Booker T Doesn’t Feel WrestleMania 19 Loss To Triple H Hurt Him

On the latest episode of the Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T talked about what he called the elephant in the room — his WrestleMania 19 loss to Triple H. Booker battled Triple H for the World Title at the Seattle-set PPV.

The lead-up to the match contained what many viewed as racial overtones from Triple H, and many felt that Booker’s loss — which saw Booker on the mat for an extended period of time between Triple H’s Pedigree and the pin — hurt his standing. Booker explained why it never bothered him and added that he requested to take the fall in most of his Harlem Heat tag losses. You can check out some highlights below:

On the Match:

“We’re going to talk about WrestleMania 19, so let’s go ahead and get the elephant out of the room. A lot of people would think that one loss was harmful to me, and I say no, it wasn’t harmful. It didn’t hurt my career at all. I think I’m still here after 20-plus years being a part of that company in some way, shape, or form. I was listening to one of the Dark Side of the Ring episodes — Superstar Billy Graham lost the title to Bob Backlund, and his family, his daughter, said it ruined his life, ruined him as a man, losing that championship to Backlund. Personally, I refused to let this game — sports entertainment, professional wrestling — make me feel a certain way about myself, because I’m going out there doing a performance and hoping to give the best performance I possibly can at the end of the day. I never thought about losing. I always said it’s the way you lose.”

On the Narrative:

“People say, ‘Man, you laid there for 20 seconds before you got pinned,’ and I’m like, I don’t remember that. But I know how people feel when you really captivate them and make them feel a certain way, and that’s what this game is about. For me, I’ve never lost a match and felt a certain way about it. In fact, just about every match my brother and I lost as a team in Harlem Heat, as far as Harlem Heat goes, I requested that I be the one to lose every time.”

On Why He Liked To Take the Fall:

“Well, because it wasn’t about me losing, it was about the way I went out and entertained the fans, because I could lose. And then they’re going to see me next week, I’m going to go out and shock and amaze them again, so they’re going to forget about it. I say, if my brother lost and I lost, the team lose, but if I lose, it really doesn’t matter, because we’re going to get them right back on board next week anyway.”

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.