Booker T Names Promo He Thinks Helped Him Become WCW World Champ Despite Being Black

If there was a silver lining to someone as undeserving as Hollywood actor David Arquette winning the WCW World Championship, it's that it indirectly led to someone truly deserving winning it for the very first time — Booker T. Following Arquette's absurd victory, he delivered a promo on the following episode of "WCW Nitro" in which he admitted he was an unworthy titleholder, and that "maybe Booker T deserves it." On "The Hall of Fame," Booker elaborated on why he thought Arquette's promo helped WCW management to start looking at him as potential "top guy" material.

"I really believe, 100%, that David Arquette sparked the flame that really made the company rethink things and look at things a little bit different," Booker said. "He said it live on television ... Maybe the reason why he did it is because when he sat in the locker room with me and expressed the way he really felt about that night ... and then after talking to me and realizing that I had never went to that pinnacle, and maybe I needed somebody like him to actually endorse me — I don't' know what it was, but I do believe that David Arquette is really, truly one of the reasons why I became the World Heavyweight Champion in WCW."

Booker was the first black WCW World Champion since Ron Simmons eight years prior. Booker admitted concern that his race would prevent him from ever achieving WCW's top prize. "I felt like I had the talent. I felt like I was just as good as anybody in the locker room, but I felt like it was gonna be a higher power as far as me making that step over into that realm right there." Booker's first World Championship reign coincided with Vince Russo's era, which is why he's one of the few who doesn't speak negatively of the controversial writer.

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.