Posted on 10/02/126 by Colin Vassallo
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T sat down with Chris Van Vliet in
Houston, Texas to discuss being an NXT announcer and why it
is more fun than being on the main roster, how he got the
role as a commentator, his calls getting the likes of Trick
Williams and Stephanie Vaquer over, being chased by Stone
Cold while playing bingo in church, The Shockmaster’s debut,
the last time he did a Harlem Hangover, being challenged to
a match by Trick Williams, and more!
How did you get this job to be a commentator in WWE?
“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.”
But how’d that turn into you getting the job that you have
now in WWE?
“Well, when I came to WWE, same thing. I was on the road,
doing commentary on the road.”
Just making the guys laugh?
“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].”
You being on NXT looks like you’re just having the time of
your life!
“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. 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.”
I loved when you were feuding with Stone Cold and you did
the bingo. What do you remember from that day?
“I remember everything from that. I remember even the suit I
had on. I had the store here called Jam Zone, where we sold
CDs, clothing items from New York, and I had this brown
outfit. I remember that’s why I got it from New York
warehouse district. I don’t know, maybe 30,40, bucks, but it
looked good. It looked sharp. But I remember having so much
fun doing those skits. I remember just totally going into a
totally different mode. I was watching some earlier today
actually, and it was just me doing a skit talking about a
movie role that I was auditioning for, and it was about The
Rock. I was trying to remember it. I was like, I don’t even
remember this, but it was so stupid. It was so funny and
that’s what I got a chance to do. Like with the bingo stuff,
with the old lady, the bait and switch, and it just was
stupid.”
Do you think you have another match in you? Because Trick
Williams has called you out a few different times.
“You know, I don’t know what’s wrong with these young guys.
I guess people calling out Mike Tyson, people calling out
Floyd [Mayweather]. I know I’m one of those legends too.
People wanna call me out, tried to piggyback my career, try
to get some brownie points. But my thing is, can I do it?
Perhaps. But I’ve scratched every itch as far as the
wrestling thing goes, and you know, just like tonight, we
got Summer Champions 12 going down in the building. So much
young talent that’s under my expert tutelage, trying to get
to that next level. I’m so focused and dialed into that. I
don’t have anything to prove, but don’t get it twisted. If I
had to do something, don’t think I won’t put the boots back
on and step back in and slap somebody around a little bit.
That easily could be done. The thing is, I still do that on
a daily basis. Just never say never.”