Between The Ropes
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
ESPN Florida AM 1080 and AM 1060
Simulcast online at BetweenTheRopes.com

TNA performer Booker T appeared as a guest on Between The Ropes this past Tuesday night to discuss his main event match against World Champion Samoa Joe at Sunday’s Victory Road Pay-Per-View, the travel schedule in TNA compared to WWE, his PWA independent promotion in Texas, and more.

Booker has enjoyed his time in TNA since debuting with the company at last November’s Genesis PPV and considers the lighter travel schedule a major plus. “WWE pretty much goes everywhere, all over the map - very little time at home with WWE. With TNA, my schedule has been a lot more relaxed as far as time off. A lot more training time, as I’m trying to keep my body intact. More training as far as my wrestling school goes as well.” Booker also says being a member of the TNA roster is far less stressful than competing for WWE, again citing the reduced road time (With WWE, your life is the road. Your life is wrestling.”) and claims to enjoy wrestling more now than in the recent past.

Booker discussed the PWA wrestling promotion he owns in Texas and feels that TNA has been more supportive of his endeavor than WWE. “I’m a businessman just as well as Vince McMahon. I worked for Vince McMahon, but PWA is our entity. So, I had to look after PWA and that requires talent coming in and doing my show. I’ve got a few WWE guys to do my show and then for some reason it got halted. TNA stepped right in and supported me, as far as a lot of their young guys can book themselves out and do other things.”

The former WWE monarch agreed with co-host Brian Fritz that the seemingly minor aspects of a wrestling angle or character are often what is remembered most by fans. “… I feel a lot of the times, it’s an accident. Most of the things I’ve come up with, most if it was done by accident. It wasn’t anything that was totally planned or anything like that. Those are the things that work out the most … Everywhere I go, people always talk about Booker T and Goldust - ‘I remember when you and Goldust went to the 7-Eleven and they didn’t have any Booker T cups’ - a Booker T cup is what people remember.” Booker revealed that his 2002 program with Edge was to culminate in a Hair vs. Hair Match. “I wasn’t about to cut my hair, because my hair is totally my character and actually redefined what Booker T really is.”

Although he had originally planned to retire at age forty, the now forty-three-year-old Booker addressed his decision to continue wrestling. “I got to that age and my financial plan was totally in order, but I still looked at myself and I looked at the roster and I still see that I’m one of the top guys on the card, so why retire? Why quit when you still love doing what you do? … My website was blowing up with my fans telling me not to do it just yet. I think I’ll know when it’s time to step down, but I don’t think that time is really that far out - we’ll call this ‘The Retirement World Tour’ (Laughs).”

Booker shared his thoughts on working with the younger members of the TNA roster, as well as his upcoming World Title match against Samoa Joe at this Sunday’s Victory Road PPV. “I believe that Samoa Joe is the future of the business. He has a lot to learn, of course, but working with guys like him has been really cool. To go out and test my wits against guys who are much younger than I am and let them know before their very eyes that this guy’s as good as people say he is … I do look at guys like Samoa Joe, guys like AJ Styles, the Jay Lethals of the business that are the future of the business. So, I look at those guys as the future of the business, but Sunday is going to be my night … I’m looking forward to going out in Houston, Texas - my hometown - and shocking and amazing the crowd. I’m going to have a whole lot of friends there - it’s going to be a great night, a big party come Sunday night.” Booker admits to feeling more pressure while performing in front of a hometown audience, but intends to provide his best at the PPV.

To hear this interview in its entirety - including Booker’s thoughts on adjusting to TNA’s six-sided ring, the best piece of advice he can offer to young wrestlers, being the “best dressed wrestler in the business,” and more - visit the show online at http://www.BetweenTheRopes.com, where you can also become a site member and access hundreds of previous BTR broadcasts and interviews. Join Brian Fritz, Vito DeNucci, and Dickerman for Between The Ropes every Tuesday night from 6:00-8:00 PM ET on ESPN Florida AM 1080 and AM 1060 or worldwide on BetweenTheRopes.com.

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