WWE Hall of Famer Booker T recently spoke with TV Insider about the new syndication deal his Reality of Wrestling promotion got, as well as his views and ideologies as a promoter in the competitive wrestling industry. Highlights from the interview are below.
On his vision and the success of Reality of Wrestling:
“I did have a vision from the beginning. I wanted to start thinking about the way I started. There was a weekly course. It was $3,000. Then you ask yourself, “What did you actually learn in eight weeks?” You don’t learn a whole lot. It was a money grab, but it got my foot in the door. It worked out for me, but it didn’t work out for a lot of guys who paid that. I wanted to open a school to give someone half of a chance of making it in the business. For the first six years of my school, I was the only trainer and teacher. I taught my students to be able to teach my other students. That way if I wasn’t around one day, it was still being carried on and the school would be there forever. Then we got bigger. We want to be something totally different. We want to be the AAA of professional wrestling where guys come to get themselves ready to actually get to that next level. With that, we’ll never go out of business because people will always be looking for that springboard.”
How he hopes to be remembered as a promoter:
“It’s refreshing to see so much color in professional wrestling these days and doing it their own way. I got to give them props. It’s all about them right now shining. Big E, put the rocket on him and send him straight to the moon. I’m loving it. I’m watching Bianca Belair break through that glass ceiling. Me as a promoter, I’m kind of the first black guy doing it from this perspective and opening a wrestling school for 17 years and producing all these shows. I always think about Paul Boesch. People said he’s a good dude and good to people. I want the same reputation. I have nothing to gain from this other than the ability to create. If I create something good, we’re creating something good as a team. This is the future of professional wrestling.”