On the latest episode of Something To Wrestle With, WWE Hall of Famer John “Bradshaw” Layfield addressed a long-standing question among wrestling fans: Why did Stevie Ray never follow his brother Booker T to WWE after WCW closed its doors?
JBL expressed genuine confusion over the situation and praised Stevie Ray’s abilities:
“I really like Stevie… Stevie was huge. I mean, huge… and could talk. Stevie could work also. I mean, he had everything.”
JBL, who knew both brothers early in their careers during the Dallas wrestling territory days, recalled the buzz around Harlem Heat even before their WCW stardom:
“Everybody knew… Stevie. We knew they were. They were the next ones to go. They were going to go big.”
With Booker T going on to become a multi-time world champion and WWE Hall of Famer, JBL assumed Stevie Ray would eventually follow.
“I always thought we got Booker. I always figured Stevie would come,” JBL said. “I don’t know why he didn’t. I never heard a reason. I never heard any negative thing about him… Everybody I’ve ever known him likes him. I certainly like him. I always thought he would be there.”
While JBL admits he never got an answer from within WWE, Stevie Ray has explained his decision in past interviews. On Ryback’s “Conversations with the Big Guy” podcast in 2019, Stevie described a sense of loyalty to WCW during the Monday Night Wars and his refusal to “submit” to the winning side:
“I was always in the mindset of this is competition to me… WCW vs WWF. To be honest with you bro, I didn’t want to go out like a b****.”
Stevie Ray even skipped the final Monday Nitro taping entirely, comparing WWE’s takeover to a defeated nation surrendering:
“It was like when the Allies took over Germany or Japan. I wasn’t going to be a part of that.”
He further explained on Talk is Jericho that he feared WWE creative would alter Harlem Heat’s legacy:
“Frankly… I didn’t want Harlem Heat to be turned into something that it wasn’t. I wanted people to remember Harlem Heat… two guys from the streets that’s here to kick ass.”
Stevie also cited a desire to avoid wrestling’s political landscape, burnout, and wanting to spend more time with his daughter:
“I didn’t want to be on the road anymore.”
Despite never competing in WWE, Stevie Ray and Booker T were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame as Harlem Heat in 2019 — a fitting tribute to one of WCW’s most dominant and iconic tag teams.
Today, Stevie Ray remains active on the wrestling convention circuit and continues to share stories from his impactful career, proudly upholding Harlem Heat’s legacy.
Stay tuned to PWMania.com for more on JBL, Harlem Heat, and the biggest stories from the wrestling world.
