WWE Hall of Famer Booker T appeared on “Insight” with Chris Van Vliet, where he discussed various topics, including how he secured his role as a WWE commentator.
Booker T said, “This thing goes back to WCW. It’s just one of those things where every time we were on the road overseas, I was the commentator in the back for the boys, in front of the monitor. I just would be having fun, and I would give guys different names; I would name their moves totally different names. I would just be way over the top with it, so it was just something I did to pass time, and the boys liked it. When you’re out on the road, you got to figure out a way to pass time more than anything.”
On how he used to do commentary on the road with the crew:
“Well, when I came to WWE, same thing. I was on the road, doing commentary on the road. … When I was wrapping my career up, Michael Cole, he came to me and he was like, ‘How would you like to start doing commentary and get on the commentary team?’ What are you talking about? I can’t do that, and he was like, ‘I think you could do it.’ I love Michael Cole. He’s always been my biggest supporter. I wouldn’t be doing commentary if it wasn’t for Michael Cole putting me on the team and trusting me for some damn reason. I would screw up so many times. One day on television I go, ‘I want to see a f*cking fight.’ I’m like, what the hell? I didn’t mean for that to come out. Cole goes, ‘What did you just say?’ I go, What did I just say? I didn’t even realize I said it. And the thing is, I knew I would be screwing up. But he would still keep trusting me, I just didn’t understand it, and a lot of times I was like I just know they’re gonna take me off the team sooner or later. Sooner or later, that day came for me. I was doing SmackDown, I was doing Raw, and then they came to me one day and they go ‘Book, we’re gonna take you off commentary, but we’re gonna leave you on the kickoff show. It’s nothing wrong or anything like that.’ I go guys, I was gonna come talk to you guys about it. I was so happy that day. Graves thought I was crazy because they took me off the team, and I was so happy because I just knew I wasn’t ready for that. I knew I wasn’t. Then they end up putting me back on again, and they end up taking me off again. But then the NXT gig [came along].”
On why he always looks like he’s having the time of his life in NXT:
“You know what? I always tell the story of when I was doing commentary my first time around under the Vince regime, and he came into my ear and he goes, ‘Hey, Book, say “much to his chagrin.”‘ I didn’t even know what that meant. First of all, chagrin? I’m thinking about the chin area. I’m just saying, and I look at the camera, got those little cameras that’s looking at us. I knew if I said that, all my street cred would have been gone. So I couldn’t really be myself on Raw and SmackDown. But when I came to NXT, Shawn Michaels was just like, ‘Just be you. Whatever you want to do, just do it.’ I remember after the first night I did commentary in NXT, and I came back through the curtain. Shawn goes, ‘Man, I don’t know what you were saying, but I liked it.’ So I was like, Oh man, I love this. So being able to be down there in NXT, it’s so refreshing to be myself. But it’s really, really cool also because I used to be one of those kids, and I know about making mistakes. When I see them make mistakes, I can call it out. I can critique them from a certain disposition, as opposed to the guys on the main roster. I see the guys on the main roster making mistakes. It’s a little bit harder to critique them because they’re supposed to be pros. They’re supposed to have everything, but with the young guys, they’re still learning. So that’s why for me it’s so refreshing. As well as I get a chance to work with them hands-on. I’m a teacher at heart. I love teaching and explaining and trying to get you to understand. You know what chess is all about, because you just can’t run into a chess game and start moving pieces. You gotta really strategize if you want to be really, really good at chess.”
On helping Trick Williams get over with his entrance in NXT:
“You know, I love working with Vic, he is like the maestro. He’s the guy that’s directing traffic. So a lot of times he’s like this right here, that means just lay out. I get it. You do your damn job. Do your job. But sometimes, you got to know when to let things flow, and that’s what’s really cool about Vic and I. He’s realized when it’s time to let me let things flow, lay out. I remember the day Trick came out, and I don’t know, I was just feeling it, and I think I might have had a cup of coffee and two espressos. I swear it. I was so jacked up that night. My heart was beating. I was sweating, it’s like one of those type of deals. Got the little headache, but everything was just right. and the building was just hot. And when Trick came out, I just thought, ‘What?’ ‘Yeah!’ Then I go, ‘Uh. Say what?’ ‘I like it.’ ‘Oh yeah, man.’ I just kept saying it, and then I just talked him all the way into the ring, and then the music stopped, and Vic hit the little button, the silent button. He goes, ‘Do that every week.’ So you know, we got a really, really good chemistry, and Vic has really helped me find myself as a commentator.”
On Vic Joseph being underrated:
“It’s just a matter of being in the right place at the right time. I think that’s it more than anything. We’re talking about Joey Styles just not too long ago because I’m kind of like Joey Styles a little bit. I love Joey Styles, the ah yeah! I love that. He was such a great commentator and such a great analyst, his story and everything. He did everything. He did it all by himself when he was in ECW, but when he came to WWE, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. I think Vic, his first time around, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was just not his time yet. He had to season himself and really hone his craft, more than anything. I know he gives me a lot of credit, but I think when I came to NXT, it was my job to give him that confidence to know that he can do this and he’s better than just about anybody at it on any given night if given the opportunity. So a lot of commentators Vic has been with, they want to share the spotlight. I don’t try to share the spotlight, I want to give them all the spotlight, as well as all the responsibility, because I don’t want to do no reads.”
On his reaction to Stephanie Vaquer peforming the Devil’s Kiss:
“Again, the soundtrack. It’s one of those things to where if you got a talent that’s out there and they’re doing something, and it’s good but it doesn’t really have a soundtrack to it it’s not gonna have that same feel it’s not gonna have that same punch. I learned that when I was coming up because of Spinneroonie and Mark Madden. Spinneroonie wouldn’t have been the Spinneroonie. I give Mark Madden all the credit out of Pittsburgh, that was just so over the top when he saw it. ‘Spinneroonie!’ I’m like, what? What is that? I better do more of this. People start buying into it. I didn’t know the Spinneroonie was my signature. I didn’t know that until Mark Madden made it my signature. I was like, “Oh sh*t! That’s my signature. And then, with Stephanie Vaquer, I said that move needs some sound for the people to actually get on board and really accent it. ‘Ah, ah, ah!’ So many people tried to give me grief about it, because they try to make it sound like, what is Booker T doing? I’m like, go along with the ride and let’s see where this thing goes, and then when the whole arena is doing it, and then the t-shirts come out and the merch, then let’s talk about it. So for me, everything I do, everything is all for the talent. It’s all for the young talent to get over.”
You can check out the complete podcast in the video below.
