Heated Conversations with Booker T
Episode 191: UFC Talk, Boxing, Booker’s First Car, Creed 2 Review
Release Date: December 23, 2018
Recap By: James Hayes
DIRECT LINK TO LISTEN/DOWNLOAD
Booker T and Co-Host Brad Gilmore welcome you to the show!
The guys are excited for the upcoming holiday, so this will be a short show.
Christmas Chaos is coming!
Booker says, “It’s gonna be a big show with the Reality of Wrestling debut of Jacob Fatu. He’s the son of The Tonga Kid, nephew of Rikishi as well as Umaga. For us to have Jacob Fatu make his debut in Reality of Wrestling, to see the Samoan dynasty move forward, I’m looking forward to it. My Twitter handle is blowing up! The 29th of December. Check it out. The ladies will be in action. The Champ will be in action. Reality of Wrestling will be doing something big in 2019. The first of the year we will let the world know what’s going on.”
Booker’s First Car
It was a ’79 Thunderbird.
“I remember my brother, Stevie Ray, taking me. He said, ‘We gonna go get you a car.’ I was living in an apartment building over there where he was. I had a job and I needed wheels. He took me to a car lot way out on F Emmit 16. I was like, ‘What? Why are we going way out here? Why don’t we go around the block where… He knew somebody. We roll up on the car lot and I see a bunch of cars. I see this one and that one. That one right there that’s pretty cool. That’s $2,700. Over here this is $2,500. My brother is looking at me and shaking his head, like, ‘No.’ on every one of them.
And then we go over here to this old rust bucket. It’s the ’79 Thunderbird. The paint was so faded out, it had been out in the sun so long, you could rub your finger on the side of it would have no dirt on it, but just dust. He said, ‘This will be a good car for you. This is the one.’ I’m like, ’Come on. It had the old flip, with the lights over it, the old… It had stopped working. One would work every now and then. It was like $1,200. He was like, ‘This what you need. You not out there trying to show nobody nothing. You ain’t trying to prove nothing. You need something to get you back and forth to work. That’s what you need.”’
So, I get the old T-bird, and one thing I can say is it never broke down on me. But when I got into the wrestling business I had to get rid of that old thang. I was trying to be somebody. I remember I rolled up next door, back then it was called The Summit. We were doing an autograph with the WWA, The Western Wrestling Alliance and I was like, ‘Where do I park? There’s not gonna be any parking around there.’ I said, ‘Whatever. They’ll tell you where to park.’
I roll up and there was a police officer out front, and literally I had no sticker on the Thunderbird. I’m nervous thinking he’s gonna give me a ticket. I’m there to sign autographs worried about going to jail. I say, ‘Excuse me, officer, I’m GI Bro with The Western Wrestling Alliance and I’m here doing an autograph signing where do I park?’ He goes, ‘Oh, you’re a celebrity we’ll park it for you.’ I’m like, ‘Oh my God. Don’t let anybody get in this thing. The floorboard is about to fall out. ‘He ended up parking my car. I was so embarrassed. My Boss Bruce Cassar, wherever you are in Asia right now, I want to thank you for helping me get my real first car a Z-28 I had it for 20 years. Bruce said, ‘I’m gonna help you get a nice ride so that won’t ever happen again.’”
UFC 232
Nunes vs. Cyborg
“This is the one fight that could have easily been the main event. If the main event dropped off the ladies could easily pick up the slack,” Booker says.
Brad agrees and is more excited about this than Jones/Gustafsson 2. He says, “We’ve seen how dominant The Lioness is, especially with her striking. Her wrestling is great. She is a powerful hitter.”
Booker says, ”Nunes stands up and throws punches like a bonafide heavyweight.”
Booker predicts Nunes is the one to beat Cyborg. He says she will have to go through Hell, but it can and will happen.
(Agreed)
Jones vs. Gustafsson
“That right there is the main event of main events. Gustafsson has added a wrinkle to his game. It’s that uppercut. We know about his takedown defense, because of the first fight. Jon Jones says the real Jon Jones is back.” Booker says.
Brad says, “Jon Jones says that he did not take the first fight seriously if that’s so, I don’t see Jon Jones losing this fight.”
“Gustafsson says he doesn’t believe in ring rust but I do. Conor McGregor just made the same mistake. He went in there and the guy tested his cardio, like no one before, not even Floyd Mayweather. Jon Jones returning to the octagon thinking he is the same as before… he could be sadly mistaken. As well as Gustafsson saying he doesn’t believe in ring rust, don’t you think that is some kind of ploy, telling Jon Jones he shouldn’t believe in ring rust either?”
Booker says Alexander Gustafsson takes the fight. (Agreed)
Boxing
Booker tells us, “Fox Sports 1 and 2 has no MMA and the airways are flooded with boxing leading up to tonight’s big show in Brooklyn. Going down in Barcley’s the Charlo Brothers are headlining this thing, Dominique Brazil will be a part as well. The heavyweights are in action. The fight is what it is. The Charlo brothers are gonna go out and do work. Those guys making a lot of noise. What do you think about boxing being back on television?”
Brad answers, “I like it. We are getting more boxing than we ever have. Last Saturday I think was the official launch of The Zone with that Canelo/Rocky fight. HBO Boxing is officially gone.”
”Jim Lampley was crying, man, “Booker says. “Well think about it. He’s been there, what 40 years?” Brad adds. “80,” Booker answers. They both laugh.
“It is weird to see boxing go away from its traditional means, but now back in a big way. You have stars like The Charlo Brothers, you have Canelo Alverez, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder. Do you think there are enough stars to satiate the hunger?” Brad asks Booker.
“I tell you right now Al Hammond got a whole boatload of fighters. You pull up the fighters under that banner there is a boatload of guys. It’s about trying to create the buzz again. Now that PBC has a home, boxing has a place to flourish like back in the day. Every Tuesday night on ESPN… um… USA. I’d be watching boxing, now boxing is back on television, the art of the pugilist, I think boxing is back. There are a lot of good fights out there.”
AND… here are the waterworks from Lampley.
Speaking of boxing…
Before The Final Bell:
Booker finally saw Creed 2 and here is his review:
“I’m gonna tell you right now. We were talking about rating the legacy. 1 is in the right place. Rocky and Apollo first fight. 2 Rocky and Apollo are in the perfect place. 3 is in the perfect place as well because Clubber Lang did his thing. 4? Come on man. The Russian? Drago. 5? Tommy Gun did his thing. 6? with that boy Mason “The Line” Dixon, and now this one right here. They fall in the right place,” Booker says.
Brad clarifies, “You are saying Creed 2 is the 8th best Rocky movie?” Booker tells him he fell asleep watching it, “It wasn’t the greatest movie in the world. It had no continuity.”
Brad cannot believe what Booker is saying. He thinks the man is going insane.
Da King has spoken.
“Show’s over, pal.”
Rating: 7.0 out of 10
Overall Observations:
Quick show. Entertaining as always. Nothing special. Just fine.
Happy Holidays.
See ya next week!
About James:
Based out of New York, James Hayes is an independent filmmaker and podcaster, currently working on a true crime series focused on African American crime. When he needs a break from the seriousness of true-crime he turns to pro wrestling. James has 27 years of following the sport. Here is a link to his film credits https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2026980/, as well as His Twitter @JamesHa34395813.
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