WWE Hall of Famer Booker T appeared on Ring Rust Radio recently to promote his upcoming Reality of Wrestling show on FITE TV. You can see the full interview at this link, and submitted highlights below:
Ring Rust Radio: As a six-time world champion, you have squared off against some of the best wrestlers in the world. Which Superstar stands out to you as your biggest rival and who would you square off against if you had one more dream match?
Booker T: Booker T vs. Shawn Michaels in our prime, not now of course. He’s still looking real good, but even in our prime, I think Shawn Michaels and I could’ve went out and created some magic between us. He’s the one guy I never really got a chance to get in the ring and perform with. There’s been so many rivals, most of them Canadian guys like Rick Martel, Christian and Chris Benoit. Those guys were all ultimate professionals, every one of them. They went out and worked under the same roof for so many years with the same tenacity and they went out and performed just tirelessly. I was one of those guys. I felt like I went through that same school, but the Canadian guys were pretty much my all-time rivals in the business.
Ring Rust Radio: In 2013, you were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. What did that achievement mean to you and how did it feel to be inducted alongside legends like Mick Foley, Bruno Sammartino and Trish Stratus?
Booker T: That’s one of those days where you can look back and say I did it. For me to thank the fans for that ride that always supported me and raising the roof for me back in the day in WCW. My wife being there and supporting me. Making the drive for me so many nights after the shows when I was so tired and beat up to make it to the next town myself. I think that was the biggest part more than anything. Just to thank everybody who was a part of my success along the ride, I think that was truly for me what it was all about. Many of us that didn’t make it to the finish line and didn’t get a chance to thank the fans for that ride. I just wanted to make sure I did that right because so many of us didn’t get the chance to do that.
Ring Rust Radio: You are one of the few major Superstars who have made the successful transition from in-ring worker to the commentary team. What was the transition like and how much do you enjoy calling the action?
Booker T: Man, I love it. I love having the best seat in the house and watching the young guys go out there and do their thing. It’s their time now and I embrace it. I push them to go as far as they can go and do much more than Booker T did. I love making the transition and changing my levels and being able to still be around what I love more than anything. Then to try and figure out the nuances of that game as well. Just being a commentator is not as easy as people think with going out there and talking for three hours. So, I don’t call myself a commentator, I call myself an analyst. I know my role and I go out there and try and have fun with it every week because you just never know when it’s going to be the last time. So, for me, making that transition and doing a job that I never imagined or dreamt of doing was surreal. I don’t have any broadcast experience or anything like that, but I used to play around doing commentary in the back. One day they said, “Hey Book, you want to try this out?” So, I went out and tried it. The thing is you never know what you can do until you try it. Even if you try, you still may fail but that’s when you have to go and prepare because if you’re not prepared, you’re preparing to fail. That’s my advice to the young people is just prepare.
