Episode 479: Booker T - The Early Years
🎧 Listen to the full episode on What Happened When with Tony Schiavone
WCW failure analysis
Here's the reason WCW failed: we were owned by a television company that had no idea what to do with wrestling. Vince McMahon owned his company. That's why he succeeded. Tony Khan owns us. It is vastly important to have a wrestling company and not a TV company.
Harlem Heat debut
Jesse Ventura and I, the match was over and Jesse says, 'Am I the only one here that thinks that is wrong to have Colonel Parker come out with those two guys [Harlem Heat]?' It looked the visual was absolutely wrong. It never aired. Thank God it got shut down.
WCW library sale
How stupid can someone be to let the library go to Vince McMahon for whatever price that was? I heard four million. To me, that just shows you that whomever worked that deal out had no foresight into what television was going to be.
WCW closure
I knew that I had to reinvent myself because I knew the WWE would not want me. I had secured me an interview with WSB radio. When WCW closed their offices at 10 a.m. that day, I had a 2 o'clock afternoon appointment at WSB Radio and got hired.
Passing of Dennis Condrey
Dennis Condrey was one of my favorite guys. He and Bobby Eaton. It's hard to believe that Bobby is gone and now Dennis is gone. The Road Warriors are gone. A lot of people that I worked with through the years are gone.
Midnight Express legacy
The Midnight Express and the Rock and Roll Express did bigger business for Jim Crockett Promotions than anybody. And that was quite a rivalry that really exploded the Mid-South territory.
1986 Scaffold Match
I remember very distinctly saying, 'Man, I don't know what they're paying you guys, but to get up on that freaking scaffold and do that, it's going to have to be pretty good money.' Dennis said, 'Damn right, I will never do it again.'
AI in broadcasting
I know there will be a lot of negative [with AI], but I think there will be more positive in the end. I also believe that the time is ticking for announcers. One of my doctors told me that my job is up for grabs because AI will be able to diagnose things better than I can down the road.
Nitro book recommendation
I've not read the Nitro book, but I think it pretty much lays it out what was going on. Guy Evans did a fabulous job. I consider it to be the definitive WCW book.
Backstage atmosphere
I don't mind people fucking around with me. As you know, you fuck around with me all the time. I enjoy that. I think it's a great part of what we do.
