Booker T Says Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes are the ‘Pillars’ of NXT

In an interview with The Ringer, Booker T had high praise for Bron Breakker and Carmelo Hayes, calling them the ‘pillars’ of the NXT brand. The two will face each other for the NXT title next Saturday at Stand and Deliver. Here are highlights:

On Carmelo Hayes: “[Hayes is] going to gravitate to me because he’s a young brother just like me once upon a time. And I always talk about young Black kids getting into this business. And for me to be the one that tried to give them that blueprint to what it was going to take to make it to the next level, I mean, I’m not talking about just being on the card. I’m not talking about just traveling around the world and having fun. I’m talking about leaving a legacy to where you’re going to be thought of one day as, ‘Man, he was one of the greatest that ever put on a pair of boots; his name rings with the greatest that ever did this.’ That’s what I was thinking about when I was doing it. So to have me around for Carmelo Hayes is awesome.”

On the Stand and Deliver main event: “Bron Breakker’s actually out there doing it. But those guys, they have a chance. They have an opportunity to go out and deliver. Absolutely deliver in the biggest way. I mean, they’re going to have the crowd. They’re going to have the people there pushing for them. They’re going to have everybody in the back pulling for them to go out there and really shine like new money. I’m talking about put the rocket on them and send it straight to the moon. Those two guys, Carmelo and Bron Breakker, they are the pillars here in NXT. And to see those two mix it up one-on-one for the first time, it’s going to be awesome, man. So I hope they’re ready. Like I say, preparation is the only luck they’re ever going to have. … When you have a moment, it could be there; in the next moment, it could be gone just like that. So take advantage of it.”

On Roxanne Perez: “She’s been amazing as far as catching that rocket, lightning-in-a-bottle effect. It’s been so cool to see it up close and personal as well, being here at NXT, so it’s been awesome. … She did catch on pretty quick. She started at Fantasy Camp. … It’s a five-hour day, and you get a chance to test your mettle. And she was only 16 years old when she did that, and she was like a natural. She definitely was rapid as far as someone that young picking the business up so quickly.”