Booker T has opened up about his Hall of Fame induction and why he feels it came too early in his career.
On his “Hall of Fame” show, Booker T discussed his first WWE Hall of Fame induction, stating that he felt the call came earlier than he had expected. Co-host Brad Gilmore recalled the conversation he had with Booker T after the WWE legend learned about his induction, revealing that the “WWE NXT” commentator had a casual reaction to the momentous news.
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“I didn’t think it was right. I thought I was way too young,” said Booker T. “I thought it was too early for me to go into the Hall of Fame. I really wasn’t ready yet because I felt like I was going to the Hall of Fame, that meant my career was over. Everything I did was going to be pretty much … putting my out into the pasture.”
Booker T stated that it wasn’t his goal to get into the Hall of Fame when he set out to wrestle, and revealed that his motivation was to be the best wrestler and emulate his pro wrestling heroes.
“I never saw myself going into the Hall of Fame. It was just never something that was on my radar. I just … really, really always wanted to be the best wrestler. And the thing is, was I going to be the best wrestler? Probably not. But, I did want my name to ring with the best wrestlers. I want my name to ring with, you know, Ric Flair, Nick Bockwinkel, Dusty [Rhodes], Harley Race — all of the great champions. I think I did that,” declared the WCW legend.
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The multi-time world champion was 48 when he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013, an accolade he earned a year after calling time on his in-ring career. He received another Hall of Fame induction six years later, this time for his work as Harlem Heat, alongside his brother Stevie Ray.