In a recent episode of his podcast “Hall of Fame”, wrestling legend Booker T provided some candid commentary on Bobby Lashley’s removal from the ongoing King of the Ring tournament. He remarked, “Well, the last time Bobby was taken out of the King of the Ring tournament, I did it. And now Bobby falls again. The man is injury prone,” after which he added with a chuckle, “I’m just playing, man. Bobby’s down.”
Booker T recalled his own experiences in such situations, saying, “It’s one of those things, when you’re in a tournament like that, something is always bound to happen. I remember when I was doing the best of seven [series with Chris Benoit] in WWE and I got hurt, and Randy Orton had to step in for me. These things occur.”
He acknowledged the precarious nature of such tournaments with, “It’s just part of the game. It’s almost like a jinx too. When you enter these kinds of tournaments, particularly the King of the Ring tournament, it’s almost guaranteed that something will happen. But I’m confident that Bobby will be back up and running very, very soon.”
Lashley was unable to continue in the tournament due to a training injury, and Angelo Dawkins took his place. Despite being a former WWE Tag Team Champion, Dawkins lost his first-round contest with Tama Tonga.
Booker T has a personal history with the King of the Ring tournament and Lashley, as the two faced off in the 2006 tournament final at that year’s Judgment Day event. Booker T’s win led to the birth of his ‘King Booker’ persona.