Scott Fishman of The Miami Herald recently spoke with WWE Hall of Famer Booker T to promote his appearance for RONIN Pro Wrestling this weekend. The full interview can be found at this link. Below are some highlights:
Today’s indie scene:
“You have a lot of good talent. Of course, there are not a lot of spots on the WWE roster for all of them at one time. They are essentially going to be out there for a while, which is a good thing in a way. They get a chance to travel around the world and seeing what it’s like out there and get paid to do it at the same time and hone their craft. So when they make it to the WWE roster, they’ll be ready. I watched that kid Adrian Neville before he ever made it to the roster. That kid was awesome. This new kid, formally Prince Devitt, I saw him on the scene doing his thing way before he made it to WWE. He was awesome. Now you have other young guys who are going to have that opportunity to do that same thing.
“With my Reality of Wrestling, it’s about getting these guys prepared for what it’s going to take to make it on the television roster and make it in the locker room. I love what is going on in the independent scene. This is really my first year getting the chance to go around and see what it’s like in other places. I love what I’m seeing out there with Pro Wrestling Syndicate, Northeast Wrestling, Big Time Wrestling and WildKat in New Orleans. There is a lot of good stuff out there.”
Not wanting to do one more run:
“Never in a million years would I have thought I would have been able to go where I’ve gone in my career. It’s almost way too soon for me to be in the position I’m in, but I’m loving my position. Being able to give back and teach the game to these young guys, I’ve always wanted to be in this position. I was thinking about retiring when I was like 30 years old. All these wrestlers talk about having one more run in them. I don’t’ think I got one more run. I don’t want one more run. I don’t want it. To do a Rumble, I can do that. One night, where I can go in and it will be over real quick. I’d be happy with that.
“I don’t want to be one of those wrestlers that wishes to put their boots on when I’m 60. I don’t want to look at any of my old outfits then. My wife wants me to keep all my old outfits. I want to sell them all. I want to put them on eBay. You think I’m going to be 70 years old with all these action figures and outfits looking back at Harlem Heat’s glory days. It’s really for my grandkids. It’s been great. I’ve had the greatest life the last almost 25 years than any man could ask for. It’s a dream. I wouldn’t trade it in for the world. I always wanted to do the work and make it to the other side. That’s where I’m at in my life. It’s a great place.”
CM Punk speaking out on Colt Cabana’s podcast:
“With me personally, certain business should be between yourself and the person you’re doing business with. You never know where you’ll have to go in the future. I’ve never been about burning bridges. I don’t know if he burned a bridge or not. I don’t know. It’s a personal thing more than anything for him to walk away. He had to have a certain feeling about something. It could be a lot of things, but it’s personal. For me, I can just say I’ve always looked at the business as a job. It’s never been nothing more than me getting a script and me going out there and performing. Of course, I’ve always wanted to make a decent pay like everybody else. You have to realize where I come from and a guy like CM Punk comes from. That may be the difference. Hopefully, Punk finds his way back to WWE. Me, personally, I was one of the guys who noticed his talent when I first saw him. I brought him to a wrestling show down here in Houston when he was a kid and before he was this ‘straight-edge superstar’ and all that stuff. I saw talent in him. Then when he did the whole pipe bomb thing, I saw even more talent in him.
“I felt he was really going to break out and last a long time in this business. I wouldn’t say a lifer, but a guy who was going to have a long career and give back. To see it abruptly end like that, there are so many fans out there that love CM Punk and want to see him in the middle of that ring. It’s the sad part.”
