Booker T Says Buff Bagwell Came Into WWE With The Wrong Mentality

On the latest episode of the Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T looked back on his former WCW colleague Buff Bagwell’s short-lived WWE run. Bagwell famously lasted just a short time in WWE, including a horribly-received “WCW Showcase” match with Booker T. Booker recalled a telling exchange with the late Pat Patterson and contrasting Bagwell’s approach with his own. You can check out his comments below:

On Whether His Career Would’ve Been Different If He Waited To Join WWE:

“No, it wouldn’t have mattered if he’d waited. Like I said, I love Buff Bagwell, he’s a friend of mine. But Buff perhaps came into WWE with the wrong mentality. I’ve heard a lot of other people tell this story, and I don’t know how they seem to have been around at the moment it actually happened — but I was there, and these stories I’m hearing are pretty accurate.”

On Bagwell:

“Bagwell and I were being talked to about this match, and the guy we were talking to was Pat Patterson. Pat told us to do X, Y and Z, and not to do X, Y and Z. And Buff goes, ‘Look, look, look, Pat, I’m going to get over.’ And I’m thinking, ‘That might not be the right choice of words to use right now — we just got here.’ It was like telling him, ‘Listen here, old timer, I don’t need your help.’ You don’t want to put yourself in a position where you’ve got to overdo it, where if this doesn’t happen, that could happen.”

On the Wrong Mentality:

“I think Buff came in still with that WCW mentality — ‘I’m a star, I’m gonna go out here and get the people over. They’re gonna love it just like they did in WCW.’ But I didn’t think that way. I came in and said, ‘I’m gonna leave all my accolades in WCW and start over from scratch. I’ve got to figure out how to make it in the locker room before I have a chance at making it in the ring.’ I knew these guys weren’t looking to help me get to the next level in WWE — that’s just the way it was, the way I looked at it.”

On How He Came In:

“I came in with a different approach. It took me about six months. I was dressing in the locker room with all the boys — a boatload of boys, no space in there. Then I remember coming to work one day, walking to the locker room, and Taker goes, ‘Hey, Book, why don’t you come dress over here with us?’ It was the TV locker room, and I go, ‘All right, I guess I’m in now.’ It took me some time to get those guys to trust me, to see that I was on the team and willing to go out there and put in the work. And pretty much the rest is history.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit the Hall of Fame with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.