On a recent edition of his “Hall of Fame” podcast, Booker T discussed the 2024 King and Queen of the Ring tournament winners, GUNTHER and Nia Jax.
You can check out some highlights from the podcast below:
On Nia Jax winning Queen of the Ring: “I think it’s only fitting to actually, finally pull the trigger on Nia Jax. I mean, come on. We’ve been waiting and waiting and waiting for quite some time. I’ve been sitting in for a long time, if Nia Jax gets a championship around her waist, it’s gonna take an act of God to get the championship off of her because I feel like she could be so dominant in that position. But this role actually is something that’s going to give Nia Jax a chance to actually sink her teeth into something a little bit different. A role, playing a role, going out there and creating at the same time. Seeing exactly how far she could take that role. That’s what I like about this setup right here for Nia Jax. As well as, it puts a spotlight on Nia Jax on a weekly basis when she walks out of that curtain. And what do I talk about all the time? That time on camera, that TV time, is worth its weight in gold. She’s gonna have a whole lot of that to play with right now. As well as, it was definitely a time for me, when I got that role, to actually go out and do something different than I was actually doing on the card, which was just going out and performing working in the rain. Now there again, the character-building side of Nia Jax, what are we going to see out of this Queen of the Ring? I cannot wait.”
On GUNTHER becoming King of the Ring: “He’s tailor made for this role. He really is. If anybody going into this King of the Ring tournament, you thought would come out on top and would have a really, really good chance at being a really, really great king, I think you would think of GUNTHER. Having the longest reigning Intercontinental Championship run of all times, surpassing one Honky Tonk Man… But no, GUNTHER is definitely a guy who could live up to that kingly role. And you know, we were talking about it off the air. Of course, everybody’s gonna be looking for a grade from King Booker, how one is doing playing that role. So me personally, I’m looking forward to seeing exactly how to GUNTHER plays this role.
“One thing I like about GUNTHER being in this role. Just like he played the role of Intercontinental Champion, as far as being the greatest, the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion? He could go out and he can hold that mantle such as I did. He can go out and he can rule with an iron fist. He’s the guy that’s gonna take no prisoners. He’s the guy that’s gonna really, I think, the moniker of King on GUNTHER. King GUNTHER, just think about that. King GUNTHER that has a certain ring to it. I could be wrong. But I always talk about the names and championships. You got to have a championship name in order to be champion. You got to have a kingly name in order to be king. King GUNTHER. You tell me how that’s sounds.”
On GUNTHER making things feel real again: “No, he is believable. He’s very, very believable, as far as going out there and making wrestling feel like it felt when I was a kid watching it. When I watched those guys down at the Sam Houston Coliseum. You know, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Ted DiBiase. And before Hacksaw Jim Duggan was the guy you just saw walking around with a 2X4, he was a bada*s. Guys like Mad Dog Buzz Sawyer. Man, those guys used to bring it and make me feel like this thing — even though I knew what wrestling was. I knew exactly what it was, I knew it was entertainment. But those guys made me feel a certain way. Just like those movies that I watched. GUNTHER is that same guy, he’s that same character. And the thing is, if you see him in the ring, you believe him. And if you see him at the bar, you believe that dude as well. I mean, they’re the one in the same. You do not want to cross that dude. He’s that believable in and out of the ring. That’s GUNTHER.”