1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: For me, I was always trying to represent. That's something 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: that I always thought about when I was coming up 3 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: and wrestling. 4 00:00:06,760 --> 00:00:08,799 Speaker 2: I always want to represent for my people. 5 00:00:09,320 --> 00:00:11,880 Speaker 1: Strong cold and I we you know, had a job 6 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:14,040 Speaker 1: and the task in hand was to go out there, 7 00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:16,520 Speaker 1: you know, make makes dog cold look good. You know 8 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:18,799 Speaker 1: it was it was called a payoff. You know. 9 00:00:18,840 --> 00:00:20,360 Speaker 2: It was time for me to pay it off. 10 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:22,960 Speaker 1: And when you do that, I say, you got to 11 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: go all the way out. When they roll the cameras, 12 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: you know, that's pretty much. They just said action and 13 00:00:29,880 --> 00:00:33,160 Speaker 1: we went to work. The old baby all the baby 14 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,240 Speaker 1: all does tricks, you know, to the eyes, you know, 15 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: make you look a whole lot better. 16 00:00:38,400 --> 00:00:40,159 Speaker 2: You know, you good with football? What's your first meme? 17 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:41,120 Speaker 2: Andre Johnson? 18 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,319 Speaker 1: Oh Man record shop man on the field in Euston. Man. 19 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:49,680 Speaker 3: Sometimes you have to may chop somebody or slap somebody 20 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 3: up a little bit to kind of get them in order. 21 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: I slapped the several several guys, many many guys, you. 22 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:58,680 Speaker 3: Know, just to wake them up, man tell us a 23 00:00:58,720 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 3: little bit. What what what guy? You in the wrestling book? 24 00:01:01,600 --> 00:01:04,319 Speaker 2: Just looking for something to do? Man? Uh, I had. 25 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: I went to prison actually when I was twenty one, 26 00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:14,240 Speaker 1: and when I got out, you know, I was, you know, 27 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,160 Speaker 1: wondering what I was going to do. And uh my 28 00:01:17,200 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: brother actually got me a job at at this warehouse 29 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:25,600 Speaker 1: and uh I worked there for you know a while, 30 00:01:25,720 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: and I proved you know, my my that that that 31 00:01:29,959 --> 00:01:33,520 Speaker 1: I could, you know, get back in society, you know. 32 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,080 Speaker 1: And what was really really cool about it, I was working, 33 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:39,960 Speaker 1: like I said, at this warehouse for this guy. Uh 34 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 1: my brother had the opportunity to go to wrestling school. 35 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 2: I didn't have the money, but proving. 36 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: Myself to this guy working for him for like a 37 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 1: year straight from seven in the morning to seven at night, 38 00:01:54,080 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: he paid for my tuition to go to the resting school. 39 00:01:57,520 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 2: And uh man, it was a blessing. 40 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 1: It was a blessing those three thousand dollars, three thousand. 41 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 2: Dollars that I didn't have. And and the rest is 42 00:02:05,640 --> 00:02:07,080 Speaker 2: pretty much kind of like history. You know. 43 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:08,640 Speaker 4: It's funny that you kind of say that, you know, 44 00:02:08,639 --> 00:02:11,360 Speaker 4: you talk about going to prison and you know, working 45 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:13,800 Speaker 4: at the storage company. I seen on your Wikipedia. Well 46 00:02:13,840 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 4: when you going to their wrestling school, it kind of 47 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 4: took you know, from what they said your gangster background 48 00:02:18,800 --> 00:02:20,520 Speaker 4: and kind of put that character into you know who 49 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:22,800 Speaker 4: you later became into wrestling. 50 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:26,040 Speaker 1: Well pretty much, you know, played my own my character, 51 00:02:26,160 --> 00:02:29,320 Speaker 1: you know, pretty much throughout wrestling. It was it was 52 00:02:29,360 --> 00:02:32,960 Speaker 1: easy to be myself, you know, as a kid, you know, 53 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:35,920 Speaker 1: growing up in Houston, you know, with a name like Booker, 54 00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:38,480 Speaker 1: you know, you can imagine I got to a lot 55 00:02:38,520 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: of fights because kids called me Booger. 56 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,480 Speaker 2: So I was always fighting as a kid. 57 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: So I just took those life experiences and brought them 58 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: to the wrestling ring. As far as real emotion, you know, 59 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 1: rely on something that perhaps have happened to me to 60 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: bring those emotions out. 61 00:02:56,480 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 2: I was a kid who you know, I like school. 62 00:03:00,600 --> 00:03:02,240 Speaker 1: I used to skip school a lot, and I used 63 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:04,959 Speaker 1: to go watch those karate movies down to Majestico and 64 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: see that in the Majestic downtown in those movies. Man, 65 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 1: I used to morph into those characters in those movies 66 00:03:13,360 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: and they made me you. 67 00:03:15,440 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 2: Know, it was like an escape, but it was. It 68 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 2: was so real. 69 00:03:18,520 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 1: And to be able to use those characters that I 70 00:03:21,240 --> 00:03:25,119 Speaker 1: watched as you know myself, you know in the wrestling 71 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: I actually it worked that perfectly. 72 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,359 Speaker 3: Was there ever a moment where you were just like damn, 73 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 3: like I made it like or you felt like the 74 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 3: moment was like super super huge. 75 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: You know, the moment I really thought I made it was, 76 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:41,280 Speaker 1: you know, because you know, I was a kid from 77 00:03:41,280 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: the street. 78 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 2: I never really made a lot of money or anything 79 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 2: like that. 80 00:03:44,160 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: And when I got into professional wrestling, I didn't think 81 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: it was a money maker or anything like that. 82 00:03:47,880 --> 00:03:48,160 Speaker 2: I was. 83 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: I was doing it because it was just an escape. 84 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: It wasn't on my radar, like I said, as far 85 00:03:55,480 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: as me going on and doing what I've done in wrestling, I. 86 00:04:01,360 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 2: Would have done it for free. I done it for free. 87 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: And then one day, you know, we got we got 88 00:04:07,880 --> 00:04:11,160 Speaker 1: the phone call and our first contract was like seventy 89 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:13,480 Speaker 1: five thousand dollars and I was like, wow, you can 90 00:04:13,480 --> 00:04:13,920 Speaker 1: get paid. 91 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 2: Just got the money that I think. That's what I 92 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,680 Speaker 2: was like, we all right, we've made it, you know, 93 00:04:21,760 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 2: because that's seventy five grand for me. 94 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: Man, I was a huge jump from making like twenty 95 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:31,080 Speaker 1: grand a year to make it seventy five a year. 96 00:04:31,120 --> 00:04:33,480 Speaker 2: And that was the starting rate. And I was like, man, 97 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:33,960 Speaker 2: you know, I. 98 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,839 Speaker 1: Knew it was so many more guys making so much 99 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,720 Speaker 1: more money than I was making. And I was like, man, 100 00:04:39,839 --> 00:04:42,119 Speaker 1: you know, by the end of the day, I'd be making, 101 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,159 Speaker 1: you know, more than those guys. But now, when I 102 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:47,360 Speaker 1: when I first started making some money in wrestling, I 103 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:50,360 Speaker 1: felt like I had made it, you know, I knew 104 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,240 Speaker 1: the sky was the limit. Though I knew I could 105 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:54,840 Speaker 1: make so so much more, But it wasn't It wasn't 106 00:04:54,839 --> 00:04:57,160 Speaker 1: about the money per se. 107 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:59,919 Speaker 2: It was just about me having a job, you know, 108 00:05:00,360 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 2: me finding myself. I think that's when I feel like 109 00:05:03,400 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 2: I had made it. 110 00:05:05,839 --> 00:05:08,560 Speaker 1: And just to give you a little backstory, I was 111 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:13,520 Speaker 1: working at that warehouse, right and I was working six 112 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,280 Speaker 1: days a week all right, but my boss would give 113 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,960 Speaker 1: me time off to go do some shows when I needed, Right, 114 00:05:20,320 --> 00:05:23,039 Speaker 1: So I had a trip to go to Japan. It 115 00:05:23,120 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 1: was the first time I had ever been on a 116 00:05:24,720 --> 00:05:26,440 Speaker 1: plane before, right that the first time I had never 117 00:05:26,440 --> 00:05:28,880 Speaker 1: been on a plane seriously, and I'm on the fifteen 118 00:05:28,920 --> 00:05:32,800 Speaker 1: hour flight to Japan, and I was like, but it. 119 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:34,920 Speaker 2: Was crazy, right, But I was working at six day 120 00:05:34,920 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 2: a week job. 121 00:05:36,080 --> 00:05:38,839 Speaker 1: When I got to Japan, all those people knew me 122 00:05:39,040 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: because I was on this show on ESPN, so it 123 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:43,719 Speaker 1: was like I was a star there. And then I 124 00:05:43,760 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 1: was like, man, I came back home and then I 125 00:05:45,240 --> 00:05:49,280 Speaker 1: had another trip and I went to Korea and then 126 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:51,120 Speaker 1: I went to the Virgin Islands. And when I went 127 00:05:51,120 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 1: to the Virgin Islands, it was really sick because the 128 00:05:53,680 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 1: brother was like really. 129 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:58,120 Speaker 2: Over like Rover. Everybody on the island knew who I was, you. 130 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:00,000 Speaker 1: Know, and I was like, Wow, this is freaking cool. 131 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 1: And and I was thinking in my mind, I was like, man, 132 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:04,440 Speaker 1: maybe I'm gonna have to quit my job. 133 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 2: It was you know what I mean. 134 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 1: So it was just finding myself and realizing that I 135 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:17,080 Speaker 1: found my purpose in life and it was professional wrestling. 136 00:06:17,120 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 2: It saved me. 137 00:06:18,640 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 3: You know, we're not in the wrestling world, so we 138 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 3: don't really understand, you know, what comes with that. But 139 00:06:24,800 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 3: was it hard, you know because you had been think 140 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 3: about you eleven time tag team champion, so to branch 141 00:06:32,440 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 3: off into your own thing. How was that like the 142 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:36,960 Speaker 3: shift with that? 143 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:39,599 Speaker 1: My brother and I we got into this, you know, 144 00:06:39,640 --> 00:06:41,400 Speaker 1: we started out as singles wrestlers. 145 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:43,520 Speaker 2: You know. He was the super colyder and I was 146 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 2: g I bro. 147 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:51,479 Speaker 1: But my brother had a tryout one day in Dallas 148 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:56,280 Speaker 1: and I just tagged along with him and they were 149 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: looking for a tag team, uh specifically a black tag team, 150 00:07:01,200 --> 00:07:03,560 Speaker 1: and they asked my brother, have you guys ever tagged before, 151 00:07:03,600 --> 00:07:09,240 Speaker 1: and were like, yeah, we never tagged before. Thing, you know, 152 00:07:10,080 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 1: the otherny experience was created. But you know it was 153 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,000 Speaker 1: our foot in the door, you know, and when you 154 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:16,720 Speaker 1: when you get your when you get a chance to 155 00:07:16,720 --> 00:07:18,280 Speaker 1: get your foot in the door, you gotta take it. 156 00:07:18,920 --> 00:07:21,440 Speaker 1: So we say, let's take this, run with it and 157 00:07:21,560 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: run with it as far as we could. We never imagined, 158 00:07:25,000 --> 00:07:28,000 Speaker 1: you know, becoming you know, w c w's greatest tag team. 159 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: You know, it was raining tag team champions in the 160 00:07:31,600 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 1: history of the game. But but it was awesome, you know, 161 00:07:35,680 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 1: traveling down the road with my brother. My brother gave 162 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:43,600 Speaker 1: me that that that's something that I needed. I knew 163 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:45,960 Speaker 1: he was watching my backs and I could just go 164 00:07:46,080 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: out there and just let it all hang out. You know, 165 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:52,520 Speaker 1: I could be myself, you know with my brother watching 166 00:07:52,600 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 1: my back. Always been that way up since I was 167 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,240 Speaker 1: a kid. And then my brother got hurt. He threw 168 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,840 Speaker 1: a muscle in the bottom of his foot, and uh, 169 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: I started doing singles wrestling. But my brother always used 170 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:07,600 Speaker 1: to tell me, man, you're prolific. Man, you better than 171 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: all these guys. You know, just go out there and 172 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:12,680 Speaker 1: do your thing, you know, and that's what I did. 173 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:16,160 Speaker 1: But it was it was a seamless transition going from 174 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:19,800 Speaker 1: tag team wrestling to the singles wrestling. I was always wondered, 175 00:08:19,840 --> 00:08:21,920 Speaker 1: you know, how good I was. I always wanted to 176 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,640 Speaker 1: test myself, you know, as a singles wrestler, to see 177 00:08:24,640 --> 00:08:27,720 Speaker 1: if I was you know, championship material. 178 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,680 Speaker 2: And I got the opportunity one time by. 179 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:35,199 Speaker 1: Uh uh one of the guys named Rick Martell. He 180 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,320 Speaker 1: was he was gonna become the television champion this night, 181 00:08:38,840 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 1: and uh he's from Canada and he thought he was 182 00:08:41,880 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 1: just coming to do some promos, so he didn't break 183 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 1: his gear. He left his boots and everything at home. 184 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:48,960 Speaker 1: So they said, man, we gotta, you know, switch the 185 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: title of night. So we're gonna put it on Booker. 186 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:53,640 Speaker 1: And I was like, oh man, you know they put 187 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:55,480 Speaker 1: the title on me, You're never gonna get it back. 188 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 2: That was my thought process, you know. 189 00:08:57,520 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: So they put the title on me that night and boom, 190 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,600 Speaker 1: that's when everything started clicking. And that's what everything start, 191 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:07,080 Speaker 1: you know, really happening for me. You know, six time 192 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:11,320 Speaker 1: television champions later, you know what I mean, totally changing 193 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 1: the game of television championship reign, you know, so it 194 00:09:14,640 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: was for me it was something else I was looking 195 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:20,680 Speaker 1: forward to try, you know, singles, just like I said, 196 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:21,880 Speaker 1: See how good I really was? 197 00:09:22,040 --> 00:09:23,960 Speaker 2: Yo, you got your catchphrase? Can you dig it? 198 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 4: You know, sucker? Like when you watch wrestling, you know, 199 00:09:27,559 --> 00:09:31,000 Speaker 4: like Stone Cold he got the ultimate interest, Rick Flair, 200 00:09:31,040 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 4: he got his thing. How did that kind of go 201 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:35,440 Speaker 4: into coming about? Who puts the thought into that, Who 202 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 4: comes up with the idea of it? How did that 203 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:38,079 Speaker 4: kind of come about? 204 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 2: You know? 205 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:41,200 Speaker 4: Because I think you really arrived when everywhere you go 206 00:09:41,280 --> 00:09:43,440 Speaker 4: people can say, you know, as soon as they see you, 207 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 4: the first thing most people probably say just to kind 208 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:47,320 Speaker 4: of break the ice, can you dig it? You know, 209 00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 4: and they know that you're going to kind of give 210 00:09:48,760 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 4: it back to him a little bit. So just how 211 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:51,480 Speaker 4: did that come about? 212 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 2: For me? 213 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: I was a kid man who loved Shaft and you 214 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: know Richie Roundtree, you know, back in the day, and 215 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:01,240 Speaker 1: they used to always say can you get you know, 216 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,440 Speaker 1: and you know that catchphrase you know, for me is 217 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 1: definitely something that you need, you know, for the fans, 218 00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,040 Speaker 1: you know, to actually you know, you know, become a 219 00:10:11,080 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: part of I don't know how to rest those guys 220 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: you know, found their their catchphrase. 221 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 2: But for me, I was just the street kid trying 222 00:10:17,200 --> 00:10:17,720 Speaker 2: to be like. 223 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: You know, like chef and uh, you know, raising the 224 00:10:22,440 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 1: roof back in the day was you know, one of 225 00:10:24,200 --> 00:10:27,280 Speaker 1: the signatures as well. But nah, man, those are things 226 00:10:27,320 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 1: that you got to you know, try to find yourself relatable. 227 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,160 Speaker 1: For me, I was always trying to represent. That's something 228 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 1: that I always thought about when I was coming up 229 00:10:37,480 --> 00:10:40,040 Speaker 1: and wrestling. I always want to represent for my people. 230 00:10:40,360 --> 00:10:42,080 Speaker 1: I want I always want them to look at me 231 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 1: and say, man, that's our guy right there, you know, 232 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:46,839 Speaker 1: because I was that same guy when you know, and 233 00:10:46,960 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 1: a junkyard dog was coming up, I was like. 234 00:10:48,960 --> 00:10:51,280 Speaker 2: Man, that's the guy that you know, that's the guy. Well, 235 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:52,640 Speaker 2: that's my dog right there, you know. 236 00:10:52,720 --> 00:10:55,120 Speaker 1: So for me, I was always you know, trying to 237 00:10:55,160 --> 00:10:57,600 Speaker 1: find it something that I could connect with my people. 238 00:10:58,080 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 2: But I didn't want to alienate anybody. 239 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:02,360 Speaker 1: At the same time, I wanted everybody to be a 240 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:05,280 Speaker 1: part of that journey, but I still wanted to make 241 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:08,160 Speaker 1: sure I represent it for my people, just because I 242 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:10,280 Speaker 1: knew it was going to be some young black wrestler 243 00:11:10,559 --> 00:11:12,600 Speaker 1: that came up behind me and I needed to show 244 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:13,280 Speaker 1: them how. 245 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:14,319 Speaker 2: The game is done. 246 00:11:14,679 --> 00:11:17,440 Speaker 1: These are the protocol These are the steps, you know, 247 00:11:17,640 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: to get to that next level. So I think that's 248 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:22,920 Speaker 1: what you know, I've always been thinking about, you know, 249 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 1: from you know, my name having a I tell my 250 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:29,000 Speaker 1: students you got to have a championship name if you 251 00:11:29,040 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 1: want to be champion, you know, and I always say Booker. 252 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 2: T Oh, yeah, that's a championship name, you know. 253 00:11:33,720 --> 00:11:37,800 Speaker 1: So for me, everything has been, uh, it's all been 254 00:11:37,840 --> 00:11:40,520 Speaker 1: by design. I don't think I slipped on a banana peel, 255 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:43,520 Speaker 1: you know, in this business or anything like that. I've 256 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: always known exactly what routes, you know, to take to 257 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 1: try to get me to that next level. 258 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:54,320 Speaker 3: Was there like any animosity or anything like from switching 259 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 3: from you know, WCW to going to the WW because 260 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:01,480 Speaker 3: I know certain wrestlers the rest of on certain you know, 261 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:03,559 Speaker 3: certain networks and things of that nature. 262 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:06,400 Speaker 1: It was a huge difference, you know, going from w 263 00:12:06,600 --> 00:12:09,520 Speaker 1: W excuse me, w CW to w W just because 264 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:13,120 Speaker 1: you know, it was a real rivalry, really was. And 265 00:12:13,160 --> 00:12:17,480 Speaker 1: when ww WW bought the company, you know, the war 266 00:12:17,679 --> 00:12:20,440 Speaker 1: was over. They got a chance to plat the flag 267 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 1: and say, hey man, we won this ward. 268 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:23,199 Speaker 2: It's it's it's over. 269 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:26,680 Speaker 1: And everybody that's gonna come from w CW over here, 270 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,160 Speaker 1: they're gonna have a rough rough ride. 271 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:30,680 Speaker 2: You know, we're gonna bury they wanted. 272 00:12:30,720 --> 00:12:34,080 Speaker 1: They wanted to bury everyone I thought coming from WCW. 273 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:34,439 Speaker 2: I mean. 274 00:12:34,480 --> 00:12:36,959 Speaker 1: And for me, if it was vice versa, there was 275 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,240 Speaker 1: probably it probably would have been the same way, you 276 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,360 Speaker 1: know what I mean. But for me, I I thought 277 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,559 Speaker 1: about that, and I thought about it really really hard 278 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:48,599 Speaker 1: as far as what it was gonna take for me 279 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:52,640 Speaker 1: to make it in the w W and all the accolades, 280 00:12:52,760 --> 00:12:55,960 Speaker 1: you know, the four World Championships to ten, you know, 281 00:12:56,120 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 1: Tag Team Championships to six, you know, Television champions Ships, 282 00:13:00,440 --> 00:13:04,200 Speaker 1: the United States Championship, run, all of that stuff. 283 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,160 Speaker 2: I was willing to leave it behind and start all 284 00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:07,760 Speaker 2: over fresh. 285 00:13:08,240 --> 00:13:11,440 Speaker 1: You know, I don't know you Andre, you you guys know, 286 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:14,200 Speaker 1: both of you guys know, I gotta say. You gotta 287 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:15,800 Speaker 1: know you gotta be able to make it in the 288 00:13:15,840 --> 00:13:18,079 Speaker 1: locker room before you can make it. You know on 289 00:13:18,120 --> 00:13:20,440 Speaker 1: the field, right, you got to be able to make 290 00:13:20,480 --> 00:13:22,000 Speaker 1: it in the locker room before you make it in 291 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,440 Speaker 1: the ring. It's just that simple. So I said, I'm 292 00:13:24,440 --> 00:13:27,120 Speaker 1: gonna go in here, and show these guys that I am. 293 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: I am worthy to be in this locker room, I'm 294 00:13:30,559 --> 00:13:33,040 Speaker 1: worthy to be on this television show, and I'm willing 295 00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: to compete with anybody in the world to show exactly 296 00:13:36,120 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: how good I am. So I took that approach, you know, 297 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:40,600 Speaker 1: and then after a while, you know, I remember one 298 00:13:40,640 --> 00:13:43,760 Speaker 1: day I came to work and I was getting ready 299 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:46,360 Speaker 1: to go to the locker room, you know, while the wrestlers, 300 00:13:46,400 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 1: you know, address that there's so many guys in that 301 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:52,160 Speaker 1: locker room, you know, like fifty guys, And I remember 302 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:54,760 Speaker 1: the Undertaker saying, hey, man, won't you come dress over 303 00:13:54,800 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 1: here with us? 304 00:13:55,880 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 2: You know, And I was like, Okay, I made it, 305 00:13:58,000 --> 00:13:59,480 Speaker 2: you know what I mean? You know what I mean. 306 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:01,880 Speaker 2: It was one of those type of things, but I 307 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:02,880 Speaker 2: was willing to work for it. 308 00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 1: But I knew the protocols and the steps that I 309 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:07,600 Speaker 1: was gonna have to take to actually get there as well. 310 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:09,679 Speaker 4: I guess I'd like to ask you about just some 311 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:12,199 Speaker 4: of the egos, you know, in wrestling, Like, you know, 312 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:15,439 Speaker 4: my age, my era coming up watching it, everybody was 313 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 4: a superstar. 314 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:18,840 Speaker 2: It seemed like, so, you know, everybody was a superstar. 315 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 4: I had to get to the house, just to watch it, 316 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:23,560 Speaker 4: just to see what's going on, from the storytelling to 317 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:25,560 Speaker 4: everything that it had going on, just to keep you know, 318 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,160 Speaker 4: your attention and locked in on it, the storylines each 319 00:14:28,200 --> 00:14:29,880 Speaker 4: and every week, looking forward to what's going to happen, 320 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 4: and just talking about once you become a champion like 321 00:14:32,760 --> 00:14:34,840 Speaker 4: you are yourself. Obviously, all the other guys that has 322 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:37,040 Speaker 4: the same type of start, how do they go about 323 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 4: it trying to you know, get that championship belt or 324 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 4: get to the top, because I know it's got to 325 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:42,400 Speaker 4: be a grind, you know, working your way from the 326 00:14:42,400 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 4: bottom to the top. 327 00:14:43,840 --> 00:14:45,720 Speaker 1: It is, you know, but you know, we've got to 328 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:47,920 Speaker 1: say and I bits just you know, the guy that's 329 00:14:48,360 --> 00:14:50,080 Speaker 1: at the top, the guy's the champion. 330 00:14:50,160 --> 00:14:50,520 Speaker 2: You work. 331 00:14:50,560 --> 00:14:52,440 Speaker 1: We work for him, you know what I mean. We 332 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,400 Speaker 1: work he's the guy that's joined the house, you know 333 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:56,760 Speaker 1: what I mean. So we got to make sure we 334 00:14:56,880 --> 00:15:00,600 Speaker 1: do everything, you know, proper for that guy. And like 335 00:15:00,640 --> 00:15:02,280 Speaker 1: you said, there are a lot of egos. There are 336 00:15:02,280 --> 00:15:05,120 Speaker 1: some guys that get in that position that that that 337 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,720 Speaker 1: take it, you know, to the extreme. They go to 338 00:15:07,720 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: their head, you know, and a lot of those guys 339 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 1: don't don't stick around very long, you know. 340 00:15:12,960 --> 00:15:13,320 Speaker 2: For me. 341 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:18,200 Speaker 1: I remember, I remember winning my first World Everyway championship, right, 342 00:15:18,760 --> 00:15:22,080 Speaker 1: and I came to the building and uh, there's two 343 00:15:22,160 --> 00:15:24,320 Speaker 1: guys in front of me and they took a quick 344 00:15:24,400 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: left and they parked right and you know, uh right, 345 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: you know, right behind the building. And when I came up, 346 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:31,760 Speaker 1: they told me to go park in the parking garage. 347 00:15:32,040 --> 00:15:34,360 Speaker 2: And I was like, man, okay, I'm the champion, so 348 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:35,800 Speaker 2: I'm so mad. I'm so mad. 349 00:15:35,840 --> 00:15:39,480 Speaker 1: I walked through the building and uh, and I told 350 00:15:39,480 --> 00:15:41,520 Speaker 1: one of the guys, you know, say hey, man, follow me, Man, 351 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,080 Speaker 1: I want you to see something. And uh and I 352 00:15:44,160 --> 00:15:47,240 Speaker 1: went into the building and I screamed so loud. I say, ooh, 353 00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 1: the f is security. I want to know who the 354 00:15:49,360 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: security is? Why is security? You know? And it came 355 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:54,800 Speaker 1: and I said, I want to know this. I said, 356 00:15:54,800 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 1: I want to know why such as I'm not gonna 357 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: mention the name. Why they parked, you know, behind the 358 00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:03,320 Speaker 1: building in the champ not Booker t not not me, 359 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:06,280 Speaker 1: the champ hatch to park in the parking c. 360 00:16:08,080 --> 00:16:10,720 Speaker 2: Oh hell, you know what I mean? They got everything. 361 00:16:10,760 --> 00:16:12,400 Speaker 1: They was like, oh man, we gotta fix this, we 362 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:16,080 Speaker 1: gotta fix this, and I remember they came to me 363 00:16:16,120 --> 00:16:17,680 Speaker 1: and they asked me, hey, Book, you know you're the 364 00:16:17,760 --> 00:16:19,480 Speaker 1: champ man. You know you want to get you your 365 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:21,640 Speaker 1: own locker room. Could to get your own locker room, 366 00:16:21,920 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: you know all the shows you know and whatnot. 367 00:16:23,640 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 2: And I said, man, screw that. I don't want my 368 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:26,200 Speaker 2: own locker room. 369 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: I don't know al myself from the boys, I said, 370 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:31,040 Speaker 1: I tell you what, get me a fifty inch TV 371 00:16:31,720 --> 00:16:34,440 Speaker 1: so I could play Matt on the road at every 372 00:16:34,640 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 1: place we go. 373 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:36,240 Speaker 2: And they did it. 374 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:38,760 Speaker 1: They got me a fifty inch and everywhere we went 375 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,520 Speaker 1: we played PlayStation it is. 376 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:44,600 Speaker 4: You talk about Madden obviously, you know you're good with football. 377 00:16:44,640 --> 00:16:45,400 Speaker 4: What's your first member? 378 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:48,680 Speaker 1: Andre Johnson oh Man record shop man on the field 379 00:16:48,680 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: in Houston. Man, I mean, I just say I just 380 00:16:52,680 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 1: felt so bad for him, just because I knew we 381 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:56,640 Speaker 1: wasn't getting no rings, you know what I mean, And 382 00:16:56,640 --> 00:16:58,480 Speaker 1: he was out there working so hard. Man, he was, 383 00:16:58,640 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 1: he was a Hall of famer. He was a champion 384 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 1: in his own right now. I just felt like, you know, 385 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 1: he should have been on the championship a championship team 386 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:09,040 Speaker 1: at the same time, not that you know, you know, 387 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:11,120 Speaker 1: not looking down on my city. Or anything like that, 388 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 1: But he was putting in a lot of work at 389 00:17:14,040 --> 00:17:16,000 Speaker 1: that time. Man, I just felt like you deserve so 390 00:17:16,080 --> 00:17:16,480 Speaker 1: much more. 391 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:19,440 Speaker 3: That was definitely something different. I tell people all the time, 392 00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,959 Speaker 3: like me coming from Miami, were we won so many games, 393 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:26,440 Speaker 3: then coming to a new franchise, that was like probably 394 00:17:26,480 --> 00:17:29,240 Speaker 3: like the biggest struggle, you know, because you're not getting 395 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:31,960 Speaker 3: the wins that you're used to getting. So that was 396 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:35,639 Speaker 3: definitely like a great I would say, a great learning 397 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 3: experience for me. 398 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:42,240 Speaker 2: Tell us what, like what fueled you? Like what made 399 00:17:42,280 --> 00:17:44,080 Speaker 2: you booker? 400 00:17:44,160 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 3: T Like what what what made you the person that 401 00:17:48,080 --> 00:17:49,760 Speaker 3: you are, the wrestler that you were. 402 00:17:49,920 --> 00:17:55,160 Speaker 4: We already knew about the seventy five thousand now, man. 403 00:17:56,040 --> 00:17:58,160 Speaker 1: I think that just goes back a long way. Man, 404 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 1: that kid that grew up you're in the city, man, 405 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,080 Speaker 1: and I didn't have much, you know, growing up, I didn't. 406 00:18:04,440 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 1: No one never asked me, you know, as a kid, 407 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:08,199 Speaker 1: what do I want to be when I grew up? 408 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:10,600 Speaker 1: And I never had that question ask to me or 409 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,960 Speaker 1: anything like that. You know, I was trying to survive, 410 00:18:14,440 --> 00:18:18,679 Speaker 1: trying to survive, and I lost my mother when I 411 00:18:18,720 --> 00:18:20,879 Speaker 1: was young. You know, I'm at fourteen, I lost my 412 00:18:20,920 --> 00:18:23,119 Speaker 1: father when I was ten months old. 413 00:18:23,440 --> 00:18:25,240 Speaker 2: You know what I mean. So I think the drive 414 00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 2: came from that photo that I saw with my dad. Always. 415 00:18:30,119 --> 00:18:33,360 Speaker 1: My dad didn't leave us, he passed away, but I've 416 00:18:33,400 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: always had this photo of my dad. 417 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:38,800 Speaker 2: It's a strong photo too. Man. You know he's got 418 00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:39,440 Speaker 2: the hat. 419 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:41,679 Speaker 1: You know what I mean, the dobs, so you know 420 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,080 Speaker 1: he's been He's got the flat alone. He's looking so 421 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: freaky cool. He looks strong. And I wanted to live 422 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,879 Speaker 1: up to that photo. I really wanted to live up 423 00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:57,000 Speaker 1: to that photo. And when I finally found myself in 424 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,159 Speaker 1: a position, you know, I always knew I was going 425 00:18:59,200 --> 00:19:01,840 Speaker 1: to be something in life, even though I quit school 426 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:05,159 Speaker 1: in high school, even though I went to prison. You know, 427 00:19:05,320 --> 00:19:07,280 Speaker 1: as a young kid, I always knew I was going 428 00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:10,560 Speaker 1: to be something. I always had a great work ethic. 429 00:19:11,119 --> 00:19:15,240 Speaker 1: I would work my fingers to the bone no matter what. 430 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:20,720 Speaker 1: So finally, you know, getting in this position, I felt 431 00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:24,920 Speaker 1: like it was not just me being in this position, 432 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:28,720 Speaker 1: but what I could do in this position. I think 433 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: about that all the time. You know, I was that 434 00:19:30,560 --> 00:19:34,840 Speaker 1: trouble kid that no one could tell me anything, no 435 00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,760 Speaker 1: one could get me on the right track. But if 436 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:41,639 Speaker 1: this guy right here behind me, Mamada lead. If you 437 00:19:41,640 --> 00:19:44,359 Speaker 1: would have told me the same thing that everybody else 438 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:47,280 Speaker 1: was telling me, Bam, I would have straightened up boom 439 00:19:47,320 --> 00:19:49,800 Speaker 1: and I would have got the job done without no question. 440 00:19:50,119 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 2: I knew I would have. And now I'm in that 441 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:53,200 Speaker 2: same position. 442 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: And that's why I think the work, you know as 443 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:57,520 Speaker 1: it comes from me wanted to be that guy, to 444 00:19:57,560 --> 00:19:59,479 Speaker 1: be a beacon of life for some kid that just 445 00:19:59,560 --> 00:20:01,359 Speaker 1: one day they just need a pad on the back 446 00:20:02,440 --> 00:20:05,639 Speaker 1: and being told that, hey, you can do this, you 447 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:08,720 Speaker 1: can get this done. I was that kid who always 448 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,639 Speaker 1: just wanted to pad on the back and which told 449 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:14,040 Speaker 1: that I could get it done. I never had that, 450 00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: and I think that's what drove me to be the 451 00:20:16,359 --> 00:20:17,280 Speaker 1: guy who I am today. 452 00:20:17,480 --> 00:20:19,640 Speaker 3: And I think a lot of kids now sometimes they 453 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:24,160 Speaker 3: do need that push and they, you know, coming from 454 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:26,959 Speaker 3: where we come from, sometimes we don't have you know, 455 00:20:27,040 --> 00:20:30,680 Speaker 3: Like I told people, I never had no professional football 456 00:20:30,720 --> 00:20:34,399 Speaker 3: player or professional anything come speak to me when I 457 00:20:34,440 --> 00:20:38,159 Speaker 3: was in school. So I always that was something that 458 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:40,600 Speaker 3: always motivated me to be like, you know what, I'm 459 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:42,520 Speaker 3: gonna make it and I can come back to my 460 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:45,920 Speaker 3: community or you know, my neighborhood and show kids that 461 00:20:45,960 --> 00:20:50,040 Speaker 3: you can't make it from those type of places. 462 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:52,040 Speaker 2: I know, you. 463 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,160 Speaker 3: Had to be where you are a Hall of Famer 464 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:04,440 Speaker 3: champion and think you've accomplished. Have you had had anybody 465 00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:07,320 Speaker 3: doubt you about wrestling, because I'm sure somebody had to 466 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:09,520 Speaker 3: come to you like you getting in the wrestling game, 467 00:21:09,560 --> 00:21:11,679 Speaker 3: and they probably was like, that's not gonna work. Have 468 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 3: you had any doubters? 469 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:14,440 Speaker 2: Yeah? 470 00:21:14,480 --> 00:21:18,199 Speaker 1: Man, When I first got the business, you know, a 471 00:21:18,240 --> 00:21:20,159 Speaker 1: lot of my friends told me I was stupid, you 472 00:21:20,200 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: know what I was doing, you know, because you got 473 00:21:22,640 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 1: to understand I was doing this wrestling thing and you 474 00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: didn't have a whole lot of black you know, guys 475 00:21:29,359 --> 00:21:31,679 Speaker 1: trying to get into wrestling. That's one thing. And I was, 476 00:21:31,800 --> 00:21:34,399 Speaker 1: I was I was literally like going from one. 477 00:21:34,280 --> 00:21:34,800 Speaker 2: Side of town. 478 00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 1: I would literally sneak all the way to the other 479 00:21:37,119 --> 00:21:39,399 Speaker 1: side of town and do the wrestling thing with the 480 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:46,119 Speaker 1: white guys, just doing to think, you know. 481 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:47,919 Speaker 2: But it was fun. You know, it was fun. It 482 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 2: was it was escape. 483 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: But I had, you know, people doubt me, you know, 484 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:56,480 Speaker 1: But that's just part of the game. One thing about 485 00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,080 Speaker 1: one thing about this life. You can't you can't lie 486 00:21:59,080 --> 00:22:02,520 Speaker 1: to yourself, can't out of yourself, You can't look in 487 00:22:02,560 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: the mirror and it tells you something different than what 488 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:08,719 Speaker 1: you are actually saying. You know, I always knew how 489 00:22:08,720 --> 00:22:10,840 Speaker 1: good I was, just like you on the field. You 490 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:12,879 Speaker 1: know how good you are. You know you better than 491 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:14,840 Speaker 1: the rest of these guys. You know when you know it, 492 00:22:14,920 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 1: you know it. 493 00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:16,080 Speaker 2: You know. 494 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:19,240 Speaker 1: When I got into professional wrestling, it was like deja vu. 495 00:22:19,800 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 1: It was like a place that I had been before 496 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 1: in another life. It was it wasn't something that I 497 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:26,639 Speaker 1: really had to think about. It was something that was 498 00:22:26,760 --> 00:22:29,520 Speaker 1: just second nature, you know. But for me, you know, 499 00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 1: making it in this business. I always knew I was 500 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:35,480 Speaker 1: going to be I always. 501 00:22:35,280 --> 00:22:37,080 Speaker 2: Knew I was gonna be great. 502 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:40,360 Speaker 1: And I don't want to I want I don't want 503 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:41,800 Speaker 1: to look at I don't want to say that like 504 00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 1: I'm you know, better than any anyone else or anything 505 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:45,880 Speaker 1: like that. 506 00:22:46,080 --> 00:22:49,199 Speaker 2: I knew how good. God put me here for a reason. 507 00:22:49,640 --> 00:22:53,000 Speaker 2: God did all of this. I've had very little to 508 00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:53,560 Speaker 2: do with this. 509 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 1: I mean, God put me in this place to actually 510 00:22:56,840 --> 00:22:59,680 Speaker 1: do what I'm doing right now. You know, and you say, 511 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,760 Speaker 1: you know, being in that position to give back, you know, 512 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:07,800 Speaker 1: I started my wrestling school twenty years ago, twenty years ago, 513 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:10,720 Speaker 1: just so I can do do what I wish would have. 514 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: You know, I would have I wish I could have, 515 00:23:13,119 --> 00:23:14,680 Speaker 1: you know, had a little little piece of it when 516 00:23:14,680 --> 00:23:15,760 Speaker 1: I was coming up, you know. 517 00:23:16,400 --> 00:23:18,720 Speaker 2: And it's more than a wrestling school. It's some ministry, 518 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:20,919 Speaker 2: you know. It's a mentorship. You know. 519 00:23:20,960 --> 00:23:23,560 Speaker 1: It's just it's like you say, patting those kids on 520 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:25,720 Speaker 1: the back and telling them they can do it, as 521 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:26,879 Speaker 1: well as telling them. 522 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:28,200 Speaker 2: Hey, what the hell you think you doing? 523 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,160 Speaker 1: Right, you think you're gonna get somewhere else, you got 524 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:33,560 Speaker 1: to actually really be able to get you know, getting 525 00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:36,240 Speaker 1: down and dirty with these kids that's coming up today. 526 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:40,679 Speaker 2: So for me, this journey, man, I just I just turned. 527 00:23:40,440 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: Sixty once first, okay, And uh, I feel like I 528 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:48,080 Speaker 1: don't think about the past very I think about the 529 00:23:48,119 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 1: past very very little, all of their accolades and all 530 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:55,320 Speaker 1: that stuff. It's about the future, man, It's about the 531 00:23:55,320 --> 00:23:58,520 Speaker 1: next generation of these young kids that's growing up that's 532 00:23:58,520 --> 00:23:59,560 Speaker 1: gonna take over the world. 533 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,560 Speaker 2: They're gonna look at it, you know what I mean. 534 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:05,840 Speaker 1: That's that's that's my that's what drives me. That's what 535 00:24:06,040 --> 00:24:07,000 Speaker 1: keeps me up at night. 536 00:24:07,240 --> 00:24:09,720 Speaker 4: You talk about your transition, because I know when you 537 00:24:09,800 --> 00:24:12,880 Speaker 4: watch for wrestling, I always say, if Booker t when 538 00:24:12,880 --> 00:24:14,720 Speaker 4: he retired, then all of a sudden, you know, two 539 00:24:14,720 --> 00:24:17,600 Speaker 4: months down the road, you're coming back up now. You 540 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,280 Speaker 4: you know, like talk about that part. Is there like 541 00:24:20,320 --> 00:24:22,159 Speaker 4: a phase that you guys have to go through to 542 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:24,639 Speaker 4: where they keep you guys implementing in or is like 543 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:26,400 Speaker 4: you just call it quits and you just done? 544 00:24:27,119 --> 00:24:31,240 Speaker 2: You know what wrestler's never done? Man, there God put 545 00:24:31,280 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 2: in the crowd. 546 00:24:32,280 --> 00:24:34,879 Speaker 1: I was just in a match a couple of months 547 00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 1: cole mother, so ago, man, like, what the hell was 548 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 1: I thinking? 549 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:39,040 Speaker 2: You know? 550 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:41,639 Speaker 1: Then you know you get that bug. You get that 551 00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:43,920 Speaker 1: bug and you say, how you go tell a man 552 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: he can't go out and still do it? For me? U, 553 00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:49,760 Speaker 1: I'm a coach at the same time, and I'm a 554 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:52,480 Speaker 1: leader and I feel like sometimes I gotta go out 555 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:54,840 Speaker 1: there and show these kids how it's supposed to be done, 556 00:24:54,840 --> 00:24:57,480 Speaker 1: even though my wife like, baby, what are you thinking? 557 00:24:57,800 --> 00:24:59,760 Speaker 1: You know you need to stay out of the tim 558 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:05,080 Speaker 1: or something just you know you can't with no problem. 559 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:08,680 Speaker 1: But no, man, we never retire. Man, I'm always I'm 560 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:12,040 Speaker 1: always feeling froggy to get back in the ring just 561 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:14,520 Speaker 1: one time. When I can't do it, that's when I'm 562 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:15,200 Speaker 1: not gonna. 563 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:15,520 Speaker 2: Do it anymore. 564 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:17,879 Speaker 1: When I just can't do it, you know, but I 565 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:20,240 Speaker 1: can still cut the grass and I'm still doing. 566 00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:22,040 Speaker 2: So. 567 00:25:22,600 --> 00:25:24,639 Speaker 3: I know you're just saying, like sometimes you have to 568 00:25:24,640 --> 00:25:27,480 Speaker 3: come out and shore of like show these young guys 569 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:28,200 Speaker 3: how to do it. 570 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:32,560 Speaker 2: Were you're in character and you're in the magic. 571 00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 3: Sometimes you have to may chop somebody or slap somebody 572 00:25:36,359 --> 00:25:38,200 Speaker 3: up a little bit to kind of get them in water. 573 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:42,199 Speaker 1: I slapped a several several guys, many many of guys, 574 00:25:42,640 --> 00:25:45,640 Speaker 1: you know, just to wake them up. Sometimes you know, 575 00:25:46,720 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 1: it put them in a state to ward it, you know, 576 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:49,400 Speaker 1: reluctant to wake. 577 00:25:49,280 --> 00:25:53,119 Speaker 2: Up because they think it's real too, you know. 578 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: But that's my thing, man, with professional wrestling, and I 579 00:25:58,920 --> 00:26:01,600 Speaker 1: think that's why I was was was really really good 580 00:26:01,640 --> 00:26:05,520 Speaker 1: at it. When when when I went to a movie 581 00:26:05,640 --> 00:26:09,120 Speaker 1: when I was a kid or even as an adult, 582 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:11,199 Speaker 1: you know, when I left that movie and it was 583 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: a really really good movie, then I felt a certain 584 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:16,960 Speaker 1: way inside, you know, Like I said, I used to 585 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:19,240 Speaker 1: go watch those karate movies and if it was good. 586 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:21,919 Speaker 2: I was leaving one. I'll be making all kind of 587 00:26:21,960 --> 00:26:24,600 Speaker 2: sound chopping my home boy on the way out. It 588 00:26:24,680 --> 00:26:25,560 Speaker 2: was really really good. 589 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: Or if you see a really really good movie, Academy 590 00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,280 Speaker 1: Award winning movie and then the credits start rolling and 591 00:26:32,320 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 1: there was such a good movie, a tear might roll 592 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:39,560 Speaker 1: out of your eye and you start clapping, uncolled, Bravoh 593 00:26:39,840 --> 00:26:41,920 Speaker 1: it's a movie. But it made you feel a certain way. 594 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,040 Speaker 1: It made you clap, It made that tear come out 595 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,560 Speaker 1: of your eye. For me, wrestling has always been that 596 00:26:48,160 --> 00:26:50,560 Speaker 1: I'm looking to try to make a real tear come 597 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:53,480 Speaker 1: out of somebody's eye. If I'm the good guy, all right, 598 00:26:53,720 --> 00:26:55,840 Speaker 1: and if I'm if I'm the bad guy, man, I 599 00:26:56,000 --> 00:26:58,439 Speaker 1: really I want somebody to come over the rail and 600 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: try to fight me, because there they've gotten that emotionally 601 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 1: caught up into something that they know when they paid 602 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:06,360 Speaker 1: their money to see. 603 00:27:06,119 --> 00:27:08,879 Speaker 2: It, you know. 604 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:12,800 Speaker 1: So for me, that's what I've always loved, you know 605 00:27:12,840 --> 00:27:17,000 Speaker 1: about wrestling, the Shakespeare, the Romeo and Juliet, that mother, 606 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:18,760 Speaker 1: That's what I call it. 607 00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:21,720 Speaker 2: And it's real, it's real, it can be. How tough 608 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:22,520 Speaker 2: is it? Man? Like? 609 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,800 Speaker 3: Just the recovery part of like you know, you could 610 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:30,880 Speaker 3: be in Houston tonight, Dallas tomorrow. You know, like, how 611 00:27:31,000 --> 00:27:33,520 Speaker 3: is the recovery part of like getting your body right 612 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:35,399 Speaker 3: and stuff to be able to go back out and 613 00:27:35,440 --> 00:27:37,040 Speaker 3: perform on the night to night basis. 614 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:37,640 Speaker 2: It's tough. 615 00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 1: It's so tough, man, It's so tough, especially for the 616 00:27:40,680 --> 00:27:42,959 Speaker 1: guys that really want to live that rockstar life. 617 00:27:43,359 --> 00:27:45,200 Speaker 2: You know what I mean. 618 00:27:45,480 --> 00:27:47,959 Speaker 1: It's hard to not serious, man, it's hard to not 619 00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:49,800 Speaker 1: want to live that rockstar life too, you know what 620 00:27:49,840 --> 00:27:52,200 Speaker 1: I mean. When you travel around the country, you know, 621 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:55,879 Speaker 1: you get the first class treatment whatnot, you know, you know, 622 00:27:57,440 --> 00:27:59,720 Speaker 1: staying out, partying and drinking. 623 00:27:59,520 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 2: You know the women. Yeah, it's hard, man, it really is. 624 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:03,240 Speaker 2: You know. 625 00:28:03,359 --> 00:28:07,719 Speaker 1: So for me, I had a system, you know, to 626 00:28:07,760 --> 00:28:09,800 Speaker 1: get through this thing I want. I did not want 627 00:28:09,800 --> 00:28:12,080 Speaker 1: to be one of those guys that fell off. I 628 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:13,480 Speaker 1: didn't want to want one of those guys to be 629 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 1: a statistic say, man, he was good, but you know 630 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:19,560 Speaker 1: what I mean, I didn't want to be that guy. 631 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:22,400 Speaker 1: So for me, I wasn't a guy in the bar 632 00:28:22,520 --> 00:28:25,080 Speaker 1: drinking all night, you know I was. I was taking 633 00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:28,000 Speaker 1: a hot bath, you know, getting ready for the next 634 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:33,120 Speaker 1: show whatnot. I never drank, It's true, true story, never 635 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:36,399 Speaker 1: drank the night before I had to wrestle throughout my 636 00:28:36,440 --> 00:28:39,880 Speaker 1: whole career, of any other time I'm drinking bro, but 637 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:41,720 Speaker 1: the night before I had to wrestle, I would not 638 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 1: do it. Just like just say, for instance, weight training 639 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:49,640 Speaker 1: literally with the iron. I would never train with the 640 00:28:49,680 --> 00:28:51,760 Speaker 1: iron when I was on the road. I want only 641 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:54,240 Speaker 1: train with the iron when I was at home, you know. 642 00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:56,120 Speaker 1: So I when I was on the road, I thought 643 00:28:56,120 --> 00:29:01,880 Speaker 1: about only three things. That was resting, eating. 644 00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:06,000 Speaker 2: Properly, and performing at my peak. On the road. 645 00:29:06,040 --> 00:29:07,840 Speaker 1: I could do push ups, you know, I get the 646 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: rubber bed, you know what I mean, and then you know, 647 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:12,080 Speaker 1: work on that a little bit as well as the 648 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: old baby all the baby all does tricks, you know, 649 00:29:15,760 --> 00:29:18,280 Speaker 1: to the eyes. It'll make you look a whole lot better, 650 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,480 Speaker 1: you know. So for me, that was my regiment. And 651 00:29:21,560 --> 00:29:23,360 Speaker 1: I try to talk to these young guys today as 652 00:29:23,400 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: far as you got to be able to separate this 653 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:29,240 Speaker 1: this thing if you're planning on making it you know throughout, 654 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:32,440 Speaker 1: because it is rough, and you know, injury is something 655 00:29:32,520 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: not a matter of if, but when you know, and 656 00:29:35,960 --> 00:29:38,520 Speaker 1: the one thing about this business, time off is your 657 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:39,240 Speaker 1: worst enemy. 658 00:29:39,480 --> 00:29:41,680 Speaker 4: Earlier you spoke a little bit about you know, you 659 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,720 Speaker 4: like to react. What was your first reaction when you 660 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,440 Speaker 4: seen Andre whipping up on court and feeling Courtland Finnegan 661 00:29:47,480 --> 00:29:48,400 Speaker 4: in that football game. 662 00:29:51,640 --> 00:29:54,480 Speaker 2: Hey man, I'm always down for some action, man. 663 00:29:56,080 --> 00:29:58,720 Speaker 1: I like it's like a hockey game when they throw 664 00:29:58,760 --> 00:30:00,880 Speaker 1: the sticks down and go run and fight. 665 00:30:01,200 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 2: That that that's what you come to see all the 666 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 2: matches you had, Well, what would you say with baby? 667 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:12,720 Speaker 1: You know, that's really a hard question, man, It's really 668 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:17,360 Speaker 1: a hard question. I don't know why, because maybe I 669 00:30:17,440 --> 00:30:19,280 Speaker 1: just I never I just never really thought like that, 670 00:30:19,360 --> 00:30:21,560 Speaker 1: you know what I mean. You know, wrestling, for me, 671 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 1: it's always been a job, and for me, I never 672 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:27,880 Speaker 1: of course, winning the world title was a great moment. 673 00:30:28,320 --> 00:30:33,280 Speaker 1: When my first world title, it was a moment. But uh, honestly, man, 674 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:37,200 Speaker 1: I swear to god, I never really think like that 675 00:30:37,320 --> 00:30:39,200 Speaker 1: because it's always just been a job for me. 676 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:42,680 Speaker 2: It's just just like, you know, it's like literally. 677 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:44,200 Speaker 1: Like a nine to five and put my boots on 678 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:46,120 Speaker 1: and I go to work and I go do it, 679 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:48,200 Speaker 1: and I want to come home and I want to 680 00:30:48,240 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: forget about it and I have to go back. I 681 00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,040 Speaker 1: never thought about the World championship. I really never did 682 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:55,560 Speaker 1: until it happen. I was like, man, there's no way 683 00:30:55,560 --> 00:30:57,680 Speaker 1: they're gonna give me the world title. It's not gonna happen, 684 00:30:57,720 --> 00:30:59,920 Speaker 1: you know. So I just totally didn't didn't think that. 685 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,120 Speaker 1: I just thought about being the best in the locker room. 686 00:31:03,480 --> 00:31:05,680 Speaker 1: You be the best in the locker room. Stuff happens 687 00:31:05,680 --> 00:31:07,960 Speaker 1: for it, you know what I mean. So when it happened, 688 00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,520 Speaker 1: you know, it was a very very toxic turvy night. 689 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:12,840 Speaker 1: I didn't know if I was gonna win. You know, 690 00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 1: it was a lot of drama going on. It was 691 00:31:14,960 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: like the most drama field night and professional wrestling. And 692 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 1: then I find myself, you know, ten minutes before having 693 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 1: to perform, you know, winning the World Heavyweight championship. There again, 694 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 1: I found out about ten minutes beforehand, and boom, I. 695 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 2: Had to go out and do it. And I was like, wow, 696 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:33,680 Speaker 2: this is a real moment. 697 00:31:33,800 --> 00:31:36,239 Speaker 1: I went in the world title, you know, and uh, 698 00:31:36,640 --> 00:31:38,880 Speaker 1: I win the world title, man, And uh there was 699 00:31:38,920 --> 00:31:43,160 Speaker 1: a moment that there again, I questioned myself also just 700 00:31:43,200 --> 00:31:47,240 Speaker 1: because as a black man, I wondered it was, you know, 701 00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:50,040 Speaker 1: the wrestling world ready for a black champion. 702 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 2: You know what, they're gonna cheer for me? You know what? 703 00:31:52,640 --> 00:31:54,560 Speaker 1: Kind of fanfare I was gonna get, you know. So 704 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:56,800 Speaker 1: I didn't even go out that night. I just stayed 705 00:31:56,840 --> 00:31:58,800 Speaker 1: in my room and I don't know, I went to 706 00:31:58,840 --> 00:32:01,080 Speaker 1: sleep and I woke up the next and I realized, Man, 707 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:04,480 Speaker 1: everybody parted for me that it was. 708 00:32:04,480 --> 00:32:07,000 Speaker 2: A struck over Booker t That next night. Man, I 709 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:07,800 Speaker 2: was like, you gotta be. 710 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:10,760 Speaker 1: Kidding, you know, so, Nah, Man, I think perhaps you 711 00:32:10,800 --> 00:32:13,680 Speaker 1: know that would that would be the night I realized, Man, 712 00:32:13,720 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 1: this is this is it. 713 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 2: I'm the world Heavyway champion. 714 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:19,440 Speaker 3: When I was playing, I kind of had that same mentality. 715 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:21,920 Speaker 3: I never would kind of you know, d well on 716 00:32:21,960 --> 00:32:26,840 Speaker 3: the past. What was it something, because like for me, 717 00:32:27,520 --> 00:32:30,800 Speaker 3: I would we would always they would give us like 718 00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:33,680 Speaker 3: a two minute warning before we would go out, you know, 719 00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:36,360 Speaker 3: to warm up on the field. But I would never 720 00:32:36,400 --> 00:32:39,600 Speaker 3: put my shoulder pass on until I got that two 721 00:32:39,600 --> 00:32:45,240 Speaker 3: minute warning. What was something that right before you knew 722 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:47,160 Speaker 3: you was going out to have a match. What was 723 00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 3: that thing that like clicked, because I know when I 724 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:52,320 Speaker 3: put my shoulder pass on, it was time to go. Like, 725 00:32:53,040 --> 00:32:55,160 Speaker 3: I wouldn't put my shoulder pass on until it was 726 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:56,920 Speaker 3: time to go out to the field. So what was 727 00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:00,400 Speaker 3: your thing or it was something that just like boom, 728 00:33:00,520 --> 00:33:02,880 Speaker 3: like it's gold time, like we got to get in 729 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:03,480 Speaker 3: go mode. 730 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:08,120 Speaker 1: I normally was in gold mode every show, you know, 731 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 1: with my my two red bull and my jump rope. 732 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,800 Speaker 1: You know, once I pulled the jump rope out, I 733 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:17,880 Speaker 1: felt I felt like Bahamad Ali, I. 734 00:33:17,880 --> 00:33:18,840 Speaker 2: Swear to God man. 735 00:33:18,880 --> 00:33:20,880 Speaker 1: I felt like I could float like a butterfly, steme 736 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:23,160 Speaker 1: like a bean man, and I could jump. I could 737 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:25,400 Speaker 1: do that jump rope for twenty minutes, you know, before 738 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,440 Speaker 1: I would get ready to go out, and I would 739 00:33:27,480 --> 00:33:29,600 Speaker 1: be full of sweat. I would be sweating so bad 740 00:33:29,640 --> 00:33:32,840 Speaker 1: before I go out. And that's what that's why I say. 741 00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:35,760 Speaker 1: For me, you know, I asked my students. I'm my students, 742 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:38,440 Speaker 1: but a lot of guys that I work with, I say, 743 00:33:39,920 --> 00:33:41,640 Speaker 1: when you go out of that curtain, you know, when 744 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:44,520 Speaker 1: you see that guy that you're working with, you know, 745 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,280 Speaker 1: how many times have you really wanted to just kick 746 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:48,360 Speaker 1: his ass? 747 00:33:49,000 --> 00:33:49,160 Speaker 2: You know? 748 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:51,120 Speaker 1: And if they tell me, you know, now, I don't 749 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:52,840 Speaker 1: think like that, they think it. 750 00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 2: The wrong way. You know. 751 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:57,520 Speaker 1: For me, every time I went out the curtain, I 752 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:59,280 Speaker 1: was I wanted to beat the guy up. 753 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:02,040 Speaker 2: I want to you know, he was gonna feel some pain, 754 00:34:02,600 --> 00:34:02,720 Speaker 2: you know. 755 00:34:02,840 --> 00:34:07,960 Speaker 1: It's just listening to an interview earlier today on YouTube. 756 00:34:08,640 --> 00:34:09,799 Speaker 2: I mentioned the guy's name. 757 00:34:09,840 --> 00:34:12,640 Speaker 1: His name is Paul Luddon, and he was working me 758 00:34:12,840 --> 00:34:15,120 Speaker 1: in a match, and I shot him off the ropes. 759 00:34:15,200 --> 00:34:17,360 Speaker 1: As soon as he came off the ropes, Babe, I 760 00:34:17,440 --> 00:34:21,360 Speaker 1: hit him, and uh, I broke his nose. You know 761 00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:24,799 Speaker 1: what I say is he turned his head the wrong way. 762 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:33,240 Speaker 1: It's gonna be it's gonna hurt a little bit. Uh, 763 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 1: It's gonna be as you know, real as it possibly 764 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:36,319 Speaker 1: could be. 765 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:36,920 Speaker 2: So for me. 766 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:39,840 Speaker 1: Once I get in that zone, you know, I'm gonna 767 00:34:39,840 --> 00:34:41,840 Speaker 1: be willing to give it as well. I'm gonna be 768 00:34:41,880 --> 00:34:44,440 Speaker 1: willing to take it as well. If I whack you 769 00:34:44,520 --> 00:34:47,160 Speaker 1: whacked me back. That's the way it's gotta be. For 770 00:34:47,200 --> 00:34:49,280 Speaker 1: the people, all right, it's good for TV. 771 00:34:49,640 --> 00:34:49,880 Speaker 2: All right. 772 00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:53,800 Speaker 1: We'll apologize later on in the back, you know, especially 773 00:34:53,840 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 1: if I break your nose. 774 00:34:56,719 --> 00:34:58,840 Speaker 2: I apologize about it. 775 00:34:59,040 --> 00:35:02,040 Speaker 1: But nah, man, Uh, Once once I'm in that zone, 776 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,640 Speaker 1: once I put that jump rope out, I was ready 777 00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:04,799 Speaker 1: to go. 778 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:10,920 Speaker 4: Man the grocery store fight, the stone cold No, that 779 00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:12,200 Speaker 4: wouldn't no shot fight neither. 780 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:14,480 Speaker 2: That was known for a little minute. That was a match, 781 00:35:14,680 --> 00:35:17,880 Speaker 2: That's what that was. It was a match. That's crazy. 782 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:21,719 Speaker 1: It's about it's crazy about Uh. You know that that 783 00:35:21,880 --> 00:35:24,280 Speaker 1: the show gold Booker t you fight in the grocery store. 784 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:26,319 Speaker 1: It's people come up to me, you know every time 785 00:35:26,360 --> 00:35:28,880 Speaker 1: I go to conventions, I do like signings and whatnot, 786 00:35:28,920 --> 00:35:29,640 Speaker 1: and they go, man, my. 787 00:35:30,239 --> 00:35:32,759 Speaker 2: Favorite match was you a stone coldes and a grocery store. 788 00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:33,480 Speaker 1: Like it. 789 00:35:33,480 --> 00:35:36,600 Speaker 2: It wasn't a match, went to the grocery store. What 790 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:37,320 Speaker 2: are you talking about? 791 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:42,600 Speaker 1: Those one of my favorite moments. You know, wrestling you 792 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:44,919 Speaker 1: got to be able to laugh at yourself. You gotta 793 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:46,160 Speaker 1: be able to entertain yourself. 794 00:35:47,320 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 2: Yeah. 795 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:51,719 Speaker 1: For me, it's all it's all about the performance and 796 00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:55,799 Speaker 1: how grandios we can make these performances. Strong Cold and 797 00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:58,680 Speaker 1: I we you know, had our job and the task 798 00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:00,879 Speaker 1: in hand was to go out there, you know, make 799 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,319 Speaker 1: make store cold look good. You know it was it 800 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 1: was called a payoff. You know, it was time for 801 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:06,200 Speaker 1: me to pay it off. 802 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:06,880 Speaker 3: Uh. 803 00:36:07,080 --> 00:36:08,800 Speaker 1: And when you do that, I say, you got to 804 00:36:08,840 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 1: go all the way out. When they roll the cameras, 805 00:36:13,239 --> 00:36:15,600 Speaker 1: you know, that's pretty much. They just said action and 806 00:36:15,719 --> 00:36:18,920 Speaker 1: we went to work. It was you know, one camera 807 00:36:18,960 --> 00:36:23,279 Speaker 1: shoot We didn't have a cut or anything like that. 808 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:25,719 Speaker 1: It was boom gold and we got it done. Did 809 00:36:25,760 --> 00:36:28,400 Speaker 1: anybody tell us what to say? No, they didn't. It 810 00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:31,160 Speaker 1: was all ad libs and then all the ad libs 811 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:31,879 Speaker 1: from store Gold. 812 00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:32,839 Speaker 2: It just shows that. 813 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,279 Speaker 1: He watched a lot of television when he was a kid, 814 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:38,400 Speaker 1: and a bunch of commercials because he had a commercial 815 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:40,520 Speaker 1: for me every time he would do something, you know. 816 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:43,040 Speaker 2: And uh, it was amazing, It was amazing. 817 00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,360 Speaker 1: I was crying at the end of it, and I 818 00:36:46,400 --> 00:36:48,080 Speaker 1: was still telling them I'm to get you, man, I'll 819 00:36:48,280 --> 00:36:48,640 Speaker 1: get you. 820 00:36:48,640 --> 00:36:48,840 Speaker 2: You know. 821 00:36:50,280 --> 00:36:55,960 Speaker 3: Man, It's funny you talk about that match whatever you 822 00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:59,560 Speaker 3: want to call it, thatcher or whatever, but me and 823 00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:04,359 Speaker 3: we watched it today, earlier today. And when you talk 824 00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:09,240 Speaker 3: about crying laughing, like bro, that you watching it today, 825 00:37:09,239 --> 00:37:12,399 Speaker 3: it felt like it happened today. Like, man, the way 826 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:15,040 Speaker 3: y'all did that, and where you put him in the 827 00:37:15,080 --> 00:37:18,760 Speaker 3: cooler and he looked back he was drinking the milk. 828 00:37:19,040 --> 00:37:26,080 Speaker 2: Bro Jjo was crying laughing about that today. Man. I 829 00:37:26,200 --> 00:37:29,800 Speaker 2: was beggie. I was bargaining. I was trying. 830 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:32,440 Speaker 1: I was trying to do anything to get out of 831 00:37:32,440 --> 00:37:33,280 Speaker 1: the ass whooping. 832 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:38,320 Speaker 2: I was trying to ride anything. I can do that. 833 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:41,040 Speaker 1: When I went back and watched it go, Man, this 834 00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:44,480 Speaker 1: is some really funny stuff, you know. But like I say, Man, 835 00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:47,920 Speaker 1: that's what it's That's what it's always been about for me, 836 00:37:48,120 --> 00:37:52,480 Speaker 1: is going out and having fun. This business has been 837 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:55,680 Speaker 1: so fun for me over thirty years I've been in 838 00:37:55,719 --> 00:37:59,880 Speaker 1: the business, and I swear man, it still feels like 839 00:38:00,200 --> 00:38:03,080 Speaker 1: it just started. It still feels like I'm just you know, 840 00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:06,520 Speaker 1: like yesterday. That's how much fun I've had, you know, 841 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:09,600 Speaker 1: in this business. I got into business at twenty five 842 00:38:09,680 --> 00:38:11,960 Speaker 1: years old, and I say it all the time. I 843 00:38:12,000 --> 00:38:15,600 Speaker 1: have not worked a day since I was twenty five. 844 00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:18,839 Speaker 4: Look pretty special to say, y'all ad lived there though, man, 845 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:20,399 Speaker 4: because that was that was some stuff there. 846 00:38:20,640 --> 00:38:24,320 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, uh one take bro, one take oh, but 847 00:38:24,440 --> 00:38:25,000 Speaker 1: that was it. 848 00:38:25,040 --> 00:38:27,400 Speaker 2: Bro. I was like all messed up out of the 849 00:38:27,560 --> 00:38:28,000 Speaker 2: after that. 850 00:38:28,080 --> 00:38:30,880 Speaker 1: Man. I had so much freaking flower and eggs in 851 00:38:30,960 --> 00:38:33,520 Speaker 1: my hand, you know, and I was like the thangs 852 00:38:33,560 --> 00:38:35,880 Speaker 1: going up. But I swear man, I was willing to 853 00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:40,080 Speaker 1: go all out. It was nothing, you know, limited as 854 00:38:40,120 --> 00:38:42,400 Speaker 1: far as that shoot go out. Like, Bro, whatever you 855 00:38:42,440 --> 00:38:44,080 Speaker 1: want to take me, let's just go there. 856 00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:47,120 Speaker 3: Like you said, you washed it and you laugh like 857 00:38:47,160 --> 00:38:50,240 Speaker 3: you cry, laughing like I was crying laughing watching them myself. 858 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:53,480 Speaker 3: But how hard is it to actually go through it 859 00:38:53,840 --> 00:38:55,920 Speaker 3: and not break character? 860 00:38:56,120 --> 00:39:00,279 Speaker 2: Like because I don't. I don't think me personally. 861 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,520 Speaker 3: I could have did that and not laugh like, you know, 862 00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:05,399 Speaker 3: just going through that whole thing. 863 00:39:05,840 --> 00:39:11,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think I'm just laughing on the inside. On 864 00:39:11,800 --> 00:39:14,720 Speaker 1: the inside, I'm laughing the whole time. I always said, 865 00:39:16,239 --> 00:39:20,000 Speaker 1: you know, like with wrestling, you can never do what 866 00:39:20,239 --> 00:39:22,120 Speaker 1: you want to do. You got to do what the 867 00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:25,640 Speaker 1: fans want to see. So for me, it's always been 868 00:39:25,719 --> 00:39:28,399 Speaker 1: like an out of body experience and I can watch 869 00:39:28,560 --> 00:39:33,440 Speaker 1: myself and entertain myself and be totally in character at 870 00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:34,120 Speaker 1: the same time. 871 00:39:34,239 --> 00:39:37,120 Speaker 2: That sounds really really strange, It really does. 872 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:40,720 Speaker 1: But I've always been able to, like just say, for instance, 873 00:39:40,800 --> 00:39:43,560 Speaker 1: when I was wrestling in a match, I would always 874 00:39:43,680 --> 00:39:46,760 Speaker 1: be in the front row. I would always be watching, 875 00:39:47,360 --> 00:39:49,719 Speaker 1: and I will always do in the ring what the 876 00:39:49,800 --> 00:39:52,040 Speaker 1: fan wanted to see opposed to what I wanted to do. 877 00:39:52,800 --> 00:39:56,880 Speaker 3: Since we don't go talk who is your greatest wrestlers? 878 00:39:56,960 --> 00:39:59,920 Speaker 3: Give me your five greatest wrestlers of all the time, 879 00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:03,279 Speaker 3: no particular order, just you. 880 00:40:04,320 --> 00:40:05,160 Speaker 2: I put Jy D. 881 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,360 Speaker 1: In there because he was the guy that inspired me 882 00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:11,560 Speaker 1: to be uh great, you know, because he was definitely, 883 00:40:11,719 --> 00:40:16,279 Speaker 1: uh one of the greatest African American champions that ever 884 00:40:16,400 --> 00:40:19,640 Speaker 1: did it. Uh Ricky Steamboat with the guy that I 885 00:40:19,760 --> 00:40:22,720 Speaker 1: love coming up just because uh the zaym. 886 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:24,920 Speaker 2: Ring Prow was Macho Man Savage. 887 00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:29,319 Speaker 1: It's definitely one of my guys that I really uh 888 00:40:30,239 --> 00:40:33,040 Speaker 1: look too to emulate and want to be like. 889 00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:35,200 Speaker 2: I can see that. 890 00:40:35,320 --> 00:40:38,359 Speaker 3: Actually I say with that, I'll say I can see 891 00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:41,440 Speaker 3: that like you say, you like immulated Macho Man A 892 00:40:41,480 --> 00:40:41,839 Speaker 3: little bit. 893 00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:48,560 Speaker 1: Part of my king run uh mister perfect uh Man. 894 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:50,839 Speaker 1: I used to love the way mister Perfect went out 895 00:40:50,880 --> 00:40:54,160 Speaker 1: and performed. Man, he was such a great, great performer. 896 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:57,279 Speaker 1: Nobody better, nobody better then of course Ric Flair. I 897 00:40:57,360 --> 00:40:59,640 Speaker 1: gotta put Rick Flair as being the you know, the 898 00:41:00,080 --> 00:41:03,680 Speaker 1: the guy that I really I emulated Riclaire so many 899 00:41:03,719 --> 00:41:06,080 Speaker 1: different ways up outside of the ring. I never, you know, 900 00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:09,880 Speaker 1: was one of the guys that emulated is wrestling or 901 00:41:09,880 --> 00:41:12,239 Speaker 1: anything like that. But Rick Clair, you always dressed a 902 00:41:12,320 --> 00:41:14,000 Speaker 1: certain way, he always looked a certain way, and he 903 00:41:14,080 --> 00:41:16,239 Speaker 1: always carried himself, you know, a certain way. 904 00:41:16,239 --> 00:41:18,440 Speaker 2: And I just want to say thank you man for 905 00:41:18,760 --> 00:41:21,839 Speaker 2: coming on here with us today at Goat Talk. Man. Uh, 906 00:41:22,520 --> 00:41:24,120 Speaker 2: you know we always run. 907 00:41:24,080 --> 00:41:26,719 Speaker 3: Into each other at the game, so I'm sure I'll 908 00:41:26,760 --> 00:41:29,440 Speaker 3: see you soon at some point, and just want to 909 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:31,960 Speaker 3: say thank you man for coming on and taking time 910 00:41:32,080 --> 00:41:32,720 Speaker 3: with us today. 911 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:36,120 Speaker 2: Oh. I appreciate you guys. Man. Appreciate you guys. Anytime 912 00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:37,960 Speaker 2: you need me. Man, I'm always dead. Like you say, 913 00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:44,640 Speaker 2: we all come. Definitely a care. Appreciate y'all.