Booker T On Which AEW Roster Signings Might Be A Mistake
WWE Hall of Famer, Booker T was candidly speaking on his Heated Conversations podcast about the developing roster of the newly formed, All Elite Wrestling. Booker explained that signing pro wrestlers to their roster that have already had exposure in promotions like TNA/Impact Wrestling may ultimately hurt AEW. The 5-Time World Champion believes that performers like Kazarian and Christopher Daniels will cause viewers to automatically associate to their past runs in TNA.
"Me personally, If I'm gonna have some veterans around, they're gonna be in the production room," Booker said. "They ain't gonna be on the roster, that's just my opinion. It's just like [my] Reality of Wrestling [School], I need you to look at this thing differently, I need you to look at it fresh, I need you to look at it from a perspective that has never been seen before.
"And when I see a guy like Kazarian, when I see a guy like Daniels, I see TNA. It's just a constant reminder. All the rest of these other names – Fenix – and those guys, I've never heard of these guys before, man, I wanna check this guy. I wanna see what he's got. When you say Christopher Daniels, I go, oh, I know what he got. I've seen him do the moonsaults a couple times. I've seen Kazarian."
When confronted with the argument that Chris Jericho is also a seasoned veteran, him being in WCW, WWE, and NJPW, Booker explained that Jericho's "star power" is what sets him apart from the others.
"Chris Jericho, brings star power. Chris Jericho is like Mick Jagger, you know what I'm saying? When Mick Jagger walk in, man you don't ask how old is this guy, you go, man that's Mick Jagger! Man I gotta get an autograph, do you think I could get a picture with him?! You know what I mean? That's what you think when Mick Jagger walk in and that's what Chris Jericho brings to the table. Now, not saying that people's eyebrows don't raise up when Daniels and Kazarian walk in, but, not like Chris Jericho."
You can listen to the full interview below. If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Heated Conversations with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.