A household name in the World Championship Wrestling universe, Booker T candidly expressed his lack of initial admiration for the production when he first got involved.
In a recent episode of “Hall of Fame,” his own podcast, Booker T openly talked about his earliest experiences with WCW and the initial perception he had of the organization. His commentary went as follows,
“WCW struck me as cartoonish when I first started. It felt like a ‘good ole boy’ clique and could be best described as a second-rate alternative to WWF. Their approach was rooted in southern style wrestling. They had established their unique formula and system, but they consistently adhered to it. Let’s be real, it wasn’t exactly an entertainment hotbed, it was just another wrestling company.”
“Reflecting back on those times, I’d always tell my brother, ‘Let’s just work on getting our foot in the door. Once we’re in, we’ll have room to maneuver…’ This thought process originated from my belief in the 99%/100% rule. This mentality first arose when we joined WCW, I remember wanting to voice my thoughts.
“It was tempting to express my feelings, but I was aware of my lack of bargaining power. So I decided instead ‘Let’s slowly work our way in, let’s demonstrate our worth before we make any significant moves.’
Booker T continued his journey with WCW till its last days in 2001, proudly holding the United States and World Championship by the end of the Final Nitro episode.
The combined efforts of the duo, Booker and his brother Stevie Ray, in WCW, led them to be conferred the prestigious honor of an induction into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019, marking Booker’s second such honor.