Booker T believes LA Knight is an exceptional talent, but says that doesn’t necessarily mean a WWE World Championship reign will be part of his career.
Knight is scheduled to challenge Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE Money In The Bank on October 10 in New Orleans.
Speaking with Brad Gilmore on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker discussed Knight’s position in WWE and pointed to Curt Hennig as an example of a highly regarded performer who never captured a WWE World Championship. “What didn’t Perfect do right?” Booker asked.
Gilmore also mentioned Scott Hall and Roddy Piper as major WWE stars who never reached the top of the company’s championship hierarchy. Booker argued that the reality of professional wrestling is that not every prominent performer will receive that opportunity. “Did they win the title? That’s just the way it works. Everybody’s not going to be the champion. Everybody’s not going to have that,” Booker said. “And that’s why I get caught up, you know, where we are in this world today where everybody wants a turn.”
Booker explained that championships were never his primary motivation during his own career. Instead, he focused on becoming the best performer he could be and allowing whatever opportunities followed to happen naturally. “I always say, if they paid me a million dollars a year and I won no titles, I wouldn’t give a damn,” Booker said. “Because I would have taken that money and I would have invested it and invested it and invested it over this last 36 years.”
Although Booker eventually became a world champion, he said reaching that level was never something he expected or spent his career dreaming about. “So for me, being the champion, it’s been great, but I never thought I was going to win the World Heavyweight Championship. I never dreamed about winning the World Heavyweight Championship, but I always wanted to be the best wrestler in the locker room,” he continued. “Which propelled me to that position, and then it happened for me.”
Booker ultimately praised Knight while again stressing that plenty of major names have enjoyed successful careers without winning WWE’s top championship. “LA Knight’s a hell of a talent, but just like you just mentioned all those great names who did not win the World Heavyweight Championship,” Booker said. “Hell, I didn’t win it. I mean, I never won the WWE title. So, I mean, I put myself in that same category, even though I won all the other ones.”
Booker did hold WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship during his King Booker run, defeating Rey Mysterio at The Great American Bash in 2006. However, he never held the WWE Championship itself.
Knight will have an opportunity to add a world championship to his résumé when he challenges Reigns at Money In The Bank.
