There are some moments that really make This Day in Wrestling History special, and July 9, 2000 was one of them as Booker T won his first world championship.
Booker has been one of my favorites since I first saw Harlem Heat in WCW all those years ago, and it’s hard to imagine that anyone would not want to put a world championship on this man as his career progressed.
Thankfully, Vince Russo was a huge supported of Booker and when he moved from the WWE to WCW, he worked to develop and establish the younger stars.
In the WWE, he made sure everyone one had a storyline and built them up. This is his greatest strength and accomplishment as the professional wrestling world would’ve been far different without his influence.
The plan
The problem with pushing younger stars to the top in WCW was that there were older stars that had no intention of stepping aside and giving up their spot.
It’s understandable but nothing lasts forever.
In this case, Hulk Hogan was the face of WCW just as he was WWE years earlier but he had creative control.
The exact story of what happened at the Great American Bash varies depending on who’s telling it, but Hogan.
But no matter which story we choose to believe, it led to one of the greatest moments in history as Booker T moved into the spotlight.
The moment
Special thanks to @awrestlinghistorian for the excerpt.
“Vince Russo stuck up for me in WCW when it came down to who should be world champ. From what I’ve heard, there was a meeting and Russo stood up for me.
“I would not be six-time world champion if it were not for Vince Russo. I would not even be one-time world champion if it weren’t for Vince Russo.
“I wrestled once already that night, and then I was told to get ready for another match. I had about 10 minutes to prepare to go out.
“There was a question in my mind if the fans would accept a black world champion. Bash At The Beach was a topsy-turvy night. Finally, when the 1-2-3 came, the fans erupted. All my questions were answered. They really did want to see me win.” – Booker T, Sports Illustrated interview January 10, 2018
This was the first of many world championships for Booker T, and it’s one of our favorite This Day in Wrestling History moments.
What’s your favorite Booker T championship wins? Let us know in the comments below.
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