Heated Conversations with Booker T – Episode 167
Bobby Lashley Domination, Evolution PPV, UFC Stars, The Chavo-Juvi Feud, Golden Boy MMA
Release Date: July 28th, 2018
Recap by: James Hayes
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Booker and his Co-Host Brad Gilbert welcome you to the show!
Two weeks away from Summer of Champions 5. August 11th is the day. It’s on FITE TV. Booker wants the show to look and feel epic, almost like a coliseum. There’s a special attraction. It’s an Aztec War. Chavo Guerrero vs. Juventud Guerrera will likely be one of the most talked about matches that night. Booker talks about the long history of this iconic family, and says they will continue to build their own legacy, at Reality of Wrestling’s premiere event.
Brad expects big things in this match as well. He believes there is bad blood there. “It’s like when you have a family reunion and two family members have to stay in separate rooms. Keep them sober and far apart.” Booker T compliments Juventud for staying in shape and relevant. As for Chavo, Booker feels he looks great and is killing it right now!
(Chavo can also be seen in the second season of Glow, which is exceptional.)
Everyone seems excited about the future of his company. Booker is always looking for feedback and invites the fans to check out the build up to the big show. They are a fan-friendly promotion, always reaching out to the local youth groups.
He praises WWE’s Evolution, saying it’s about time, and congrats to the ladies. He name drops the Fabulous Moolah, Mae Young, and of course Sensational Sherri. Booker feels that currently, the women may be more impressive than the men. Brad agrees that some of the biggest names are now in the women’s division. Booker adds that he loves seeing legends like Trish or Lita, but he wants the focus to stay on the younger talents. “Let the ladies shine.” Some of his favorites are Charlotte, who he feels is a much better athlete than her father. He thinks highly of Becky Lynch. Of course he name drops his protégé Ember Moon. And then there is Asuka, who he feels still has not found her true potential yet in WWE. Brad tosses out Ronda’s name. He’s excited to see what is next for her, how she will grow.
Booker says the big question is who main events this historic show. Brad thinks it should be Sasha vs Charlotte. Booker vetoes this idea. We have seen that too much already. He proposes Charlotte vs Ronda. “Do it at Evolution, then do it again at Wrestlemania. Run it back.”
He also suggests they have female announcers and refs? Make it different and original, then it will be good.
Booker praises Bobby Lashley’s match with Roman Reigns last week. He conceded that Bobby looks as good as ever and says Roman was the perfect dance partner for him. He says Roman goes out and delivers each and every time. This is why Roman is the guy. He repeats how impressed he is with Bobby. “At first he seemed a little off but now he had found his way.” Brad agrees. “The match at Extreme Rules was good but the match on Raw was great. I was invested. My brain was off and I was just rooting for Bobby to win.” Brad thinks the wrong person one. “It should have been Bobby vs. Brock.” Booker snickers at him. “Never say never,” Booker says. Brad forces him to address whether the fans wanted Brock vs. Bobby or Roman vs. Brock. He tells Brad the fans always think they know best, but sometimes you have to let things play out and wait to see what happens.
Check out their Raw match below:
Both guys agree that they feel great storytelling is coming back to WWE. Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, and guys like Roman are bringing it back. Booker loves seeing it. It’s been awhile. He feels those guys appreciate the dream jobs they have.
Let us talk about grateful people. Who comes to mind? Lesnar. Brock has the best of both worlds. Booker predicts he will make over 5 million for his fight with Daniel Cormier. Gilberts says Brock is the biggest star in UFC. He proposes to let Brock beat Roman. He keeps the WWE title. Then if he beats Cormier, Brock can walk into Wrestlemania with two titles. Who can beat the double champ? Vince should risk it. The hype would be amazing. Booker likes the idea a lot. “It’s gotta happen by March. The timeline is tricky. But it would be a game changer for both sports.”
However, Booker does not see it happening.
Let’s stay with UFC. Conor McGregor beat the case. He got a slap on the wrist for his antics here in New York. Booker says “He acted a fool. But no one was hurt. And going to jail and eating bologna sandwiches will force you to rethink your life. All the MMA training ain’t gone help you with The Latin Kings, MS-13, The Crips. John Gotti was a humble man in jail. He got handled several times. Conor don’t drop the soap!” (Ha!)
Brad says if Conor comes back and fights Khabib Nurmagomedov. He will lose. Booker co-signs. “No way he wants to fight a guy like that, with that wrestling background. He picks fights that benefit him. He is no fool. I don’t think Conor will come back to fight a legit guy like Khabib. Conor has everything to lose.” Brad says putting Ronda against Nunes ended her career. They should not do the same with Conor. They are agreed on this topic.
(The most insightful moment of this episode comes when Brad states he believes Ronda Rousey is exactly where she always belonged. I could not agree more. She loves being there. You cannot fake that. Look at Roman.)
But it’s Dana’s company and Booker says Dana does not want to see anymore sleepers. So, it could happen anyway.
Anthony Smith is The Legend Killer.
He ended “Sugar” Rashaad Evans’s career. And he just handed Shogun Rua a nasty beat down. Booker feels the end is near. In his estimation Rua is likely done.
And reportedly Jose Also, who is fighting Jeremy Stephens tonight on UFC Fight Night, has decided he will not re-sign with UFC. Booker and Brad both sense that he may call it a career very soon.
Brad also notes that a lot of UFC fighters may be fighting on ESPN now. That means free television. That means less money. But they may have one more option for a good payday.
Before The Final Bell:
That option is Golden Boy MMA.
Oscar De La Hoya has decided to get into the MMA biz. That put out a statement: “All disgruntled fighters in search of greener pastures GIVE US A CALL!” Booker applauds his entry into the sport. There needs to be more competition.
De La Hoya adds. “I’m really looking forward to getting involved with MMA and building a new business. If any fighter, that is a MMA fighter wants to explore a different avenue, give us a call. I’m really excited about starting Golden Boy MMA. When we do things, we do them right, just like we’ve done with boxing.”
Brad observes that the buzz around the upcoming Chuck Liddell vs Tito Ortiz fight is the reason that Golden Boy has decided to enter the shark infested waters of MMA. Brad believes if that fight goes good it will change everything. Booker says there is money to be made out there. But De La Hoya has one shot. It could be a train wreck. Or it could be great. He wonders could there be a wrestling war coming too. He says New Japan recently hinted that they want to sign some WWE stars. (There are also loose rumors about WWE going after more New Japan talent.) Brad mentions that Chris Jericho just said he wants to wrestle for Impact. (Love to see that.)
Review: There’s not much notable news in this episode, or any interesting guests. It was shorter than usual. Lots of UFC talk. Not much news regarding pro wrestling. It felt a little like a throwaway episode. Rating: 6.5/10
See ya next week!
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