During his most recent Hall of Fame podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T commented on AEW’s Swerve Strickland taking a shot at him in a promo Sunday night, after Dynasty went off the air.
Booker said he didn’t think his name would be trending on Monday and that Tony Khan did not appreciate Strickland’s comments. Booker also said his advice to Strickland – don’t talk about anything, other than the pay-per-view.
“Woke up this morning and I wondered, why is my name trending? I see the video of Swerve Strickland saying, ‘F Booker T’ at the end of Dynasty. I’m not gonna even get upset about it. I’m going to give Swerve Strickland a little bit of advice, just a little bit. That advice would be, don’t be talking about something other than the pay-per-view at the end of the night. That’s the main event and the last thing people are going to remember. The last people are going to remember is me, my name being said. I’m sure Tony Khan don’t appreciate the news, the headline not being what happened at Dynasty with all the matches. They’re talking about Booker T. That was a bad move. He’s got a lot of energy at the end of the show. I’m not that type. I’m from that school, if you got something to say to somebody, say it to their face. I’m gonna leave it at that. Hopefully, Swerve Strickland has a hell of a career, and he’ll do very well in this business. I’m going to keep stressing what I’ve talked about for a long time, go out there and get it on your talent and merit. Nobody will ever be able to say you got it because of, only for your talent. I’m gonna keep advocating for the young guys to go out there and perform at the highest level. Take what you want. It’s not gonna be given to you. You gotta take it. The only way to take it is through your performance and how good you really are inside the squared circle. That’s as much as I’m gonna say on that issue as far as Swerve Strickland goes...
...The only one laughing is Vlad TV. He got all this stuff started and stirred up. I thought this thing was over with, I really did. The last thing I thought about was waking up this morning to a ‘F You.’ This generation, man. I’m an advocate for all young black talent to get into this business, but I’m an advocate for so many more young kids than just black kids. I’m an advocate for anybody who has the talent to actually make it to the next level. I’ll put a word in for them. I think my reputation has been solid. I don’t publicize a lot of things. The guys out there, they know. They know if I’ve been on the side of righteousness. They know what Booker T has done behind the scenes. I don’t have to talk about it on social media. I’m not trying to get extra brownie points for anything I’ve done, but they know. People like Swerve, we come from a different cloth, a totally different cloth. I wish nothing but the best for this dude. I want to see them succeed. Would I ever say anything positive about him, ever again? Probably not. Would I ever put him over as far as being a good worker and perhaps transform this business? I probably won’t do that again. I’ve learned my lesson. I ain’t gonna bring a personal beef to my job.”
Strickland was unsuccessful in capturing the AEW World Championship from Jon Moxley, after outside interference from the Young Bucks, who made their surprise return. While sitting in the ring, with Prince Nana standing near him, Strickland said the following, which was directed towards Booker:
“When I talk about representation, I mean it every single time I f—— speak on it. One year this kid right here that you supported for these last 12, 13 years. One year, five main event pay-per-views for Swerve Strickland. I don’t just speak about representation. I go out there and prove the f–king thing. And I only make it this far because of you people right here chanting ‘Whose house?’ Every single city, every single arena, every stadium. Whether it’s the United States or if it’s in London, in front of 50,000, 80,000, I don’t care if it’s 200. I always want to hear y’all chant ‘Whose house?’ Thank y’all for being here. Thank y’all for the merchandise. Get home safely. And one last thing, just for my amusement: f—-Booker T.”
Booker T and Strickland have had disagreements as it pertains to Strickland’s criticism of how WWE treats their Black talent. Strickland has said WWE does not fairly market their Black wrestlers. During an appearance on VladTV, in part 10 with Strickland, he said that Vince McMahon used the N-word in front of him at the 2005 Survivor Series.
Quote source: Fightful