Booker T reacts to being named the greatest Black wrestler of all time
Booker T reacted to being named the greatest Black wrestler of all time with gratitude and reflection on his long career. “I really appreciate that. I really do. My body of work has been vast. I’m still working my butt off to make sure this next generation finds their way through this journey as well.” He emphasized the difficulties aspiring wrestlers face, saying, “It’s not easy. There are so many pitfalls and so many holes and bumps in the road. There are land mines you can fall on. So I’m trying to let these young guys see how you could be really, really successful in this business, but think about parlaying that success into whatever you’re going to do next. I think that’s what’s really, really important.”
Reflecting on his work ethic, Booker compared his dedication to that of a medical professional. “For me, the journey was always going to work, putting my boots and my hard hat on. A lot of times I felt like I had my stethoscope on and around my neck because I felt like it was 24/7. I was on call 24/7.”
While he never considered himself the best pure wrestler, he always prided himself on his performance ability. “I never thought I was the best wrestler in the world, but I always thought I was a really, really good performer, and that’s what the difference was. I always said, top five performers. I never said top five wrestlers (he laughs).” He expressed appreciation for the recognition he’s received from his community, stating, “It’s a beautiful thing that my people know how hard I’ve worked and what I’ve brought to this game, and what I left as well.”
Booker T explained that his focus was always on what came next. “I was always thinking about what was next. I was always thinking about the next act. I was always thinking about the next show, the next opponent, the next town, you know, the fans who I was going to have to perform in front of next.” Looking back on his career, he believes his dedication has paid off. “So for me, there again, it’s just all been work, but the work paid off at the end of the day, because when I got in this business more than 30 years ago, I said when it was over with, I just want my name to ring with the best wrestlers that have ever did it, and I feel like I’ve achieved that.”
He expressed pride in his legacy and gratitude for the recognition from BET. “I feel like my name rings right there with all of the greats that have ever done this, so I appreciate BET for honoring me and giving me that honor and putting praise on me like that.”’
Source: Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore
I’m not American and this is a genuine question. Are awards like this supported by people who are always jumping at the chance to call everyone and everything racist?
Fair question Luke, but if you don’t get acknowledgment from the boarder society than you have to recognize or bee recognized by your own people. Remember Ron Simmons was the 1st black World champ and that didn’t happen until the late 80s or early 90s. So if women can praise women Hispanics can have their top person I don’t see an issus
@Tony
I wasn’t talking about strictly black. I just have a hard time imagining a greatest white wrestler of all time award gaining traction…
It’s not an issue for me personally, I’m just curious about the hypocrisy.
@Luke
BET bestowed him this honor. I’m not sure if you know this, but BET stands for Black Entertainment Television.
And no, there are no ‘Greatest White…’ awards here. At least not in the open. But given the way things are going lately…
Footnote: Great White Shark, Tiger, Buffalo, etc. do not count.
BET exists or was create to help showcase black entertainment when largely white audiences stations ignored us such as MTV not playing black artist in the 80s or shows that rarely if ever had black cast members such as cheers friends or Seinfeld
@art123guy & Tony
Never heard of BET, but wouldn’t an organization like this be inherently racist?
Again, no problem with the award, Booker getting it (although I can think of a few others more deserving), or BET, whatever it actually may do. Just pointing out the hypocrisy.
And I’m not using racist as a derogatory term, just a factual one.
I am American and I can say yes, to a point. A “greatest white” anything would never fly. But of course, it isn’t racist if “your own people” are doing it. There is some hypocrisy there, but hypocrisy tends to fly in every direction when it comes to issues like this.
Tony is right about the origins of BET and there being a need for it at the time, but the 80s were a long time ago and attitudes are different now. It’s a fine line – I wouldn’t call the very existence of BET or similar things racist, but the continued division into “your own people”-based enclaves (as natural a human impulse as it may be) at minimum isn’t helping us overcome race-based ideas.
I also don’t have a problem with Booker getting that recognition. I just don’t think it’s the only place he can get that recognition anymore. Even if he isn’t on your Mount Rushmore, I think it’s a tougher argument why he wouldn’t be considered at least one of the greats of his time than why he would, and that’s putting race out of the equation entirely. WWE put him in the Hall of Fame twice, for crying out loud, and even if you think the HOF is meaningless/made-up that still indicates what they think of him, or at least what they think fans think of him.
@Really?
Exactly. An award like this kind of implies that your race is inferior.
@Really?
Excellent points. But I think BET still fits in this day and age given the amount of channels that only show one thing. I get that channels like The Food Network, Animal Planet and Lifetime aren’t really the same as BET, but they produce content for a specific audience. BET does the same. While BET was an important, ground breaking voice in the 80’s, I think most would consider it ‘just another channel’ today.
If one values a certain race over another, then it is considered “racist”, in my opinion. Until people stop dividing each other (ex. by making a channel JUST for black people, or JUST for Asians, or in a situation where it would definitely automatically be deemed racist, an all-white anything lol)… until this need to put a color on these things stop there will always be racism. We are all brothers and sisters in this world. I don’t judge someone by their color, I judge them based on their actions towards others and of course towards me. In other words, just don’t be a dick and everything will be fine.
@Stonz
It’s so simple, right? The only thing in the way is that most people are complete morons…
What a joke of a reward! This organization needs to be investigated and shut down as soon as possible.