Booker T Says Botched WWE Royal Rumble Spot Probably “Hurt Like Hell”

During the latest installment of his Hall Of Fame podcast, Booker T gave his thoughts on the Kofi Kingston Royal Rumble spot. The New Day star attempted his usual dramatic save, but this year, his feet ended up hitting the floor. Unfortunately, this meant he had to be eliminated, but Booker believes that spot will have been a painful one.

"The Kofi Kingston moment, let me tell you right now, that looked like it hurt like hell. I ain't lying, man. That looked like he crushed his sternum," Booker T said. "Even though I know that barrier there has some padding, under that padding is something hard, okay? It's just not a big foam pad. When he hit it, it was like putting on the brakes.

"I said, 'ow, that looked like that hurt.' It looked like, just from his reaction, that it hurt. Coming off the top rope, I mean, that was a crazy bump. But those are the moments right there. Just think about all the ones he was successful on, and then the ones that he missed. No one remembers the ones he was successful on, they're going to remember this one. Because they didn't get that moment, that euphoria."

Booker T was asked whether or not Kofi's age played a factor in the mistake. However, the Hall Of Famer was quick to point out that the former WWE Champion still works at a high level.

"I'll tell you, time waits for no man," he stated. "That's true, father time is a monster. Look, if Kofi tried that again right after, he probably could have pulled it off. It's just one of those things, man. It's a hit-or-miss type of deal, and that night, it just wasn't meant for Kofi to pull off. I'm not going to say it was his age or anything like that. I'm not going to say Kofi has lost a step or anything like that because Kofi is still doing it at a very high level. But, that's why they call it high-risk — anything can happen."

If you use any quotes from this article please credit the Hall Of Fame podcast with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.