entertainment.”
“[…] Paul Heyman and Eric Bischoff, they both have an agenda now, and that agenda is to do well,” he said. “I was reading today that Eric Bischoff is moving his family to Connecticut. To do that, that’s a huge, huge commitment. That means I want to get close to my work, and I really want to throw myself into it and try to create something.”
“Time Is Running Out”
Booker believes that Bischoff is fully aware of the magnitude of this opportunity, claiming that he is “never going to get another chance like this ever.”
“One thing Eric Bischoff knows: time is running out. He’s never going to get another chance like this ever in a lifetime. I mean, he slipped on a banana peel and became the President of WCW, and then to get this dropped in his hand? […] Paul Heyman, he made ECW a legitimate company by doing the right things and then taking that company in the right direction. They gave the fans what they wanted to see, they had it all. The war could be over before it even starts.”
With WWE doing all it can to hold onto talent as it redefines itself in the face of new competition, it appears that having RAW and SmackDown become creatively different is the first step in their attempts—a decision that Vince McMahon is already reportedly very pleased with.
Booker T appeared to have taken offense to Matt Riddle’s comments about Bill Goldberg. Riddle had said that Goldberg is “hurting people” when talking about his performance at Super ShowDown against The Undertaker:
“The thing for me is, and one of the reasons I was never a fan of Goldberg in the beginning when everybody was like ‘oh, he’s so good!’ I was like ‘no, he’s terrible, he’s hurting people’ and there’s nothing else.”
Booker T didn’t take this comment lightly and said that Riddle needs to work a lot on himself before he starts talking about anybody.
“I was listening to Matt Riddle talk about Goldberg,” Booker T said on his Reality of Wrestling show. “And I got a chance to watch Matt Riddle work. This guy needs a lot of work. You’re talking about somebody that needs to work on their craft? This Matt Riddle, he needs to work on his craft and that’s coming from Booker T.”
Riddle is known for being outspoken and speaking his mind, it is quite possible that these comments can get the attention of another wrestling veteran.
Booker T appears to have taken some offense to Matt Riddle’s recent comments about Bill Goldberg. Riddle was publicly critical of Goldberg’s performance at Super ShowDown against the Undertaker. According to comments made by Booker T, however, Riddle should focus more on his own craft.
“I was listening to Matt Riddle talk about Goldberg,” Booker T said on his Reality of Wrestling show. “And I got a chance to watch Matt Riddle work. This guy needs a lot of work. You’re talking about somebody that needs to work on their craft? This Matt Riddle, he needs to work on his craft and that’s coming from Booker T.”
“I wish Matt Riddle would come down to my school and get a first-class one-on-one wrestling 101 training,” Booker continued.
“Before Matt Riddle starts talking about anybody, Matt Riddle needs to work on his game and he needs to work on it very, very hard and that’s coming from a Hall-of-Famer. That’s coming from one of the best in the business. Now, Matt Riddle he can say whatever he wants to say about Booker T but I’ll tell you right now, I was top five. Top five in the world, I hover somewhere in that top 5 echelon.”
“Hey Matt Riddle, work on your game kid,” Booker continued. “That’s coming from the 5-time champ.”
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T gave his take on why he believes The Undertaker made a sudden return to WWE television.
He made it known that he thinks the reason is due to Taker being unhappy about his latest match that was heavily criticized. He elaborated on his mindset during his Hall of Fame Podcast.
Booker stated that no one thought Taker would be back this soon but he thinks Taker wants to get the memory of his match against Goldberg at Super ShowDown out of his mind and do something else as a re-do.
“So I say come back out, and wash that little dirt off of you, and give the people what they want to see. Is this The Undertaker’s last match? That is the one thing. If it is the last match then you don’t want it to go down like it did at Super ShowDown. You don’t want that for yourself, or for your kids, or legacy. So you say, ‘Hey man, I have to go out here and do a re-do.’
The Undertaker made his sudden return on Monday’s RAW when he made the save for Roman Reigns from Shane McMahon and Drew McIntyre during their 2-on-1 Handicap Match.
WWE would later announce a tag team match that will see Taker and Reigns vs. McMahon & McIntyre take place at the Extreme Rules pay-per-view event.
Harlem Heat, comprised of brothers Booker T and Stevie Ray, was inducted into WWE’s Hall Of Fame over WrestleMania weekend. The two made a name for themselves in WCW, storming the tag team division. The pair would end up winning the WCW World Tag Team Championships ten times throughout their time in the company.
Once WCW was purchased by WWE, however, only Booker T would end up jumping to the rival, victorious promotion.
Ryback recently spoke with Stevie Ray on his podcast, Conversations With The Big Guy. The two would end up discussing Stevie Ray’s reasons behind never signing with WWE.
“I didn’t want to go to WWF; as a matter of fact, the last WCW Nitro I didn’t even attend and they sent me a ticket, but I was always in the mindset of this is competition to me. This is NFL vs AFL or National League vs American League in baseball. WCW vs WWF, to be honest with you bro, I didn’t want to go out like a b****.”
“I Told Him That He Should Do It, But I’m Done”
Stevie Ray explains that part of his reasoning was due to the long-term feud between WCW and WWE. When the day came that WWE had bought WWE, he confessed he was “done” and had no interest in auditioning for Vince McMahon and his promotion.
“We had been fighting for the team, but when I heard Vince McMahon had come in and stuff like that—which I knew was coming—it’s like, you saw the writing on the wall, and you put it in the back of your mind, but at the end of the day I knew it was going to happen. But I didn’t attend the last show because my brother [Booker T] said that they are going to be auditioning people. I told him that he should do it, but I’m done.”
He was also concerned over WWE changing Harlem Heat, ruining the essence of what made the team so special:
“I wanted people to remember Harlem Heat as an ass-kicking tag team of color, you see what I’m saying? I didn’t want us to be something else. I didn’t want us to turn into a Doink the Clown, so I’m not saying that they would have done this with Harlem Heat, but I didn’t want to lose the edge that we once had as Harlem Heat.”
There has been a lot of criticism surrounding some of this year’s WWE Hall Of Fame inductees. Some disagree with the likes of Torrie Wilson and Stevie Ray going into the Hall Of Fame. Despite being one of the most recognizable female competitors in WWE history, Wilson never recorded a title victory during her seven-year tenure.
As for Stevie Ray, he piled up quite a bit of accolades in World Championship Wrestling (WCW). Ray is a 10-time WCW World Tag Team Champion, alongside his brother and now-two-time WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T, but also won a WCW World TV Title. Unfortunately, Ray never got the opportunity to compete in WWE.
Recently, Booker T addressed these criticisms on a recent episode of his podcast, “Heated Conversations.” The five-time WCW Champion called out those who oppose Ray and Wilson’s inductions, and explained why they deserve the honor:
“What dictates whether you should get into the Hall Of Fame or not? I’ve had dirt sheet writers talking about, my brother shouldn’t be in the Hall Of Fame. People who haven’t done anything for this business, talking about who should or who shouldn’t get into the Hall Of Fame.
“My thing is this, if you done nothing and contributed zero as far as taking one bump on the road, you don’t know who should get in and who shouldn’t get into the Hall Of Fame. Torrie Wilson is definitely Hall Of Fame worthy. She has paved the way for so many other lovelies, just like herself, that perhaps didn’t think that they could actually do it because they didn’t fit that mold.
“Torrie Wilson gave them that belief in themselves, to say, ‘Hey, if Torrie Wilson can do it, I can do it too.’ So Torrie is definitely a Hall Of Famer as far as I’m concerned. All the critics out there, all the pundits – who have never done anything, who have never taken one bump, who would never be awarded for anything that they’ve done in their lives, they need to step off. Torrie Wilson, you got my stamp of approval sweetheart. You stepped up.”
What do you think about Booker T’s comments regarding Ray and Wilson in the HOF?
One of the greatest tag-team in WCW history will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next month. Brothers Booker T & Stevie Ray of Harlem Heat are the next tag-team WWE has chosen to honor in their Hall of Fame.
A press release sent in by WWE touts, “Booker T & Stevie Ray were one of the most dominant tag teams of the 1990s, steamrolling over the competition in WCW to become tag team champions on 10 occasions. Now, the brothers will be immortalized in sports-entertainment history.”
This will make Booker T a 2-time, 2-time, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer. As of this writing, only one man holds that distinction: Ric Flair. The night Booker T gets inducted, Shawn Michaels will also become a 2-time Hall of Famer (as part of DeGeneration X).
Harlem Heat – WWE Hall of Fame
Booker T and Stevie Ray held the WCW tag-team championships on 10 occasions. The team was also honored last year by the Cauliflower Alley Club, winning their Tag Team of the Year award. Only Demolition and the High Flyers (Greg Gane & Jim Brunzell) have ever received the award before from the club. They were named the Tag Team of the Year by Pro Wrestling Illustrated in 1995 & 1996 as well.
WWE Hall of Fame Tag Teams
The brothers join the following inductees as the 11th tag-team (and 13th or 14th group including D-Generation X, also to be inducted this year) to enter the WWE Hall of Fame:
The Valiant Brothers (Jimmy & Johnny Valiant) (1996)
The Blackjacks (Blackjack Mulligan & Blackjack Lanza) (2006)
The Wild Samoans (Afa & Sika) (2007)
The Brisco Brothers (Jack & Gerald Briscoe) (2008)
The Funks (Terry Funk & Dory Funk Jr.) (2009)
The Von Erichs (faction) (Fritz, Kevin, Kerry, David, Mike, & Chris) (2009)
The Road Warriors (Animal, Hawk, & Paul Ellering)
The 4 Horsemen (faction) (Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, & JJ Dillon) (2012)
The Bushwhackers (Luke & Butch) (2015)
The Fabulous Freebirds (Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, Buddy Roberts, and Jimmy Garvin) (2016)
The Rock N Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) (2017)
WWE Hall of Famer Booker t suing video game publisher Activision for allegedly using his alter-ego G.I. Bro in one of their video games, Black Ops 4.
The Verge reports that Booker filed a copyright complaint at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas which alleges that there are similarities between G.I. Bro and Black Ops character David “Prophet” Wilkes.
“They could have drawn him any way they wanted. But they chose to steal Booker T’s ‘G. I. Bro,’” the complaint states.
The complaint is mainly about the visual similarities between the characters. You can take a look at the image the complaint uses to compare the characters below:
“There is no doubt that Defendants copied “G. I. Bro,”” states the document.
The complaint gives further information about Booker T’s character. It states that G.I. Bro is a “retired special operations soldier, fighting an old enemy he thought he had finished off years before, with the support of his old military friends.” Artworks and a comic book has been made on the character.
However, the copied video game persona in question, Black Ops 4‘s David “Prophet” Wilkes doesn’t share much in personality or backstory to G.I. Bro.
The biography of Prophet goes something like this:
“Wilkes got his first set of cybernetic augmentations while serving in the British Engineering Corps. Five years and many upgrades later, he is the embodiment of the cutting edge of human weaponry on the battlefield, using his superior technology to disrupt opponents’ tactics before moving in for the kill.”
We will keep you updated as more developments in the case occur.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T gave his take on the news that former WWE Champion Dean Ambrose would be departing from the WWE at the end of April as he has decided to not sign a new contract with the WWE.
The pro wrestling legend did so on the newest episode of Reality Of Wrestling. He started right out of the gate by stating, “I’m gonna go out there on a limb, I do not think Dean Ambrose is leaving WWE to go somewhere else.” Booker T continued by stating, “I don’t think a new company like AEW is looking for guys to get that Roger Clemens treatment.”
The former WWE World Heavyweight Champion brought up when you’re not practicing but rather throwing fastballs on game day, he doesn’t think it will be like that, and this is the perfect example of that. Instead, he thinks Ambrose needs some time off because this job can become very very stressful and depressing due to it taking you on a roller coaster ride.
Booker T would bring up how Ambrose is lucky that he’s married to someone in the business and reflected on his own situation where WWE Chairman Vince McMahon decided to bring Booker’s wife into the mix and thus creating the King Booker character.
The WWE Hall of Famer noted that this can be the best job in the world being a WWE Superstar while at the same time it is the hardest job in the world at the same time. “Dean Ambrose would be stepping away at the best time that he possibly could after WrestleMania because that’s a big check.”
The WWE’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view (PPV) is set to go down this weekend (Sun. January 27, 2019) from the Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. In one of the premiere match-ups of the night, RAW Women’s Champion Ronda Rousey will be defending her title. She’ll face off against former RAW Women’s Champion Sasha Banks. The pair have been feuding on WWE TV for the past several weeks to hype up their bout.
This week, Rousey teamed up with Natalya to take on Banks and Bayley in the main event of RAW. Rousey has proven herself to be a solid worker inside the ring. As for Banks, she’s one of the best in-ring performers the WWE’s women’s division has to offer. It will certainly be interesting to see how the pair work together in singles action on one of WWE’s biggest pay-per-views (PPV) of the year.
Best Ever?
WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T seems pretty optimistic about the match-up. Speaking on his “Heated Conversations” podcast recently, Booker said he believes the bout has the potential to be the best women’s match ever:
“It could be the best women’s match that we’ve seen thus far – and really, I’m not just saying that – as far as Ronda Rousey goes,” Booker said. “As far as Ronda going out there and having that match to where she look back and say, ‘Man, that was so, so good.’ Sasha Banks, she’s one of the best. And she’ll throw caution to the wind.
“She puts herself in certain positions sometimes where it scares me – seriously – inside of the ring, as well as outside of the ring. She’s just one of those type that just will put herself out there and you got to love that. That’s what the business is about, it’s not ballet or anything like that.
“Ronda Rousey’s definitely gonna be tested as far as her cardio and endurance goes because Sasha can go all night long. I’m looking forward to it. All around, the ladies are doing some crazy stuff.”
Do you think Rousey vs. Banks could turn into the best women’s match ever?
WWE Hall Of Famer, Booker T, has plenty of experience performing for a number of different companies including WCW, TNA and, of course, WWE. So when it comes to a major new promotion breaking onto the scene in the way All Elite Wrestling (AEW) is doing, the knowledgable 6-time world champion was bound to have an opinion.
During an episode of his podcast, Heated Conversations with Booker T, he shared his thoughts on AEW.
“They’re [AEW] coming in hot, I’ve never seen anything like this before. A company just literally — boom. You know, they [just] pop up. Major players. TNA was built around a bunch of young guys that were unknowns, […] these are guys who are starting an organization and are signing big contracts,” he said.
He highlighted Chris Jericho’s involvement as a huge selling point for the company. Booker believes that Jericho’s involvement helps to “legitimize” All Elite Wrestling.
“With Chris Jericho behind this thing, that’s a legitimizer. They have a major player that’s been all over the world and has done it all. [….] Chris Jericho is that teacher, he isn’t going to be that guy that’s just along for the ride, more power to him for taking a shot at it.”
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T made his in-ring return this past Saturday night under the banner of his Reality of Wrestling promotion when he took on ROW Heavyweight Champion Rex Andrews, who challenged him to a match, in Texas City, TX at the Booker T. World Gym Arena.
While doing a recent interview with Collider Live, he talked about his decision to step back inside of the squared circle to compete once again. This was when he explained that the reason to do the match was to see if Andrews has what it takes to advance to the next level in the pro wrestling business.
“I want people to see what kind of talent we’ve got in Reality of Wrestling,” Booker stated. “If it’s just a moment to put eyes on us, then check it out and see exactly what you like about Reality of Wrestling. And what you don’t like about us, let us know. We’re in it for the fans.”
It should be noted that this match will be available to watch this coming weekend on his promotion’s website. Booker T has reduced the amount of time inside of the squared circle as he has worked just two matches since working a handful of contests in 2012.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is making his in-ring return next month. The 53 year-old will be returning to action for his Reality of Wrestling promotion.
ROW Heavyweight Champion Rex Andrews had issued a challenge to Booker at the Christmas Chaos 8 event, which he accepted. The two will face each other next month at the promotion’s event titled “The Last Stand” which will take place on 19 January. More details on that show can be found at the Reality of Wrestling website.
Booker T’s wife (and former WWE personality) Sharmell also posted a video of him in the ring with Rex at ROW.
The last match Booker T was involved in was at the Preston City Wrestling promotion, where he defeated Lionheart at the SpringSlam event in April of 2016. Booker had also won the ROW Tag Team Title with Stevie Ray in February of 2015. As for the WWE, Booker T hasn’t wrestled any matches for the company since 2012, and his last televised singles match being against Cody Rhodes in December of 2011.
Booker T has previously supported Hulk Hogan’s reinstatement into the WWE Hall Of Fame and the former WCW Star believes that it’s time to move on from this controversy.
T was recently interviewed by Sports Illustrated and during the talk; he discussed matters such as WWE Hall Of Fame not having a building and more.
While talking about Hogan, the former World Champion said that if people still judged him for his past mistakes, he wouldn’t be where he is right now and it’s time to move on:
“If people still judged me from what I did 30 years ago, I would not be where I am now. Now I still have my broom, and I carry it around to sweep up all the dirt and trash I’ve left behind in my past. Hulk is also going to have to carry that broom in his back pocket and atone for his mistakes. But I think it’s time to move on.”
For those who don’t know, Booker T served 19 months in prison for two counts of aggravated robbery. He committed the crime in 1987 when he was 22 years old.
Apart from this Booker also continued talking about a possible in-ring return after he discussed it in an interview earlier this month and more. You can check out his full interview here.
After his recent appearance on SmackDown Live a few weeks ago, Booker T had discussed possibly teaming up with New Day for one more match, and he has once again talked about possibly returning to ring for one more bout.
Booker was recently a guest on Stone Cold Steve Austin’s podcast and during the episode, the two wrestling legends talked about a number of wrestling related topics.
While talking about possibly having one more bout, Booker T joked that if WWE calls him for one more match against Stone Cold, he will do it in a heartbeat.
The Hall Of Famer then expressed the desire to wrestle one more match for his own wrestling promotion Reality Of Wrestling, to show students of his wrestling school that he can still go out there and do it.
Continuing on the topic, T also revealed how his son recently asked him questions about the time he was still an active competitor, and this is another reason why he wants to have one more match, so his son can see that he can still go out there and hold on his own.
Apart from this, Booker T also talked about how he enjoys his current role in WWE and how he loves interacting with younger talents like Bray Wyatt who he spoke to recently.
Do you think Booker T should return to the ring for one more match? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Daniel Bryan has doubled-down on his comments about being able to defeat Mike Jackson in an MMA fight. Jackson defeated CM Punk at a UFC event in Chicago held earlier this summer.
UFC 225 was CM Punk’s second bout in the Octagon. Unfortunately, the home field advantage wasn’t enough for the Second City Saint to take his first MMA win. The result wasn’t good for Mike Jackson either. His performance received mixed reviews and would be his one and only fight in the UFC according to Dana White. Shortly after the bout, Daniel Bryan made a comment on how he could beat Jackson in an MMA fight, which sparked an online mini-feud.
Bryan was a guest on Heated Conversations with Booker T recently and again stated he feels he could beat Jackson in an MMA fight.
It Started With Instagram Live
“What was happening was, my wife (Brie) was on Instagram, and she was doing a live thing, to promote Total Bellas“, Bryan explained. “And it was like, ‘Oh, Bryan is here with me. Does anybody want to ask him a question?’ And somebody popped up and said, ‘Do you think you could beat Mike Jackson?’ And it wasn’t like I’ve been sitting around thinking, ‘I guess this is my shot. I’m going to call him out on Brie’s Instagram story.”
“And this is what I said, I said, ‘Yeah, I think so. If it went to the ground, I think I could’.”
Booker T then asked the former World Heavyweight Champion if he could submit Jackson in an MMA fight, to which Bryan admitted that he might be overly-confident.
Daniel Bryan Jiu-Jitsu Training
“Yes (I could submit him), but that could be false confidence. I’m very open to that (idea). I think most people who know me know this. If I were to say like, ‘Yeah, I think I could beat Mike Jackson’, it’s that. It’s not me being like, ‘Oh, I would kill that man! I would go out there and destroy that man!’ It’s no disrespect to him, it’s no disrespect to CM Punk. It was the first time I ever actually watched a UFC show where somebody won a fight, and I thought, ‘You know what? I think I could beat that guy’. And just say that ‘Oh, I’ve toyed around with jiu-jitsu’ or whatever it is, and I’ve been training grappling and stuff for a lot of years. I’ve been training kickboxing and stuff for a lot of years.”
“That said, that doesn’t make me an MMA fighter, and I’m well aware of it. I’m also well aware of the fact that, okay, I’ve been training this month in takedowns, right? And I’m doing double legs, and guess what? I’m kind of old! And so, here I am, shooting double legs and when you’re shooting double legs, you’re tilting your neck to finish this double leg takedown, and me with my neck problems, I probably shot 15 double legs, and they were still doing double legs. And my neck all of a sudden, my thoracic spine was like, ‘What am I doing? We don’t do this!’”
While an MMA career doesn’t seem to be in the works for Bryan, one has to remember that it was only earlier this year that Bryan got cleared to compete in a WWE ring. Also, it seems that Bryan will continue to stay in the WWE until he feels that he has accomplished all that he wanted in the company.
You Can Listen To The Interview in its entirety below:
2018 was an eventful year for the men formerly known as Big Cass and Enzo Amore. Once rising stars in WWE, both were released from the company in recent months. With his legal issues behind him, Enzo Amore has stated he will never wrestle again and is pursuing a music career as Real 1. Meanwhile, Big Cass has been taking booking on the independent scene and is waiting for his 90-days no-compete clause to expire.
Big Cass appeared on Booker T’s Heated Conversations podcast over the weekend. Cass spoke about his future in the wrestling business and commented on his current relationship (or lack thereof) with Enzo.
No Contact With Enzo
Cass revealed that he has not contacted Enzo in a long time and they’re not even friends. He would even go as far to say that he had no idea that Enzo was even rapping. While Cass has no intention of reuniting the team, he wouldn’t rule it out if the money was right.
“We’re not friends, so I just don’t think that’ll be a possibility. I mean—let me tell you something, Booker, if the money is right, yeah, I’ll definitely do it.”
You can listen to the entire conversation below on Booker T’s Heated Conversations podcast with Brad Gilmore:
In a recent interview on Booker T’s podcast, Heated Conversations, William Morrissey, or better known as Big Cass, finally broke his silence on why he was released from the WWE.
Life After WWE
“I’m doing good, just living my life right now,” Cass said. “Hitting the gym, waiting for my 90-day [no compete clause] to end. Anticipating what’s next on my schedule, trying to get myself in the best shape possible. Just living life, I don’t know how else to say it.”
Cass On Being Released
“If I’m going to be honest with you, I made a lot of mistakes. I made a lot of mistakes in a very short period of time,” Cass admitted. “I did some things that I shouldn’t have done. I guess the company couldn’t rely on me and couldn’t trust me. Look, I’ll just be honest with you, in my opinion, they made the right decision for them.”
“It was the right decision to get rid of me at that point in time – not to say I won’t be back – but at that point in time, they definitely made the right decision for them. To be honest with you, looking at it they made the right decision for me. Everyone makes mistakes, but when you make that many mistakes in that short of a period of time then you lose people’s trust and you’re not reliable anymore.”
“Yeah, I would have, [fired myself]. I definitely would have fired myself. If I was in Vince McMahon’s position, I would have fired myself for sure, one-hundred percent.”
Back From Injury
A little after Wrestlemania 34 Big Cass made his return back from injury now on the Smackdown brand. He was immediately placed into a feud with Daniel Bryan in where Bryan would be victorious through the feud. It wouldn’t be until June of this year that Cass would get released. Numerous sources are stating that Cass’s backstage attitude and not following orders from WWE personnel was the reason for his release. More on Big Cass release can be read here.
While Sanity was not part of this week’s episode of SmackDown Live, the trio competed in a dark match before the show started, against what appears to be a newly formed tag team.
Before SmackDown went on air, R-Truth and Tye Dillinger came out as a tag team. They faced the former NXT Stars in a match and for the surprise of many, defeated Sanity into the bout.
As noted before, General Manager Paige announced on SmackDown Live that Sanity will be going against the Usos and Rusev Day on next week’s episode of the show, as part of the ongoing tournament to determine the New Day’s next challenger.
Booker T On Possibly Teaming Up With New Day In Future
The opening segment on this week’s SmackDown saw Booker T returning to WWE Television and welcoming the New Day into the 5 times Champion club after they won the SDLive tag team titles last week.
The segment not only featured a promo but Booker also did his famous spinaroonie and all the members of the New Day followed the former WCW Star.
After the show, WWE posted the following video where the Hall Of Famer talks about the New Day trying the spineroonie and if we can expect him to team up with The Tag Champs sometime in future:
The shoot fight between Batista and Booker T from 2006 is one of the most famous backstage incidents from WWE of the ruthless aggression era.
Hannibal TV recently caught up with the former WCW Star and during the interview, he recalled that incident with the Animal among some other things.
T said that in combat sports, there is always going to be disagreement between the people working together and that’s what he and the Guardians Of The Galaxy Star had.
However, continuing on the topic, the former World Champion said that he has settled his disagreement with Batista and if he saw him today, he’d give the Hollywood Star a big hug and ask him what’s going on.
For those who don’t know, Batista and Booker T had a real-life backstage fight back in 2006 and T reportedly got the upper hand in their brawl due to his street fighting experience.
Batista had developed an attitude after moving to Raw from SmackDown and winning the World Championship. He was rubbing people the wrong way.
Booker T got into an argument with him after Dave made some bad comments and it developed into a 30 seconds shoot fight between the two before being broken by other stars. You can check out the full interview of Booker in the video below:
Booker T is the latest star to give his take on WWE’s decision to reinstate Hulk Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame after the news was broken over the weekend before the WWE Extreme Rules pay-per-view event where Hogan held a meeting with the WWE superstars.
The former WCW World Heavyweight Champion was the latest guest on XPac 1 2 360 with Sean Waltman where he talked about various topics including Hogan where he stated that when people say stuff behind closed doors, sometimes they say stuff they would never say in public and that if someone is taping a conversation they’re obviously looking to get something out of it and you have to look at it like that. “You don’t know if someone was drinking or not. There are so many variables that go into that one little episode. And I just don’t think that in the wrestling business coincide with each other. Do we got to set this thing down, reprimand, suspend him? Of course. But for him to be banned from professional wrestling for that one incident? I mean c’mon. That I don’t agree with. Let’s put in the past and move forward.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also gave his take on Bobby Lashley possibly facing Brock Lesnar in the near future. Booker T noted that Lesnar has a lot on his plate right now as he is preparing for his UFC return, being tested by USADA and gearing up for his next match in the WWE at the upcoming SummerSlam event.
He believes that it will be a good thing for Lashley to get in there and mix it up with Lesnar but it might be a rough night for him as well. He brought up the fact that fans have been wanting to see them wrestle each other for years. “Both of them have the amateur background… Bobby is definitely ready to step into the fire… as well as we wonder what Bobby’s still got left in the tank after ten years of being away from the company. We’re fired up, we’ll find out very soon.”
Two days after losing to Daniel Bryan cleanly at the Money In The Bank (MITB) pay-per-view (PPV), Big Cass was released from the WWE citing behavioral issues. It was initially reported last year by Dave Meltzer that Cass was getting heat backstage for vocalizing his support of President Donald Trump.
In a recent episode of WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T’s podcast, Heated Conversations, the former WCW World Heavyweight Champion talked about the rumors:
“There are so many rumors flying around as far as his release,” Booker T said. “The story is bigger than Big Cass. For instance, back in the day, you didn’t tell anyone who you voted for, you know what I mean? It was a secret. You don’t bring that stuff up together because we have to be friends. That is something that you have to deal with inside yourself.
“I’m not homophobic or anything like that, but when gay people come out it’s like, you didn’t have to tell me that because I’m still going to still give you a hug. It’s not my business so when people do certain things they literally become vulnerable and not keep their eyes on the prize as far as what is really at stake here… my livelihood.”
Booker then dove into the dangers of social media, specifically Twitter, and discussed how Twitter can ruin someone’s life:
“At the end of the day, it is about taking care of your family. Going out and doing the job like Stevie Ray would say, to the best of your ability until something better comes along. I say that because it’s very simple; we are all in the entertainment business. If you want to be running a publication get another job, but Twitter can ruin one’s life. Going on Twitter and saying something.
“I personally liked the guy. I didn’t know about his personal beliefs about voting for Donald Trump. Maybe that was part of it, but my thing is this; I’ve been one of the boys, I had to work in that locker room, I may have had heat with some of the boys in certain times throughout my career but if I went out and performed in the ring all of that overshadowed and trumped everything, which is with your performance.
“If you are on time; if you are ready to go as far as people needing you for a promo set and not looking all throughout the building for you. Everything comes into play as far as being around or not. Being a General or being a Private. I want to be a General so I am always going to be on time and had my shoes spit shined. All of my medals are going to be straight. The bed, everything is tucked. If you don’t take care of your business this is what is going to happen to you.”
Booker T says the lesson is the same thing he tries to teach his students over at Reality Of Wrestling – If everyone does what they’re supposed to do then we can all put on a great show:
“The thing is, it can be a bunch of things. My point is this; when it gets to that point, it isn’t something that everybody else is doing, it is something that you are doing. I have been in the business for many years, I knew as long as I went out and performed and thought about that — look here, being married to Sharmell was in the twilight of my career.
“I was around 40. Sharmell was the first woman that I thought about talking to, and if you listen to Sharmell she thought I hated her the first time we met because I was always all business. When I was in my twenties and in my thirties I was thinking about making my mark and I have to do it now. I couldn’t think about getting married to slow me down, especially with the women I work with.
“I knew where it was going to lead. I was always thinking about going out there and performing and that only. I think these young guys it is easy to get caught up. It is easy access. When you lose focus and your train of thought.
“When you take those blinders off anything can happen. When you start thinking it is a party instead of putting your suit and tie on and getting your job done and handling your business, you are thinking about the wrong thing. Big ups to Big Cass. Hopefully he finds something. There is a lot of work out there on the independent scene and in Japan. Whatever he did he definitely lost out on this deal because I thought he was going to be one of the next greatest big men in the sport.”
You can listen to Booker T on Heated Conversations by clicking this link here.
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is keeping the door open for another match. On a recent episode of his Heated Conversations podcast, the 5-time WCW Champion stated that he never officially retired from wrestling and wants to get back in the ring again at some point.
At 53 years old, Booker T wrestling would be more of a special attraction than anything. He says his body still feels good and it wouldn’t take an opportunity to compete at WrestleMania again to lure him back. Of course, he’d welcome the chance to appear at a WrestleMania, but said his retirement match would probably be best suited for his Houston-based Reality of Wrestling promotion.
Booker would go on to say part of him feels the need to prove to himself and his students that he can still go. Additionally, he’d like to wrestle in front of his kids one last time.
Below, you can listen to Booker T’s comments about not being retired:
Reason Why The Rock Is Not Likely To Compete At WrestleMania 35
While not a big surprise, Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that The Rock is not very likely to compete at WrestleMania 35 due to his upcoming film Red Notice.
The action comedy film co-starring Gal Gadot will start filming in April next year and the risk of injury and the usual insurance concerns will prohibit the former World Champion from wrestling at the Show of Shows.
The Rock did not appear at this year’s WrestleMania and he last wrestled a full-length match for the company during WrestleMania 29 against John Cena.
He suffered an injury during his match with the Cenation Leader causing several of his projects to be delayed, and the Hollywood star has not wrestled any real match since then.
Booker T On Fan Criticism
Booker T recently had an interview with Pancakes and Powerslams podcast where he talked about James Harden’s Raw appearance, Ember Moon being part of Money In The Bank Ladder match and more.
Discussing the fan criticism on his commentary, the former WCW Star said that he could talk on Television how he is talking to the host of the show but that’s not the role he chooses to play:
“I can talk just like I’m talking to you right now on television if I wanted to, but that’s not the role I choose to play on television, because that’s not the real Booker T that the people know on television. The intelligent speaking, the guy who is trying to use the right pronunciations for every word that he says.
