Tag: Booker T

Booker T says he has no beef with CM Punk: ‘Don’t take it seriously’

Booker T was just “entertaining” when he talked about a near run-in with CM Punk at NXT.

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When a WWE legend and a popular (though currently injured) star almost get into it backstage, it’s big news, right?

Except in the case of Booker T and CM Punk, there’s nothing to see here. Source? Booker T.

The former world champion and NXT commentator started the buzz online in the first place after he made a comment on his podcast last week suggesting that he and Punk “almost got into it at NXT” when he saw Punk backstage. Booker then teased pretty much everyone by saying he didn’t want to talk about it more on the air.

Of course, that just stoked the fires of speculation, so while outlets like Fightful Select (subscription required) were already weighing in with skepticism from their sources, Booker took it upon himself to put those flames out on the latest episode of The Hall of Fame Podcast (h/t Fightful for the transcription).

I want to let everybody know out there, I have no ill will towards CM Punk. Contrary to popular belief, I consider CM Punk a friend. So when I’m saying something about CM Punk, do not take it literally, like the internet and these sites do. Don’t take it seriously. Don’t jump into that mud. If you hear me say anything here on ‘The Hall of Fame’, it’s show-related. I’m trying to entertain my fans. I’m trying to entertain the fans that’s watching this. I’m trying to give you guys a moment where you ain’t got to think about that kind of stuff. Alright? …

Did I put it out there? Did I say it, as far as I had a beef, I was going to run up? Yeah. I said it. I’m entertaining, guys.

It’s a welcome bit of clarification on Booker’s part since it’s harder than ever to know sometimes when wrestlers and commentators are in or out of character. Booker essentially just told the world that when it comes to his podcast, assume he’s not shooting.

Then again, he did bring this on himself by saying, “The internet might want to pick that up” last week, so perhaps lesson learned for him as well. In any case, given that Punk has been involved in some high profile honest to goodness backstage altercations in the past, it will be comforting for fans to hear that it’s all just part of the show this time.

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Watch: Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton super excited to see Booker T, Sharmell

Even NBA stars are psyched to see WWE royalty.

Game recognize game — and that applies even when the worlds of sports and sports entertainment cross paths.

Tyrese Haliburton is currently having an incredible season for the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, with the third-year guard from Iowa State averaging career highs in points, assists and shooting percentage while helping orchestrate the league’s No. 1 offense. Yet in the “he just like me” category, he also gets starstruck in the presence of WWE royalty.

Want proof? The Pacers posted this awesome clip of Haliburton and a teammate surprised by the presence of Booker T and Sharmell standing beside their path out to the floor before the Pacers game on Tuesday night.

Haliburton stopped briefly for a handshake and hug but insisted, “We got to get a picture after the game.”

Check out the video below:

The Pacers were in Houston, where Booker T and Sharmell call home, to take on the Rockets. And while we can’t say for sure this meeting inspired Haliburton to victory, he did have 33 points and 10 assists in a 123-117 Pacers win.

Haliburton has a long way to go to be as decorated at his craft as Booker T has been in WWE, but he certainly appears to be on the right track, and maybe they’ll meet up again more as peers somewhere down the road.

The best WarGames matches of all time, ranked from worst to best

WarGames matches are about as memorable as they come. We rank every one from WWE and WCW history.

“Mad Max” is among the most memorable action franchises in film history, but it is the third installment of the franchise, “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome,” that was particularly notable, as it starred the late great Tina Turner and featured a dome-like structure where two people entered and only one left after a fight to the death.

Although “Beyond Thunderdome” isn’t necessarily seen as the peak of the “Mad Max” franchise, its look at a gritty, post-apocalyptic dystopian future undoubtedly left an impression on its viewers. 

One of the viewers that were particularly inspired by what they saw was a man by the name of Virgil Runnels, better known to professional wrestling fans as the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes.

There have been a number of pieces written over the years about the verbal prowess of Rhodes. But as much as he was a force in front of the camera, Rhodes was arguably even more influential behind the scenes. 

He was the primary booker for multiple territories during his career and while he could map out a week-to-week story, Rhodes’ true creative genius shined when it came to creating spectacles.

When Rhodes laid eyes on the Thunderdome, he saw his next project.

Rhodes added a few wrinkles to make the concept pro wrestling-friendly, but the violence and excitement remained. The result is one of the most anticipated matches in professional wrestling, one that has provided countless fond memories during its near 40 years of existence. 

But which WarGames match is the best of all time? Conversely, which one is the worst? I am here to answer that question once and for all. Well, in my opinion, at least. 

Before we dig into the rankings, some ground rules: First, this ranking will only feature WarGames matches from the National Wrestling Alliance, World Championship Wrestling and NXT/WWE. Yes, I know, AEW has its own version of WarGames called Blood and Guts, but for the sake of this list, I’m only including matches that actually carries the match’s namesake.

Secondly, this list does not include WarGames matches that were not televised. Televised WarGames matches only!

Lastly, remember that this is merely my opinion, so don’t kill me too much if you disagree. Please feel free to disagree and give your thoughts. But again, these are just my thoughts after recently watching all of the matches that qualified for this list.

With that said, let the WarGames ranking begin!

In honor of May the 4th, look back at 4 times Star Wars, WWE crossed over

Nothing will top Sasha Banks in “The Mandalorian,” but a few other Star Wars moments with WWE superstars were also fun.

If you’re cynical about commercialized “holidays,” there’s a good chance you don’t celebrate May the 4th, a.k.a. Star Wars Day. Yes, it’s a little cringe-inducing that it got picked just because it’s verbally so close to saying “May the Force,” as in “May the Force be with you.”

But guess what? Tons of people love Star Wars, and we’re no different here at Wrestling Junkie. That means it’s only appropriate to use this May the 4th to look back at a few times the worlds of WWE and Star Wars collided.

Kind of like the IP itself, some were kind of awful and others were amazing. Also your opinions on which are which may vary. But they were definitely all memorable. Let’s take a spin through times not that long ago in a galaxy that’s actually our own.

Booker T talks ‘WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures’, plus his personal Holy Grail

Mick Foley and Lita are also vital parts of the “Most Wanted Treasures” team for season 2.

Six-time world champion and two-time WWE Hall of Famer Booker T is the company’s ultimate jack of all trades. Royal Rumble needs a surprise entrant? He’s down, as he showed earlier this year. NXT needs a commentator? Even though he’s running his own wrestling school and promotion, Reality of Wrestling, he answered the call.

So it should really come as no surprise that when Paul “Triple H” Levesque wanted to be less involved in season 2 of “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures” on A&E, he reached out to Booker T to take point on the new batch of episodes that kick off April 30.

“To ask me to step into his role has been really, really awesome,” Booker T told Wrestling Junkie via Zoom. “I didn’t see that coming or anything like that, but I’ve always been the utility guy in WWE, you know? No matter what role you give me, I’ll handle it.”

In this case, the role is leading a team that hunts down the actual physical objects used in some of the most memorable and iconic moments throughout WWE history. For season 2, he has a pair of legends to help him in Mick Foley and Lita.

“That’s my right hand and my left,” Booker T said of working with his fellow Hall of Famers. “We couldn’t have done it without doing it together, and we’ve been a great team. … We’ve always had a great camaraderie together.”

They’ll need to be to chase down some of the eyebrow-raising memorabilia on the docket for season 2. The items they’ll be hunting include DX’s Invasion Jeep, Macho Man’s Mega Powers robe, the jacket worn by Goldberg in his WWE debut, and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s bagpipes.

All of those pieces instantly bring back memories for longtime WWE fans, and finding them is a way of “preserving history,” as Booker puts it. But they’re just as important, if not more so, to the performers involved in making those moments.

Booker T knows that firsthand. One of the season 1 episodes of “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures” was focused on finding some of his own memorabilia, with mixed results. Asked if there’s anything left from his wrestling career that he’d still like to locate, he’s quick to name one thing with special significance.

Image credit: A&E

“The one think I think I wish I had in my possession would be the world title, my first world title that I won in WCW,” he said. “The reason I really loved it is because Ric Flair wore that championship. It had a big bend in the top of it; I don’t know where that bend came from. But I felt so honored wearing that championship. I think DDP stole it.”

“I feel like that trophy is mine,” he added. “Because I was the last WCW World Champion, so that title really truly is mine. So whoever got that championship, they should be gracious enough to find it in their heart to donate that championship to the rightful owner.”

That search might have to wait, as season 2 has a stacked lineup of WWE icons for whom Booker T, Foley and Lita helped pursue their own Holy Grails. It starts with an episode devoted to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, conveniently timed to coincide with the debut of his own new A&E series, “Stone Cold Takes on America.”

Booker T says he doesn’t want to get into any spoilers for the upcoming season, but asked to do one more bit of promotion for it, he happily obliges — exactly as you’d expect from WWE’s most reliable and versatile performers.

“I just want everybody to know, they’re going to get a chance to see some of the most iconic treasures on Earth,” Booker T said. “We’ve got ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin, we’ve got Kurt Angle, we’ve got Goldberg, Bret ‘The Hit Man’ Hart, ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage. We got ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper, we got the Ultimate Warrior, we got Harlem Heat.

“We’ve got a plethora of treasures that will be found, so just get ready to go on a ride, the ride of a lifetime.”

Season 2 of “WWE’s Most Wanted Treasures” debuts on Sunday, April 30 on A&E at 9 p.m. ET/PT, followed by the series premiere of “Stone Cold Takes on America” at 10 p.m. ET/PT.