Booker T On NXT Releases: I’m Not Going To Harbor Talent Just To Pay Them, I Don’t See The Win In That
Photo: Reality Of Wrestling
Paying people to not work doesn’t necessarily sit well with Booker T, and he doesn’t understand why you’d stock talent if you don’t have them in your future plans.
During a new episode of ‘The Hall of Fame’ podcast, the Booker T recently commented on the recent round of roster cuts which included NXT stars Mercedes Martinez and Bronson Reed. Booker says it doesn’t speak to the caliber of talent of any of the performers that were cut, but he isn’t sure why WWE or other wrestling companies would keep talent around if you don’t see them as part of your future.
“I always thought ‘system.’ I’m not talking about WWE, I mean me personally, if it was my system, guys would have a two-year limit as far as if I thought they were gonna produce or not. If I was gonna sign them that way or thought I was gonna use them, I’d give them two years. For me, when a guy walks into Reality Of Wrestling,” Booker explained, “I know if I’m gonna use them on the card within five minutes. I know if I can work with this guy or think if I can get something out of them in the next few months. ‘Come on down to the gym and learn the system, let’s see if we can do something.’ But, I’m not gonna put that guy in the ring that first night because I know he’s not gonna give me what I want. I just know that, unless I put them in there with one of my top guys like Ryan Davis, any of my top guys, but I’m still gonna be weary.
“It might be a guy that I wanna use in a position so I don’t know. If you hadn’t panned out in…I’ll tell you this, there’s not going to be one guy down there in that system that’s been there for six or seven years that’s that didn’t make it to SmackDown or RAW, or to my main roster. That’s just not gonna happen,” Booker T said. “I’m not gonna harbor a bunch of guys just to pay them, I don’t see the win game in that.
“Now Bronson Reed, Jake Atlas, Bobby Fish… Mercedes [Martinez], of course, she knows the game, she’s been around a long time. As far as her making it to WWE, that’s just the icing on the cake for her. Is she gonna be set as far as making money in this business going forward? Of course. Does the WWE rub help her out a little bit,” Booker asked, “as far as making that happen? I think so. But, having a lot of talent just harbored in one spot, doesn’t work out with me.”
Booker T went on to explain that he always thought NXT should be a farm league to RAW and SmackDown because it’s where the end game and the money is, and creating another brand (like NXT) was just like making another WCW. He noted that it’s something that requires a lot of work to try and make work, but the tonal shift between NXT and the other two WWE brands is completely different.
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