WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T Reacts To Grayson Waller's Controversial Interview
Earlier this week, "WWE SmackDown" stars Grayson Waller and LA Knight headed to Australia for a series of promotional appearances related to the upcoming Elimination Chamber premium live event in Perth. One of their stops took them to the "Sunshine" morning show, where the co-hosts suggested that Knight use one of his signature wrestling moves on one of the show's staff members. When Knight turned down the request, it was passed on to Waller. Waller was then approached by an eager floor manager, who began making a shadow-boxing motion. In response, an irritated Waller labeled the floor manager's actions as disrespectful, warning that he could deliver a real punch to his jaw. Tensions were defused as the floor manager was swiftly removed from the frame.
On a recent episode of "The Hall of Fame" podcast, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T provided his reaction to the controversial segment. "That's what you get," Booker said. "[Waller] handled that properly. He wasn't going to give the guy a fake punch. He was going to whack the guy. He was going to hit him in the jaw, and that's what he would have deserved. I've hit guys with so-called a fake punch, like Steve Austin, and it's the hardest punch he's gotten hit with. So that's the way this guy would have gotten hit, if I would have been hitting him. People want to look at wrestling like its low brow, like it's not something worthy of being on television or being called a sport or whatever ... You might want to check yourself if you're bringing some wrestlers on your program because it could go wrong if you disrespect wrestling and disrespect the wrestler right in his face."
To illustrate his point, Booker referenced several instances where wrestlers dealt out a dose of genuine physicality to media personalities, one of which saw Hulk Hogan apply a chin lock on Richard Belzer during an appearance on "Hot Properties" in 1985. After Belzer was legitimately choked out, he later sued Hogan for $5 million in damages for personal injuries caused by the hold.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "The Hall of Fame" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.