Booker T Responds To Fresh Insult From Swerve Strickland
Booker T thinks Swerve Strickland took the focus away from AEW.
During a recent interview with Vlad TV, Swerve Strickland addressed his WWE exit and took a shot at Booker T in the process. The WWE Hall of Famer had previously suggested he’d been treated fairly, but Strickland stated “That’s not what happened when Vince [McMahon] said the n-word in front of you.”
Naturally, Booker hit back and said Strickland had been played, before revealing he’d confronted him in person over his comments.
While many thought that might be the end of it, Swerve Strickland closed his post-show promo at Dynasty by declaring “F*ck Booker T.”
Booker T Thinks Swerve Strickland Made A Mistake
On the latest episode of his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T offered a response to Strickland’s latest taunts. The veteran said he was surprised to wake up and find his name trending on social media, before suggesting that the AEW star had made a mistake.
Booker noted that instead of everyone talking about Dynasty, a lot of the chatter online was around himself and Strickland.
“Woke up this morning and I wondered, why is my name trending? I see the video of Swerve Strickland saying, ‘F Booker T’ at the end of Dynasty. I’m not gonna even get upset about it. I’m going to give Swerve Strickland a little bit of advice, just a little bit.
That advice would be, don’t be talking about something other than the pay-per-view at the end of the night. That’s the main event and the last thing people are going to remember. The last people are going to remember is me, my name being said. I’m sure Tony Khan don’t appreciate the news, the headline not being what happened at Dynasty with all the matches. They’re talking about Booker T.
That was a bad move. He’s got a lot of energy at the end of the show. I’m not that type. I’m from that school, if you got something to say to somebody, say it to their face. I’m gonna leave it at that. Hopefully, Swerve Strickland has a hell of a career, and he’ll do very well in this business. I’m going to keep stressing what I’ve talked about for a long time, go out there and get it on your talent and merit.
Nobody will ever be able to say you got it because of, only for your talent. I’m gonna keep advocating for the young guys to go out there and perform at the highest level. Take what you want. It’s not gonna be given to you. You gotta take it.
The only way to take it is through your performance and how good you really are inside the squared circle. That’s as much as I’m gonna say on that issue as far as Swerve Strickland goes.”
Booker went on to reiterate his disdain for Vlad TV and suggested that his work in helping young talents speaks for itself.
“The only one laughing is Vlad TV. He got all this stuff started and stirred up. I thought this thing was over with, I really did. The last thing I thought about was waking up this morning to a ‘F You.’ This generation, man.
I’m an advocate for all young black talent to get into this business, but I’m an advocate for so many more young kids than just black kids. I’m an advocate for anybody who has the talent to actually make it to the next level. I’ll put a word in for them.
I think my reputation has been solid. I don’t publicize a lot of things. The guys out there, they know. They know if I’ve been on the side of righteousness. They know what Booker T has done behind the scenes. I don’t have to talk about it on social media. I’m not trying to get extra brownie points for anything I’ve done, but they know.
People like Swerve, we come from a different cloth, a totally different cloth. I wish nothing but the best for this dude. I want to see them succeed.
Would I ever say anything positive about him, ever again? Probably not. Would I ever put him over as far as being a good worker and perhaps transform this business? I probably won’t do that again. I’ve learned my lesson. I ain’t gonna bring a personal beef to my job.”
At Dynasty, Strickland lost out in the main event as he tried to take the AEW World Championship away from Jon Moxley. Strickland appeared on the verge of victory until he was thwarted by the shock return of the Young Bucks who took him out with a BTE Trigger.
H/t to Fightful