Booker T discussed his picks for wrestler of the year.
Booker T is no stranger to awards and championships. A five-time (five-time!) WCW world heavyweight champion, Booker T’s legendary career has also earned him several annual pro wrestling awards, including Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Comeback of the Year in 1998, and two-time Tag Team of the Year as part of Harlem Heat.
With 2021 awards season in full swing, few are more qualified to appear as a panelist to help decide the year’s best wrestlers, moments and storylines. Booker T recently teamed up with the Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards as a panelist on an esteemed dais of judges, including Diamond Dallas Page, RVD and Renee Paquette. The panel submitted its takes—and votes—on the year that was. 50% of votes are fan votes while the other 50% consist of the judge’s vote.
“My wrestler of the year was Roman Reigns,” said Booker T on who won his vote for the year’s most prestigious award in an exclusive interview.
“The reason I said Roman Reigns as Wrestler of the Year was just because his body of work and everything he had accomplished over this last 365 days really told compelling stories and what not.”
“AEW Wrestler of the Year probably is going to be Bryan Danielson, just because of how compelling he’s been from a realistic perspective. Coming into that company and really putting wrestling on the map and really compelling matches as well. He would be my AEW Wrestler of the Year.”
Though AEW dominated many industry awards, such as the 2021 PWI Achievement Awards, Booker T felt there was a lot to like in WWE last year. Though a polarizing character as a heel, Booker T singled out Becky Lynch as a top female performer in 2021.
“Just the hype as far as what Becky brings to the table, she doesn’t just bring wrestling ability to the ring or anything like that. She brings an aura, an attitude and I try to teach my young wrestlers that that’s what it takes to be at the top in professional wrestling,” said Booker T.
“There’s always going to be really good wrestlers, but to be able to be well-rounded and know how to do anything, and more importantly than anything, to be able to captivate the crowd, I think that’s most important. That’s key in professional wrestling, and she does that very well.”
Some fans have pined for the Lynch to return to “The Man,” a super popular babyface who made history by headlining WrestleMania 35, but Booker T is impressed with Lynch’s ability to perform as a top babyface and a top heel.
“Preference is something for the fan,” said Booker T.
“For me, when I look at it, I always look at it from the entertainer’s perspective. Being able to go out there and make those fans love you, and then on a dime, being able to make them switch is something that’s very, very uncanny. So, for me, I like both sides. She did the babyface side very well, and she’s doing the heel side extraordinary.”
These days, the discussion about preference is dominated by WWE vs. AEW. It’s a tribal war that oftentimes mimics the divisive discourse in America about issues like race, politics, iPhone, Androids and a host of countless debates. But as a hardened veteran who has seen it all, Booker T finds strengths within both wrestling companies.
“Of course, WWE has always been leaps and bounds ahead as far as packaging. Making wrestlers look like superstars on film. That’s just something that they’ve always done very, very well,” Booker T said.
“Storytelling in WWE has been really, really good also. But then you look at AEW, and I kind of look at AEW like WCW back in the day. Kinda. Before the Monday Night Wars, WCW was a wrestling company. The only thing we did was wrestle. The storylines didn’t really matter as much as the wrestling, and I think that’s what AEW focuses on and does very well at certain times is go out and give the fans good old fashion professional wrestling.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say [AEW’s wrestling is superior] because you’ve got guys in WWE that are really, really good entertainers. Really, really good performers outside of the ring, and then you look at them in the ring—just say, for instance, a Seth Rollins who’s been playing this Riddler character for the past year or so. But then you put Seth Rollins in a position where he’s gotta go out and give you a five-star match, he’s gonna do it. Finn Balor, you put him in a position, Roman Reigns, they’re gonna do it. So I think the talent is there on both sides, I just must say both are different.”
A native Texan, Booker T has enjoyed the continued teases of a Stone Cold Steve Austin comeback, something he’s looking forward to above all other storylines this WrestleMania season. Austin’s rumored opponent is Kevin Owens, who has spent the past several weeks trashing the state of Texas. On the road to WrestleMania, Booker T would have no problem confronting Kevin Owens himself on behalf of Texas. And while the WWE Hall of Famer has “no itch to scratch” in wrestling, he stays ready.
“[Kevin Owens] ain’t calling me out. When Somebody calls me out, I’ll be ready,” said Booker T.
“As soon as we finish this interview, I’m gonna be in the gym training, I’ll be down at my school later on—Reality of Wrestling—with my students. I’m prepared when somebody calls me out. Kevin Owens, he must know exactly who to call out in Texas.”
“I love actually doing stuff with Reality of Wrestling and I got some stuff coming up here in April and it looks like I might be dusting the old boots off and getting back in the ring.”
In addition to being a mentor to so many, part of Booker T’s indomitable legacy is as one of the first Black world champions for a national promotion. WWE has honored that legacy of Black Excellence in recent years, with Big E, Kofi Kingston and Bobby Lashley all becoming first-time world champions.
AEW has struggled to achieve similar representation as it enters its fourth year, and though WWE was able to crown three Black world champions in the span of two years, Booker T feels AEW can correct its issues with representation over time.
“I’ve heard [concerns on diversity issues] about AEW, and me personally, it’s really hard for me to criticize a company that’s only been in existence for three years,” said Booker T.
“One thing about this sport, just being real, it’s always been dominated—as far as wrestling talent goes—by white guys. White girls. I always have this argument with people as far as when I was doing it: I was one of the few Black guys who was in this sport and doing it at a certain level.”
“I kind of slipped on a banana peel and found professional wrestling. When I found it, I tried to open doors for the Big E’s and Bobby Lashley’s of the world. When you come from the neighborhood, especially back in the day, professional wrestling is the last form of entertainment as far as our way out. It’s gonna be football, it’s gonna be basketball, it’s gonna be rapping, it’s gonna be something other than professional wrestling. But when kids saw Booker T doing it, they thought ‘man, this might be the way out, so we’re gonna start gravitating toward professional wrestling.’”
“AEW’s got Jade Cargill, you’ve got the Will Hobbs’ of the world. You’ve got the Scorpio Sky’s. That’s very few in comparison to the roster, so you’ve got to give those guys a little bit of time to actually get what WWE has, and you’ve got to look at the time WWE took to actually get to where it is right now as well.”
Though time is capable of healing all wounds, not all time is created equal. There is a difference between time invested in handpicked pillars and the passage of time among wrestlers that AEW may or may not have plans for. The key is the follow-through, and a continued commitment in underserved talent that extends past Black History Month.
Voting is currently open for the 2021 Sportskeeda Wrestling Awards at Sportskeeda.com/wrestling-awards.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/alfredkonuwa/2022/02/27/booker-t-names-his-2021-wrestlers-of-the-year-talks-aew-diversity/