Booker T Explains Why Harlem Heat Never Had A Full Run In NJPW, Despite Wanting To

During a recent episode of the "Hall of Fame" podcast, Booker T reflected on why Harlem Heat didn't have a "full" run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling by winning the IWGP Tag Team Championship.

"One thing I had always wanted to do was invade Japan and go over there and win the IWGP Tag Team Championship," Booker T said. "The time that we were gonna go, my brother was hurt. Sherri was down, she couldn't make the trip. And it was definitely one of those moments where it was like, man, there was a moment that was missed."

He continued, "We never got a chance to recreate it and go back over there. We got a chance to go over and work in Japan, but we never really got a chance to go over and do that run in New Japan Pro-Wrestling. That's the one thing that makes me feel like, 'Man, we missed out on something.' The one time I did go to New Japan, I went by myself and I was doing jobs."

The two-time WWE Hall of Famer first went to New Japan in 1995 as part of the collaborative NJPW WCW World in Japan events. After losing two singles matches, he returned in 1996 alongside Stevie Ray. During their month-long run, Harlem Heat picked up wins over Satoshi Kojima and Shinya Hashimoto, Keiji Muto and Tadao Yasuda, and others. They also challenged Junji Hirata and Shinya Hashimoto once for the IWGP Tag Team titles.

Despite not fulfilling that dream, Harlem Heat did win the WCW World Tag Team Championship on 10 different occasions. Booker T also experienced singles success as a multi-time world champion. They later took their place in WWE's Hall of Fame in 2019.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Hall of Fame" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.