Booker T is now a WWE Hall of Famer, but during his WCW days he was just a guy trying to break through into the main event scene, and he finally did when he won the WCW World Heavyweight Championship at Bash at the Beach in 2000.
Many fans felt that Booker T’s title win was a long time coming, but it took a while for the powers that be to support him in WCW. During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Booker T opened up about his first World Title win, and he noted that it was Vince Russo who pushed for him to win the belt.
“Vince Russo stuck up for me in WCW when it came down to who should be world champ,” said Huffman. “From what I’ve heard, there was a meeting and Russo stood up for me. I would not be six-time world champion if it were not for Vince Russo. I would not even be one-time world champion if it weren’t for Vince Russo.”
Even though Booker was ready and prepared to become World Champion, he admitted that there was part of him that wondered if the fans would accept his title win.
“There was a question in my mind, because I am black, if the fans would accept a black world champion,” said Booker T. “Bash at the Bash was a topsy-turvy night. Finally, when the 1-2-3 came, the fans erupted. All my questions were answered; they really did want to see me win.”
