Booker T just put a very different origin story behind one of The Rock’s most famous catchphrases. The WWE Hall of Famer claims he used a version of “If you smell what I’m cooking” on television first — and says The Rock heard it, picked it up and ran with it.
The claim came during the Hall of Fame podcast, but Booker wasn’t sitting there trying to tear The Rock down. Quite the opposite. The conversation started with Brad Gilmore throwing out names like Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Steve Austin and Triple H while asking Booker who he considered the greatest talker of the bunch. Booker didn’t need much time to think about it.
“I’m going stick by — I’m going stick by no better talker than The Rock.”
Booker said Rock brought something to wrestling that fit his era perfectly, and his praise went well beyond catchphrases. Earlier in the conversation, Booker said Rock’s presentation was completely his own and credited him with changing the business during a run that wasn’t nearly as long as some fans might remember.
“His work, what Rock brought to the game, it was unique. It was all him. Everything, you know, he had his own flavor.”
Booker made it clear he has no interest in taking shots at Rock and said he’s never been the guy to diminish what he accomplished.
“I don’t care how many publications you’ve seen me do, how many interviews you’ve heard me do. I’m never going to say anything bad about The Rock.”
He then put Rock’s impact into perspective, pointing out that his full-time run at the top happened incredibly fast. Booker added that Rock’s run was only a matter of years.
“This dude, man, he’s been — he’s revolutionized the business. He did so much for this game in a short time.”
“His run was a minute, bro. His run was a true run. Yeah. People don’t even think about it. His run was a minute. Four, five years.”
That made what Booker said next even more interesting. After putting Rock over as one of the greatest to ever touch a microphone, Booker started running through some of the phrases Rock became famous for and said plenty of that material had roots somewhere else.
“Your candy ass, you know, he laying a smack down, you know, jabroni beat down, you know, and he stole — he stole all that stuff. Everything The Rock did, he stole. And look here, I plagiarized a lot myself.”
Booker immediately made sure nobody confused that statement for an attack. He admitted he borrowed material throughout his own career and said Rock was simply better than almost anybody at taking something and turning it into gold.
“No, I’m not knocking him at all. I plagiarized, you know, like big time throughout my whole career, you know, but he was the best at doing it.”
Then Booker dropped the line that changed the entire conversation. According to Booker, Rock didn’t just borrow material from old-school wrestling personalities. He says Rock took something from him too.
“He stole some of my stuff, you know, ‘if you smell what I’m cooking.’”
Gilmore immediately jumped on that claim and asked if Booker was actually saying he had the phrase first. Booker’s answer was immediate.
“That was me first.”
Gilmore wanted to know exactly how Rock would have heard it, and Booker said he used the phrase on television before Rock turned his own version into wrestling history.
“I said it on television one time and he heard it and picked it up and ran with it.”
Gilmore then joked that Booker was lucky he still had “Can you dig it?” to himself, because Rock might have taken that too. The two kept the whole exchange light, with Gilmore even joking that Rock would have “stole the enamel off your teeth” if Booker let him. Booker wasn’t accusing Rock of doing something dirty behind the scenes or trying to take credit for Rock’s career. He was laughing about a wrestling tradition he openly admits he participated in himself — taking something you hear, putting your own spin on it and making it bigger than it was before.
Still, saying “If you smell what The Rock is cooking” may have started with something Booker T said on television is one hell of a wrestling history footnote. Rock turned that phrase into something recognized far beyond WWE, but according to Booker, the seed was planted before The Great One ever made it his signature line.
What do you make of Booker T saying he used “If you smell what I’m cooking” before The Rock — do you think Rock simply took inspiration and made it his own, or does Booker deserve more credit for where the famous catchphrase came from? Leave your thoughts in the comments and let us know.
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.
