Black Widow
06-19-2008, 08:49 PM
ONE thing is obvious when you meet Booker T – he's definitely enjoying life.
The former WCW and WWE world champion is happier than ever working for TNA and helping them create new main event superstars.
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, Booker chats about his new role, his attempts to get pal Bobby Lashley to join him in TNA and why Samoa Joe is the future of the wrestling business.
He also explains why Smackdown writer Michael Hayes is not a racist, despite his recent suspension for using derogatory language.
Last time we spoke you were loving your role in WWE as King Booker – so what made you leave them and come to TNA?
Life goes in stages and I just felt it was time for me to move on.
I could still be in WWE right now, working at the top of the card.
But I had done pretty much everything I could do there and all that was left for me was to keep putting more pressure and weight on my body and more mental strain on my family life.
After 19 years it was time for me to slow down, kick back and enjoy life for a change.
Do you miss being King Booker?
I definitely miss the character King Booker, no one can do a character like that and not miss it. I still do traits of it.
I set out to be different to every other King that ever wore the crown.
Whenever anybody thinks of King Of The Ring from this day forward – they will always think of King Booker.
So tell us about TNA. You have a reputation for really wanting to help the younger talent and make new stars over there.
It’s about giving back more than anything.
I’m at a stage in my career – after having good runs in WCW and WWE – where I want to do less wrestling and more behind the scenes stuff helping the younger guys come into their own and become household names.
They’ve got everything as far as the wrestling goes, they are some of the most talented guys I have ever seen.
I’ve had help, wisdom and direction from so many mentors over the years – and I want to pass it onto those guys now.
I hear that when you came into TNA you asked to work with Robert Roode rather than have a world title programme.
That’s true. I didn’t want to come here and jump into the main event picture. That’s not where my head is.
I watched TNA and I saw Robert Roode and I thought he was one of those guys who had a lot of talent and an old school flavour of wrestling.
I wanted to help him and hone his skills as far as what it takes to go out there as a real heel and make people really love to hate you.
We had a great time and I think I did a pretty job with him.
You’ve just turned heel yourself. Is that something you wanted to do?
It’s not necessarily something I asked for, but the opportunity came and I ran with it.
And at this stage of my career I’m a better bad guy than a babyface.
The fans still love me, but being a babyface is a young man’s game. You’ve got to have so much more energy.
If you’ve got a 30 minute match then it’s going to be a really really long night for you as a babyface, but as a heel you can just put it on cruise control and go along for the ride.
How do you find the atmosphere backstage at TNA compared to WWE?
Everybody here is loose and happy. There are a lot of young guys all working towards one common goal – making TNA mean something.
There’s no animosity or backstabbing. There’s not all that testosterone flying around, with guys fighting to be on top.
Everyone here is having fun and that’s why I fit in, because even though I’m the oldest guy on the roster I’m still cracking jokes and playing computer games.
Bobby Lashley was a pet project of yours in WWE. Now he’s gone, are you trying to bring him in to TNA?
Bobby’s fiancé is pregnant and he’s taking care of that first and foremost.
But he knows he has a spot here in TNA and when he’s ready to come on board he’ll be a big superstar.
Bobby’s future is in his hands and it’s up to him what he wants.
There was an incident in the WWE recently where Michael Hayes was suspended for using a racist word to Mark Henry. You worked with Michael a lot on Smackdown. Did you ever have any issues with him?
I never had any problems with Michael Hayes.
I feel like that issue was just one person not knowing the other.
I’ve known Michael for many, many years... and Michael always thought he was black.
He was always saying black things in a black way.
I think that whatever happened up there was taken out of context and has been blown way out of proportion and they’re feeling it right now in so many different ways, and this is just one of them.
And they always say – you reap what you sow.
When you look at the young guys in TNA, or in wrestling in general, who do you see and think will be the big star in five years time?
That’s really hard to say.
I’d heard about Samoa Joe for years before I ever saw him or knew who he was – I thought they were talking about Tokyo Joe!
When I finally got a chance to meet him and see his work, I realised he had the qualities to be the future of TNA and professional wrestling.
Joe’s as tough as nails, he can take it as well as he dishes it out and more importantly he’s a nice guy.
Is it possible to be a nice guy in the wrestling business?
Definitely.
You have to know that it can be gone much much quicker than it came and be humble.
When your career is coming to its end, you’re going to be on those same roads as when you came up – so you don’t want to burn any bridges.
I’ve always been nice, whether I was heel or a babyface.
I’ve never taken it home with me. I’ve never walked through the airport with it.
I’ve always just been Booker T the person.
The Sun
The former WCW and WWE world champion is happier than ever working for TNA and helping them create new main event superstars.
In an exclusive interview with SunSport, Booker chats about his new role, his attempts to get pal Bobby Lashley to join him in TNA and why Samoa Joe is the future of the wrestling business.
He also explains why Smackdown writer Michael Hayes is not a racist, despite his recent suspension for using derogatory language.
Last time we spoke you were loving your role in WWE as King Booker – so what made you leave them and come to TNA?
Life goes in stages and I just felt it was time for me to move on.
I could still be in WWE right now, working at the top of the card.
But I had done pretty much everything I could do there and all that was left for me was to keep putting more pressure and weight on my body and more mental strain on my family life.
After 19 years it was time for me to slow down, kick back and enjoy life for a change.
Do you miss being King Booker?
I definitely miss the character King Booker, no one can do a character like that and not miss it. I still do traits of it.
I set out to be different to every other King that ever wore the crown.
Whenever anybody thinks of King Of The Ring from this day forward – they will always think of King Booker.
So tell us about TNA. You have a reputation for really wanting to help the younger talent and make new stars over there.
It’s about giving back more than anything.
I’m at a stage in my career – after having good runs in WCW and WWE – where I want to do less wrestling and more behind the scenes stuff helping the younger guys come into their own and become household names.
They’ve got everything as far as the wrestling goes, they are some of the most talented guys I have ever seen.
I’ve had help, wisdom and direction from so many mentors over the years – and I want to pass it onto those guys now.
I hear that when you came into TNA you asked to work with Robert Roode rather than have a world title programme.
That’s true. I didn’t want to come here and jump into the main event picture. That’s not where my head is.
I watched TNA and I saw Robert Roode and I thought he was one of those guys who had a lot of talent and an old school flavour of wrestling.
I wanted to help him and hone his skills as far as what it takes to go out there as a real heel and make people really love to hate you.
We had a great time and I think I did a pretty job with him.
You’ve just turned heel yourself. Is that something you wanted to do?
It’s not necessarily something I asked for, but the opportunity came and I ran with it.
And at this stage of my career I’m a better bad guy than a babyface.
The fans still love me, but being a babyface is a young man’s game. You’ve got to have so much more energy.
If you’ve got a 30 minute match then it’s going to be a really really long night for you as a babyface, but as a heel you can just put it on cruise control and go along for the ride.
How do you find the atmosphere backstage at TNA compared to WWE?
Everybody here is loose and happy. There are a lot of young guys all working towards one common goal – making TNA mean something.
There’s no animosity or backstabbing. There’s not all that testosterone flying around, with guys fighting to be on top.
Everyone here is having fun and that’s why I fit in, because even though I’m the oldest guy on the roster I’m still cracking jokes and playing computer games.
Bobby Lashley was a pet project of yours in WWE. Now he’s gone, are you trying to bring him in to TNA?
Bobby’s fiancé is pregnant and he’s taking care of that first and foremost.
But he knows he has a spot here in TNA and when he’s ready to come on board he’ll be a big superstar.
Bobby’s future is in his hands and it’s up to him what he wants.
There was an incident in the WWE recently where Michael Hayes was suspended for using a racist word to Mark Henry. You worked with Michael a lot on Smackdown. Did you ever have any issues with him?
I never had any problems with Michael Hayes.
I feel like that issue was just one person not knowing the other.
I’ve known Michael for many, many years... and Michael always thought he was black.
He was always saying black things in a black way.
I think that whatever happened up there was taken out of context and has been blown way out of proportion and they’re feeling it right now in so many different ways, and this is just one of them.
And they always say – you reap what you sow.
When you look at the young guys in TNA, or in wrestling in general, who do you see and think will be the big star in five years time?
That’s really hard to say.
I’d heard about Samoa Joe for years before I ever saw him or knew who he was – I thought they were talking about Tokyo Joe!
When I finally got a chance to meet him and see his work, I realised he had the qualities to be the future of TNA and professional wrestling.
Joe’s as tough as nails, he can take it as well as he dishes it out and more importantly he’s a nice guy.
Is it possible to be a nice guy in the wrestling business?
Definitely.
You have to know that it can be gone much much quicker than it came and be humble.
When your career is coming to its end, you’re going to be on those same roads as when you came up – so you don’t want to burn any bridges.
I’ve always been nice, whether I was heel or a babyface.
I’ve never taken it home with me. I’ve never walked through the airport with it.
I’ve always just been Booker T the person.
The Sun