Booker T On WWE Releasing Enzo Amore Following Rape Allegations And Advice To Talent
On episode 142 of Heated Conversations: Hosted By Booker T, WWE Hall Of Famer Booker T weighed in on former WWE Superstar Enzo Amore's departure from the company as well as the ongoing police investigation that resulted in Amore's release.
During the podcast, Booker T described Amore as a charitable person whose pro wrestling career was only starting to take off.
"I know Enzo Amore. Enzo Amore actually donated some sneakers for the Hurricane Harvey relief, right here to help some people out and he was gracious about doing it," Booker said. "The thing is, the kid's career was just taking off. I was just on a bus with this guy not too long ago, maybe a month-and-a-half ago and it was early morning, like about 7 o'clock or something like that, and we were getting ready to go overseas, and, man, he was so excited. It was his first time going overseas and he was so excited to go on that trip."
Booker went on to say that Amore faces "very serious" allegations and many men accused of rape never see their careers rebound.
"Here's the thing, these allegations come out on Enzo Amore, rape allegations. It's very, very serious. We know a lot of people that had rape allegations, case in point, Tupac Shakur, case in point, Mike Tyson, and so many more." Amore added, "if you put yourself in a position for this type of situation to happen, it can happen. Just like with Mike Tyson. He was in a hotel room with a female, a young female that was actually in a beauty pageant."
Booker described in his own words why boxing great Mike Tyson and rap legend Tupac Shakur went to prison on rape charges.
"Mike ended up taking her to the hotel room. Whatever happened in the hotel room we'll never know, but what was claimed was Mike Tyson did something inappropriate with her and she filed charges. Mike Tyson ended up going to prison because of this. And then, Tupac Shakur, he's in a club! He's in a club and the woman is on him. And he's on her and whatnot. Do you know what I mean? And she claimed he did something inappropriate and boom! Tupac Shakur went to jail because of this!" Booker continued, "these guys, it ruined their lives. It takes a long time to rebuild, even after allegations of rape. Proving it in court is one thing, but in the eye of public opinion, that's something totally different. That [doesn't] go before the grand jury. That [doesn't] go before a jury of your peers of 12. It [doesn't] happen like that!"
Booker professed that he sees validity in the reports that Amore was terminated because he failed to inform WWE officials about the police investigation that had been ongoing since October of last year.
"For this to drop on one of the biggest days ever, RAW 25, it was bad timing, first and foremost, and the thing is, from what I've been reading, the straw was him not letting anyone know that that happened. My thing is this, after what happened with Rich Swann, I would've ran to the office and said, 'hey, can I talk to somebody because there's some news out there that might come up and y'all might not want to do anything with me as far as champions?' That right there, being put in that position hurts even more." Booker added, "suspension these days, you don't come back from suspension. That's just a term these days until your contract's up."
Booker went on to offer up advice to young WWE talents.
"Now, with this situation, I'm going to tell you guys, it's a lot of allegations involved with this thing here, talking about drugs being involved with it. You can become a star overnight, guys. You can be on the street walking one day and you're on your way to the corner diner, and you had to hitch a ride to get there. And the next day, you can be a huge star, money coming at you from right and left. And you've got to know how to handle that situation." Booker demanded, "guys, do not put yourself in a position for something like that to happen to you. And the thing is, don't think for one minute that Booker T hasn't been in situations like this before myself. I've been in situations where it could have been make or break situations to where if I made this choice as opposed to making that choice, I could be in the same position as Enzo Amore."
Booker continued to implore young talents to exercise greater discretion.
"In this life, you can be a leader or you can be a follower. Do you know what I mean? You can be one of those guys who peer pressure makes them do stupid things and you go along with it because you've got some boys and you don't want to feel weak. You don't want to feel soft. 'Hey, hey, I'm no sellout going along with the program.' And you go along with the program and you can find yourself getting five to 99 [years in prison]. Guys, think about the decision you make when you come to that crossroads. When you come to that fork in the road, make sure you make the right turn."
Booker was sympathetic to Amore losing his livelihood, and expressed doubt as to whether Amore will be able to make it back to WWE one day.
"Those bills are not going to stop coming. That man is going to have a life altering situation that he's in right now. Everything's going to change and going back, perhaps, to the way it was. Man, it's like going from rags to riches back to rags." Booker said, "I hope the situation gets fixed. My thing is this, hopefully, Enzo Amore has learned a huge lesson from this situation and I'm sure he has. But as far as fighting back, as far as coming back, as far as going back to the promised land again, finding two lottery tickets, Mega Millions, [laughs]. Do you know what I'm saying? You don't find them too often."
Check out the podcast here. If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit Heated Conversations with an H/T to WrestlingINC for the transcription.