Booker T doesn’t think there was some deep wrestling reason why he and The Rock were constantly compared during their careers. As far as he’s concerned, it came down to one thing—they were both Black stars in the main-event picture.
While speaking on the Hall of Fame podcast during the “Fame or Shame” segment, Booker was asked to choose between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock. He picked Austin immediately before explaining why The Rock always stood out differently to him.
“Stone Cold Steve Austin.”
Booker T said he always viewed The Rock as his biggest rival, which led him to reflect on how often the two were compared after he made the jump from WCW to WWE.
“No, because The Rock was my ultimate rival. All right. From WCW, we was always, you know, compared. I was always compared to The Rock. Because we were black.”
Booker laughed while saying it but doubled down on the point, explaining that, in his opinion, race was the main reason people constantly linked the two together: “That’s all it was.” Once Booker arrived in WWE, the comparisons only became more common because he and The Rock eventually shared the main-event space.
“Then we come in and then we working in the main event together, you know?”
The WWE Hall of Famer also joked that people seemed determined to find similarities between them, even if it came down to something as simple as their hairstyles.
“I got an idea. They both got a flat top. No, that’s what, that’s how it was.”
Bottom line: Booker wasn’t taking a shot at The Rock or diminishing what either man accomplished. Instead, he was looking back on an era when he believes fans and the wrestling industry often grouped the two together simply because they were the biggest Black stars at the top of the card.
Do you agree with Booker T’s take on why he and The Rock were constantly compared, or do you think there were other reasons behind it? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
This transcript was produced exclusively for Ringside News from the original recording. Republishing the transcription in full is prohibited. When using excerpts, provide prominent credit and a link to this article.
