An old backstage story involving Batista and Booker T is making the rounds again nearly two decades later.
And this time, Booker T is setting the record straight.
The two were involved in a real-life altercation during a WWE promotional shoot on May 15, 2006, after a disagreement reportedly turned physical.
The incident recently resurfaced after a clip of Batista discussing the situation went viral on the WWE subreddit (see video below), with Batista taking issue with Booker allegedly starting a fight while he was injured at the time.
Booker addressed Batista’s comments on a recent episode of his Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore podcast (see video below), acknowledging the renewed attention on the long-rumored incident.
“There’s a story going around, as far as the kerfuffle that Batista and I got into back in the day at the SummerSlam shoot out there in LA.”
Booker said he was surprised by Batista’s framing of the situation, particularly the suggestion that Booker knowingly confronted him while hurt.
“I saw a video of him and he said that it’s sad that the guy chose to pick a fight with him when he was injured. And I go, ‘Wow, man. That’s just not fair.’”
At the time, Batista was rehabbing from a surgically repaired triceps and a torn lat muscle. The injuries had forced him to vacate the World Heavyweight Championship in January 2006, though he returned to in-ring action that June.
Booker strongly pushed back on the idea that he instigated the altercation.
Or that he was even aware Batista was injured.
“First of all, I didn’t pick a fight with anybody,” Booker said. “And I definitely didn’t know anybody was injured or anything like that. This is the first time I heard about anything like that.”
He continued by defending his reputation and emphasizing that he never wanted to be viewed as a locker room bully.
“I just don’t want people to ever think that I was a bully or that I would be going around picking fights with people. I did not pick a fight with anybody. But I did finish the fight with Batista.”
Despite the lingering debate, Booker made it clear there’s no lingering animosity toward his former WWE colleague.
“Nothing but love for Batista,” he added. “And guys, quit pulling up these old stories where I’ve got to comment on them. I’m never going to get deep off into what really happened with him and me because it’s one of those locker room stories and I always thought those stories are kind of sacred.”
It’s another reminder that some backstage moments from WWE’s past still carry weight.
Even years after the bell has stopped ringing.
- MORE WWE NEWS: Logan Paul Involved In Legitimate Fist-Fight With Fellow Mega-Social Media Star, Video Footage Leaks Online …
Booker T and Batista giving respective interpretation of their infamous backstage fight in 2006
byu/AlexTorres96 inWWE
