By Jason Powell, ProWrestling.net Editor (@prowrestlingnet)
Insight With Chris Van Vliet with guest Booker T
Host: Chris Van Vliet
Podcast available via Podcasts.Apple.com
Video available at Chris Van Vliet’s YouTube Page
On having fun providing commentary for NXT: “You know what, I think that’s the difference. When I was on Raw, when I was a Smackdown, everything had to be politically correct. Of course, I had, you know, something in my ear. You know, sometimes you know, you couldn’t be yourself. And I find myself at NXT being kind of like I am here at Reality of Wrestling. You know, I’m throwing my clipboard. I’m having fun at the same time. With NXT I can go out there and be serious. But then I can talk about you know shucky ducky quack quack, you know, so it’s just all about having balance. And trying to think about one thing first and foremost. And that’s the young guys, the talent and trying to put a spotlight on those guys. And, you know, hopefully give them the rub is something we talked about in the business.”
On which World Championship reigns mean the most to him: “Number one and number six. Yeah, number one, you know, when I first won it, it was like a magical moment. You know, I never put myself on the radar as far as winning the World Heavyweight Championship or anything like that. I never dreamt one day of being the World Heavyweight Champion, just never did. I just want to be the best wrestler. I just want to be the best wrestler in the locker room. And being the best wrestler in the locker room has enabled me throughout my career to have had a championship run my ways since the beginning, like from you know, when I was at the independent scene.
“So, for me when I won the World Heavyweight Championship, I remember God, Chris Cruise, we were coming from pay-per-view one night and he goes Book, one day you’re going to win the World Heavyweight Championship and I say get out of here. Gary Cappetta, that’s who it was, not Chris Cruise, Garry Cappetta said you’re gonna win the Heavyweight Championship one day, and I go nah, no, let’s get out of here, man. And many, many years later, I’m in a position to win the World Heavyweight Championship, controversial night of course. But winning it, I think that controversy made that night for me even bigger, you know, more memorable for everyone. And number six, with my queen, Sharmell, in WWE, it was magical man. Both of those nights was like, equally magical. Like, like to the cosmos man to the nebula. As far as how they felt for me, because winning it with my wife, against Rey Mysterio was so gracious working with the best in the world. Rey Mysterio, my favourite wrestler, what an awesome night.”
On his professional wrestling Mount Rushmore: “I don’t know man. You know what? I don’t know. I really don’t look at wrestling like that. Of course, you got Ric Flair. You know, he’s gonna be there. You know, of course you got Hogan because when I look at Ric Flair, I look at him for a certain reason, and the reason is the work Ric Flair put in there, he’s like a god. I’m talking about the young Ric Flair that went there. When he ran hard on both ends in the ring, he performed at the highest level. Then you got a guy like Hogan who came along and changed the name of the game as far as how much money guys were making in Hollywood, you know, thing, you know? Then the other two, probably, you know, Steamboat, of course, for being perhaps the best babyface that ever lived, you know, a guy that can go out there and perform at such a high level. And then you got a guy like Piper who could do anything, but was such a major star, you know. But the Rushmore thing is like, you know, up for debate, everybody’s gonna have their own, you know, Rushmore, should I be on there? You know, the greatest, you know, 35-time champion? Perhaps.”
On the King Booker accent: “The accent, the accent just had to be stupid. It didn’t have to be real. But it had to be serious. It had to be you know, I had to believe it. And then at that, you know, then I will break character and go street. But I will kick back into my character. Because just like I taught to my students. Like we’re working with the NXT guys, you’re acting has to be, you know, on another level when you’re trying to make fans feel a certain way. Because everyone knows when they walk in the door, what they’re gonna get here. But when they walk out, and they go, God, man, I can’t wait to get back and watch it again, that’s because they felt a certain way, and that’s what King Booker brought to the table and so much went into that whole thing. I couldn’t even do it for that long. I had a heel run and I left WWE after that, because I was so tired at the end of it because it was taxing, but it was great at the same time, the best work I ever did.”
Be the first to comment