Booker T Discusses Rash Of Injuries Among Younger Wrestlers, Darby Allin’s Risky Style

On the latest episode of the Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T talked about today’s wrestlers getting more injured than ever, Darby Allin, and more. You can check out some highlights below:

On the rash of injuries in WWE amid the King and Queen of The Ring tournament: “As far as going into a tournament like this, you don’t expect for it to be a lot of injuries. Just because the tournament is, you know, structured to where you’re not going to be working a whole lot to actually get to that point. But I tell you what, these days — I don’t know if we hear about injuries more because of social media. And because it’s reported so much when it actually happens. But it does seem like we are having a rash of injuries with guys. We talked about this not too long ago with the females in NXT, and all of them having knee injuries. So you know, what is it? Just like everything else, evolution. Everything changes, everything is getting a lot quicker. I just think it’s a part of the game. I mean, it may just be a part of the culture now. I don’t know. I really don’t — I really can’t answer.”

On his advice to younger talent with workrate: “I’ll tell you what though, I can say this. These young guys these days, they take about 70% more risks than the guys coming up. A lot of it I can’t talk about, just because it’s insider trading. [laughs] Something we talked about in school as far as, how can you can make it through your 20-year career and still be able to walk, and still look good at the end of the day. I think just say, for instance, you can look at the television today — and just say for instance if you put a television side by side from a show in ’95, and a show now in 2024. And two matches, guys are the same height, same size, and you watch the difference in the way they go out and work. This match over here, you may see a guy do a dive, but in this match over here in 2024, you gonna see these guys go out and do something well more than these guys over here. So that’s what I mean by these guys today. They actually throw caution to the wind so much more. I worry, I really do. I worry about the young guys these days.”

On Darby Allin: “Just say, for instance, a Darby Allin. Darby Allin, the first time I saw him in Northeast Championship Wrestling before we ever got signed with any company and he did the Coffin Drop that night. It was the first time I had ever seen it, off the top rope to the floor. There was no padding or anything, and boom! And I go, ‘Man, what is wrong with this kid?’ But I saw it as the type of talent also. I had to say, ‘Man, this guy’s got something.’ And then I saw that, I said, ‘Wait a minute, we don’t want to be doing that too much.’ And then not to long ago, I was at a convention and I saw him and said, ‘Darby, what’s going on, man?’ I looked down, he got a big boot on his leg. And that, having the boot on his leg made him miss going to climb Mount Everest. So it’s crazy, and I said, ‘So you going to tone it down a little bit?’ And he said, ‘Man, you know me.’

“I can only imagine how these guys gonna feel when they get my age. Then again, I don’t know if they are thinking about feeling. Maybe it’s one of these things where they’re ‘Man, I’m gonna burn the candle at both ends. And when it’s over with, it’s over with.’ And I know a lot of times you feel that way when you’re in the moment. But when you finally get there, and you wake up, and you go, ‘Ah, that hurt,’ you go, ‘Man, I wish I wouldn’t have done that.’ So I worry about the young guys as far as the approach that they take when they go out and perform sometimes these days. Because they can still get the same reactions, they could still get the same feelings, and sometimes even more. So I just want to caution the young guys.”

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.