Booker T reacts to Swerve Strickland winning the AEW World Title, Roxanne Perez’s progress in NXT, Cody Rhodes finishing his story, more

You know what, man? I’m a big fan of Swerve Strickland, man. I saw him in the airport, I guess about a couple of months ago. And him and I, we network a little bit then fellowshipped a little bit at the same time. But to see Swerve Strickland become the first Black champion over at AEW is really, really, really awesome.

I was listening to him talk just this morning how Kofi Kingston just won it not too long ago, and now he’s winning it. That just lets you know the generational gap. When I won it, and then it was, when Ron Simmons won it, and then it was so many years before another one won it, and then it was so many years before another one won it.

This shows progress in professional wrestling. For me, I’m all down with Swerve Strickland being the world champion, not just because for anything from a showpiece perspective or anything like that. This dude is really that damn good inside the squared circle. He deserves to be the world champ.

Booker T on Cody Rhodes Leaving WWE, Finishing The Story 

I think you just said it. It was a must for Cody to leave WWE. It was a must. He would’ve never been the star that he is today if Cody Rhodes wouldn’t have left WWE. And the reason I say that is because Cody was born into this business. Cody was born into the WWE. Cody never had to work an independent show or anything like that. He didn’t have to do that. Cody did that because he wanted to, and it was a need more than anything. And for him to go out there and prove his value on his own, he did that on his own.

And I got a chance to watch it up close and personal. I was at a lot of those independent shows doing signings, and Cody would walk in and he looked like a bigger star than anybody in those buildings. He projected himself bigger than anyone in this business. He dressed the part, he looked the part, he walked the part. For me, Cody coming back, the Prodigal Son, even going to AEW, doing that, he needed to come back to WWE to finish the story. I think the work Cody put in, the fans respect him more now than they ever did.

Booker T on Roxanne Perez 

Man, first of all, I love it. I watch her in the ring and she’s so leaps and bounds ahead of her years. It’s amazing to watch her talent, her growth. We’ve gotten to the point now to where Roxanne Perez could come up to me and she’d go, “What did you see?” And I go, “I didn’t see nothing.” I can’t critique her. I can’t critique her anymore. I can’t find those holes in the game.

For me, Roxanne Perez, just say for instance, if I do a film study, and it might be 20 guys or 10 girls on the Zoom call, and you’ll see Roxanne Perez pictured in there as well. She still wants knowledge. She still wants to sit under the learning tree. She still wants to be better. For me, I love that. I’m sure she’s going to be making the trip to the main roster real soon, and it’s going to be one of those days where it’s not going to be my best day, but it’s going to be my greatest day at the same time. For me, I’m loving what Roxanne Perez is doing. She started with me when she was 16 years old, and if she left the business today, she would have a legacy. It’s amazing.

Booker T on Oba Femi and The WWE NXT North American Championship 

I look at guys like Oba Femi now, who’s just pretty much a piece of clay, but he just came along and, boom, exploded. Then I look at Wes Lee, who carried that championship like a rogue warrior, like the Iron Man willing to take on all comers. I think that Carmelo Hayes, it’s got so much history in that North American Championship, just like that Television Championship I held back in the day in WCW that, for me, is the Holy Grail for a championship because that’s the one that sparked my career, just like the North American Championship has sparked so many of these young guys’ careers.