Booker T has accomplished nearly everything possible in professional wrestling, but there is one match he wishes ended differently.
During a new interview with Chris Van Vliet, the WWE Hall of Famer was asked whether he would change the finish of his World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H at WrestleMania 19.
“That would be the only match in my career that I could honestly say, maybe if I could change that finish, I would change it,” Booker said.
Booker also revealed there was never any serious discussion about him winning the championship that night.
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WWE Missed a Huge Opportunity With Booker T
More than 23 years later, I still think WWE got this one wrong.
WrestleMania 19 is, pound for pound, the best WrestleMania card ever in my opinion. Brock Lesnar faced Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels wrestled Chris Jericho, Hulk Hogan faced Vince McMahon, and The Rock defeated “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in what became Austin’s final match for nearly two decades.
That night also represented a changing of the guard. Austin and Rock had their final match together, and neither would ever wrestle a full-time schedule again. WWE needed new stars who could carry the company into its next era.
Booker T was standing right there.
Why Booker T Should Have Beaten Triple H
Booker should have beaten Triple H.
Considering the story WWE told leading into WrestleMania, watching the babyface overcome Triple H and leave Seattle as World Heavyweight Champion would have created one of the defining moments of the era.
It also could have cemented Booker as a major Black babyface at the top of WWE’s card. He had charisma, credibility, an established fan base and the ability to connect with a broad audience. Instead of giving him the championship and seeing how far that momentum could go, WWE sent him back down the card.
Booker spent much of the following years working in the midcard and tag team division before finally becoming a world champion in WWE as King Booker on SmackDown in 2006.
King Booker was great. Booker himself has called that period the “crowning moment” of his career.
Still, WWE could have had something even bigger three years earlier.
A three-to-five-year run with Booker established as one of WWE’s premier babyfaces could have helped fill part of the enormous void left by Austin and Rock. Instead, one of the best WrestleMania cards ever also featured one of WWE’s biggest missed opportunities.
