Heated Conversations with Booker T
Release Date: August 25, 2018
Recap by: James Hayes
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Booker T and Co-Host Brad Gilmore welcome you to the show!
Booker is back in his seat! Last week Brad was in charge but all has been restored to the Heated Conversations universe.
Booker enjoyed his time at SummerSlam. He thinks Ronda Rousey is a stud.
“If you are wrestling Ronda, make sure you’re near Idaho, because there’s gonna be a lot of potatoes.”
Brad enjoyed the show also. He loved Miz and Daniel Bryan. Booker feels the show delivered. He also predicted Miz and Bryan would be the match to watch out for. His respect for Miz continues to grow.
“When I look at how this guy he has improved. He is a method actor and he is finally getting his props for his in ring ability. He evolved into something people never thought. He perfected his craft.”
Booker T talks about Sean” X-Pac” Waltman, and about all he has been through. They started wrestling around the same time. He is proud of Sean. His timing was impeccable and he came back over and over. They have a bond. The guy has a story to tell and he earned it the hard way!
Booker: What’s going on dawg?
X-Pac: I’m just in LA enjoying this… heat.
Booker: LA is my favorite vacation spot. What are you doing out there right now?
X-Pac-I’m working with Marie Menounos. She and her Husband produce my show. You came on a couple weeks ago. I’m very grateful for that. When I lived here before, this town got the best of me, but not now I’m working with great people.
Booker: What was X-Pac like as a child?
X-Pac: I had a single Mother. She worked a lot. I got in a lotta trouble. But I got around wrestling when I was about 10, so that help me a bit.
Booker: My Mom worked from 11 to 7, for as long as I remember. I was getting in trouble. Houston Wrestling was an outlet, watching Junk Yard Dog.
Booker: Was wrestling always going to be in your future?
X-Pac: Always. I was real… even though I had no supervision, somehow I loved this thing so much I did the right things. Obviously you have to end up with some talent and a good attitude too.
Brad: I’ve been with Booker going on 6 years. He broke me into the business. Booker is my OG. Who was your OG? Who was that guy to set you on that path, the right path to do everything right?
X-Pac: The first one I really looked up to was Mr. Perfect. He taught me how… Maybe everything he taught me was not the right thing in hindsight. But he did his best. And that’s all we can do.
Booker: I tell you. He came into WCW. He was such a cool dude. Such a cool dude! That’s one guy that always gravitated towards me. He said I have a really cool angle to do with you. He was going to give me The Mr. Perfect gimmick. It was going to be me throwing the football and catching it, playing basketball and making a shot from half court, hit the golf ball and hit a hole in one. He had it laid out and WCW was too stupid to go with it. I thank him so much for letting me know I had chips in the game. You came in with Razor Ramon and that whole thing got so big. Was that good for you or bad for you? Talk to me about it.
X-Pac: The pressure was in the try out match. Once they told me the call I was just so pumped. I cannot imagine being brought in, in a better way than that. I’m so grateful. Scott was amazing. He knew it was good for him too. He saw the long game. You know?
Booker: That’s what real workers do. We don’t think about ourselves. We think about the guy we are working with, to see if we can bring them up to another level. We think of the fans that’s watching it. That’s what a true wrestler is. He gave you the rub. I got a lot of students down here with my Reality of Wrestling, and I try to give them the rub. What is your greatest career highlight?
X-Pac: Bret Hart.
Booker: Wow!
X-Pac: Bret Hart in 1994 on Raw. He made me, Book. We went half an hour for the title. He like turned himself semi-heel, getting on me so hard in that. Just gave me some amazing offense coming into the homestretch. And I’m just so grateful for that. He made me credible.
Booker: I tell you our careers parallel. Bret Hart was another guy who came into WCW. They thought we were gonna have some mediocre match. Bret and I rocked it. Shocked and amazed them! The company was like we gotta kill this thing right now because these guys are… The good ole boys system, you know.
Brad: But, what was it about Bret that made him so good? Both of you, I guess Sean first.
X-Pac: No one took the job of being a professional wrestler more serious than Bret Hart, inside the ring and outside the ring. Every match he put that much into every match. I just um… The other part was… He took himself serious. He thought he was the best. And that kind of makes you the best!
Everyone laughs.
Booker: It does!!
X-Pac: I love that.
Brad laughs loudly.
Booker: For me. I remember before the match I was stretching and he kind of walked up on me. And for me I knew Bret was more superior. He is the best there was, the best there is, the best there ever will be. I’m the guy on the other side of the ring. And when he walked up on me I pushed Bret Hart so hard in his chest. He took a step back and looked at me like, now it’s on. Ahhhh man, now I’m in here with Bret Hart. It’s like you said he was the best. And I truly believe that. Hey man, stick around I gotta couple more questions for you. Heated Conversations back in a minute.
Booker: My man on the line with me,123 Kid, Lighting Kid, whatever you wanna call it, baby. Hey man WWE is entertainment at its finest. Ronda Rousey made her way over from the UFC. Now she is the WWE Women’s Champion. What do you think of MMA crashing into the professional wrestling world? What do you think about that?
X-Pac: I just think it was inevitable, Book. Where did MMA come from in the first place? I like it because it used to be like you would get ridiculed. But now I think it helps. Now she is kind of the face of the company.
Booker: She’s definitely making a claim.
X-Pac: She’s in that conversation. And even the style of wrestling done, there is a fusion. The stuff they do in NXT. When I watch how they do it. Whether I like it or not, and I like it, It’s gonna happen. And I think MMA people are looking at this as another option.
Booker: You can only do MMA for so long, if you wanna make money and have a career. And I commend Ronda Rousey for doing as much as she did. I remember Dana White saying there was never going to be a woman in the octagon. Ronda Rousey changed all that. And now Amanda Nunes has taken it to another level. There’s no way she could sustain fighting forever. Coming to WWE and doing something she loves to do…
Brad: I mean her name was “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey.
Booker: Exactly.
X-Pac: The quality of world class athlete coming into our industry. Pretty soon it’s gonna be so many of them, If you are not on point, you are not going to make it in my industry anymore.
Booker: You better prepare yourself, or someone will prepare for you. So get ready! That’s the only way you are gonna make it to the next level.
Brad: What do you think about Ronda Rousey winning the championship so soon in her run, Sean?
X-Pac: For my taste the destination is WrestleMania. To me it might be a little too soon. I don’t know. I think she is light years ahead of where she has any right being, her selling, her facials, taking her time and getting her moments.
Booker: Put a rocket on her and send her to the moon! Let’s make some money. She went out there Sunday and did a hell of a job. Like you said she was patient. She did not rush. And the technique she brings to the game. It’s wrestling.
Brad: It looks like it adds this veil of legitimacy. That Samoan Drop thing that she does!
Booker: Whooo!!!! I didn’t know what that was but it was sweet.
Brad: I would not want to be on the receiving end of that.
Booker: What do you think about Roman?
X-Pac: I’ve been a fan of his since he was in development. It’s been a tough one. I’m glad they finally put the championship on him. I… I thought they did it in a smart way, using Braun like that.
Booker: Roman always delivers. He’s like a Mack truck!! He keeps rolling no matter what.
Brad: Yeah.
Booker: What do you think of Brock stepping back in the UFC? DC is a tough dude. He is a tough match up for anyone. And I don’t like this match up for Brock.
X-Pac: I don’t. Jon Jones is a safer fight for him.
Brad: That’s a crazy statement.
X-Pac: I hate to say it, but he will outwrestle him. And he will throw better fists.
Booker: You are absolutely right. I don’t know if it’s a bravado thing with Brock. He wants to fight though. I don’t like this fight. DC is an Olympic caliber wrestler.
X-Pac: Remember when Brock thought he could take Kurt? He was 50 pounds lighter.
Booker: No one was as good as Kurt Angle. Shelton Benjamin, Brock, none were as good.
X-Pac: I want to see it though.
Booker: I’m not saying Brock can’t win, but… Everyman has a puncher’s chance.
Brad: Sean what did you think of Brock’s last title run?
X-Pac: I thought he brought enough to the table that it justified him having the title. It was way more positive than negative.
Booker: I want to thank you for coming on and spending some time with me on Heated Conversations.
X-Pac: Thanks. I really enjoy this.
Brad: Let them know where they can see your show, X-Pac 12360.
X-Pac: My new show is going to be on youtube.com/X-Pac.
Booker: Don’t be a stranger.
X-Pac: Hope to see you soon, my friend.
Traveling stories:
Booker talks about when he and Stevie Ray use to travel he was in charge of the map. He hated it. He said he was the first wrestler with a GPS. He is serious. He said it was the size of a suitcase.
Speaking of traveling, Booker talked about being in New York with the boys last week. He said one morning around 4am he came out to leave the hotel and one of the guys spilled out of a car and started slurring his words. Booker talks about how the business has changed in some ways, but not all.
He then gets into a story of going overseas to Germany. He got all dressed up to go to this club. He was looking good! Suited and booted. Booker was fresh to go. They were going meet up at 11:30. It was a long line. He was with some of the boys, who were not dressed as nice. The doorman told the other guys that they cannot come in. Why? They have a dress code and they don’t allow fanny packs! (Ha!)
Booker quickly and with any hesitation abandoned the boys. (No loyalty.)
Somehow Charlie Haas managed to get into one of these clubs dressed down. He was exposed, hunted for, and then eliminated from the premises with extreme prejudice.
Booker T Lesson of the Day: You can never be overdressed.
Before the Final Bell:
Trish Stratus is coming back to face Alexa Bliss at The Evolution PPV.
“I voiced my opinion on this show about should there be a bit of nostalgia. She is perhaps the greatest WWE Women’s Champ of all time, man. I give Trish her props. She was the best of all. She had a black eye one time and she still looked hot! For her to be in that match against Alexa Bliss… If anyone should be there it’s her.”
Oh and Happy Birthday to Stevie Ray. His birthday was last Wednesday.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
Overall Thoughts:
Good show. Sean Waltman is a smart guy. The industry is better with him in it. I enjoyed the traveling stories and as usual the easy chemistry between Booker and Brad was a highlight. This was a fine show.
See ya next week!
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