Tag: Booker T

Booker T To Make A In-Ring Return For His Reality of Wrestling Promotion

WWE Hall of Famer and NXT commentator Booker T will be making his in-ring return at his Reality of Wrestling promotion’s upcoming show on January 11, 2024.

Zilla Fatu, who appeared at Reality of Wrestling’s ‘Breakout’ event on Sunday night, called out Booker T, accusing him of being an enemy instead of the mentor he was supposed to be. The two exchanged words, and the WWE Legend responded by agreeing to face Fatu in a match at the company’s January event

This match will mark Booker T’s first return to action since his appearance in the 2023 Royal Rumble.

https://twitter.com/MalcolmMuscle/status/1873530572469133726

Booker T Addresses Being Sidelined With Medical Procedure

Booker T, on his latest Hall Of Fame podcast, talked about missing WWE NXT Vengeance Day and being replaced by Wade Barrett due to a medical issue.

He will also miss a few weeks of NXT TV. He said,

“First of all, I want to thank everybody for all of the support and all the well wishes, telling me to get well and get back on track. I’m going to get back as soon as I can. I’m going to take a couple weeks off, but rest assured, I will be back live and and in living color, doing it like it’s supposed to be done, but I’m going to take these days off to relax. I’m relaxing.

“I had a medical procedure. I don’t like putting my business out there. If I was dying, I’ll let you guys know. I ain’t dying, I ain’t dead yet or anything like that. It is something that’s going to keep me down for a couple of weeks. I don’t like being down. I like being on the go and working out. That’s been my thing for forever, being able to get up in the morning and being able to train. Before I go to bed at night, getting in the gym to train. This last month or so, I haven’t been able to do that. Right now, I’m on my way back to getting to that point. I feel good. I’m sore as hell. I feel good. I hate I missed Vengeance Day. The action was action packed. I was sitting and listening, and it just didn’t have the same feel. Wade [Wade Barrett] didn’t have enough rhythm, especially to his cadence. As far as the show goes, awesome show.”

Source: eWn

Booker T Comments On His Impending Return To In-Ring Action

It was confirmed this week that Booker T will be returning to the ring for his Reality Of Wrestling promotion. During his latest Hall Of Fame podcast, Booker himself discussed the situation, likening his current role when he returns to the ring as that of a player-coach.

“Player-coach baby. I’ll coach it from the outside and, hey, I’m putting myself in the game. Go in and score 30,” he added. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s about letting these young guys get a ‘rub.’ Get a rub and let them see exactly what it takes from an inside perspective.”

Booker T will be teaming with Gaspar Hernandez  and the match will be taking place on January 22 in Canton, Texas. He believes it is all about on-the-job training and also spoke about the future of his tag team partner.

“I mean, on-the-job training, baby,” Booker T said about the situation. “It’s about learning this thing the proper way. A straight line is the direction that Gaspar Hernandez is going. Do you feel me?”

Booker T is taking his return to wrestling seriously. He has not been in the ring since February of 2020, where he competed for Reality Of Wrestling as well. However, the Hall Of Famer has been getting ready to get back, by spending time inside of the gym in order to get ready.

“I just finished working out in the gym. I am getting prepared, I am getting ready,” the Hall Of Famer claimed. “To go out there and do something special, the first time that it has never been done. Player-coach, Booker T, Gaspar Hernandez, Canton, Texas. It’s going to be good.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. credit to Hall Of Fame podcast

WWE Backstage Returning For One Night Only With Renee Young, Paige And Booker T

WWE and FOX Sports have announced a special edition of WWE Backstage on FS1.

The special episode will air during Royal Rumble Weekend on Saturday, January 30 at 8pm ET on FS1. A replay will air later that night at midnight, and another replay will air at 5pm ET on Royal Rumble Sunday, as a lead-in to the Royal Rumble Kickoff pre-show.

The special edition of WWE Backstage will be hosted by Renee Paquette (Renee Young), Paige, and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.

WWE Backstage aired from November 2019 through mid-March of this year after production was stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic. FOX Sports then announced in June that the show was no longer airing. A special post-SmackDown edition of the show was scheduled to air back on October 23, but it was nixed at the last minute and replaced with an airing of Talking Smack.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Booker T Returning To The Ring Soon With His Former WCW Gimmick – G.I. Bro

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is returning to the ring soon, but not for WWE.

Booker will be bringing back his G.I. Bro gimmick for the upcoming Reality of Wrestling “Battle Lines Drawn” event on Saturday, February 8 from Booker’s World Gym Arena in Texas City, Texas. ROW is the indie promotion that Booker owns.

ROW has announced that Booker will be the Team Captain for the ROW team, leading Bryan Keith, Zack Mason and Warren Johnson into battle against Ryan Davidson and The Renegades in an eight-man tag team match.

The promotional material for the event includes the following quote from Booker’s G.I. Bro character: “The Battle Lines have been drawn and it’s time to go to war.”

Booker took to Twitter to comment on the ring return.

He wrote, “Excited to announce that I’ll be stepping back in the ring at @TheOfficialROW in 2 weeks! Now can you dig that SUCKA!?”

This is Booker’s first match since ROW’s “Last Stand” event in January 2019 when he faced Rex Andrews. Booker previously announced that he was training for a possible WWE ring return at Sunday’s Royal Rumble pay-per-view in his hometown of Houston, TX. Booker did not work the Rumble Match, but he did serve as guest commentator. There are still rumors of The Revival facing WWE Hall of Famers Harlem Heat, Booker and brother Stevie Ray, but there’s no word on if WWE will make that match happen. The G.I. Bro character is the gimmick Booker used before joining WCW in 1993, and then again later in his WCW run.

Tickets for ROW’s “Battle Lines Drawn” event run at $20 and $21.50. The ringside seats are sold out. You can click here for details on tickets and the show.

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Booker T Says Tessa Blanchard’s World Title Win “Is The Worst Idea” In Impact Wrestling History

Tessa Blanchard made Impact Wrestling history at Hard to Kill this past Sunday by becoming the first woman to win the Impact World Championship by defeating Sami Callihan. Booker T gave his thoughts on Blanchard’s title win on The Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore.

“Those guys look like they’re just trying to find their spot,” Booker said. “They’re still trying to find a niche.”

“I’m not holding my judgement on it. Big ups to Tessa Blanchard because she’s good. She’s really good at what she does, but this is the worst idea for Impact Wrestling in the history of the company,” Booker T said. “It really is that bad. It’s worse than paying me 10 grand for six-hour power commercial that never aired.”

Booker T gave his reason for why he thought the decision was bad. Gilmore also made a comment about having separation within the men’s and women’s divisions.

“Because now all the men in the company, if they wrestle her and she beats them it diminishes every guy in the company. I mean who’s the top guy in the company now? I cannot see ‘The Man’ Becky Lynch wrestling Samoa Joe or Brock Lesnar,” Booker T said. “I mean this is the worst idea in the history of wrestling. It really is. It makes me question and wonder if somebody tried to blow this thing up on purpose like somebody said, ‘let’s see how bad we can mess this up.’

“My thing is this, if Tessa Blanchard went back and wrestled the women, she should be able to beat all of them. The woman that beats her should be able to go out and beat the men too. The crossover intergender wrestling is something for independent companies. If they want to be looked at as an indie group, keep doing stuff like this.”

Booker T continued to explain why he thought Impact’s move was a bad one by bringing up Ronda Rousey vs. Jon Jones. He also talked about real-life implications like domestic violence.

“I don’t think this is what empowering women is meant to be. I really don’t think so because I’m not saying Ronda Rousey is not a tough woman, but if you put Ronda Rousey in there with Jon Jones, watch what happens. You put her in there with the lower level men, watch what happens to her or Amanda Nunes with the top [guys],” Booker T said. “You don’t want to start blurring those types of lines when it comes to performance especially when it comes to men and women these days. Normally, when a man hits a woman, he goes to jail. I don’t want to see a man put their hands on my sisters. Even as tough as my sisters are, I’m not gonna have that, and to actually see it play and to see someone think this is a good idea for television, for a man and a woman to be fighting, it’s ridiculous.”

Booker T addressed potential backlash to his reaction. He clarifies that his reaction comes from his experience in the industry and what he sought after.

“People can look at it and say what they want to say about it, but for me, it’s not something that I would ever have on my Reality of Wrestling. And people can say, ‘aw man he’s outdated. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’ It’s not that at all,” Booker T said. “I look at it from what I’ve done in this business as a performance, but I try to make it as realistic as possible. I’ve never seen a female boxer fight a male boxer. I would take Roger Federer of Serena Williams. I’m serious. I’d take Novak Djokovic over Serena Williams just because the guy’s overpowering, and that’s what normally happens in a fight between a man and a woman.”

Source: Wrestling Inc. with credit to The Hall Of Fame With Booker T & Brad Gilmore

Randy Orton Teasing Leaving WWE For AEW, Booker T Responds

Randy Orton recently got the wrestling world talking when he posted a cryptic picture on his Instagram account. The photo shows Orton looking at a sign at says “ELITE LEVEL.” The caption read “tick tock tick tock” and he tagged Riddick Moss, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder, Luke Harper, AEW Executive Vice President Cody Rhodes and AEW World Champion Chris Jericho.

The post was spotted by Jericho who commented Orton’s post, stating, “Send in a tape and some pix and I’ll see what I Can do….??”

During the latest podcast of “The Hall of Fame” with Booker T, the WWE Hall of Famer spoke on the Instagram post from Orton. Noting that Orton is a man who “walks to the beat of his own drum”.

“Look at the talent they [AEW] has,” Booker said. “Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega and Randy Orton is an elite level player. I always said Randy Orton is an elite wrestler, an elite superstar.

“He’s my guy, I always said that and one thing about Randy is he’s always been a rebel, he’s always been a guy that walks to the beat of his own drum. If anybody was to do something crazy it would be Randy.”

Booker went on to suggest that Orton, who throughout his career has been involved in some controversial moments, is a man who likes to be “on the edge”.

“A lot of those guys over there [in AEW] are on the edge,” Booker added. “Look at Jon Moxley, he was on the edge. I’ll say it right now if it happens I would not be surprised, but I don’t think something like that is going to happen I think Randy Orton is safe and he’s taken care of very well in the WWE.

“But anything is possible. Like Randy “Macho Man” Savage would say ‘always expect the unexpected’.”

Back in 2010, it was reported that Orton signed a ten-year deal with WWE. With his contract coming up soon and Orton looking for an easier schedule, a tease to AEW could help in potential contract talks with both AEW and WWE. During a recent Twitch stream of Call of Duty, Orton praised AEW’s debut on TNT, and also talking about doing a potential match with Sammy Guevara down the line.

“Cody and Sammy Guevara, that kid can do some s–t,” Orton admitted. “I’d love to work with that kid. They had a great match. I thought opening the show with that match was a good idea and well received.”

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Details On New FOX Sports Studio Show “WWE Backstage”

FOX Sports has announced their new studio show hosted by Renee Young will be called “WWE Backstage” and feature lead analyst Booker T.

The press release states:

SmackDown moves from Tuesdays to Fridays beginning Friday, Oct. 4 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on FOX, but WWE fans can still get their Tuesday night fix with FS1’s WWE BACKSTAGE, television’s only studio show devoted to all things WWE.

The hour-long weekly show offers viewers the latest WWE news every Tuesday at 11:00 PM ET/8:00 PM PT, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 5 on FS1.

Longtime WWE broadcaster Renee Young and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T weigh in on the biggest stories in WWE, and are joined by a rotating cast of guests and personalities, including current and former WWE Superstars.

The show will officially premiere on November 5, but FOX Sports is offering a special preview of WWE Backstage on October 15th following the conclusion of the ALCS Game 3 on FS1.

“WWE BACKSTAGE is a wrestling show for wrestling fans. From hardcore fans to people new to wrestling, we’ll give them a little bit of everything,” Young is quoted as saying in the press release. “It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be loud, we’re going to give them a ton of opinions and I can’t wait to help spread the word about SmackDown coming to FOX.”

Source: Pro Wrestling Sheet

Booker T Backs Out Of Starrcast III Convention

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T announced on Twitter earlier this week that he was backing out of the Starrcast III convention in Chicago next month. The convention is running in conjunction with AEW’s All Out pay-per-view in the Chicago area.

Dave Meltzer of F4Wonline.com reported that Booker pulled out of All Out after agreeing to come, which if this wasn’t a typo, could indicate Booker was planning on attending the AEW pay-per-view. Meltzer added that Booker said, when pulling out of the event, that he found out the WWE vs. AEW war was very real, and he didn’t want to be in the middle of it. Meltzer also said he was told to expect “another major counter by WWE” soon.

Booker still makes appearances on WWE pay-per-view panels, and is likely signed to a Legends deal. It’s interesting that WWE may have influenced his decision to back out of Starrcast as they apparently do not have issues with him working with Impact Wrestling. Booker’s Reality of Wrestling promotion is teaming with Impact this Saturday, July 6, for a joint show in Texas City, TX, at the World Gym Arena that ROW owns.

You can see Booker’s tweet on the Starrcast booking below:

Source: Wrestling Inc.

Harlem Heat To Be Inducted Into The WWE Hall Of Fame Class Of 2019

WWE has confirmed Harlem Heat’s Booker T and Stevie Ray for the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Class. This makes Booker a two-time Hall of Famer.

Harlem Heat join headliners DX (Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, Billy Gunn, “Road Dogg” BG James, Sean “X-Pac” Waltman), Torrie Wilson and The Honky Tonk Man as confirmed inductees for the 2019 class. Taz, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake and The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jimmy Hart) are still rumored.

The 2019 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, April 6 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn during WrestleMania 35 weekend.

Below is WWE’s announcement on Harlem Heat:

Harlem Heat to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2019

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.

Harlem Heat are the latest inductees in the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2019. They’ll enter the fabled hall on the eve of WrestleMania 35, Saturday, April 6, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. With this induction, Booker T will become a two-time WWE Hall of Fame inductee, joining Ric Flair and fellow 2019 inductee Shawn Michaels of D-Generation X. The news was first reported by USA Today.

Bursting on the scene straight off 110th Street in Harlem, N.Y., Booker T & Stevie Ray arrived in WCW in summer 1993, bringing a streetwise, in-your-face attitude to the squared circle. They stared directly into the camera on their way to the ring, warning fans at home that they were about to bust some heads when they stepped between the ropes. And bust heads they did. Harlem Heat wasted no time in mixing it up with the top stars of WCW at the time, like Sting, Ric Flair and British Bulldog. They even joined forces with Sid and Vader to enter the unforgiving battleground known as WarGames.

It was when the brothers took on the managerial services of 2006 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Sensational Sherri that their stars began to shine. With “Sister” Sherri in their corner, it wasn’t long before Harlem Heat captured their first WCW Tag Team Championship, defeating Stars & Stripes on WCW Saturday Night. Booker T & Stevie Ray brawled with the likes of The Steiner Brothers, Sting & Lex Luger and The Nasty Boys on their way to seven reigns as WCW Tag Team Champions.

By 1997, the two brothers went their separate ways, Stevie going on to become a trusted member of the infamous nWo, while Booker became a breakout singles star, capturing the WCW Television Title on several occasions.

After nearly two years apart, Booker T & Stevie Ray reunited and returned to a vastly different tag team landscape in WCW. However, Harlem Heat hadn’t lost a step, as they defeated The Jersey Triad to win their eighth WCW Tag Team Titles at Road Wild 1999. Before the turn of the millennium, they added two more reigns as champions to their incredible résumé, setting a WCW record that would not be broken before the company was purchased by WWE in 2001.

Though the brothers never competed as a team inside a WWE ring, there’s no denying their pure dominance of tag-team wrestling during The Monday Night War. That’s why Harlem Heat is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Don’t miss Booker T & Stevie Ray take their place in sports-entertainment history during the 2019 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on the eve of WrestleMania 35, Saturday, April 6 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. Tickets are available now, be sure to take part in this historic night!

USA Today spoke with Booker T & Stevie Ray about the induction. They both said they were surprised to get the call from WWE.

Stevie Ray said he was surprised to get the call from WWE.

“I was speechless for a couple of seconds. The last thing I was thinking about was the Hall of Fame,” Stevie said. “I’m going to be honest with you, I hadn’t really thought about it. You know, I get the fans hitting me all the time with different things about Harlem Heat needs to be in the Hall of Fame, so on and so forth. But you never know, so I never gave it very much thought.”

Booker added, “It was surprising, actually, I guess because one reason, my brother and I, we never actually wrestled in the WWE. My brother took a step aside at that point in time because he had a daughter, and he wanted to see her grow up and see her go to college. He got a chance to do that. But our career in WCW was awesome. My brother and I were together for eight and a half years in WCW and together another two years prior in the Global Wrestling Federation. So we had a career as a tag team, and to be recognized as one of the great tag teams of all time…. [there were] a lot of great tag teams that we competed against back in the day, like the Steiners, the Nasty Boys and the Road Warriors, Sting and Lex Luger, Public Enemy – so many guys we got a chance to grapple with back then, and to be recognized, it’s pretty awesome.”

Booker was asked what he wants WWE fans to remember Harlem Heat for in 20 years. He responded, “It would just be keep passing it on more than anything. Young guys right now, the Usos, those two guys came out of my school. Authors of Pain, right now, two guys wrecking shop. You’ve got Street Profits out there representing Harlem Heat. That’s what it’s about. If they look back and say ‘Harlem Heat was badass,’ that’s the only thing that really matters, as well as we were good people.”

Content with their careers, Booker and Stevie both said they would have nothing to say if they could go back and give themselves some advice as the beginning of their careers. Booker did have some advice for the up & coming wrestlers.

“What would I tell myself? Nothing. Learn things as you go,” Stevie said.

“I wouldn’t tell us anything, man. We had a dream. We had a blueprint, though, a gameplan. We didn’t slip on a banana peel and find ourselves in this position. Trust me, it didn’t happen that way,” Booker said. “But I would tell the young guys these days, look at the state of the business. The party, it’s real, it only lasts for so long. Make sure you prepare for what’s next, because it’s going to come very, very quick. Relish that, then move on to what comes next, because life moves in seasons.”

Sources: WWE.com and USA Today