Booker T acknowledges that LA Knight is an exceptionally talented performer but points out that talent alone doesn’t ensure a world championship, and he finds no issue with that reality. Knight is set to face Roman Reigns for the World Heavyweight Championship at WWE’s Money in the Bank event on October 10, held at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
On a recent episode of his podcast, The Hall of Fame, Booker compared Knight to legendary wrestlers like Curt Hennig, known as “Mr. Perfect,” who never captured a world title in WWE despite their fame and skill. Booker posed the question, “What didn’t Perfect do right?” When co-host Brad Gilmore included Scott Hall and Roddy Piper—other acclaimed stars who never held the world championship—Booker explained that this is just part of how the wrestling business operates.
“Not everyone is destined to be champion or hold that title, and that’s just the way it is,” Booker said. “I don’t understand today’s mindset where everyone feels entitled to a title shot.” Hennig was a two-time WWF Intercontinental Champion and held the AWA World Heavyweight Championship but never the WWF’s top prize. Similarly, Hall, as Razor Ramon, held the Intercontinental Championship four times with no world title to his name, while Piper—one of the biggest draws of the 1980s—won the Intercontinental Championship once but never the WWF Championship. Booker notes that personal motivation was never about titles for him.
He explained, “Even if I earned a million dollars a year without winning any titles, I wouldn’t care because I’d have invested that money smartly over 36 years.” For Booker, becoming the best wrestler in the locker room was more important than chasing world titles, which naturally led him to championship success. He also includes himself among the likes of Hall, Piper, and Hennig when it comes to not winning the WWE Championship specifically.
“LA Knight is an incredible talent, but like those great names who never won the World Heavyweight Championship—hell, I never captured the WWE title—I put myself in that same category despite winning other championships,” Booker shared. It’s worth noting that Booker did claim the World Heavyweight Championship in WWE in 2006 as King Booker and was a five-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion, but the WWE Championship remains the only major title he never held.
This Money in the Bank match was announced following the September 14 Raw in Mexico City, where Reigns defended his title against Penta. After the show aired, Knight confronted Reigns and hit him with the BFT. Reigns then challenged Knight to a title match, which Raw general manager Adam Pearce confirmed the next day. Knight has been seeking this opportunity since SummerSlam, where Reigns defeated Seth Rollins. Knight demanded a title shot on a Raw episode without interference from The Bloodline, but Reigns said Knight hadn’t earned it yet. The two previously faced off at Crown Jewel in 2023, with Reigns winning due to outside interference. While Knight has held the WWE United States Championship, he has yet to win a world title in WWE.
Fan Take: This matchup highlights the ongoing narrative that being a top-tier talent doesn’t always translate to immediate world title success, reflecting wrestling’s complex hierarchy. For fighting fans, this fight isn’t just about a championship—it’s a chance to see whether grit and charisma can overcome the established order, potentially shaking up the sport’s landscape.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
