Booker T Believes Infamous WWE Match Failing Wasn’t His Fault
Booker T has admitted that while a famous WWE match was a disaster, it wasn’t necessarily his fault.
There are many people in the WWE Hall of Fame due to having incredible careers in pro wrestling, but there aren’t that many two-time Hall of Famers. To be a two-time Hall of Famer, it means you had to have success as a singles act and be in a team or faction. Booker T was inducted both as a singles performer and part of the legendary Harlem Heat tag team with his brother Stevie Ray.
To get to the Hall of Fame, Booker T had a long journey that saw him grow in WCW in the 1990s and then finally become a five-time WCW World Champion. Booker went on to be a World Champion in WWE as well through the 2000s before retiring in the early 2010s.
In March 2001, WWE bought WCW. There was a WCW match that was put in the main event of Raw on July 2, 2001. That match was between the WCW World Champion Booker T and Buff Bagwell. It was a match that WWE fans hated since the wrestlers were booed heavily and the match didn’t work at all that night in Tacoma, Washington.
For Buff Bagwell, that was his one and only WWE match since he was fired for that performer as well as behavioral issues. Booker T wasn’t punished for that match and instead was the most pushed WCW wrestler during the “Invasion” angle that continued throughout 2001. Once that angle was done, Booker was seen as a WWE guy for the rest of his career.
Booker T Says WCW Match In WWE Failing Wasn’t His Fault
When Buff Bagwell spoke about the WCW match on Raw, he complained about how WWE officials didn’t give direction about the match and then the officials hated the “WCW style” match that was presented. Bagwell also criticized WWE’s decision to put the match in Tacoma, Washington considering they had Raw in WCW’s home city of Atlanta one week later.
While speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker talked about the WCW match that took place on Raw while admitting he’s heard Bagwell’s version of what happened.
“I’ve avoided talking about it on purpose because a lot of it is inaccurate. We weren’t in [WWE] to be endeared. They didn’t care about making us look good.”
Booker would continue talking about the match and admitted that while he wasn’t at his best, the match with Bagwell wasn’t just his own fault.
“I know that night I was ready to perform at the highest level, and that night I did not perform at my highest level. That was one of the only nights that I could not go out and will that match into existence, and I can say this: it wasn’t my fault.”
In his current role with WWE, Booker lends his wrestling expertise as an analyst on the WWE NXT brand, which also allows him the chance to coach the younger stars of today to help them become the legends of tomorrow.