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[traffic noise]

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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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<i>[upbeat music]</i>

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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<i>‐ Growing up with close to
nothing in South Park, Texas,</i>

7
00:00:15,557 --> 00:00:18,268
<i>kicking it around New York
City is kinda surreal.</i>

8
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

9
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<i>The sounds, the energy;</i>

10
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<i>there's nothing like it.</i>

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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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It's like another world, man.

13
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

14
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<i>It's also a place
that I dreamed of as a kid...</i>

15
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

16
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<i>'Cause of "Shaft."</i>

17
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

18
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<i>I watched that movie
at least 100 times,</i>

19
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<i>and I literally wanted to be
John Shaft.</i>

20
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<i>We didn't see black guys like
this in movies back then.</i>

21
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

22
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<i>He was a bad man and didn't
back down from nobody.</i>

23
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

24
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<i>See, Shaft,
he resonated with me</i>

25
00:01:18,120 --> 00:01:20,956
<i>and inspired the five words</i>

26
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<i>that define the two‐time
WWE Hall of Famer.</i>

27
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<i>Can you dig it, sucka?</i>

28
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<i>["Rap Sheet" playing]</i>

29
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<i>‐ Act one of being
a pro wrestler</i>

30
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<i>is when you come through
that curtain.</i>

31
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He went in,
and he took it to the moon.

32
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<i>‐ Can you dig it, sucka?</i>

33
00:01:45,814 --> 00:01:47,524
<i>[laughing]</i>

34
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<i>‐ You see how he just soaks up
the adulation and the energy,</i>

35
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just makes it bigger
and bigger and bigger.

36
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<i>‐ Now our two‐time
WWE Hall of Famer, Booker T.</i>

37
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

38
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<i>‐ Booker's persona is
a street‐smart, hungry,</i>

39
00:02:03,749 --> 00:02:07,210
athletic, over‐the‐top,

40
00:02:07,336 --> 00:02:08,962
kick‐your‐ass
professional wrestler.

41
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‐ Take a look at this punk!

42
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[grunting]

43
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

44
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<i>‐ Even growing up,</i>

45
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<i>Junior was never afraid
to fight.</i>

46
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He would fight big kids,

47
00:02:19,973 --> 00:02:20,974
dogs, cats.

48
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I mean, he just loved to fight,

49
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and he could fight very well.

50
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<i>[lively music]</i>

51
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

52
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‐ You try to get somebody like,
"Did you see that?"

53
00:02:34,655 --> 00:02:38,033
[cheering,
indistinct chatter]

54
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<i>‐ One of the things I loved
about Booker T</i>

55
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<i>was his flair
for the theatrical side...</i>

56
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[indistinct commentating]

57
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‐ And the drama of it.

58
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‐ Austin‐‐
Austin attacking Booker T!

59
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‐ Here you go, brother.

60
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[shouts]
<i>‐ Oh, Booker with a shot.</i>

61
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‐ This is show business.

62
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‐ Booker T!
‐ Hey, Booker!

63
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[cheering]

64
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<i>‐ The key in this business
is charisma.</i>

65
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[cheers and applause]

66
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<i>Booker T walks into a room,
you notice him.</i>

67
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‐ [laughs]

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Fun, larger‐than‐life
personality,

69
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and big, and loves to laugh.

70
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‐ [laughs]

71
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<i>‐ Go to every length</i>

72
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<i>just to entertain you.</i>

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‐ Tell me
I don't look like that!

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‐ Pin him!

75
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<i>‐ And let me tell you,</i>

76
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<i>Booker is the same way
when he is at home.</i>

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‐ Yes, yes, yes, yes!
‐ Oh, no!

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Yeah.

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‐ I'm like, "Really?

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Are you really doing this
right now?"

81
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[laughs]

82
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

83
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<i>‐ Pioneer, trendsetter,</i>

84
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<i>two‐time Hall of Famer...</i>

85
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

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Five‐time champion.

87
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He's always managed
to stay on top.

88
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<i>♪ ♪</i>

89
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<i>‐ It's very, very important
to see people</i>

90
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who look like you
doing great things.

91
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<i>If he's doing it,
so can I.</i>

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‐ Can you dig that,
sucka?

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[cheering]

94
00:04:01,867 --> 00:04:05,120
<i>♪ ♪</i>

95
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<i>[hip‐hop music]</i>

96
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<i>‐ ♪ Welcome to my home ♪</i>

97
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<i>♪ On the south side ♪</i>

98
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<i>♪ Nah, uh‐uh ♪</i>

99
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<i>♪ That's just the south side
style ♪</i>

100
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<i>♪ You got a big game,
you know what I'm saying ♪</i>

101
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[dogs barking]

102
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<i>‐ This is where it all started
so many years ago.</i>

103
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<i>You don't miss
what you don't have.</i>

104
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We didn't have a lot,
but what we had, it was enough.

105
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<i>‐ ♪ South side,
the south side, yeah ♪</i>

106
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<i>♪ South side,
the south side ♪</i>

107
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<i>♪ Everybody do the south side,
the south side ♪</i>

108
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<i>♪ Yeah, south side,
the south side ♪</i>

109
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<i>‐ There was a lot
of shooting dice.</i>

110
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<i>We'd shoot marbles.</i>

111
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<i>Then we'd try to get
some mischief,</i>

112
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<i>looking for some girls.</i>

113
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[dog barking]

114
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<i>‐ ♪ South side, yeah ♪</i>

115
00:04:47,621 --> 00:04:50,165
<i>♪ South side,
the south side ♪</i>

116
00:04:50,290 --> 00:04:51,833
<i>♪ No one but you ♪</i>

117
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<i>‐ Don't let nobody
push you around, you know?</i>

118
00:04:53,752 --> 00:04:55,796
<i>Hey, man, if you get into
a fight, you know,</i>

119
00:04:55,879 --> 00:04:57,631
<i>make sure
you throw the first punch.</i>

120
00:04:57,714 --> 00:04:59,257
<i>‐ ♪ You know the south side ♪</i>

121
00:04:59,341 --> 00:05:00,550
<i>‐ You know,
and that's what‐‐</i>

122
00:05:00,675 --> 00:05:02,177
<i>not my brothers
was teaching me,</i>

123
00:05:02,302 --> 00:05:03,512
<i>but my sisters
was teaching me that.</i>

124
00:05:03,637 --> 00:05:05,180
<i>‐ ♪ You know the south side ♪</i>

125
00:05:05,305 --> 00:05:06,807
<i>[indistinct singing]</i>

126
00:05:06,890 --> 00:05:09,643
<i>‐ That's what life was
here in this neighborhood.</i>

127
00:05:09,726 --> 00:05:11,728
<i>♪ ♪</i>

128
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We moved here back when I was
actually about seven years old.

129
00:05:15,357 --> 00:05:16,983
We moved around Houston

130
00:05:17,067 --> 00:05:18,985
till we finally settled right
here in this neighborhood,

131
00:05:19,069 --> 00:05:21,279
and I tell you,
just standing here right now,

132
00:05:21,363 --> 00:05:23,782
the memories
just‐‐just flood back.

133
00:05:23,865 --> 00:05:26,493
<i>[hip‐hop music]</i>

134
00:05:26,618 --> 00:05:27,994
<i>♪ ♪</i>

135
00:05:28,078 --> 00:05:31,081
<i>I was born in a little place
called Plain Dealing,</i>

136
00:05:31,206 --> 00:05:34,000
<i>about 50 miles outside
of Shreveport, Louisiana.</i>

137
00:05:34,125 --> 00:05:37,045
<i>♪ ♪</i>

138
00:05:37,128 --> 00:05:38,505
<i>I was the youngest
of eight kids.</i>

139
00:05:38,630 --> 00:05:40,257
<i>I never knew my father.</i>

140
00:05:40,340 --> 00:05:41,967
<i>He passed away
when I was ten months old.</i>

141
00:05:42,008 --> 00:05:46,179
<i>♪ ♪</i>

142
00:05:46,304 --> 00:05:47,681
<i>My mother was
a registered nurse,</i>

143
00:05:47,806 --> 00:05:50,183
<i>and she packed up,
and she moved us here</i>

144
00:05:50,308 --> 00:05:54,312
<i>because she just wanted more
for her kids.</i>

145
00:05:54,396 --> 00:05:56,523
As long as I can remember,

146
00:05:56,648 --> 00:05:59,526
my mother worked
from 11:00 at night

147
00:05:59,651 --> 00:06:02,612
to 7:00 a. m. in the morning.

148
00:06:02,696 --> 00:06:04,322
<i>‐ It was very important
for her to be there</i>

149
00:06:04,447 --> 00:06:06,116
<i>when we woke up</i>

150
00:06:06,199 --> 00:06:09,202
<i>and to be there when we came
home from school every day</i>

151
00:06:09,327 --> 00:06:11,830
and to make sure
that we were fed,

152
00:06:11,913 --> 00:06:13,415
that we did our homework,

153
00:06:13,540 --> 00:06:16,835
and that we were in the bed
before she left, so...

154
00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,337
<i>That graveyard shift can be
very, very tough,</i>

155
00:06:19,421 --> 00:06:22,924
<i>but my mom did it,
and she did it for us.</i>

156
00:06:23,008 --> 00:06:25,176
We had four girls, four boys,

157
00:06:25,302 --> 00:06:28,471
and some of the older ones
were already out of the house

158
00:06:28,555 --> 00:06:30,181
when we moved to Houston,

159
00:06:30,265 --> 00:06:34,978
but she was still a single
parent with a full household.

160
00:06:35,061 --> 00:06:36,563
<i>My older brother, Lash,</i>

161
00:06:36,688 --> 00:06:38,398
<i>others know him
as Stevie Ray,</i>

162
00:06:38,523 --> 00:06:40,150
<i>his wrestling name.</i>

163
00:06:40,233 --> 00:06:42,068
<i>Booker T, myself,</i>

164
00:06:42,152 --> 00:06:44,863
<i>the three of us
were all three years apart,</i>

165
00:06:44,988 --> 00:06:46,323
<i>so we were the closest,</i>

166
00:06:46,448 --> 00:06:49,117
<i>and all three of us
were the youngest.</i>

167
00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:50,577
‐ Sports was always
in the equation,

168
00:06:50,702 --> 00:06:52,579
and my brother would
always play football

169
00:06:52,704 --> 00:06:54,456
with me and my friends.

170
00:06:54,539 --> 00:06:57,834
For some reason or another,
he wanted to play with us.

171
00:06:57,918 --> 00:07:01,588
<i>‐ Whatever Lash wanted to do,
Junior wanted to do.</i>

172
00:07:01,671 --> 00:07:03,965
<i>Whenever we would get
new mattresses,</i>

173
00:07:04,049 --> 00:07:06,301
<i>Junior and Lash
would ask the old mattress,</i>

174
00:07:06,343 --> 00:07:08,011
<i>and they'd set it up
in the backyard</i>

175
00:07:08,094 --> 00:07:10,305
<i>and make a makeshift ring,</i>

176
00:07:10,347 --> 00:07:12,349
and me and my niece,
we were guinea pigs

177
00:07:12,474 --> 00:07:14,809
for the sleeper hold.

178
00:07:14,935 --> 00:07:17,145
<i>He did look up
to his big brother.</i>

179
00:07:17,228 --> 00:07:18,980
<i>♪ ♪</i>

180
00:07:19,105 --> 00:07:21,858
<i>My mom, not that she didn't
love all of us,</i>

181
00:07:21,942 --> 00:07:25,654
<i>but she loved Junior
'cause he was the baby.</i>

182
00:07:25,779 --> 00:07:28,531
‐ He could cry for three hours
without stopping.

183
00:07:28,657 --> 00:07:31,910
Sometimes he'd cry so much,
you'd have to pay him to stop,

184
00:07:32,035 --> 00:07:33,578
and he'd get your money,

185
00:07:33,703 --> 00:07:35,538
<i>and then when she come home,
he was crying again</i>

186
00:07:35,664 --> 00:07:38,375
so he could plead his case.

187
00:07:38,500 --> 00:07:41,252
My mama would be,
"Oh, my baby, my baby,"

188
00:07:41,336 --> 00:07:43,296
and he'd be hugging her

189
00:07:43,380 --> 00:07:45,632
and looking over there
and winking at us.

190
00:07:45,757 --> 00:07:47,008
[laughs]

191
00:07:47,133 --> 00:07:49,052
‐ I was a mama's boy, yeah.

192
00:07:49,177 --> 00:07:51,388
I always said one day

193
00:07:51,513 --> 00:07:53,598
that I was gonna buy my mother
a big house,

194
00:07:53,682 --> 00:07:56,351
and she wasn't gonna
have to ever work again.

195
00:07:56,476 --> 00:07:58,478
<i>I'd just lay on my mother</i>

196
00:07:58,561 --> 00:08:01,356
<i>and just listen
to her heartbeat.</i>

197
00:08:01,439 --> 00:08:03,817
<i>The relationship was very,
very special.</i>

198
00:08:03,942 --> 00:08:06,945
<i>♪ ♪</i>

199
00:08:07,028 --> 00:08:08,279
<i>‐ We had a attic fan,</i>

200
00:08:08,363 --> 00:08:09,781
<i>and for some reason,</i>

201
00:08:09,864 --> 00:08:11,199
<i>the attic fan
had stopped working.</i>

202
00:08:11,324 --> 00:08:14,202
<i>♪ ♪</i>

203
00:08:14,327 --> 00:08:15,745
<i>All my of my brothers
are older,</i>

204
00:08:15,870 --> 00:08:17,664
<i>and she had been trying
to get one of those guys</i>

205
00:08:17,747 --> 00:08:19,749
<i>to go up there and take
a look at it for the longest,</i>

206
00:08:19,874 --> 00:08:22,919
<i>and finally one day she said,
"I'll go and do it myself."</i>

207
00:08:23,003 --> 00:08:24,838
<i>♪ ♪</i>

208
00:08:24,963 --> 00:08:27,424
<i>She went up to the attic,
you know, to check it out.</i>

209
00:08:27,507 --> 00:08:29,009
<i>You know, she stepped
on the sheetrock,</i>

210
00:08:29,134 --> 00:08:32,345
<i>and she fell through the roof
to the floor.</i>

211
00:08:32,429 --> 00:08:34,681
<i>♪ ♪</i>

212
00:08:34,806 --> 00:08:37,434
From that point on,
she always had back problems,

213
00:08:37,517 --> 00:08:39,352
and she had to have surgery.

214
00:08:39,477 --> 00:08:41,229
‐ She had the surgery.
She came through.

215
00:08:41,312 --> 00:08:42,939
Everything was fine.

216
00:08:43,023 --> 00:08:46,943
Her leg began to stiffen,
and she was in pain again,

217
00:08:47,027 --> 00:08:48,987
and when she went back
to the doctor,

218
00:08:49,112 --> 00:08:52,157
they said that they needed
to go in again.

219
00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,784
‐ It was basically,
"I'm gonna go to the hospital.

220
00:08:54,868 --> 00:08:56,494
I'll be there a couple of days.

221
00:08:56,619 --> 00:08:58,121
Here's lunch money,"

222
00:08:58,204 --> 00:09:00,915
and you kiss your mom good‐bye.

223
00:09:01,041 --> 00:09:03,752
‐ Something happened,
complications,

224
00:09:03,835 --> 00:09:05,462
and her heart stopped beating,

225
00:09:05,587 --> 00:09:09,215
and bam, 49 years old,

226
00:09:09,340 --> 00:09:11,593
my mother was gone, yeah.

227
00:09:11,676 --> 00:09:14,804
<i>[somber piano music]</i>

228
00:09:14,888 --> 00:09:16,222
<i>♪ ♪</i>

229
00:09:16,347 --> 00:09:20,477
<i>We had lost our leader,
our rock, our provider,</i>

230
00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:22,854
our strength‐‐
we had lost that.

231
00:09:22,979 --> 00:09:24,731
<i>♪ ♪</i>

232
00:09:24,856 --> 00:09:26,566
<i>Everything changed for me,
of course,</i>

233
00:09:26,649 --> 00:09:30,987
<i>being a 13‐year‐old kid
with no parents.</i>

234
00:09:31,112 --> 00:09:33,823
I don't blame any of my sisters
and brothers

235
00:09:33,907 --> 00:09:37,327
for not stepping up
and being, you know,

236
00:09:37,410 --> 00:09:38,995
a father figure
or a mother figure,

237
00:09:39,079 --> 00:09:44,250
and I don't think anybody
was prepared or equipped

238
00:09:44,334 --> 00:09:46,544
for the loss of my mother.

239
00:09:46,669 --> 00:09:48,421
No one was.

240
00:09:48,505 --> 00:09:51,841
‐ We were like little ants
without the queen.

241
00:09:51,925 --> 00:09:55,470
Everybody was just,
like, everywhere.

242
00:09:55,595 --> 00:09:57,847
‐ It kinda splintered
our family somewhat.

243
00:09:57,931 --> 00:09:59,599
You know, I know it did me.

244
00:09:59,682 --> 00:10:02,602
‐ And the younger kids,
Booker, Bonita,

245
00:10:02,685 --> 00:10:04,646
that's all they knew,
was their mom.

246
00:10:04,771 --> 00:10:07,649
‐ From a legal standpoint,
we were "orphans"

247
00:10:07,774 --> 00:10:10,026
because we didn't have
a mother or father,

248
00:10:10,151 --> 00:10:11,319
and we were both minors.

249
00:10:11,444 --> 00:10:13,029
[indistinct chatter]

250
00:10:13,113 --> 00:10:17,742
<i>For a short period of time,
we did struggle</i>

251
00:10:17,826 --> 00:10:20,620
<i>because we were basically
the two</i>

252
00:10:20,703 --> 00:10:24,833
<i>that were left in the home
after my mom died.</i>

253
00:10:24,916 --> 00:10:26,918
<i>♪ ♪</i>

254
00:10:27,001 --> 00:10:29,295
‐ So here's this kid at age 13
living with his sister

255
00:10:29,379 --> 00:10:30,880
in a house that is abandoned.

256
00:10:31,005 --> 00:10:32,966
You know, the electricity's
being turned off now.

257
00:10:33,091 --> 00:10:34,759
<i>It's becoming
a derelict house.</i>

258
00:10:34,843 --> 00:10:36,052
<i>They don't have any food.</i>

259
00:10:36,177 --> 00:10:38,763
<i>They have nowhere to go.</i>

260
00:10:38,847 --> 00:10:42,016
<i>‐ They kept the lights on as
long as they possibly could.</i>

261
00:10:42,100 --> 00:10:46,437
<i>They kept the water on as long
as they possibly could,</i>

262
00:10:46,521 --> 00:10:49,983
<i>and then no lights, no water,
no gas, no anything.</i>

263
00:10:50,108 --> 00:10:51,901
<i>♪ ♪</i>

264
00:10:52,026 --> 00:10:53,820
<i>It was a lot of scary nights
in the house,</i>

265
00:10:53,903 --> 00:10:57,157
<i>you know, with candles.</i>

266
00:10:57,282 --> 00:11:00,702
<i>We toughed it out
as long as we possibly could.</i>

267
00:11:00,827 --> 00:11:03,496
The house got foreclosed on,
and the bank took it.

268
00:11:03,580 --> 00:11:05,331
My sister actually,
you know, took us in,

269
00:11:05,415 --> 00:11:07,959
and we were in a better place
as far as we had lights,

270
00:11:08,042 --> 00:11:09,460
and we had gas.

271
00:11:09,544 --> 00:11:12,005
We had water.
We had food.

272
00:11:12,130 --> 00:11:13,381
<i>♪ ♪</i>

273
00:11:13,464 --> 00:11:14,924
<i>But we were still
in a environment</i>

274
00:11:15,008 --> 00:11:17,177
<i>that two kids
shouldn't have been in,</i>

275
00:11:17,302 --> 00:11:21,181
<i>wondering what was next.</i>

276
00:11:21,306 --> 00:11:24,684
‐ Right now we're deep in
the heart of South Park, Texas,

277
00:11:24,809 --> 00:11:26,060
where I pretty much grew up

278
00:11:26,186 --> 00:11:29,939
and, I always say,
created all my dirt.

279
00:11:30,023 --> 00:11:32,150
The lifestyle that I led,
you know,

280
00:11:32,233 --> 00:11:33,776
was a little bit different
than most kids

281
00:11:33,860 --> 00:11:36,905
because, you know,
most kids were,

282
00:11:37,030 --> 00:11:38,573
you know,
thinking about getting home

283
00:11:38,698 --> 00:11:40,825
and going outside

284
00:11:40,950 --> 00:11:42,619
and playing with their buddies,

285
00:11:42,702 --> 00:11:45,747
and it was like that for me,
to a point,

286
00:11:45,872 --> 00:11:47,874
and then after
I lost my mother,

287
00:11:47,999 --> 00:11:50,627
things totally went
in another direction

288
00:11:50,752 --> 00:11:54,797
as far as
now I had to police myself.

289
00:11:54,881 --> 00:11:57,508
Now I had, you know,
peer pressure.

290
00:11:57,592 --> 00:12:00,094
In the neighborhood, the kid
on the corner's asking you,

291
00:12:00,178 --> 00:12:01,971
"Hey, man, you wanna smoke
some of this?"

292
00:12:02,096 --> 00:12:04,724
You know, and you go, "Yeah,
man, I'll smoke some of that,"

293
00:12:04,849 --> 00:12:07,435
and, you know‐‐and that's where
it all starts.

294
00:12:07,518 --> 00:12:10,438
<i>[somber piano music]</i>

295
00:12:10,521 --> 00:12:11,731
One of the first things I saw,

296
00:12:11,856 --> 00:12:13,441
actually,
we was at the car wash.

297
00:12:13,524 --> 00:12:14,984
A friend of mine
by the name of Ted,

298
00:12:15,068 --> 00:12:16,694
he was a kid
that I went to school with.

299
00:12:16,819 --> 00:12:18,196
So I'm getting into it
with another guy

300
00:12:18,321 --> 00:12:19,614
down at the car wash,

301
00:12:19,697 --> 00:12:21,532
and it was just gonna be
a regular fight,

302
00:12:21,658 --> 00:12:24,994
and next thing you know,

303
00:12:25,078 --> 00:12:27,830
Ted pulls out a gun
and boom, shoots the kid,

304
00:12:27,956 --> 00:12:31,584
and then the kid's friend
pulls out a shotgun,

305
00:12:31,668 --> 00:12:34,295
boom, and kills Ted.

306
00:12:34,379 --> 00:12:37,006
So as a kid, you know,
seeing stuff like that,

307
00:12:37,131 --> 00:12:38,466
you just wonder, man,
you know,

308
00:12:38,591 --> 00:12:40,802
what is life all about,
you know?

309
00:12:40,927 --> 00:12:44,264
What are we here for,
and how long are we here for?

310
00:12:44,347 --> 00:12:46,766
Life in the neighborhood.

311
00:12:46,849 --> 00:12:48,893
<i>I could pretty much do
whatever I wanted to do.</i>

312
00:12:48,977 --> 00:12:50,395
<i>I didn't have to think
about going to school</i>

313
00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:52,313
<i>if I didn't want
to go to school.</i>

314
00:12:52,397 --> 00:12:55,441
<i>I would just stay at home
or just go somewhere else.</i>

315
00:12:55,525 --> 00:12:57,819
<i>♪ ♪</i>

316
00:12:57,902 --> 00:12:59,654
<i>Who was gonna tell me
it was wrong?</i>

317
00:12:59,737 --> 00:13:00,780
<i>No one.</i>

318
00:13:00,863 --> 00:13:02,365
Who knew I was at school
or not?

319
00:13:02,448 --> 00:13:05,326
No one. Who cared?
No one.

320
00:13:05,451 --> 00:13:07,787
<i>When you find yourself
in that position,</i>

321
00:13:07,870 --> 00:13:09,831
<i>you start doing things
a young kid</i>

322
00:13:09,956 --> 00:13:13,793
<i>definitely shouldn't have
been doing...</i>

323
00:13:13,876 --> 00:13:16,045
<i>Going out and partying,
drugs,</i>

324
00:13:16,170 --> 00:13:19,632
<i>hanging out till 4:00 in the
morning out on the waterfront,</i>

325
00:13:19,757 --> 00:13:23,011
<i>watching the ladies
of the night.</i>

326
00:13:23,136 --> 00:13:25,555
Things changed in
the neighborhood, South Park,

327
00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:27,181
but, you know, nothing,

328
00:13:27,265 --> 00:13:29,600
nothing like when I start
coming in this area right here.

329
00:13:29,684 --> 00:13:31,936
It's called
the waterfront area, you know?

330
00:13:32,020 --> 00:13:33,938
The docks is not too far
from here.

331
00:13:34,022 --> 00:13:36,107
Everybody would frequent
this area, you know?

332
00:13:36,190 --> 00:13:38,651
Especially on Friday nights
after they got paid.

333
00:13:38,693 --> 00:13:40,987
Prostitutes, gambling,

334
00:13:41,070 --> 00:13:42,655
you'd see gambling
on the corner.

335
00:13:42,739 --> 00:13:44,991
<i>The drug scene, the needles,</i>

336
00:13:45,116 --> 00:13:47,994
<i>that's what I remember more
than anything, is the needles.</i>

337
00:13:48,077 --> 00:13:49,829
<i>‐ ♪ Talking about Slick ♪
‐ ♪ Slick ♪</i>

338
00:13:49,912 --> 00:13:52,081
<i>‐ Listening to
some Willie Hutch,</i>

339
00:13:52,165 --> 00:13:53,708
<i>some of the pieces of music</i>

340
00:13:53,791 --> 00:13:56,669
<i>went hand in hand
with the game.</i>

341
00:13:56,753 --> 00:13:58,713
<i>‐ ♪ Walking fast,
talking trash ♪</i>

342
00:13:58,838 --> 00:14:00,631
<i>♪ Trying to beat you
out your cash ♪</i>

343
00:14:00,757 --> 00:14:02,258
<i>♪ Who is he? ♪</i>

344
00:14:02,342 --> 00:14:04,093
<i>♪ They call him Slick ♪
‐ ♪ Slick ♪</i>

345
00:14:04,177 --> 00:14:05,762
<i>‐ They sit out here,
and they‐‐they'll gamble,</i>

346
00:14:05,845 --> 00:14:07,305
<i>and they'll loiter,</i>

347
00:14:07,388 --> 00:14:08,431
<i>and they'll try to make
their drug sales.</i>

348
00:14:08,514 --> 00:14:10,183
<i>‐ 35, it's on a 21.</i>

349
00:14:10,308 --> 00:14:12,268
<i>‐ ♪ They call him Slick ♪
‐ ♪ Slick ♪</i>

350
00:14:12,352 --> 00:14:14,771
<i>‐ ♪ Now Slick ain't got
no regrets ♪</i>

351
00:14:14,854 --> 00:14:16,189
<i>♪ Slick ain't got no sorrow ♪</i>

352
00:14:16,314 --> 00:14:18,608
<i>♪ If he don't get you today ♪</i>

353
00:14:18,691 --> 00:14:19,984
<i>‐ I knew I didn't want
to do drugs.</i>

354
00:14:20,068 --> 00:14:21,527
<i>I knew I didn't want to be
a pimp.</i>

355
00:14:21,611 --> 00:14:23,154
<i>I knew I didn't want to have
that lifestyle.</i>

356
00:14:23,237 --> 00:14:25,865
<i>‐ ♪ They call him Slick ♪</i>

357
00:14:25,990 --> 00:14:28,159
<i>‐ I knew I didn't want
to do that,</i>

358
00:14:28,242 --> 00:14:30,328
but I was right
in the middle of it.

359
00:14:30,411 --> 00:14:33,289
<i>♪ ♪</i>

360
00:14:33,373 --> 00:14:35,375
<i>‐ Booker just kinda fell
through the cracks.</i>

361
00:14:35,500 --> 00:14:38,378
<i>I mean, here's a kid
that was literally on his own,</i>

362
00:14:38,461 --> 00:14:39,962
<i>and then he ends up
getting a job</i>

363
00:14:40,046 --> 00:14:41,714
<i>with sweeping the floors
in a heroin den,</i>

364
00:14:41,798 --> 00:14:43,925
<i>and it doubled as a brothel.</i>

365
00:14:44,008 --> 00:14:45,176
He's trying to survive.

366
00:14:45,301 --> 00:14:47,345
He's trying to live
till tomorrow.

367
00:14:47,470 --> 00:14:49,305
‐ I had no ambitions.

368
00:14:49,347 --> 00:14:51,015
I was in that whirlwind,

369
00:14:51,099 --> 00:14:52,892
and it was spinning,

370
00:14:53,017 --> 00:14:55,686
and where it stopped,
that's where I was gonna go.

371
00:14:55,812 --> 00:14:57,146
‐ When you have that mind‐set

372
00:14:57,230 --> 00:14:58,564
and you're stuck
in that position,

373
00:14:58,689 --> 00:15:00,274
you do things that are‐‐

374
00:15:00,358 --> 00:15:02,443
you look back and say, "Well,
that was a terrible decision."

375
00:15:02,527 --> 00:15:05,947
<i>♪ ♪</i>

376
00:15:06,030 --> 00:15:08,324
<i>‐ You just start making
your own rules,</i>

377
00:15:08,408 --> 00:15:10,952
<i>whether those rules
are right or wrong.</i>

378
00:15:11,035 --> 00:15:13,704
<i>You just start making them,
and that's what I did.</i>

379
00:15:13,830 --> 00:15:15,665
<i>I remember hanging out
with my buddies,</i>

380
00:15:15,748 --> 00:15:17,500
<i>and they became my family,</i>

381
00:15:17,583 --> 00:15:20,878
<i>and we started writing
our own blueprints.</i>

382
00:15:21,003 --> 00:15:23,798
‐ So when he sees an option
to deal a little pot

383
00:15:23,881 --> 00:15:26,968
or rob a good‐‐
a fast food restaurant,

384
00:15:27,051 --> 00:15:28,428
of course he's gonna do it.

385
00:15:28,511 --> 00:15:33,057
‐ The robbery, the incident,
the way it started.

386
00:15:33,141 --> 00:15:35,476
<i>It was myself,
a friend of mine, Zachary,</i>

387
00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:37,854
<i>a friend that I grew up with,
Wendell.</i>

388
00:15:37,979 --> 00:15:39,647
<i>We worked at Wendy's.</i>

389
00:15:39,730 --> 00:15:41,274
<i>There was this one manager</i>

390
00:15:41,357 --> 00:15:44,068
<i>who just used to give us
a hard time all the time.</i>

391
00:15:44,193 --> 00:15:45,820
<i>We were talking about it
one day,</i>

392
00:15:45,945 --> 00:15:47,822
<i>"Man, we should rob him."</i>

393
00:15:47,905 --> 00:15:50,032
We did it,
and we got away with it,

394
00:15:50,158 --> 00:15:51,951
the store
that we actually worked at.

395
00:15:52,034 --> 00:15:54,537
Then we did it again,

396
00:15:54,620 --> 00:15:56,164
and we got away with it.

397
00:15:56,289 --> 00:15:58,666
<i>Somebody said, "Hey, man,
when we going out again?</i>

398
00:15:58,791 --> 00:16:01,669
<i>Let's do it."</i>

399
00:16:01,752 --> 00:16:03,296
<i>We got away with it again.</i>

400
00:16:03,421 --> 00:16:06,966
<i>It was like we weren't
ever gonna get caught.</i>

401
00:16:07,008 --> 00:16:09,093
<i>And we saw it on the news,
and we was like,</i>

402
00:16:09,177 --> 00:16:10,678
<i>"Man, this thing
is getting crazy.</i>

403
00:16:10,761 --> 00:16:11,804
<i>You know,
we getting really big."</i>

404
00:16:11,929 --> 00:16:13,806
<i>We were like rock stars then.</i>

405
00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:16,434
<i>It was like cat and mouse,</i>

406
00:16:16,517 --> 00:16:17,977
<i>catch me if you can.</i>

407
00:16:18,019 --> 00:16:19,645
It's hard to understand
how do you think

408
00:16:19,770 --> 00:16:21,731
you know more than the cops.

409
00:16:21,856 --> 00:16:24,484
[laughs]
That's their job.

410
00:16:24,609 --> 00:16:26,277
They were‐‐they would
come to the office.

411
00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:29,530
Only thing they'd do
is sit around and investigate

412
00:16:29,614 --> 00:16:33,201
and try to figure out how
to catch someone doing wrong.

413
00:16:33,284 --> 00:16:36,120
<i>♪ ♪</i>

414
00:16:36,204 --> 00:16:38,289
<i>I was coming home
to my apartment.</i>

415
00:16:38,372 --> 00:16:42,251
<i>I came around the corner,
and I saw no one.</i>

416
00:16:42,335 --> 00:16:44,462
It was so quiet that night,

417
00:16:44,504 --> 00:16:45,963
and I just remember, man,

418
00:16:46,088 --> 00:16:49,258
just something does not
feel right at all.

419
00:16:49,342 --> 00:16:52,470
<i>And literally
10, 15, 20 people came out</i>

420
00:16:52,553 --> 00:16:53,721
<i>at the same time.</i>

421
00:16:53,846 --> 00:16:57,266
[siren wailing]

422
00:16:57,350 --> 00:16:59,852
They all had guns, and they
were all pointing at me.

423
00:16:59,936 --> 00:17:04,899
<i>♪ ♪</i>

424
00:17:05,024 --> 00:17:06,692
[siren wails]

425
00:17:06,817 --> 00:17:09,320
<i>That ride from 45 and 610</i>

426
00:17:09,362 --> 00:17:12,156
<i>to downtown Houston
to the county jail,</i>

427
00:17:12,281 --> 00:17:15,576
<i>that was the longest ride
I ever had.</i>

428
00:17:15,701 --> 00:17:18,538
<i>[desolate music]</i>

429
00:17:18,663 --> 00:17:22,041
<i>♪ ♪</i>

430
00:17:22,166 --> 00:17:25,503
<i>I was in Harris County
for about eight months.</i>

431
00:17:25,586 --> 00:17:27,004
<i>I sat in that jail</i>

432
00:17:27,088 --> 00:17:28,756
waiting on whether I was
either gonna go to trial

433
00:17:28,839 --> 00:17:30,299
or I was gonna take a plea,

434
00:17:30,383 --> 00:17:31,801
and I was gonna take a plea.

435
00:17:31,884 --> 00:17:35,054
I knew I was wrong.
I knew I was guilty.

436
00:17:35,179 --> 00:17:37,223
I knew I would have been
convicted very, very easily.

437
00:17:37,348 --> 00:17:40,434
I took the sentence,
which was five years.

438
00:17:40,518 --> 00:17:43,312
<i>♪ ♪</i>

439
00:17:43,354 --> 00:17:46,607
<i>I had to go a place
called Pack 2.</i>

440
00:17:46,691 --> 00:17:49,485
<i>It was in Navasota, Texas.</i>

441
00:17:49,610 --> 00:17:52,488
<i>I remember seeing a chain gang
on television.</i>

442
00:17:52,572 --> 00:17:54,323
<i>I didn't think
that was a real thing.</i>

443
00:17:54,448 --> 00:17:55,783
<i>I thought it was just
something that was outdated</i>

444
00:17:55,866 --> 00:17:58,286
<i>or in the past,</i>

445
00:17:58,369 --> 00:18:01,664
<i>but we really had to wake up
early in the morning</i>

446
00:18:01,747 --> 00:18:03,499
<i>and get on the back
of this big truck,</i>

447
00:18:03,624 --> 00:18:07,920
<i>and we would go to literally
just clear a field.</i>

448
00:18:08,004 --> 00:18:10,965
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

449
00:18:11,007 --> 00:18:14,969
<i>♪ ♪</i>

450
00:18:15,052 --> 00:18:17,471
<i>And we would do it
pretty much by hand,</i>

451
00:18:17,555 --> 00:18:21,017
<i>pulling up stumps,
and it was for hours.</i>

452
00:18:21,142 --> 00:18:22,518
And I'm like,
"Man, this is real.

453
00:18:22,602 --> 00:18:24,353
This is as real
as it get right here."

454
00:18:24,437 --> 00:18:27,982
<i>It was a education
for me as well.</i>

455
00:18:28,024 --> 00:18:31,277
<i>I got a chance to get my GED.</i>

456
00:18:31,360 --> 00:18:33,362
<i>I wanted to go to school.
I wanted to learn more.</i>

457
00:18:33,487 --> 00:18:36,115
<i>I wanted to be able
to teach myself.</i>

458
00:18:36,198 --> 00:18:39,160
<i>I got a chance to work
on the laundry, you know,</i>

459
00:18:39,201 --> 00:18:41,203
<i>and doing detail
from that perspective,</i>

460
00:18:41,329 --> 00:18:42,663
<i>learning about myself,</i>

461
00:18:42,705 --> 00:18:44,707
<i>atone for my mistake
and, you know,</i>

462
00:18:44,832 --> 00:18:46,792
<i>try to move on in life.</i>

463
00:18:46,876 --> 00:18:48,377
‐ I never went to visit him

464
00:18:48,461 --> 00:18:52,590
because I never wanted
to see him locked up.

465
00:18:52,673 --> 00:18:54,133
<i>♪ ♪</i>

466
00:18:54,216 --> 00:18:56,719
<i>We kept in touch via letter.</i>

467
00:18:56,802 --> 00:18:58,638
<i>♪ ♪</i>

468
00:18:58,763 --> 00:19:02,308
<i>In those letters he talked
about his regrets,</i>

469
00:19:02,391 --> 00:19:04,977
<i>his dreams, and his goals.</i>

470
00:19:05,061 --> 00:19:09,565
<i>♪ ♪</i>

471
00:19:09,690 --> 00:19:12,943
<i>"I've made the mistake.
I own up to it.</i>

472
00:19:13,027 --> 00:19:14,570
<i>I'm gonna do my time,</i>

473
00:19:14,695 --> 00:19:17,573
<i>and I'm gonna come out
and do better."</i>

474
00:19:17,698 --> 00:19:21,952
I remember talking to him
about stick to the goals

475
00:19:22,036 --> 00:19:23,412
and not just the dreams

476
00:19:23,537 --> 00:19:25,498
because dreams
you have to wake up from.

477
00:19:25,539 --> 00:19:28,417
‐ He needed to stand on his own
two feet and be a man,

478
00:19:28,501 --> 00:19:33,172
<i>so he was in the penitentiary
for 19 months,</i>

479
00:19:33,255 --> 00:19:36,425
<i>and then he came up
for parole.</i>

480
00:19:36,509 --> 00:19:38,886
‐ "Booker T."
"Yeah?"

481
00:19:38,969 --> 00:19:42,473
They go,
"You're out of here."

482
00:19:42,556 --> 00:19:44,767
I was like, "Oh, man,
you kidding me, right?"

483
00:19:44,850 --> 00:19:46,602
You know, he's like,
"No, man, you're out of here.

484
00:19:46,686 --> 00:19:47,978
Get your stuff."

485
00:19:48,062 --> 00:19:50,147
When I left that prison wall,
there was‐‐

486
00:19:50,231 --> 00:19:52,316
there was this one guard.

487
00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:53,776
<i>He was sitting
on his big horse,</i>

488
00:19:53,859 --> 00:19:56,445
<i>had this big cowboy hat on,</i>

489
00:19:56,529 --> 00:20:00,074
and he said, "I'll see you
when you get back,"

490
00:20:00,199 --> 00:20:03,661
and got my 200 bucks.

491
00:20:03,744 --> 00:20:05,496
<i>♪ ♪</i>

492
00:20:05,579 --> 00:20:09,417
<i>They put me on that Greyhound
and sent me back to Houston.</i>

493
00:20:09,542 --> 00:20:12,128
<i>Life was what I was gonna
make it from that point on.</i>

494
00:20:14,964 --> 00:20:16,590
<i>♪ ♪</i>

495
00:20:16,674 --> 00:20:18,217
‐ One thing that you‐‐
when you got out,

496
00:20:18,342 --> 00:20:20,010
you wanted to get your son
Brandon back.

497
00:20:20,094 --> 00:20:22,179
You didn't have the money
in the bank,

498
00:20:22,263 --> 00:20:25,558
so you pulled one last heist.

499
00:20:25,641 --> 00:20:29,437
<i>♪ ♪</i>

500
00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,481
<i>‐ I was a kid when Brandon
was born myself.</i>

501
00:20:32,606 --> 00:20:33,607
<i>I was 17.</i>

502
00:20:33,691 --> 00:20:36,360
His mom and I,
we never was anticipating

503
00:20:36,485 --> 00:20:38,112
on getting married
or anything like that.

504
00:20:38,195 --> 00:20:42,158
It was two kids
having a kid, you know,

505
00:20:42,199 --> 00:20:44,160
not knowing anything
about life.

506
00:20:44,243 --> 00:20:46,495
<i>When I ended up
going to prison,</i>

507
00:20:46,620 --> 00:20:49,331
<i>she was on drugs
really, really bad,</i>

508
00:20:49,415 --> 00:20:53,294
and that's when the CPS
came into play and took him,

509
00:20:53,419 --> 00:20:56,422
and from that point on,
he was in foster care.

510
00:20:56,505 --> 00:20:59,008
I wouldn't say I abandoned him
or anything like that,

511
00:20:59,133 --> 00:21:03,012
but I definitely wasn't a dad
or a father in the beginning.

512
00:21:03,137 --> 00:21:04,680
<i>♪ ♪</i>

513
00:21:04,805 --> 00:21:06,974
<i>Was I gonna leave my son
in foster care,</i>

514
00:21:07,099 --> 00:21:10,644
<i>or was I gonna go through
the system and get him out?</i>

515
00:21:10,728 --> 00:21:12,396
And it was
a very simple answer.

516
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:14,148
My mother raised eight kids.

517
00:21:14,231 --> 00:21:16,734
How could I look at myself in
the mirror and not raise one?

518
00:21:16,859 --> 00:21:19,195
When I came home, I was‐‐

519
00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,156
I got paroled
to my sister's house,

520
00:21:22,198 --> 00:21:25,242
and, you know,

521
00:21:25,367 --> 00:21:27,703
she was still in the game
selling weed.

522
00:21:27,828 --> 00:21:29,705
My sister's dealer, you know,
he was supplying,

523
00:21:29,830 --> 00:21:32,875
you know, 5 pounds here,
5 pounds there,

524
00:21:32,958 --> 00:21:37,421
and, you know, one night I knew
where the stash house was,

525
00:21:37,505 --> 00:21:38,923
and it was about 5 pounds.

526
00:21:39,006 --> 00:21:41,967
I crept in.

527
00:21:42,051 --> 00:21:43,636
I got all of it.

528
00:21:43,761 --> 00:21:45,346
I got out of there.

529
00:21:45,471 --> 00:21:47,014
‐ You stole from
a drug dealer?

530
00:21:47,139 --> 00:21:50,142
‐ I stole from
the drug dealers, and‐‐

531
00:21:50,226 --> 00:21:51,310
‐ But for the right reasons.

532
00:21:51,393 --> 00:21:52,478
You wanted to get
your son back.

533
00:21:52,603 --> 00:21:53,646
‐ It was for the right reasons.

534
00:21:53,729 --> 00:21:55,272
‐ You gotta have money
in the bank.

535
00:21:55,356 --> 00:21:57,233
‐ I needed money,
and‐‐and I needed it quick,

536
00:21:57,358 --> 00:21:59,318
and I just needed a platform,

537
00:21:59,401 --> 00:22:01,737
a springboard
to get out of that life.

538
00:22:01,862 --> 00:22:03,489
But I still needed
a little bit more help,

539
00:22:03,614 --> 00:22:05,157
and that's where
my brother came in.

540
00:22:05,199 --> 00:22:07,451
I asked my brother, you know,
for a little bit of help.

541
00:22:07,535 --> 00:22:09,245
I said, "I actually need you
to help me get a job."

542
00:22:09,370 --> 00:22:11,497
‐ You gotta get out
of this environment

543
00:22:11,622 --> 00:22:15,751
if you want to
be something in life,

544
00:22:15,835 --> 00:22:18,420
and that's pretty much
the conversation that we had.

545
00:22:18,504 --> 00:22:21,298
<i>I'd been put in a position
to help him,</i>

546
00:22:21,382 --> 00:22:22,633
<i>and that's what I did,</i>

547
00:22:22,758 --> 00:22:24,468
<i>but it's up to you
to make it work.</i>

548
00:22:24,593 --> 00:22:27,638
‐ First job he got me
was a security guard.

549
00:22:27,763 --> 00:22:29,890
[laughs]

550
00:22:30,015 --> 00:22:32,726
Fresh out of prison, he get me
a job as a security guard.

551
00:22:32,852 --> 00:22:35,855
<i>And at the time my brother
actually let me stay with him.</i>

552
00:22:35,980 --> 00:22:37,982
<i>I had to prove
to the court system</i>

553
00:22:38,107 --> 00:22:39,859
that I was worthy
of being a dad,

554
00:22:39,984 --> 00:22:40,818
and it took me about a year.

555
00:22:40,901 --> 00:22:42,194
<i>You know, certain days,</i>

556
00:22:42,278 --> 00:22:43,404
<i>I had to make sure
I was there,</i>

557
00:22:43,529 --> 00:22:44,363
<i>keep a steady job,</i>

558
00:22:44,488 --> 00:22:46,407
<i>and I showed them that.</i>

559
00:22:46,532 --> 00:22:48,325
<i>They ended up granting me
full custody</i>

560
00:22:48,409 --> 00:22:50,369
<i>when Brandon
was five years old.</i>

561
00:22:50,494 --> 00:22:51,871
<i>We didn't have a lot.</i>

562
00:22:51,954 --> 00:22:53,789
<i>We had each other,
and we had our dog.</i>

563
00:22:53,873 --> 00:22:57,209
<i>We had our apartment,
and I had a job.</i>

564
00:22:57,334 --> 00:22:58,627
<i>Working that security job,
you know,</i>

565
00:22:58,752 --> 00:23:00,462
<i>it only lasted
for a few months,</i>

566
00:23:00,588 --> 00:23:02,631
<i>and then they found out
about my prison record.</i>

567
00:23:02,715 --> 00:23:04,800
<i>They told my brother that they
was gonna have to let me go,</i>

568
00:23:04,925 --> 00:23:06,468
but the guy
that I had worked for,

569
00:23:06,552 --> 00:23:08,178
his name's Bruce Gasarch,

570
00:23:08,304 --> 00:23:10,431
saw me as a‐‐as a human being,

571
00:23:10,514 --> 00:23:12,308
and he saw my character.

572
00:23:12,391 --> 00:23:14,727
<i>‐ I saw how hard he worked
and tried.</i>

573
00:23:14,852 --> 00:23:16,645
<i>We found another job for him.</i>

574
00:23:16,729 --> 00:23:18,981
<i>One of the properties
we bought was a mini storage,</i>

575
00:23:19,106 --> 00:23:22,610
<i>and he ended up helping me
run that property,</i>

576
00:23:22,693 --> 00:23:25,654
leasing new tenants,
cleaning up the property,

577
00:23:25,738 --> 00:23:28,324
making sure that people
have paid their rent.

578
00:23:28,407 --> 00:23:29,825
<i>‐ I was working for Bruce,</i>

579
00:23:29,909 --> 00:23:31,619
<i>and my brother, he was like,
"Hey, man,</i>

580
00:23:31,702 --> 00:23:32,953
I know this guy
opening a wrestling school.

581
00:23:33,037 --> 00:23:34,330
You want to try it out?"

582
00:23:34,371 --> 00:23:35,998
‐ I'm Ivan Putski.

583
00:23:36,123 --> 00:23:38,000
If you've got what it takes
to be a professional wrestler,

584
00:23:38,125 --> 00:23:39,627
let me show you the ropes.

585
00:23:39,752 --> 00:23:42,796
<i>You do what you like,
and I loved wrestling.</i>

586
00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:45,424
Ivan Putski's Professional
School of Wrestling,

587
00:23:45,507 --> 00:23:48,802
that drew‐‐
"Hey, I watched him on TV."

588
00:23:48,886 --> 00:23:50,721
People would read that,
and they came in.

589
00:23:50,846 --> 00:23:53,140
‐ I'm like, "Hey, man,
you doing it,

590
00:23:53,265 --> 00:23:55,643
I'll try it out too," you know?

591
00:23:55,768 --> 00:23:58,646
<i>Since I was a kid,
whatever my brother was doing,</i>

592
00:23:58,729 --> 00:24:00,606
<i>I wanted to be a part of it.</i>

593
00:24:00,689 --> 00:24:04,652
<i>We was like a tag team even
before we were a tag team.</i>

594
00:24:04,777 --> 00:24:07,947
<i>Wrestling school was $4,000.</i>

595
00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:11,659
<i>I knew I didn't have the money
for it, but I was blessed.</i>

596
00:24:11,742 --> 00:24:15,079
My boss, he sponsored me
to go to the wrestling school.

597
00:24:15,204 --> 00:24:17,498
‐ He wanted to do something
to improve himself.

598
00:24:17,539 --> 00:24:20,292
You want to improve yourself
and I can help, I will.

599
00:24:20,417 --> 00:24:23,087
<i>I had the money available,
so I helped,</i>

600
00:24:23,170 --> 00:24:24,922
<i>and if you're willing
to take a little chance,</i>

601
00:24:25,005 --> 00:24:26,674
<i>sometimes it pays off.</i>

602
00:24:26,799 --> 00:24:28,133
<i>♪ ♪</i>

603
00:24:28,217 --> 00:24:31,679
<i>‐ When Booker T and
his brother first arrived,</i>

604
00:24:31,804 --> 00:24:35,391
they didn't know a thing
about wrestling.

605
00:24:35,516 --> 00:24:38,435
I mean, they were just green.

606
00:24:38,519 --> 00:24:42,231
<i>I just showed them
how to get the holds on you,</i>

607
00:24:42,356 --> 00:24:45,651
the bumps and the slams,
throw punches.

608
00:24:45,776 --> 00:24:47,403
I taught them
how to take their fall

609
00:24:47,528 --> 00:24:49,154
and how you protect yourself.

610
00:24:49,238 --> 00:24:51,991
Then we blend in
their personality.

611
00:24:52,074 --> 00:24:55,077
<i>‐ Scott Casey was
the main trainer there.</i>

612
00:24:55,202 --> 00:24:56,412
<i>Ivan opened the school,</i>

613
00:24:56,537 --> 00:24:58,080
<i>but Scott Casey
opened our minds.</i>

614
00:24:58,205 --> 00:25:02,292
<i>We went 7:00 to 10:00
Monday through Friday</i>

615
00:25:02,376 --> 00:25:05,045
<i>for, like, three months
straight.</i>

616
00:25:05,170 --> 00:25:07,589
This is what I'm clapping
on somebody's head

617
00:25:07,673 --> 00:25:10,467
and make it pop,
goes the weasel.

618
00:25:10,551 --> 00:25:11,969
<i>♪ ♪</i>

619
00:25:12,094 --> 00:25:13,887
<i>And after that,
they give you a certificate.</i>

620
00:25:14,013 --> 00:25:16,473
It's kind of like these online
gimmicks that you have today,

621
00:25:16,557 --> 00:25:17,891
you know what I'm saying?

622
00:25:18,017 --> 00:25:19,643
In 90 days,
I'm a professional wrestler,

623
00:25:19,685 --> 00:25:20,644
you know what I'm saying?

624
00:25:20,728 --> 00:25:22,980
So it's like, wow.

625
00:25:23,063 --> 00:25:25,941
<i>‐ Booker was what you called
a natural.</i>

626
00:25:26,025 --> 00:25:28,360
He caught on so fast.

627
00:25:28,485 --> 00:25:29,862
‐ [shouts]

628
00:25:29,987 --> 00:25:31,989
Come on! Get up!

629
00:25:32,072 --> 00:25:34,158
[shouting]

630
00:25:34,241 --> 00:25:36,702
<i>I always wanted to be
the best student,</i>

631
00:25:36,827 --> 00:25:39,246
<i>you know, in the school,
so I would go and push myself.</i>

632
00:25:39,371 --> 00:25:40,831
‐ Get up! Get up!

633
00:25:40,956 --> 00:25:42,458
[shouting]

634
00:25:42,541 --> 00:25:44,084
<i>‐ I would run the ropes
for five minutes</i>

635
00:25:44,168 --> 00:25:45,794
<i>and I literally pushed myself</i>

636
00:25:45,878 --> 00:25:47,463
<i>farther than anyone
in there</i>

637
00:25:47,588 --> 00:25:49,048
<i>could ever think about
pushing me.</i>

638
00:25:49,173 --> 00:25:50,632
[shouting]

639
00:25:50,758 --> 00:25:53,635
‐ Man, I got a jewel here.

640
00:25:53,719 --> 00:25:55,929
‐ Notice how I concentrate
mainly on the sweep.

641
00:25:56,013 --> 00:25:57,264
‐ Right.

642
00:25:57,347 --> 00:25:59,600
‐ We're pumping up
these massive quads,

643
00:25:59,683 --> 00:26:03,771
as the G.I. Bro
can only do oh, so well.

644
00:26:03,854 --> 00:26:06,482
[grunts]

645
00:26:06,565 --> 00:26:07,983
<i>I was working
at the warehouse,</i>

646
00:26:08,108 --> 00:26:10,652
<i>and I had to clean up
one of the units.</i>

647
00:26:10,778 --> 00:26:12,154
<i>There was a old army
hat in there,</i>

648
00:26:12,279 --> 00:26:13,906
<i>and I was like,
"Oh, man, I like this hat,"</i>

649
00:26:14,031 --> 00:26:16,366
<i>and I went to practice,
and I wore the hat.</i>

650
00:26:16,492 --> 00:26:19,161
Ivan Putski goes,
"That's who you are.

651
00:26:19,244 --> 00:26:21,205
From now on, you're G.I. Bro,"

652
00:26:21,330 --> 00:26:23,832
and I go, "G.I. Bro?

653
00:26:23,957 --> 00:26:25,793
All right, I like that.
It's pretty cool."

654
00:26:25,918 --> 00:26:27,211
<i>♪ ♪</i>

655
00:26:27,336 --> 00:26:29,630
<i>Right after we finished
the course, actually,</i>

656
00:26:29,755 --> 00:26:31,131
<i>by the grace of God,</i>

657
00:26:31,215 --> 00:26:34,009
<i>Ivan Putski had
local television here.</i>

658
00:26:34,134 --> 00:26:36,011
<i>‐ Precious Johnny Valiant,
watching just like all you</i>

659
00:26:36,136 --> 00:26:38,138
<i>other fans
out here of the WWA,</i>

660
00:26:38,180 --> 00:26:40,808
<i>a local favorite here
in Houston, Texas, G.I. Bro.</i>

661
00:26:40,933 --> 00:26:42,518
<i>This guy is very charismatic.</i>

662
00:26:42,643 --> 00:26:43,811
<i>‐ G.I. Bro.</i>

663
00:26:43,894 --> 00:26:45,646
<i>‐ G.I. Brother, G.I. gravy.</i>

664
00:26:45,771 --> 00:26:47,940
<i>‐ Cranking it up.
Yeah, count him out.</i>

665
00:26:48,023 --> 00:26:49,483
<i>‐ Oh.
‐ Did he get him?</i>

666
00:26:49,608 --> 00:26:53,445
<i>Yes, he did.
Control. G.I. Bro.</i>

667
00:26:53,529 --> 00:26:56,115
<i>‐ I got a chance to wrestle
in the Sam Houston Coliseum,</i>

668
00:26:56,198 --> 00:26:59,326
<i>you know, eight weeks
out of wrestling school.</i>

669
00:26:59,409 --> 00:27:01,328
I remember after
I started wrestling,

670
00:27:01,411 --> 00:27:03,872
I had to take payrolls
to the bank,

671
00:27:03,997 --> 00:27:06,291
and they go,
"Hey, aren't you G.I. Bro?"

672
00:27:06,375 --> 00:27:09,128
and I was like,
"Yeah, I'm G.I. Bro," you know?

673
00:27:09,211 --> 00:27:11,046
'Cause they're watching me
on television.

674
00:27:11,171 --> 00:27:14,341
<i>‐ Everybody's favorite,
G.I. Bro.</i>

675
00:27:14,424 --> 00:27:15,801
<i>The G.I. Bro.</i>

676
00:27:15,884 --> 00:27:18,804
<i>♪ ♪</i>

677
00:27:18,929 --> 00:27:20,806
‐ The kids, they would‐‐
they would just mob me,

678
00:27:20,931 --> 00:27:22,558
and they would just‐‐you know?

679
00:27:22,683 --> 00:27:24,977
And I was like,
"Man, what is going on here?"

680
00:27:25,060 --> 00:27:27,104
I got a new haircut.
Would you like to see it, man?

681
00:27:27,187 --> 00:27:28,355
‐ Yeah, I want to see it.

682
00:27:28,438 --> 00:27:30,274
All right.
‐ G.I. Bro.

683
00:27:30,357 --> 00:27:33,277
G.I. Bro's my name, and beating
people up is my game.

684
00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:35,279
Look in my eyes.

685
00:27:35,362 --> 00:27:38,532
That's when I'm gonna declare
World War III on you,

686
00:27:38,657 --> 00:27:41,076
and thank you [inaudible].
I'm a demon.

687
00:27:41,201 --> 00:27:42,202
[shouts]

688
00:27:42,327 --> 00:27:43,537
<i>♪ ♪</i>

689
00:27:43,662 --> 00:27:46,081
I don't think
I was ever asked one time

690
00:27:46,206 --> 00:27:48,959
what I want to be when I grow
up as a kid.

691
00:27:49,042 --> 00:27:51,086
I don't think
I was ever asked that once.

692
00:27:51,170 --> 00:27:54,131
<i>Then I found myself
through wrestling.</i>

693
00:27:54,256 --> 00:27:55,549
<i>It was an escape.</i>

694
00:27:55,674 --> 00:27:57,676
<i>It was something
that I could do,</i>

695
00:27:57,801 --> 00:28:00,137
<i>and I could do it very well,</i>

696
00:28:00,262 --> 00:28:02,764
<i>♪ ♪</i>

697
00:28:02,848 --> 00:28:07,644
<i>Put my boots on and become
like a superhero for a moment.</i>

698
00:28:07,728 --> 00:28:09,354
<i>I realized I had something.</i>

699
00:28:09,479 --> 00:28:12,691
<i>I had a connection,</i>

700
00:28:12,816 --> 00:28:15,152
<i>and I was like,
"Wow, this is so cool,"</i>

701
00:28:15,235 --> 00:28:18,447
and I had so much fun
finding myself

702
00:28:18,530 --> 00:28:25,537
as far as
possibly who I could be

703
00:28:25,662 --> 00:28:28,290
<i>‐ After the Western Wrestling
Alliance closed down,</i>

704
00:28:28,373 --> 00:28:31,877
<i>Booker T and his brother
went to work for TAP,</i>

705
00:28:32,002 --> 00:28:33,462
<i>Texas All‐Pro Wrestling.</i>

706
00:28:33,587 --> 00:28:36,256
<i>I got Stevie Ray in an issue</i>

707
00:28:36,340 --> 00:28:38,300
<i>of "Wrestling Main Event"
magazine,</i>

708
00:28:38,425 --> 00:28:39,968
<i>and he got noticed,</i>

709
00:28:40,093 --> 00:28:43,263
<i>people up in Dallas
at the GWF, Global Wrestling.</i>

710
00:28:43,347 --> 00:28:45,015
<i>Skandor Akbar called him</i>

711
00:28:45,140 --> 00:28:47,100
and wanted him to come up
to Dallas,

712
00:28:47,184 --> 00:28:48,727
and him and his brother
went up there,

713
00:28:48,852 --> 00:28:51,813
and Akbar
and "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert

714
00:28:51,939 --> 00:28:53,941
<i>took a liking to them
right off the bat.</i>

715
00:28:54,024 --> 00:28:55,984
‐ They wanted to give
my brother a try‐out,

716
00:28:56,109 --> 00:28:57,986
and my brother
was going to Dallas,

717
00:28:58,070 --> 00:29:00,989
and of course, jumped in
the car, and I rode with him.

718
00:29:01,114 --> 00:29:02,908
‐ We finally walk into
Eddie Gilbert's office,

719
00:29:03,033 --> 00:29:05,077
and Eddie Gilbert was like,
"Who's that?"

720
00:29:05,202 --> 00:29:06,870
and I was like,
"Oh, that's my brother."

721
00:29:06,995 --> 00:29:08,163
‐ He goes, "Is he a worker?"

722
00:29:08,288 --> 00:29:10,040
and he goes,
"Yeah, he's a worker."

723
00:29:10,165 --> 00:29:12,626
He goes, "Have you guys
ever done any tag team?"

724
00:29:12,709 --> 00:29:15,087
and we go, "Yeah."

725
00:29:15,170 --> 00:29:16,546
‐ We were lying.

726
00:29:16,672 --> 00:29:18,257
We had never tagged together
before, ever,

727
00:29:18,340 --> 00:29:20,884
but we had tagged
against each other before.

728
00:29:21,009 --> 00:29:24,721
That's what we were saying.
We have tagged together, so.

729
00:29:24,846 --> 00:29:26,181
In that sense, I wasn't lying.

730
00:29:26,306 --> 00:29:28,475
<i>‐ Boom,
that's how we got started</i>

731
00:29:28,558 --> 00:29:31,895
<i>in the Global Wrestling
Federation, just by accident.</i>

732
00:29:31,979 --> 00:29:34,564
<i>There was this wrestler
back in the day.</i>

733
00:29:34,690 --> 00:29:35,983
His name was Mr. Ebony.

734
00:29:36,066 --> 00:29:37,442
Black guy, he wore a mask.

735
00:29:37,526 --> 00:29:39,486
I never knew who Mr. Ebony was,

736
00:29:39,611 --> 00:29:41,029
<i>but he was one of
the black guys</i>

737
00:29:41,154 --> 00:29:43,073
<i>that was representing us,</i>

738
00:29:43,198 --> 00:29:45,826
<i>so we remembered Mr. Ebony.</i>

739
00:29:45,951 --> 00:29:47,953
<i>Why not be
the Ebony Experience,</i>

740
00:29:48,036 --> 00:29:49,663
<i>Booker T and Stevie Ray?</i>

741
00:29:49,705 --> 00:29:52,666
‐ The Ebony Experience!

742
00:29:52,749 --> 00:29:53,709
<i>[upbeat music]</i>

743
00:29:53,834 --> 00:29:56,670
<i>♪ ♪</i>

744
00:29:56,795 --> 00:29:58,630
<i>‐ The Global
Wrestling Federation</i>

745
00:29:58,714 --> 00:30:01,300
<i>was on ESPN at the time,</i>

746
00:30:01,383 --> 00:30:04,011
and it was geared towards

747
00:30:04,136 --> 00:30:06,555
that afternoon
kids coming home from school,

748
00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:07,931
3:30 in the afternoon.

749
00:30:08,015 --> 00:30:09,141
There were 30‐minute show,

750
00:30:09,266 --> 00:30:10,892
and then there was
an hour show,

751
00:30:11,018 --> 00:30:13,186
<i>and it was based out of
Dallas, Texas,</i>

752
00:30:13,312 --> 00:30:15,105
<i>in the world‐famous
Sportatorium,</i>

753
00:30:15,188 --> 00:30:16,815
<i>which I think
it's just world‐famous</i>

754
00:30:16,857 --> 00:30:18,984
<i>because it's old, ugly.</i>

755
00:30:19,067 --> 00:30:21,653
<i>It stunk,
no air conditioning,</i>

756
00:30:21,778 --> 00:30:25,824
and there were rats
the size of dogs.

757
00:30:25,907 --> 00:30:28,493
It had atmosphere.
It had atmosphere.

758
00:30:28,577 --> 00:30:30,329
Let's just say that.

759
00:30:30,412 --> 00:30:32,331
<i>‐ You almost took your life
in your own hands</i>

760
00:30:32,456 --> 00:30:33,332
<i>in the Sportatorium.</i>

761
00:30:33,457 --> 00:30:34,624
Back then the police,

762
00:30:34,708 --> 00:30:36,209
if somebody tried
to stick you with a knife

763
00:30:36,335 --> 00:30:38,337
or hit you with
a whiskey bottle or something,

764
00:30:38,462 --> 00:30:40,047
they would bring them back
to the dressing room

765
00:30:40,172 --> 00:30:41,631
and literally let you
beat them up.

766
00:30:41,715 --> 00:30:42,632
It was the law of the west.

767
00:30:42,716 --> 00:30:44,384
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

768
00:30:44,509 --> 00:30:47,387
<i>But there was a huge
racist element there too.</i>

769
00:30:47,471 --> 00:30:49,306
<i>People would sit there
and shout out</i>

770
00:30:49,431 --> 00:30:54,269
<i>some of the most vile things
imaginable at those guys.</i>

771
00:30:54,353 --> 00:30:57,105
‐ And we got called the n‐word,
of course.

772
00:30:57,189 --> 00:30:59,483
They didn't want
to see us coons.

773
00:30:59,566 --> 00:31:00,692
‐ And those people called us

774
00:31:00,817 --> 00:31:04,154
every racial epithet
known to man.

775
00:31:04,279 --> 00:31:07,491
<i>♪ ♪</i>

776
00:31:07,616 --> 00:31:08,950
<i>‐ It wasn't the first time</i>

777
00:31:09,034 --> 00:31:10,786
<i>I had dealt with racism
in my life.</i>

778
00:31:10,869 --> 00:31:12,454
<i>♪ ♪</i>

779
00:31:12,537 --> 00:31:14,331
<i>When I first got
in the wrestling business,</i>

780
00:31:14,456 --> 00:31:17,459
<i>a very, very famous man
by the name of Ox Baker</i>

781
00:31:17,584 --> 00:31:20,295
told me, he said,
"Kid, you got a lot of talent,

782
00:31:20,337 --> 00:31:21,880
"but you're gonna come up
against

783
00:31:22,005 --> 00:31:24,633
a lot of obstacles
in this business."

784
00:31:24,758 --> 00:31:27,135
He didn't say racism
or anything like that,

785
00:31:27,260 --> 00:31:29,304
but I knew exactly
what he was talking about.

786
00:31:29,388 --> 00:31:32,808
You gotta figure a way
around it, under it.

787
00:31:32,891 --> 00:31:34,351
You may have to go over it,

788
00:31:34,476 --> 00:31:36,478
and that night we had to go
right through it,

789
00:31:36,561 --> 00:31:38,021
no matter what.

790
00:31:38,146 --> 00:31:39,356
<i>‐ You want to see what
the competition's</i>

791
00:31:39,481 --> 00:31:40,649
<i>looking like out here?</i>

792
00:31:40,774 --> 00:31:42,192
<i>We got us a couple
of big homeboys</i>

793
00:31:42,317 --> 00:31:43,819
<i>from Houston,
looks like to me.</i>

794
00:31:43,902 --> 00:31:45,195
<i>‐ In the situation
that you're in,</i>

795
00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:46,947
<i>you gotta be able to adapt.</i>

796
00:31:47,030 --> 00:31:48,615
<i>You gotta be able
to figure it out.</i>

797
00:31:48,698 --> 00:31:50,659
<i>You have to face the fire,
and we dealt with it.</i>

798
00:31:50,742 --> 00:31:52,953
<i>‐ I gotta say, where did
these guys come up with this?</i>

799
00:31:53,036 --> 00:31:54,621
<i>The Ebony Experience,
what are they,</i>

800
00:31:54,704 --> 00:31:57,541
<i>a magazine or something
like that for ugly people?</i>

801
00:31:57,666 --> 00:32:00,919
<i>‐ But I learned the power
of entertainment that night.</i>

802
00:32:01,002 --> 00:32:02,629
<i>I did the Spinaroonie
in that match.</i>

803
00:32:02,712 --> 00:32:05,465
<i>‐ He did some type of
hop‐skip‐spin type thing.</i>

804
00:32:05,590 --> 00:32:07,509
<i>I never saw it before.
Did you see that?</i>

805
00:32:07,634 --> 00:32:08,969
<i>What was that, they used to
have them break dance moves?</i>

806
00:32:09,052 --> 00:32:10,470
<i>He did some spinning‐‐</i>

807
00:32:10,595 --> 00:32:12,472
<i>‐ The same guy that was
calling me the n‐word,</i>

808
00:32:12,556 --> 00:32:15,016
<i>he was totally excited
when he saw the Spinaroonie,</i>

809
00:32:15,142 --> 00:32:18,812
and it totally changed him
all in one breath,

810
00:32:18,895 --> 00:32:20,647
and it was like,
"Whoa, what was that?"

811
00:32:20,772 --> 00:32:22,983
<i>The fans started to change.</i>

812
00:32:23,108 --> 00:32:25,944
<i>Now the fans
are rooting for us.</i>

813
00:32:26,027 --> 00:32:29,531
‐ Make it, Booker T!
Make it, Booker T!

814
00:32:29,656 --> 00:32:33,326
Make it, Booker T!
Make it!

815
00:32:33,452 --> 00:32:35,162
‐ It was like the Rocky movie,
man,

816
00:32:35,245 --> 00:32:38,039
when Rocky was fighting Drago.

817
00:32:38,165 --> 00:32:40,959
The Russian fans start rooting
for the underdog.

818
00:32:41,042 --> 00:32:42,377
‐ 'Cause when I did
the Spinaroonie,

819
00:32:42,502 --> 00:32:46,131
it seemed like everything
changed in that arena.

820
00:32:46,214 --> 00:32:49,468
I realized how much power
the Spinaroonie had,

821
00:32:49,551 --> 00:32:51,511
<i>and not just in the
Global Wrestling Federation</i>

822
00:32:51,636 --> 00:32:54,097
<i>with those fans but throughout
my whole career.</i>

823
00:32:54,181 --> 00:32:57,058
<i>‐ Spinaroonie [indistinct].
[laughs]</i>

824
00:32:57,184 --> 00:32:58,477
‐ We all love to dance.

825
00:32:58,602 --> 00:33:01,021
My mom loved to see us dance,

826
00:33:01,146 --> 00:33:03,690
and we all had good rhythm too,
still‐‐

827
00:33:03,815 --> 00:33:05,358
still have good rhythm.

828
00:33:05,442 --> 00:33:06,985
‐ My cousin,
come over here, man.

829
00:33:07,110 --> 00:33:08,987
This is my cousin right here,
man, you know?

830
00:33:09,112 --> 00:33:11,156
<i>‐ The neighborhood boys
were always trying</i>

831
00:33:11,239 --> 00:33:13,867
<i>to outdo each other
with their dance moves.</i>

832
00:33:13,992 --> 00:33:15,535
<i>That was the competition.</i>

833
00:33:15,660 --> 00:33:18,997
<i>Michael Jackson had nothing
on my brothers.</i>

834
00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:20,999
‐ He used to break dance
on the patio.

835
00:33:21,041 --> 00:33:23,043
That's where I learned
the Spinaroonie at.

836
00:33:23,168 --> 00:33:25,837
On his patio right around
the corner, you know?

837
00:33:25,962 --> 00:33:27,339
We'd be on that patio.

838
00:33:27,464 --> 00:33:28,673
We'd have the cardboard box
out there.

839
00:33:28,798 --> 00:33:30,091
We had a beat box.
‐ Yep.

840
00:33:30,175 --> 00:33:32,093
‐ We'd be out there
breaking ourselves, man,

841
00:33:32,177 --> 00:33:34,304
and‐‐but that's where the
Spinaroonie came from, yeah.

842
00:33:34,387 --> 00:33:36,139
‐ That's where they learned
those moves.

843
00:33:36,181 --> 00:33:37,724
That's where they learned
to spin,

844
00:33:37,849 --> 00:33:42,437
so that Spinaroonie came
from a pop‐lock dance move.

845
00:33:42,521 --> 00:33:44,356
<i>‐ Ladies and gentlemen,
they're dynamic.</i>

846
00:33:44,481 --> 00:33:46,983
<i>They're sensational.
They're the Lockers.</i>

847
00:33:47,108 --> 00:33:50,820
<i>[funky music]</i>

848
00:33:50,904 --> 00:33:52,739
<i>‐ The Lockers, they were it.</i>

849
00:33:52,864 --> 00:33:54,199
<i>That was the best dance group</i>

850
00:33:54,324 --> 00:33:56,326
<i>perhaps in
the history of the world.</i>

851
00:33:56,451 --> 00:33:57,827
<i>♪ ♪</i>

852
00:33:57,953 --> 00:33:59,538
<i>Fred "Rerun" Berry,</i>

853
00:33:59,663 --> 00:34:01,331
<i>he used to be on the show
"What's Happening!!"</i>

854
00:34:01,456 --> 00:34:03,333
<i>He was actually
one of the Lockers,</i>

855
00:34:03,416 --> 00:34:06,336
<i>and just watching these guys
move the way they did</i>

856
00:34:06,461 --> 00:34:08,380
<i>and perform
the way they performed,</i>

857
00:34:08,505 --> 00:34:11,132
<i>I wanted to be in the group
when I was a kid.</i>

858
00:34:11,258 --> 00:34:13,051
I wanted to be
one of the Lockers, you know?

859
00:34:13,134 --> 00:34:14,427
When I saw them
on "Soul Train,"

860
00:34:14,511 --> 00:34:16,930
I was like, "Man, how do I get
on 'Soul Train'?

861
00:34:17,013 --> 00:34:19,140
I gotta be a part of this."

862
00:34:19,224 --> 00:34:21,685
<i>The pop‐locking craze started
curving off a little bit,</i>

863
00:34:21,810 --> 00:34:25,397
and then the break dancing
curve started coming around.

864
00:34:25,522 --> 00:34:28,358
<i>[upbeat music]</i>

865
00:34:28,483 --> 00:34:31,152
<i>♪ ♪</i>

866
00:34:31,236 --> 00:34:32,612
<i>I said,
"Man, I'ma try this now,"</i>

867
00:34:32,696 --> 00:34:34,781
<i>so any wrestling fan
around the world,</i>

868
00:34:34,864 --> 00:34:38,201
<i>you say Spinaroonie, they know
who you're talking about.</i>

869
00:34:38,326 --> 00:34:40,120
Bad Breed,
you're going down.

870
00:34:40,203 --> 00:34:41,663
We're gonna take you out
into the ebony zone.

871
00:34:41,788 --> 00:34:45,000
We're gonna drop you off
into some ebony funk, man.

872
00:34:45,125 --> 00:34:47,294
<i>It wasn't about how much money
I was making.</i>

873
00:34:47,377 --> 00:34:49,671
<i>It was just being able
to do something</i>

874
00:34:49,796 --> 00:34:51,715
<i>that you love doing so much</i>

875
00:34:51,840 --> 00:34:53,800
<i>that you would do it for free,
and my brother and I,</i>

876
00:34:53,883 --> 00:34:56,678
we was making 125 bucks
you know,

877
00:34:56,803 --> 00:34:59,639
to make the drive all the way
from Houston to Dallas,

878
00:34:59,723 --> 00:35:03,268
<i>and sometimes we would work
four times in one night,</i>

879
00:35:03,351 --> 00:35:05,395
<i>sleep on my sister's sofa,</i>

880
00:35:05,520 --> 00:35:08,440
<i>then get up and make the drive
back to Houston.</i>

881
00:35:08,523 --> 00:35:11,860
‐ Junior wore out the couch
in my den.

882
00:35:11,985 --> 00:35:15,196
Stevie Ray, Lash, wore out
the couch in my living room.

883
00:35:15,322 --> 00:35:16,781
<i>They would come every Friday,</i>

884
00:35:16,865 --> 00:35:19,326
<i>and I know they did that
for a couple of years.</i>

885
00:35:19,451 --> 00:35:20,785
[cheering]

886
00:35:20,869 --> 00:35:22,329
<i>It was just a great time</i>

887
00:35:22,454 --> 00:35:26,458
<i>to watch them get better
and more popular.</i>

888
00:35:26,541 --> 00:35:28,376
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

889
00:35:28,501 --> 00:35:30,420
<i>‐ The fans weekly warmed up,</i>

890
00:35:30,503 --> 00:35:32,130
and they started
liking something

891
00:35:32,255 --> 00:35:33,882
that they didn't even know
they liked.

892
00:35:33,965 --> 00:35:36,676
all: Ebony! Ebony! Ebony!

893
00:35:36,801 --> 00:35:38,261
Ebony! Ebony!

894
00:35:38,345 --> 00:35:40,847
Ebony! Ebony!
Ebony!

895
00:35:40,972 --> 00:35:44,559
[cheering]

896
00:35:44,684 --> 00:35:46,936
<i>‐ And then we started
getting more black fans</i>

897
00:35:47,020 --> 00:35:49,189
coming into the arena.

898
00:35:49,314 --> 00:35:54,235
You just
couldn't say anything anymore.

899
00:35:54,361 --> 00:35:56,488
How you like that, baby?

900
00:35:56,613 --> 00:36:01,159
<i>‐ Within a few months, we were
the hottest thing in Global.</i>

901
00:36:01,242 --> 00:36:03,161
Everybody in the place
had a sign

902
00:36:03,244 --> 00:36:04,663
with
the Ebony Experience on it.

903
00:36:04,746 --> 00:36:07,332
[cheering]

904
00:36:07,457 --> 00:36:08,875
<i>♪ ♪</i>

905
00:36:08,958 --> 00:36:11,544
<i>‐ We finally got to that point
to where we had to win</i>

906
00:36:11,670 --> 00:36:14,964
<i>the tag team championship, and
all of my family was there.</i>

907
00:36:15,090 --> 00:36:18,343
<i>♪ ♪</i>

908
00:36:18,468 --> 00:36:22,430
<i>‐ That night that they won,
we screamed, and we cried.</i>

909
00:36:22,514 --> 00:36:25,058
It was so great,
and all I could think about

910
00:36:25,183 --> 00:36:27,644
was that I wish my mom

911
00:36:27,769 --> 00:36:29,646
was there to see that.

912
00:36:29,771 --> 00:36:31,815
<i>♪ ♪</i>

913
00:36:31,940 --> 00:36:34,317
<i>‐ My brother and I,
we had accomplished something</i>

914
00:36:34,442 --> 00:36:37,654
<i>that we never dreamt
of accomplishing in our lives.</i>

915
00:36:37,737 --> 00:36:39,489
<i>♪ ♪</i>

916
00:36:39,614 --> 00:36:42,659
We had watched wrestling on
television for so many years,

917
00:36:42,784 --> 00:36:45,954
and then we're the ones who got
the belts and holding them up.

918
00:36:46,037 --> 00:36:47,831
<i>♪ ♪</i>

919
00:36:47,956 --> 00:36:49,124
<i>‐ These guys are superstars.</i>

920
00:36:49,207 --> 00:36:50,500
You knew they were
going somewhere.

921
00:36:50,542 --> 00:36:52,460
There was not a doubt
in anybody's mind.

922
00:36:52,585 --> 00:36:55,213
‐ It was like
Hansel and Gretel.

923
00:36:55,338 --> 00:36:57,632
Somebody was dropping crumbs,

924
00:36:57,716 --> 00:37:03,263
and we were picking them up
and following the trail.

925
00:37:03,346 --> 00:37:05,598
<i>‐ My brother and I,
we had regular jobs,</i>

926
00:37:05,682 --> 00:37:07,976
<i>and we worked in the
Global Wrestling Federation</i>

927
00:37:08,101 --> 00:37:09,644
one night a week,

928
00:37:09,728 --> 00:37:11,813
and we did that
for 18 months straight.

929
00:37:11,896 --> 00:37:14,315
We were getting ready to work
one night, and the phone rang,

930
00:37:14,399 --> 00:37:16,776
and a man named Mike Davis
came in and goes,

931
00:37:16,860 --> 00:37:19,821
"Hey, man, Sid Vicious wanna
talk to you guys."

932
00:37:19,904 --> 00:37:23,074
<i>‐ Sid Vicious had been
watching us on television,</i>

933
00:37:23,199 --> 00:37:25,118
<i>and WCW was interested in us.</i>

934
00:37:25,201 --> 00:37:26,995
We were, like, really excited,
you know?

935
00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:30,290
Like, wow, Sid Vicious, man?
Wow.

936
00:37:30,373 --> 00:37:32,333
And WCW? Wow.

937
00:37:32,417 --> 00:37:33,918
‐ One of the biggest companies
in the world,

938
00:37:34,002 --> 00:37:36,087
and we had a great spot.

939
00:37:36,171 --> 00:37:37,922
<i>‐ We just had to come up
with a name.</i>

940
00:37:38,006 --> 00:37:40,967
<i>Houston Heat might have been
put in there, Miami Heat.</i>

941
00:37:41,050 --> 00:37:43,636
We was like,
"What about Harlem Heat?"

942
00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:45,513
<i>Harlem Heat, okay,
you get a picture in your mind</i>

943
00:37:45,597 --> 00:37:48,349
<i>as to what Harlem Heat
should be,</i>

944
00:37:48,475 --> 00:37:51,227
and boom, you start going
for it artistically.

945
00:37:51,311 --> 00:37:52,812
‐ We needed some cool shirts,

946
00:37:52,937 --> 00:37:55,648
and we didn't have no one
to make them for us,

947
00:37:55,732 --> 00:37:58,276
so I didn't know
the country group or anything,

948
00:37:58,359 --> 00:38:00,028
but it turned out to be
Brooks & Dunn,

949
00:38:00,153 --> 00:38:01,529
<i>and they had shirts,</i>

950
00:38:01,613 --> 00:38:03,656
<i>and they had this cool flame
pattern on them.</i>

951
00:38:03,782 --> 00:38:05,283
<i>♪ ♪</i>

952
00:38:05,366 --> 00:38:07,327
<i>So I went and got us
some Brooks &amp; Dunn shirts</i>

953
00:38:07,410 --> 00:38:09,704
<i>and had them tailored.</i>

954
00:38:09,829 --> 00:38:12,582
We made the hats
out of the sleeves, actually,

955
00:38:12,665 --> 00:38:14,584
'cause they had flames
on them as well.

956
00:38:14,667 --> 00:38:16,252
<i>The ensemble actually
came together</i>

957
00:38:16,336 --> 00:38:17,796
<i>and looked pretty cool.</i>

958
00:38:17,879 --> 00:38:19,380
‐ You know, we're gonna see
a new tag team,

959
00:38:19,506 --> 00:38:21,966
the Harlem Heat,
and what an appropriate name,

960
00:38:22,091 --> 00:38:23,635
seeing that Harlem's been about

961
00:38:23,760 --> 00:38:26,513
<i>100 degrees
the last two weeks.</i>

962
00:38:26,638 --> 00:38:28,223
<i>‐ You know, as a kid, you just
like all the bright colors</i>

963
00:38:28,348 --> 00:38:29,766
<i>and the energy,</i>

964
00:38:29,849 --> 00:38:31,434
and I just feel like they
represented that, you know?

965
00:38:31,518 --> 00:38:33,436
It felt like they was
from around my way, like,

966
00:38:33,520 --> 00:38:35,146
you know what I'm saying?
How they talked,

967
00:38:35,230 --> 00:38:36,564
how they dressed,
how they carried theirself,

968
00:38:36,648 --> 00:38:38,441
and even they music was tight.

969
00:38:38,525 --> 00:38:41,778
Like, they had the best music
on WCW, like, probably ever.

970
00:38:41,861 --> 00:38:44,739
‐ Harlem Heat had cool
ring music.

971
00:38:44,864 --> 00:38:46,991
Like duh, duh, duh,
duh, duh, duh‐duh.

972
00:38:47,075 --> 00:38:49,994
<i>[funky music]</i>

973
00:38:50,078 --> 00:38:52,455
<i>♪ ♪</i>

974
00:38:52,539 --> 00:38:55,041
‐ We're gonna kill somebody
tonight!

975
00:38:55,166 --> 00:38:57,585
‐ [shouting] Sucka!

976
00:38:57,669 --> 00:38:59,295
‐ They were two guys
that were coming in

977
00:38:59,379 --> 00:39:01,464
who were bad to the bone, man,

978
00:39:01,548 --> 00:39:02,924
and they were gonna talk it.

979
00:39:03,007 --> 00:39:04,259
They were gonna walk it,

980
00:39:04,342 --> 00:39:05,802
and they were gonna
kick your ass.

981
00:39:05,885 --> 00:39:07,011
[laughs]

982
00:39:07,136 --> 00:39:11,015
<i>♪ ♪</i>

983
00:39:11,140 --> 00:39:13,893
<i>‐ They had an aura about them.
They were big.</i>

984
00:39:14,018 --> 00:39:15,311
They were intimidating.

985
00:39:15,436 --> 00:39:17,814
They were scary,
like big wrestlers should be.

986
00:39:17,897 --> 00:39:20,525
<i>♪ ♪</i>

987
00:39:20,650 --> 00:39:23,027
With the name Harlem Heat,
I mean, come on.

988
00:39:23,152 --> 00:39:25,488
You can't come up with a better
name than that anywhere.

989
00:39:25,613 --> 00:39:27,115
‐ Take a look at this punk!

990
00:39:27,198 --> 00:39:28,908
<i>♪ ♪</i>

991
00:39:28,992 --> 00:39:32,203
<i>All the years my brother
and I slept in the same bed,</i>

992
00:39:32,328 --> 00:39:34,664
<i>we were a cohesive unit.</i>

993
00:39:34,747 --> 00:39:36,499
<i>♪ ♪</i>

994
00:39:36,583 --> 00:39:38,543
Both of us brought the pain
in our own way.

995
00:39:38,668 --> 00:39:41,254
My brother was ground,
and sometime I would go air,

996
00:39:41,337 --> 00:39:43,631
but together we gelled.

997
00:39:43,756 --> 00:39:44,632
<i>♪ ♪</i>

998
00:39:44,674 --> 00:39:46,968
‐ It's the Harlem Hangover. Oh!

999
00:39:47,093 --> 00:39:50,847
‐ Thank you, I'm talking about
suicide Harlem Hangover!

1000
00:39:50,930 --> 00:39:52,849
On right now, bro!

1001
00:39:52,974 --> 00:39:54,726
‐ Harlem Heat did not
really have a gimmick.

1002
00:39:54,809 --> 00:39:58,771
They were just
big, black badasses

1003
00:39:58,855 --> 00:40:01,190
that really were themselves
turned up,

1004
00:40:01,316 --> 00:40:02,650
and when they talked,

1005
00:40:02,734 --> 00:40:04,861
I felt like if I ran into them
in the street,

1006
00:40:04,986 --> 00:40:06,654
<i>that would be exactly
how they are.</i>

1007
00:40:06,696 --> 00:40:09,365
‐ The moves you punks making,
the route you're taking

1008
00:40:09,490 --> 00:40:10,909
is gonna lead
to heartbreaking.

1009
00:40:11,034 --> 00:40:13,703
‐ This country hick town
of Tupelo, Mississippi,

1010
00:40:13,786 --> 00:40:15,538
gonna get a lot heat
raised up.

1011
00:40:15,663 --> 00:40:19,375
‐ Any gimmick that really works

1012
00:40:19,459 --> 00:40:22,587
is an exaggeration
of who you are.

1013
00:40:22,670 --> 00:40:24,547
‐ It was so easy
to actually go out

1014
00:40:24,631 --> 00:40:26,966
and know what it's like
to be in a fight

1015
00:40:27,008 --> 00:40:29,260
'cause when you've been
fighting your whole life,

1016
00:40:29,344 --> 00:40:30,803
you know what it feels like.

1017
00:40:30,887 --> 00:40:33,139
You know what it's like to get
hit in the mouth as well.

1018
00:40:33,222 --> 00:40:37,352
<i>For my brother and I
to go out and produce drama</i>

1019
00:40:37,477 --> 00:40:39,354
<i>from a realistic perspective</i>

1020
00:40:39,479 --> 00:40:41,064
was just our field house.

1021
00:40:41,189 --> 00:40:42,148
We were at home.

1022
00:40:42,231 --> 00:40:43,733
‐ We created these two guys.

1023
00:40:43,816 --> 00:40:45,735
Now we gotta be these two guys,

1024
00:40:45,860 --> 00:40:47,195
but a lot of times
I just wanna come out

1025
00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:49,238
and just bust out laughing,

1026
00:40:49,364 --> 00:40:51,115
but I gotta hold it in,

1027
00:40:51,199 --> 00:40:53,868
and I gotta try to keep
this mean look on my face, man.

1028
00:40:53,993 --> 00:40:56,537
I have to put myself
into this character.

1029
00:40:56,663 --> 00:40:57,747
<i>I got to go into him
all the way.</i>

1030
00:40:57,872 --> 00:41:00,249
What some [inaudible]
hillbillies,

1031
00:41:00,375 --> 00:41:01,960
stay on the hill,
sucka!

1032
00:41:02,043 --> 00:41:04,545
<i>‐ We had so much fun
going down the road</i>

1033
00:41:04,671 --> 00:41:05,880
<i>in certain towns.</i>

1034
00:41:06,005 --> 00:41:08,007
Somebody is gonna get
a Harlem Hangover.

1035
00:41:08,132 --> 00:41:09,968
People just hating us
to the point that where,

1036
00:41:10,051 --> 00:41:12,220
man, they just want
to kill these black guys.

1037
00:41:12,345 --> 00:41:13,721
<i>‐ Ladies and gentlemen,</i>

1038
00:41:13,805 --> 00:41:16,307
<i>welcome to the Black Hills
of South Dakota.</i>

1039
00:41:16,391 --> 00:41:21,688
<i>250,000 bikers are here
for WCW Hog Wild.</i>

1040
00:41:21,813 --> 00:41:23,815
‐ There's no black folks there.
‐ No.

1041
00:41:23,940 --> 00:41:24,941
‐ We're the only
two black folks...

1042
00:41:25,024 --> 00:41:26,401
‐ No, none.

1043
00:41:26,526 --> 00:41:27,986
‐ In Sturgis, South Dakota,
at that time.

1044
00:41:28,069 --> 00:41:29,696
♪ ♪

1045
00:41:29,821 --> 00:41:31,406
<i>We almost started a riot.</i>

1046
00:41:31,531 --> 00:41:33,408
What you want,
but you ain't gonna get it!

1047
00:41:33,533 --> 00:41:36,119
Just like all these suckers
out here, man.

1048
00:41:36,202 --> 00:41:37,662
[shouting]

1049
00:41:37,787 --> 00:41:39,497
<i>‐ Even the Steiner brothers
was like,</i>

1050
00:41:39,539 --> 00:41:41,082
"Hey, man, don't do what
y'all usually do every night

1051
00:41:41,207 --> 00:41:43,042
'cause y'all got
the Hells Angels out there."

1052
00:41:43,167 --> 00:41:45,211
We don't even know who
the Hells Angels are, you know?

1053
00:41:45,336 --> 00:41:46,879
We're getting ready
to go do what we do.

1054
00:41:47,005 --> 00:41:48,965
<i>They're just gonna
have to watch this</i>

1055
00:41:49,090 --> 00:41:51,509
<i>'cause we getting ready to get
in everybody's you‐know‐what,</i>

1056
00:41:51,634 --> 00:41:53,386
<i>Hells Angels or not.</i>

1057
00:41:53,511 --> 00:41:56,973
<i>We get out the ring and start
talking trash to everybody.</i>

1058
00:41:57,056 --> 00:41:59,392
[loud shouting]

1059
00:41:59,475 --> 00:42:01,185
You know, "I got a problem
with rednecks,

1060
00:42:01,310 --> 00:42:02,812
and as far
as I'm concerned,

1061
00:42:02,895 --> 00:42:04,981
everybody in here's a redneck,"
you know what I'm saying?

1062
00:42:05,106 --> 00:42:06,816
<i>‐ [laughs]</i>

1063
00:42:06,899 --> 00:42:09,819
<i>‐ "Come on up in this ring
and watch what happen to you."</i>

1064
00:42:09,902 --> 00:42:13,656
<i>Now everybody's infuriated,</i>

1065
00:42:13,740 --> 00:42:15,825
<i>and by the time
we got through...</i>

1066
00:42:15,950 --> 00:42:18,077
<i>‐ Aw, yeah, we got
a [inaudible] going now.</i>

1067
00:42:18,202 --> 00:42:20,997
<i>‐ 25,000 motorcycles,
it sounds like.</i>

1068
00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:22,999
‐ As far as you could see,
motorcycles and people,

1069
00:42:23,082 --> 00:42:25,918
and all of them revving
their engines at the same time.

1070
00:42:26,002 --> 00:42:27,378
<i>‐ They're cranking up
the crowd.</i>

1071
00:42:27,503 --> 00:42:28,504
<i>‐ Oh, yeah.</i>

1072
00:42:28,629 --> 00:42:30,173
<i>‐ The fans are making noise.</i>

1073
00:42:30,298 --> 00:42:32,425
<i>‐ Because we just told them
what we thought of them.</i>

1074
00:42:32,508 --> 00:42:35,303
<i>‐ It don't get
any better than this.</i>

1075
00:42:35,386 --> 00:42:37,138
<i>[upbeat music]</i>

1076
00:42:37,263 --> 00:42:39,098
[cheering]

1077
00:42:39,182 --> 00:42:42,060
‐ The Harlem Heat was able
to pull it off so well

1078
00:42:42,185 --> 00:42:44,312
that the people in Harlem
felt represented

1079
00:42:44,437 --> 00:42:46,314
by a couple of Texas boys.

1080
00:42:46,439 --> 00:42:48,524
‐ The Harlem Heat,
they are bad men

1081
00:42:48,649 --> 00:42:50,818
off the streets
of uptown Manhattan

1082
00:42:50,902 --> 00:42:53,571
in the heart of Harlem,
and gentlemen‐‐

1083
00:42:53,654 --> 00:42:55,656
‐ Shut up, Mean Gene,
'fore I slap a patch of hair

1084
00:42:55,782 --> 00:42:57,200
out of the top of your head.

1085
00:42:57,325 --> 00:43:01,079
Being able to talk about
certain landmarks in Harlem

1086
00:43:01,204 --> 00:43:05,750
that we fictitiously, you know,
thought up in our own minds

1087
00:43:05,875 --> 00:43:07,543
was really, really cool,
you know?

1088
00:43:07,668 --> 00:43:09,587
One of the places that we used
to visit all the time

1089
00:43:09,670 --> 00:43:11,589
<i>was Artie's Pool Hall.</i>

1090
00:43:11,672 --> 00:43:13,883
Three blocks south
of Artie's Pool Hall,

1091
00:43:14,008 --> 00:43:16,094
right on the corner
of 110th Street.

1092
00:43:16,177 --> 00:43:20,264
Gene, the graffiti is written
all over the neighborhood.

1093
00:43:20,348 --> 00:43:23,643
You looking at a couple
of straight OGs from the hood!

1094
00:43:23,768 --> 00:43:26,395
I've had several people
come up to me to talk about

1095
00:43:26,521 --> 00:43:29,023
when we were kids
back in Harlem,

1096
00:43:29,148 --> 00:43:31,859
did I remember them from,
you know, back in the day,

1097
00:43:31,943 --> 00:43:34,654
and of course you go, "Yeah,
yeah, yeah, I remember you.

1098
00:43:34,737 --> 00:43:37,281
Yeah, yeah, right."
You go right along with them.

1099
00:43:37,365 --> 00:43:39,492
Only clique you need to know
about is the Harlem Heat.

1100
00:43:39,617 --> 00:43:42,495
<i>‐ Booker T has the most viral
wrestling moment of all time,</i>

1101
00:43:42,578 --> 00:43:43,704
I guess, right?

1102
00:43:43,788 --> 00:43:46,249
'Cause he slips up,
says the n‐word.

1103
00:43:46,332 --> 00:43:47,625
‐ We coming for you,
[bleep]!

1104
00:43:47,708 --> 00:43:49,961
<i>[somber music]</i>

1105
00:43:50,044 --> 00:43:52,130
<i>That was the problem
with ad‐libbing back then.</i>

1106
00:43:52,255 --> 00:43:54,757
That's probably why they write
everybody's stuff today,

1107
00:43:54,841 --> 00:43:57,885
and that's a word that we used
a whole lot back in the day

1108
00:43:57,969 --> 00:43:59,971
when I was coming up,
and that's the first time

1109
00:44:00,096 --> 00:44:02,265
and the last time
any of my peers

1110
00:44:02,348 --> 00:44:04,142
ever heard me say that.

1111
00:44:04,225 --> 00:44:06,853
‐ It is a interesting lesson
to not get lost

1112
00:44:06,978 --> 00:44:09,647
in your character
or not being too real

1113
00:44:09,730 --> 00:44:10,857
when you're talking
about somebody,

1114
00:44:10,982 --> 00:44:12,567
<i>but that's the risk you run</i>

1115
00:44:12,692 --> 00:44:14,443
<i>when you are as authentic
a character</i>

1116
00:44:14,527 --> 00:44:16,237
<i>as Booker T is, right?</i>

1117
00:44:16,362 --> 00:44:19,490
‐ That's right, we finna hurt
these pups Harlem‐style,

1118
00:44:19,615 --> 00:44:20,950
if you know what I'm saying.

1119
00:44:21,033 --> 00:44:22,618
<i>‐ When I think about
the early '90s</i>

1120
00:44:22,702 --> 00:44:23,703
<i>and I think about
the black characters</i>

1121
00:44:23,828 --> 00:44:25,663
<i>and your Koko B. Wares</i>

1122
00:44:25,746 --> 00:44:27,165
<i>and your Papa Shangos</i>

1123
00:44:27,248 --> 00:44:29,667
<i>and people who fit
a lot of stereotypes</i>

1124
00:44:29,750 --> 00:44:31,460
but also did not get pushed.

1125
00:44:31,544 --> 00:44:33,588
[bell dinging]

1126
00:44:33,671 --> 00:44:35,381
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1127
00:44:35,506 --> 00:44:40,803
<i>So watching two black guys
who go on to win championships</i>

1128
00:44:40,928 --> 00:44:43,389
<i>and did not back down
from who they were</i>

1129
00:44:43,514 --> 00:44:44,473
<i>was great to watch,</i>

1130
00:44:44,599 --> 00:44:45,975
<i>but also what's important</i>

1131
00:44:46,100 --> 00:44:47,977
<i>is that here
were two brothers, right?</i>

1132
00:44:48,060 --> 00:44:50,813
<i>‐ Harlem Heat!</i>

1133
00:44:50,897 --> 00:44:53,566
‐ So seeing
a familial relationship

1134
00:44:53,691 --> 00:44:55,693
between black guys on TV

1135
00:44:55,776 --> 00:44:57,445
<i>who genuinely
loved each other,</i>

1136
00:44:57,528 --> 00:44:59,780
<i>who celebrated together,
who had each other's back</i>

1137
00:44:59,864 --> 00:45:01,157
was really empowering.

1138
00:45:01,240 --> 00:45:02,617
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1139
00:45:02,700 --> 00:45:04,535
‐ That was so important
for my brother and I

1140
00:45:04,619 --> 00:45:06,037
to go out there and represent

1141
00:45:06,162 --> 00:45:08,873
<i>because we knew
young guys like we were</i>

1142
00:45:08,998 --> 00:45:10,499
<i>was watching us now.</i>

1143
00:45:10,541 --> 00:45:12,835
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1144
00:45:12,919 --> 00:45:14,712
<i>Harlem Heat will go down
in history</i>

1145
00:45:14,795 --> 00:45:16,297
<i>as being one of
the greatest tag teams</i>

1146
00:45:16,422 --> 00:45:18,507
<i>that ever put on
a pair of boots.</i>

1147
00:45:18,633 --> 00:45:22,178
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1148
00:45:22,303 --> 00:45:25,473
<i>‐ That was just me
and my brother being us,</i>

1149
00:45:25,556 --> 00:45:28,392
natural‐born entertainers,

1150
00:45:28,517 --> 00:45:30,144
and that's what
we pride ourself on.

1151
00:45:30,228 --> 00:45:32,313
<i>‐ Those are memories
that me and my brother</i>

1152
00:45:32,396 --> 00:45:34,607
<i>will live with
for the rest of our lives.</i>

1153
00:45:34,690 --> 00:45:36,234
<i>‐ It was a journey.</i>

1154
00:45:36,359 --> 00:45:40,071
<i>‐ It was the coolest
nine years of my life.</i>

1155
00:45:40,196 --> 00:45:42,073
<i>All‐time greats,</i>

1156
00:45:42,198 --> 00:45:44,992
<i>we're immortalized forever
in the WWE Hall of Fame.</i>

1157
00:45:45,076 --> 00:45:46,869
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1158
00:45:46,953 --> 00:45:50,873
I never thought about
having a singles career,

1159
00:45:50,957 --> 00:45:57,630
<i>never thought about it
until it happened.</i>

1160
00:45:57,755 --> 00:45:59,298
<i>‐ Now let's see how Booker T
can operate</i>

1161
00:45:59,382 --> 00:46:00,633
<i>as a single wrestler.</i>

1162
00:46:00,758 --> 00:46:03,678
‐ ...somebody.
Now can you dig it?

1163
00:46:03,803 --> 00:46:05,846
I never thought about
having a singles career.

1164
00:46:05,972 --> 00:46:07,306
<i>‐ A chance to reverse...</i>

1165
00:46:07,431 --> 00:46:10,142
<i>‐ Never thought about it
until it happened.</i>

1166
00:46:10,226 --> 00:46:11,727
<i>‐ Oh!
‐ Oh!</i>

1167
00:46:11,852 --> 00:46:13,813
‐ I told my brother,
"Man, go ahead and go.

1168
00:46:13,896 --> 00:46:15,022
Go ahead and do your thing,"

1169
00:46:15,106 --> 00:46:17,358
and I gave him my blessing.

1170
00:46:17,483 --> 00:46:20,194
<i>‐ As Booker T goes solo,</i>

1171
00:46:20,319 --> 00:46:22,989
<i>WCW starts getting
to this point</i>

1172
00:46:23,072 --> 00:46:25,449
<i>where they're the biggest
wrestling promotion</i>

1173
00:46:25,533 --> 00:46:27,743
<i>in the world.</i>

1174
00:46:27,868 --> 00:46:31,163
WCW was using money
from the Turner Organization.

1175
00:46:31,247 --> 00:46:34,000
They were part
of a bigger corporation.

1176
00:46:34,125 --> 00:46:37,795
<i>Scott Hall and Kevin Nash
end up leaving the WWE</i>

1177
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:39,964
<i>for a lot of money in WCW,</i>

1178
00:46:40,089 --> 00:46:44,010
<i>and they start
this reality‐based storyline</i>

1179
00:46:44,135 --> 00:46:47,513
<i>of a takeover and formed
a group with Hulk Hogan,</i>

1180
00:46:47,638 --> 00:46:50,516
<i>who for the first time in
his career became a bad guy,</i>

1181
00:46:50,641 --> 00:46:51,976
<i>unheard of at the time,</i>

1182
00:46:52,101 --> 00:46:54,729
<i>and started
the New World Order.</i>

1183
00:46:54,854 --> 00:46:56,939
<i>‐ The following announcement
has been paid for</i>

1184
00:46:57,023 --> 00:46:58,190
<i>by the New World Order.</i>

1185
00:46:58,316 --> 00:47:00,609
‐ When I came out
as Hollywood Hulk Hogan,

1186
00:47:00,693 --> 00:47:02,361
nWo, we took off like a rocket,

1187
00:47:02,486 --> 00:47:05,489
so the Monday night war started
getting really, really intense.

1188
00:47:05,573 --> 00:47:08,617
<i>‐ We had "Monday Night RAW"
on the USA network.</i>

1189
00:47:08,701 --> 00:47:09,952
<i>[upbeat rock music]</i>

1190
00:47:10,036 --> 00:47:12,538
<i>They had "Monday Nitro"
on TNT,</i>

1191
00:47:12,663 --> 00:47:14,165
<i>on Ted Turner's network.</i>

1192
00:47:14,290 --> 00:47:17,126
You're looking at
every single rating point,

1193
00:47:17,209 --> 00:47:21,130
every eyeball
we were competing for.

1194
00:47:21,172 --> 00:47:24,842
<i>They beat us for 83 weeks
in the ratings.</i>

1195
00:47:24,967 --> 00:47:28,095
<i>‐ WCW became
the top game in town.</i>

1196
00:47:28,179 --> 00:47:30,598
‐ The most powerful
organization

1197
00:47:30,681 --> 00:47:32,808
in professional wrestling.

1198
00:47:32,933 --> 00:47:35,728
‐ Honestly, I really didn't
care about the war.

1199
00:47:35,853 --> 00:47:38,022
It had nothing to do with me.

1200
00:47:38,147 --> 00:47:39,648
<i>I was making a lot of money.</i>

1201
00:47:39,774 --> 00:47:41,233
<i>I was in a place in my life</i>

1202
00:47:41,359 --> 00:47:45,279
<i>that I'd never imagined
being in a million years.</i>

1203
00:47:45,363 --> 00:47:48,616
<i>‐ As they're concentrating
on the other big stars,</i>

1204
00:47:48,699 --> 00:47:50,826
Booker T,
right under their noses,

1205
00:47:50,910 --> 00:47:52,870
<i>is just getting better
and better</i>

1206
00:47:52,995 --> 00:47:55,206
<i>and better and better.</i>

1207
00:47:55,331 --> 00:47:57,500
<i>‐ My peers,
they always told me,</i>

1208
00:47:57,583 --> 00:47:59,627
"There's only one Tiger Woods
of wrestling."

1209
00:47:59,752 --> 00:48:01,629
[laughs]

1210
00:48:01,670 --> 00:48:03,381
And I go,
"I appreciate that, bro."

1211
00:48:03,464 --> 00:48:06,300
‐ That's when he became
no longer a tag guy.

1212
00:48:06,425 --> 00:48:09,470
That's when it just‐‐like,
okay, he's a star.

1213
00:48:09,553 --> 00:48:12,139
<i>‐ You can tell when somebody
has the it factor.</i>

1214
00:48:12,223 --> 00:48:15,142
Booker T just looked
main event material.

1215
00:48:15,226 --> 00:48:17,686
He carried himself like the sky
was the limit.

1216
00:48:17,812 --> 00:48:19,146
He had it all.

1217
00:48:19,230 --> 00:48:21,107
<i>‐ I used to raise the roof
back then.</i>

1218
00:48:21,190 --> 00:48:22,817
<i>When I used to raise the roof,</i>

1219
00:48:22,900 --> 00:48:24,610
<i>everybody used to raise
the roof with me.</i>

1220
00:48:24,693 --> 00:48:27,154
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1221
00:48:27,238 --> 00:48:30,491
And it let me know that
hey, I was moving up.

1222
00:48:30,616 --> 00:48:32,618
<i>You know,
it was the beginning of my run</i>

1223
00:48:32,701 --> 00:48:33,828
<i>as a singles wrestler</i>

1224
00:48:33,953 --> 00:48:37,331
<i>and a whole different life.</i>

1225
00:48:37,456 --> 00:48:40,459
<i>[funky music]</i>

1226
00:48:40,584 --> 00:48:43,045
<i>‐ I was born and raised
in Gary, Indiana,</i>

1227
00:48:43,129 --> 00:48:44,880
<i>had a great childhood.</i>

1228
00:48:45,005 --> 00:48:46,590
I caught the entertainment
bug very, very early.

1229
00:48:46,674 --> 00:48:49,802
I started doing beauty pageants
when I was 12 years old,

1230
00:48:49,927 --> 00:48:51,679
so that was always something
that I enjoyed,

1231
00:48:51,804 --> 00:48:53,514
and then I was always
into dancing.

1232
00:48:53,639 --> 00:48:54,974
<i>That was my first love,</i>

1233
00:48:55,099 --> 00:48:56,725
<i>so all that ended up
paying off.</i>

1234
00:48:56,809 --> 00:48:58,811
<i>You know, I went on to become
Miss Black America.</i>

1235
00:48:58,853 --> 00:49:00,938
<i>I ended up touring
with James Brown,</i>

1236
00:49:01,021 --> 00:49:02,565
<i>the Godfather of Soul,</i>

1237
00:49:02,690 --> 00:49:03,983
<i>so I spent three and a half
years on the road</i>

1238
00:49:04,024 --> 00:49:05,443
<i>touring with him</i>

1239
00:49:05,526 --> 00:49:06,986
<i>and then ended up
in sports entertainment.</i>

1240
00:49:07,111 --> 00:49:09,488
<i>‐ Here are the Nitro Girls.</i>

1241
00:49:09,613 --> 00:49:10,990
<i>‐ We met back in WCW</i>

1242
00:49:11,115 --> 00:49:12,700
<i>when she was a Nitro Girl.</i>

1243
00:49:12,783 --> 00:49:15,536
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1244
00:49:15,661 --> 00:49:17,288
We started talking a little bit

1245
00:49:17,371 --> 00:49:20,124
<i>on the movie set
of "Ready to Rumble."</i>

1246
00:49:20,207 --> 00:49:23,002
<i>Then we just gradually
became friends.</i>

1247
00:49:23,127 --> 00:49:25,588
‐ He was always very polite,
very well dressed,

1248
00:49:25,671 --> 00:49:26,964
and he looked like
a businessman

1249
00:49:27,047 --> 00:49:28,799
instead of
a professional wrestler.

1250
00:49:28,883 --> 00:49:30,468
That was my first impression
of him,

1251
00:49:30,551 --> 00:49:33,471
<i>but I will never forget
when I heard him</i>

1252
00:49:33,596 --> 00:49:34,930
<i>listening to Tupac,</i>

1253
00:49:35,014 --> 00:49:36,474
<i>and that surprised me
because to me,</i>

1254
00:49:36,557 --> 00:49:39,852
I thought he would listen
to Frank Sinatra, not Tupac,

1255
00:49:39,977 --> 00:49:43,647
so I got to know
a few things about him.

1256
00:49:43,772 --> 00:49:45,149
<i>He's a great guy all around.</i>

1257
00:49:45,274 --> 00:49:47,485
<i>I got to see he's really,
really funny.</i>

1258
00:49:47,610 --> 00:49:49,487
<i>He's really, really silly,</i>

1259
00:49:49,612 --> 00:49:50,988
<i>but we just kinda gelled.</i>

1260
00:49:51,071 --> 00:49:53,699
We just kinda meshed,
and it was very exciting

1261
00:49:53,824 --> 00:49:56,243
to see Booker be able
to carve out a path for himself

1262
00:49:56,368 --> 00:49:59,330
because he was such
an amazing talent.

1263
00:49:59,413 --> 00:50:04,126
<i>‐ WCW welcome you
to the summertime tradition,</i>

1264
00:50:04,251 --> 00:50:10,424
<i>the World Championship
Wrestling's Bash at the Beach!</i>

1265
00:50:10,508 --> 00:50:14,637
<i>‐ All the backstage drama
that went on that night</i>

1266
00:50:14,720 --> 00:50:17,598
put more light on me actually
winning the championship.

1267
00:50:17,681 --> 00:50:20,017
Me winning it just would have
been me winning it.

1268
00:50:20,142 --> 00:50:23,479
‐ The title match is between

1269
00:50:23,604 --> 00:50:26,065
Jeff Jarrett and Hulk Hogan.

1270
00:50:26,190 --> 00:50:29,026
<i>The story is that Hulk Hogan
wants to win,</i>

1271
00:50:29,151 --> 00:50:30,569
<i>doesn't want to lose
to Jeff Jarrett.</i>

1272
00:50:30,694 --> 00:50:32,071
<i>Jeff Jarrett's the champion.</i>

1273
00:50:32,196 --> 00:50:33,489
The writer, Vince Russo,

1274
00:50:33,572 --> 00:50:35,491
he doesn't want Hogan
to be the champion.

1275
00:50:35,616 --> 00:50:37,409
He wants Jeff Jarrett
to hold on to it.

1276
00:50:37,535 --> 00:50:40,329
They can't come to an agreement
because Hulk Hogan,

1277
00:50:40,371 --> 00:50:43,082
in real life,
has a creative control clause

1278
00:50:43,207 --> 00:50:44,333
in his contract.

1279
00:50:44,416 --> 00:50:45,751
‐ There's a million stories,

1280
00:50:45,834 --> 00:50:47,461
and everybody has
their opinion.

1281
00:50:47,545 --> 00:50:50,339
All I know is,
when I signed on with WCW,

1282
00:50:50,464 --> 00:50:52,841
I had what's called
creative control.

1283
00:50:52,967 --> 00:50:54,677
I'm gonna exercise
my creative control.

1284
00:50:54,760 --> 00:50:57,012
I'm gonna go ahead and beat
Jarrett, one, two, three.

1285
00:50:57,137 --> 00:50:59,640
<i>It went right up Russo's ass.</i>

1286
00:50:59,723 --> 00:51:01,559
<i>‐ What's Jeff doing?
‐ Hang on a minute.</i>

1287
00:51:01,684 --> 00:51:03,102
<i>What's Jeff doing?</i>

1288
00:51:03,185 --> 00:51:04,520
<i>Russo, I think, told Jarrett
to lie down.</i>

1289
00:51:04,645 --> 00:51:06,522
<i>What's going on?
‐ Jarrett's down.</i>

1290
00:51:06,647 --> 00:51:08,315
<i>‐ I know, and Hogan
is as shocked as we are.</i>

1291
00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:10,484
<i>‐ What in the world?
Jeff Jarrett.</i>

1292
00:51:10,609 --> 00:51:14,154
<i>‐ Oh, God, this is real life.
One, two, three.</i>

1293
00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:17,575
<i>‐ I took the belt, and I left.
‐ What the hell?</i>

1294
00:51:17,700 --> 00:51:19,493
<i>I think we're deviating
from the script.</i>

1295
00:51:19,577 --> 00:51:21,829
<i>I hesitate to say that,
but what the hell is going on?</i>

1296
00:51:21,954 --> 00:51:23,414
‐ Is it a storyline?

1297
00:51:23,539 --> 00:51:26,458
Is this real life?
Is this some weird mixture?

1298
00:51:26,542 --> 00:51:29,378
<i>Vince Russo's says they have
two world championships now.</i>

1299
00:51:29,503 --> 00:51:33,257
‐ There will be a new WCW belt.

1300
00:51:33,340 --> 00:51:35,467
‐ Jeff Jarrett and Booker T
fight for it

1301
00:51:35,593 --> 00:51:37,011
later on in the evening.

1302
00:51:37,136 --> 00:51:39,138
‐ Opportunity has knocked,
and I will be damned

1303
00:51:39,221 --> 00:51:40,931
if I don't answer that door.

1304
00:51:41,015 --> 00:51:43,892
I am gonna do what I have to do
tonight to take that gold home,

1305
00:51:44,018 --> 00:51:45,185
take it around my waist,

1306
00:51:45,269 --> 00:51:46,812
and take it into
the next millennium.

1307
00:51:46,895 --> 00:51:48,230
Can you dig that, Gene?

1308
00:51:48,355 --> 00:51:50,858
‐ I can.
Tony, back to you.

1309
00:51:50,983 --> 00:51:55,487
‐ Not just did the fans
not expect this to be going on.

1310
00:51:55,571 --> 00:51:58,616
<i>Me and Booker didn't expect
for it to be going on.</i>

1311
00:51:58,699 --> 00:52:02,161
‐ I watched everything play out
just like America.

1312
00:52:02,286 --> 00:52:05,205
<i>I had about ten minutes
to prepare</i>

1313
00:52:05,331 --> 00:52:07,041
<i>for the biggest moment
of my life</i>

1314
00:52:07,166 --> 00:52:08,667
<i>in professional wrestling,</i>

1315
00:52:08,751 --> 00:52:10,336
<i>but I was prepared for it.</i>

1316
00:52:10,461 --> 00:52:12,713
<i>I got there
by working my ass off,</i>

1317
00:52:12,838 --> 00:52:15,841
<i>and I started at the bottom
of that company,</i>

1318
00:52:15,966 --> 00:52:19,303
<i>and I went out and I performed
every single night.</i>

1319
00:52:19,428 --> 00:52:20,971
<i>‐ It's been a long journey,
a lot of titles,</i>

1320
00:52:21,055 --> 00:52:22,306
<i>but never the big one.</i>

1321
00:52:22,348 --> 00:52:24,016
<i>This is Booker T's chance.</i>

1322
00:52:24,141 --> 00:52:26,477
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1323
00:52:26,560 --> 00:52:28,354
<i>‐ When I finally got
in that position,</i>

1324
00:52:28,479 --> 00:52:30,022
<i>I always wondered
if the fans wanted to see</i>

1325
00:52:30,147 --> 00:52:32,524
<i>a black champion.</i>

1326
00:52:32,608 --> 00:52:37,488
<i>WCW hadn't had a black
champion since Ron Simmons.</i>

1327
00:52:37,571 --> 00:52:40,157
It was a lot of questions
in my mind,

1328
00:52:40,282 --> 00:52:43,827
you know, if the fans really,
really wanted to see me

1329
00:52:43,952 --> 00:52:44,870
in that position.

1330
00:52:44,995 --> 00:52:46,330
<i>I'm just so happy</i>

1331
00:52:46,413 --> 00:52:50,626
that people looked past
my color and said,

1332
00:52:50,709 --> 00:52:52,086
"This is the guy."

1333
00:52:52,169 --> 00:52:59,218
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1334
00:53:01,512 --> 00:53:02,805
<i>‐ Booker T and Jeff Jarrett</i>

1335
00:53:02,930 --> 00:53:04,056
<i>brawling through the crowd.</i>

1336
00:53:04,181 --> 00:53:07,226
[indistinct shouting]

1337
00:53:09,895 --> 00:53:10,979
Two, three!

1338
00:53:11,105 --> 00:53:13,816
[cheers and applause]

1339
00:53:13,899 --> 00:53:16,735
<i>‐ We've got a new champion!
‐ Oh, my God,</i>

1340
00:53:16,860 --> 00:53:19,988
Booker T's the world champion!

1341
00:53:20,114 --> 00:53:22,324
<i>‐ The crowd erupted.
They went crazy.</i>

1342
00:53:22,408 --> 00:53:24,410
<i>I was like, "Wow, man,
they really care about me.</i>

1343
00:53:24,535 --> 00:53:26,745
<i>They really wanted
to see me win."</i>

1344
00:53:26,829 --> 00:53:29,123
<i>It was a moment
that changed my life.</i>

1345
00:53:29,206 --> 00:53:32,126
<i>[dramatic music]</i>

1346
00:53:32,251 --> 00:53:34,878
<i>‐ It's one of my most fond
memories in my career.</i>

1347
00:53:35,003 --> 00:53:37,881
I'm the guy that Booker beat
to become the world champion

1348
00:53:38,006 --> 00:53:39,758
for his very first time around.

1349
00:53:39,842 --> 00:53:41,677
I'm pretty proud of that.

1350
00:53:41,760 --> 00:53:43,178
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1351
00:53:43,303 --> 00:53:44,805
<i>‐ He became champion,</i>

1352
00:53:44,888 --> 00:53:46,932
<i>and it was a great
crowning achievement for him</i>

1353
00:53:47,015 --> 00:53:49,518
evolving
and elevating himself,

1354
00:53:49,643 --> 00:53:53,689
and Booker T, especially
for black boys and girls

1355
00:53:53,814 --> 00:53:55,858
who watched wrestling,
he is a hero.

1356
00:53:55,983 --> 00:53:59,445
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1357
00:53:59,528 --> 00:54:02,030
<i>‐ Booker has so much respect
from all the guys</i>

1358
00:54:02,156 --> 00:54:03,657
<i>and girls in the locker room</i>

1359
00:54:03,782 --> 00:54:06,785
that when he came back through
the curtain after winning,

1360
00:54:06,869 --> 00:54:08,662
people were standing there
and applauding.

1361
00:54:08,787 --> 00:54:10,998
I remember a few of us
had tears in our eyes.

1362
00:54:11,081 --> 00:54:12,541
It just really was
a special moment

1363
00:54:12,666 --> 00:54:15,294
to finally see him
rise to the top

1364
00:54:15,419 --> 00:54:17,838
because he really deserved it.

1365
00:54:17,963 --> 00:54:19,631
<i>‐ Look at the fans standing,</i>

1366
00:54:19,715 --> 00:54:22,301
<i>and they're raising the roof
with Booker T,</i>

1367
00:54:22,426 --> 00:54:25,220
<i>the world heavyweight
champion.</i>

1368
00:54:25,345 --> 00:54:30,851
<i>What a moment in WCW history
this is!</i>

1369
00:54:30,976 --> 00:54:32,519
<i>‐ WWE was synonymous</i>

1370
00:54:32,644 --> 00:54:34,521
<i>with the best
in sports entertainment.</i>

1371
00:54:34,605 --> 00:54:36,565
‐ How you doing, pal?
‐ I'm fine, thank you.

1372
00:54:36,690 --> 00:54:39,610
<i>‐ And now we were
being challenged,</i>

1373
00:54:39,693 --> 00:54:44,156
so it creates an atmosphere of
having to fight from underneath,

1374
00:54:44,198 --> 00:54:48,118
<i>creating new
and unique storylines</i>

1375
00:54:48,202 --> 00:54:50,245
<i>new and unique talents,</i>

1376
00:54:50,370 --> 00:54:53,165
<i>and changing the way
we looked at the business.</i>

1377
00:54:53,248 --> 00:54:55,083
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1378
00:54:55,167 --> 00:54:57,669
<i>‐ It made WWE regroup,</i>

1379
00:54:57,795 --> 00:55:00,297
taking the gloves off and
changing what the company was

1380
00:55:00,380 --> 00:55:01,799
and going with
the Attitude Era.

1381
00:55:01,840 --> 00:55:05,427
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1382
00:55:05,511 --> 00:55:06,762
<i>‐ Oh, my.
‐ Oh, my God.</i>

1383
00:55:06,845 --> 00:55:08,180
‐ Good lord, have mercy.

1384
00:55:08,305 --> 00:55:10,474
‐ Somebody's gonna get
their ass whipped!

1385
00:55:10,516 --> 00:55:13,227
When that energy comes out,
that intensity comes out,

1386
00:55:13,352 --> 00:55:14,853
and I look like
an ass‐kicking machine,

1387
00:55:14,978 --> 00:55:17,397
<i>it was all about the attitude.</i>

1388
00:55:19,525 --> 00:55:22,569
<i>‐ Stone Cold is here!</i>

1389
00:55:22,694 --> 00:55:24,404
<i>Oh, yeah!</i>

1390
00:55:24,530 --> 00:55:25,739
<i>He got McMahon!</i>

1391
00:55:25,864 --> 00:55:27,658
‐ Ahh!
‐ What do you think about that?

1392
00:55:27,741 --> 00:55:28,700
Huh?

1393
00:55:28,826 --> 00:55:30,202
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1394
00:55:30,327 --> 00:55:32,996
<i>‐ A badass locker room
full of men</i>

1395
00:55:33,121 --> 00:55:34,331
<i>who had starved,</i>

1396
00:55:34,456 --> 00:55:36,959
<i>kicked, scratched,</i>

1397
00:55:37,042 --> 00:55:39,628
<i>clawed to get to the top</i>

1398
00:55:39,711 --> 00:55:41,839
<i>and who weren't afraid
to go out on a limb</i>

1399
00:55:41,964 --> 00:55:43,257
<i>and push the envelope.</i>

1400
00:55:43,340 --> 00:55:45,592
<i>‐ Oh, my God!</i>

1401
00:55:45,676 --> 00:55:47,761
‐ The Rattlesnake
has struck!

1402
00:55:47,845 --> 00:55:49,471
[indistinct shouting]

1403
00:55:49,555 --> 00:55:51,974
<i>‐ When we started kicking
the WCW's ass,</i>

1404
00:55:52,057 --> 00:55:53,517
<i>you know, we just took off,</i>

1405
00:55:53,642 --> 00:55:56,186
and their infrastructure was
kind of unorganized

1406
00:55:56,311 --> 00:55:58,647
and kinda started falling
apart,

1407
00:55:58,730 --> 00:56:00,607
and then we just crushed them,

1408
00:56:00,691 --> 00:56:04,194
and then later on down the road
Vince would buy the company

1409
00:56:04,278 --> 00:56:06,613
from Ted Turner
for pennies on the dollar.

1410
00:56:06,697 --> 00:56:11,243
‐ I, Vince McMahon,
bought my competition.

1411
00:56:11,368 --> 00:56:12,244
That's right.

1412
00:56:12,369 --> 00:56:15,831
I own WCW.

1413
00:56:15,956 --> 00:56:19,126
‐ They raised the flag,
and they said, "We won.

1414
00:56:19,167 --> 00:56:20,627
The war is over."

1415
00:56:20,752 --> 00:56:22,546
<i>‐ For all of us at World
Championship Wrestling,</i>

1416
00:56:22,671 --> 00:56:24,882
<i>a historic day
in sports entertainment.</i>

1417
00:56:24,965 --> 00:56:27,259
This is the last "Nitro"
on the Turner Network,

1418
00:56:27,342 --> 00:56:31,638
so we're going out with a bang,
all the titles on the line.

1419
00:56:31,722 --> 00:56:33,682
<i>‐ I didn't know
what was gonna happen.</i>

1420
00:56:33,807 --> 00:56:35,809
<i>I didn't see it coming
till that night.</i>

1421
00:56:35,934 --> 00:56:39,688
<i>I found out that I was gonna
be going out a dual champ.</i>

1422
00:56:39,813 --> 00:56:41,315
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1423
00:56:41,398 --> 00:56:42,941
<i>They closed the company down</i>

1424
00:56:43,025 --> 00:56:44,943
<i>as World Champion
and as United States Champion.</i>

1425
00:56:45,027 --> 00:56:47,487
<i>‐ Picks him up, Booker T,
lands on his feet.</i>

1426
00:56:47,613 --> 00:56:49,281
<i>He's got him!
Book end!</i>

1427
00:56:49,364 --> 00:56:50,782
<i>‐ Book end!
‐ Here it is!</i>

1428
00:56:50,866 --> 00:56:52,242
<i>One, two, could it be it?
Yes, it is!</i>

1429
00:56:52,367 --> 00:56:53,702
<i>‐ Yes, yes!</i>

1430
00:56:53,785 --> 00:56:58,665
<i>‐ Booker T is
WCW World Champion!</i>

1431
00:56:58,790 --> 00:57:01,001
<i>‐ That is the last
"Monday Nitro,"</i>

1432
00:57:01,126 --> 00:57:04,296
<i>what a night for Booker T.</i>

1433
00:57:04,379 --> 00:57:07,507
<i>‐ I didn't feel sad
like everybody else did.</i>

1434
00:57:07,591 --> 00:57:10,260
<i>I lost my mother
when I was 13,</i>

1435
00:57:10,344 --> 00:57:13,597
<i>so I always knew
nothing lasts forever.</i>

1436
00:57:13,680 --> 00:57:15,849
<i>I remember one the guys
actually talking to me,</i>

1437
00:57:15,974 --> 00:57:17,809
<i>and he literally
had tears in his eyes,</i>

1438
00:57:17,893 --> 00:57:21,063
<i>and he's like, "Man, Book,
it's the end of WCW, man.</i>

1439
00:57:21,188 --> 00:57:22,564
<i>It's over."</i>

1440
00:57:22,689 --> 00:57:24,149
<i>He goes, "Man,
what are you gonna do, man?</i>

1441
00:57:24,232 --> 00:57:25,692
<i>What are you gonna do?"</i>

1442
00:57:25,817 --> 00:57:27,444
I said,
"Man, I'm going to WWE."

1443
00:57:27,527 --> 00:57:29,571
[laughs]
You know what I mean?

1444
00:57:29,655 --> 00:57:30,864
What else could I do?

1445
00:57:30,948 --> 00:57:34,868
♪ ♪

1446
00:57:34,952 --> 00:57:36,119
[laughs]

1447
00:57:36,203 --> 00:57:37,996
‐ I don't think we knew

1448
00:57:38,080 --> 00:57:41,208
that we were gonna keep Booker,
had no idea.

1449
00:57:41,333 --> 00:57:43,669
When you're looking
at the talent base

1450
00:57:43,794 --> 00:57:47,005
and you're looking at talent
that's available,

1451
00:57:47,130 --> 00:57:49,633
<i>all of these top‐tier talents</i>

1452
00:57:49,716 --> 00:57:54,846
<i>chose to stay on their
AOL Time Warner contract,</i>

1453
00:57:54,972 --> 00:57:57,808
<i>stay at home,
collect their money,</i>

1454
00:57:57,933 --> 00:57:59,142
<i>not go to work.</i>

1455
00:57:59,226 --> 00:58:01,937
‐ I sat at home for 17 months

1456
00:58:02,020 --> 00:58:05,440
and got paid bank‐‐bank.

1457
00:58:05,524 --> 00:58:08,110
<i>‐ But then you have a guy,
Booker T,</i>

1458
00:58:08,193 --> 00:58:12,864
<i>who did have a pretty good
guaranteed contract</i>

1459
00:58:12,990 --> 00:58:15,325
<i>who said,
"Man, I want to work.</i>

1460
00:58:15,409 --> 00:58:17,160
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1461
00:58:17,244 --> 00:58:19,788
I want to be a star
on the biggest platform I can."

1462
00:58:19,871 --> 00:58:21,790
‐ I was a performer.
I was talent.

1463
00:58:21,873 --> 00:58:23,500
Something I tell young people
all the time,

1464
00:58:23,583 --> 00:58:26,086
you know,
believe in your talent.

1465
00:58:26,169 --> 00:58:28,338
Do not forsake your talent.

1466
00:58:28,463 --> 00:58:29,881
Going into the WWE locker room,

1467
00:58:30,007 --> 00:58:31,883
those guys
didn't too much care for us.

1468
00:58:32,009 --> 00:58:34,052
They wasn't gonna treat us
special or anything.

1469
00:58:34,177 --> 00:58:37,139
They didn't want us there,
and I understood that.

1470
00:58:37,222 --> 00:58:39,349
<i>I was ready to go out there
and show those guys</i>

1471
00:58:39,474 --> 00:58:42,644
<i>I was just as good
as I said I was.</i>

1472
00:58:42,728 --> 00:58:45,647
‐ Booker had enough confidence
in himself

1473
00:58:45,731 --> 00:58:49,151
to step up and say,
"Put me in."

1474
00:58:49,234 --> 00:58:51,319
[cheering]

1475
00:58:51,403 --> 00:58:53,280
<i>‐ Wait a minute!
What the hell?</i>

1476
00:58:53,363 --> 00:58:56,450
[cheering]

1477
00:58:56,533 --> 00:58:57,659
<i>‐ Booker T,</i>

1478
00:58:57,743 --> 00:59:02,581
<i>he's the WW‐‐WCW champion.</i>

1479
00:59:02,706 --> 00:59:04,541
<i>‐ The WCW champion</i>

1480
00:59:04,624 --> 00:59:08,045
<i>has just attacked
Stone Cold Steve Austin!</i>

1481
00:59:08,170 --> 00:59:09,796
<i>Oh, my God!</i>

1482
00:59:09,880 --> 00:59:11,506
‐ Man, it was a good night
for me,

1483
00:59:11,631 --> 00:59:14,426
debut, drop Steve Austin.

1484
00:59:14,509 --> 00:59:16,303
<i>‐ Booker T!
‐ I'm off and running.</i>

1485
00:59:16,386 --> 00:59:17,804
<i>Everything's beautiful.</i>

1486
00:59:17,929 --> 00:59:19,431
<i>‐ Right through
the announce table!</i>

1487
00:59:19,514 --> 00:59:20,682
<i>‐ My first thought was,
"Hey, man,</i>

1488
00:59:20,807 --> 00:59:22,392
<i>Booker T just came in here,</i>

1489
00:59:22,476 --> 00:59:24,394
<i>he just took away
what I do for a living,"</i>

1490
00:59:24,478 --> 00:59:27,564
broke three transverse
processes in my back,

1491
00:59:27,689 --> 00:59:29,983
and I was in intense pain,

1492
00:59:30,108 --> 00:59:33,653
and I was like, "What
in the eff just happened?"

1493
00:59:33,737 --> 00:59:36,490
<i>[somber music]</i>

1494
00:59:36,531 --> 00:59:38,200
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1495
00:59:38,325 --> 00:59:40,827
There is that layer of hey,
man, we need to watch this guy,

1496
00:59:40,911 --> 00:59:43,163
or is he safe to work with,

1497
00:59:43,288 --> 00:59:45,040
or is he gonna do that to me?

1498
00:59:45,165 --> 00:59:47,292
<i>‐ Steve Austin had the kind of
stroke at that time</i>

1499
00:59:47,417 --> 00:59:48,752
<i>in the company
where he could have</i>

1500
00:59:48,835 --> 00:59:50,670
went to the office and said,

1501
00:59:50,796 --> 00:59:53,131
"Man, this guy's reckless and
doesn't know what he's doing,"

1502
00:59:53,256 --> 00:59:54,549
even though it wasn't my fault.

1503
00:59:54,674 --> 00:59:56,968
‐ When I look back at it,
he did everything right.

1504
00:59:57,094 --> 01:00:00,472
<i>He executed with perfection,
but I was so sweaty,</i>

1505
01:00:00,555 --> 01:00:01,973
<i>when I hit the top
of that desk,</i>

1506
01:00:02,099 --> 01:00:06,311
<i>I just skipped off,
and my back hit a chair.</i>

1507
01:00:06,436 --> 01:00:07,312
It was an accident.

1508
01:00:07,395 --> 01:00:08,814
Accidents happen,

1509
01:00:08,897 --> 01:00:11,358
but hey, man,
anytime the lead guy goes down

1510
01:00:11,441 --> 01:00:13,110
and someone has done
something to him,

1511
01:00:13,193 --> 01:00:15,779
yeah, you might have some heat
on you from the boys.

1512
01:00:15,862 --> 01:00:17,864
‐ You walk in the door
coming from somewhere else,

1513
01:00:17,948 --> 01:00:19,616
and you take out
one of the top guys

1514
01:00:19,699 --> 01:00:21,493
that's putting food
on all our tables,

1515
01:00:21,576 --> 01:00:22,911
that's not gonna sit well
with a lot of people

1516
01:00:22,994 --> 01:00:24,746
'cause most of these guys
never met him.

1517
01:00:24,871 --> 01:00:28,542
‐ Who in the blue hell are you?

1518
01:00:28,667 --> 01:00:30,127
<i>‐ Coming into that company,</i>

1519
01:00:30,252 --> 01:00:33,755
<i>it wasn't gonna be easy for me
by any means.</i>

1520
01:00:33,839 --> 01:00:35,632
‐ Hell, my name is Booker‐‐

1521
01:00:35,674 --> 01:00:37,717
‐ It doesn't matter
what your name is!

1522
01:00:37,801 --> 01:00:40,846
[cheers and applause]

1523
01:00:40,971 --> 01:00:43,890
‐ You can bring someone in
up at the top.

1524
01:00:44,015 --> 01:00:45,809
It's difficult for them
to stay there,

1525
01:00:45,934 --> 01:00:48,478
especially when you had
the kind of personality

1526
01:00:48,562 --> 01:00:51,148
<i>and the kind of talent of
a Steve Austin,</i>

1527
01:00:51,231 --> 01:00:52,816
<i>Rock, Undertaker.</i>

1528
01:00:52,899 --> 01:00:55,819
<i>‐ Stepping into the ring with
the five‐time former W‐‐</i>

1529
01:00:55,944 --> 01:00:57,946
<i>‐ Here we go,
Booker T on the offensive!</i>

1530
01:00:58,029 --> 01:01:00,157
<i>‐ Booker T [inaudible]
The Undertaker.</i>

1531
01:01:00,240 --> 01:01:04,786
‐ Rock, I would say
you're the sucka, sucka.

1532
01:01:04,870 --> 01:01:06,788
<i>‐ Look out! Rock Bottom!</i>

1533
01:01:06,872 --> 01:01:09,082
<i>Rock Bottom!
Rock Bottom!</i>

1534
01:01:09,207 --> 01:01:10,542
<i>‐ Book hung.</i>

1535
01:01:10,625 --> 01:01:12,460
Book hung and said,
"Y'all come on up to me."

1536
01:01:12,544 --> 01:01:15,964
‐ The bottom line is,
if you come to WWE,

1537
01:01:16,006 --> 01:01:18,008
you better be able to work,

1538
01:01:18,133 --> 01:01:20,260
and Booker T
could work his ass off.

1539
01:01:20,343 --> 01:01:22,220
He wasn't accepted
just 'cause we liked him.

1540
01:01:22,345 --> 01:01:24,347
He was accepted
because he was damn good.

1541
01:01:24,472 --> 01:01:26,683
<i>‐ It was kind of
a Jack Nicholson,</i>

1542
01:01:26,766 --> 01:01:29,102
<i>"Wait till
they get a load of me."</i>

1543
01:01:29,186 --> 01:01:31,980
Yeah, Big Henry, you better
lace them up tonight,

1544
01:01:32,022 --> 01:01:35,817
'cause we finna be moving
and flying and singing, baby.

1545
01:01:35,942 --> 01:01:39,321
<i>The greats can't stick
to a script.</i>

1546
01:01:39,446 --> 01:01:40,655
<i>It's emotional.</i>

1547
01:01:40,739 --> 01:01:42,574
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1548
01:01:42,657 --> 01:01:45,202
‐ To make it real,
it's gotta look raw.

1549
01:01:45,327 --> 01:01:46,745
It's gotta look uncut.

1550
01:01:46,870 --> 01:01:48,914
<i>We're close enough to the fans</i>

1551
01:01:49,039 --> 01:01:51,166
<i>that want sweat
to fly all over them.</i>

1552
01:01:51,249 --> 01:01:54,211
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1553
01:01:54,336 --> 01:01:56,630
<i>That part is as real
as it possibly can get.</i>

1554
01:01:56,755 --> 01:01:58,465
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1555
01:01:58,548 --> 01:02:00,091
‐ Book has a unique ability

1556
01:02:00,175 --> 01:02:02,469
to relate to the audience
and conversely,

1557
01:02:02,552 --> 01:02:03,970
<i>and that's really
what you look for.</i>

1558
01:02:04,095 --> 01:02:05,805
<i>He's a man who gave it all.</i>

1559
01:02:05,889 --> 01:02:08,558
<i>If he had an opportunity,
he was going for it.</i>

1560
01:02:08,683 --> 01:02:10,685
<i>‐ I wanted the fan
that was watching</i>

1561
01:02:10,769 --> 01:02:13,855
<i>to have that same feeling
that I did.</i>

1562
01:02:13,939 --> 01:02:15,857
<i>It was a out of body
experience.</i>

1563
01:02:15,982 --> 01:02:17,817
I could tell
what the fans were feeling

1564
01:02:17,943 --> 01:02:19,027
because I was one of them.

1565
01:02:19,152 --> 01:02:22,030
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1566
01:02:22,155 --> 01:02:25,325
‐ You would have never thought
that somebody with the talent

1567
01:02:25,367 --> 01:02:27,202
that he had in the ring,

1568
01:02:27,327 --> 01:02:30,038
he would have just as much
talent behind the scenes.

1569
01:02:30,121 --> 01:02:32,791
You can't just define him
as a wrestler.

1570
01:02:32,874 --> 01:02:34,000
He was a entertainer.

1571
01:02:34,084 --> 01:02:37,629
‐ Now, can you dig that, sucka?

1572
01:02:37,754 --> 01:02:42,300
[cheers and applause]

1573
01:02:42,425 --> 01:02:44,636
[indistinct chatter]

1574
01:02:44,761 --> 01:02:46,304
<i>‐ Booker watches
a lot of movies.</i>

1575
01:02:46,388 --> 01:02:48,640
He's always studied movies
his whole life,

1576
01:02:48,682 --> 01:02:50,600
whether it be kung fu movies

1577
01:02:50,684 --> 01:02:52,143
or, you know,
any type of action movies,

1578
01:02:52,269 --> 01:02:53,770
so I really do believe

1579
01:02:53,853 --> 01:02:55,021
that if he weren't
a wrestler,

1580
01:02:55,105 --> 01:02:56,523
he would definitely
be an actor.

1581
01:02:56,648 --> 01:02:57,983
‐ For you today.
‐ [laughs]

1582
01:02:58,066 --> 01:03:00,277
‐ The doctor authentic‐‐
‐ I'm serious, man.

1583
01:03:00,360 --> 01:03:03,989
<i>‐ A lot of those movies
were my escapes as well,</i>

1584
01:03:04,114 --> 01:03:07,033
<i>and I used to skip school
and go to the Majestic OST,</i>

1585
01:03:07,117 --> 01:03:09,744
<i>and all those movies
made me feel a certain way.</i>

1586
01:03:09,869 --> 01:03:11,705
<i>I literally would go
to that place.</i>

1587
01:03:11,830 --> 01:03:13,581
‐ A little bit more structure
here.

1588
01:03:13,707 --> 01:03:15,625
‐ I literally would be
in that movie.

1589
01:03:15,709 --> 01:03:18,420
I knew every line.
I knew every scene.

1590
01:03:18,503 --> 01:03:20,964
<i>I knew what made
that scene work</i>

1591
01:03:21,089 --> 01:03:22,716
<i>because of what happened
before it</i>

1592
01:03:22,841 --> 01:03:24,175
and what's gonna happen after,

1593
01:03:24,301 --> 01:03:26,052
and that's what wrestling
has always been.

1594
01:03:26,136 --> 01:03:29,806
So for me, my WCW career
was so serious all the time.

1595
01:03:29,931 --> 01:03:32,100
There was never
a laughing moment,

1596
01:03:32,183 --> 01:03:35,520
and then when I got to WWE,
everything changed.

1597
01:03:35,603 --> 01:03:37,689
Booyah!
Hey, what's up, suckas?

1598
01:03:37,814 --> 01:03:39,733
Your ass is about
to get whacked

1599
01:03:39,858 --> 01:03:42,861
by the five‐time
master Jedi champion!

1600
01:03:42,986 --> 01:03:46,489
Now, can you dig that, sucka?

1601
01:03:46,614 --> 01:03:48,491
[cheers and applause]

1602
01:03:48,575 --> 01:03:50,785
‐ He was always a comedian.

1603
01:03:50,869 --> 01:03:52,996
He always liked
to make people laugh.

1604
01:03:53,121 --> 01:03:56,750
‐ Tell me I don't
look like that!

1605
01:03:56,875 --> 01:03:58,251
<i>‐ That just came,</i>

1606
01:03:58,335 --> 01:04:00,295
<i>and we would all do
little skits at home</i>

1607
01:04:00,420 --> 01:04:02,297
<i>and make up things,
so, you know,</i>

1608
01:04:02,422 --> 01:04:05,383
<i>just what kids do
who don't have a lot of money.</i>

1609
01:04:05,508 --> 01:04:07,969
<i>You have a great imagination.</i>

1610
01:04:08,053 --> 01:04:09,804
‐ [exhaling sharply]

1611
01:04:09,929 --> 01:04:13,850
‐ Imagine what we could be
and what we could do.

1612
01:04:15,435 --> 01:04:17,729
‐ [laughing]

1613
01:04:17,812 --> 01:04:20,023
You‐‐you didn't say that.

1614
01:04:20,148 --> 01:04:22,484
Tell me you didn't
just say that.

1615
01:04:24,361 --> 01:04:26,738
You just gave me the key
to your heart, baby.

1616
01:04:26,863 --> 01:04:29,324
Yeah.

1617
01:04:29,449 --> 01:04:31,993
<i>‐ It's like the actor in
a film that you've only seen</i>

1618
01:04:32,077 --> 01:04:35,663
<i>play a very serious,
badass role.</i>

1619
01:04:35,747 --> 01:04:37,415
‐ Oh, my goodness.

1620
01:04:37,540 --> 01:04:38,666
‐ And then you see him
in a buddy comedy,

1621
01:04:38,792 --> 01:04:40,085
and you're like,
"Oh, my God,

1622
01:04:40,168 --> 01:04:41,961
I had no idea
this guy was so funny,"

1623
01:04:42,045 --> 01:04:44,005
and, like, it just opens up
a whole new world for you.

1624
01:04:44,130 --> 01:04:48,009
‐ Wah, wah, wah, wah, wah‐wah,
wah, wah, wah, wah, wah‐wah.

1625
01:04:48,134 --> 01:04:49,969
Look, that ain't me,
brother.

1626
01:04:50,053 --> 01:04:51,554
You know, I got to feel
what I'm doing, man.

1627
01:04:51,679 --> 01:04:53,098
I got bass!

1628
01:04:53,181 --> 01:04:54,265
You know,
I got to feel, man,

1629
01:04:54,349 --> 01:04:57,602
can you dig it, sucka?

1630
01:04:57,685 --> 01:04:59,187
<i>[cheering]</i>

1631
01:04:59,312 --> 01:05:02,982
Just because you know
kung fu‐‐wah!

1632
01:05:03,066 --> 01:05:05,485
Doesn't mean you know shampoo,

1633
01:05:05,568 --> 01:05:08,071
but that's all about to change

1634
01:05:08,196 --> 01:05:12,867
thanks to new
Yakamoshi shampoo.

1635
01:05:14,661 --> 01:05:17,205
It won't make your hair
look as good as mine...

1636
01:05:19,541 --> 01:05:21,126
But you gotta start somewhere.

1637
01:05:21,251 --> 01:05:23,169
Give me the script,
and let me make it

1638
01:05:23,294 --> 01:05:25,422
what I want it to be,
no matter what it is.

1639
01:05:25,505 --> 01:05:26,798
I don't care what it is.

1640
01:05:26,881 --> 01:05:30,677
Now let me check to see
if they're fresh.

1641
01:05:30,802 --> 01:05:32,262
<i>‐ Creative tells us,
"Hey, man,</i>

1642
01:05:32,345 --> 01:05:33,972
<i>"you and Booker are gonna
have this brawl</i>

1643
01:05:34,097 --> 01:05:35,807
<i>in a grocery store."</i>

1644
01:05:35,932 --> 01:05:37,225
<i>Okay.</i>

1645
01:05:37,350 --> 01:05:39,894
Here's a blank canvas
that Booker T and I

1646
01:05:40,019 --> 01:05:42,313
are gonna have an opportunity
to paint together.

1647
01:05:42,397 --> 01:05:43,440
‐ Action.

1648
01:05:43,523 --> 01:05:45,817
[can pops open]

1649
01:05:45,942 --> 01:05:47,360
<i>We created magic.</i>

1650
01:05:49,028 --> 01:05:51,656
<i>‐ Austin‐‐
Austin attacking Booker T!</i>

1651
01:05:51,739 --> 01:05:54,617
[both grunting]

1652
01:05:56,661 --> 01:05:58,329
‐ Get up, Booker.
We ain't done.

1653
01:06:00,039 --> 01:06:02,417
Want some ketchup
on that ass‐whupping, huh?

1654
01:06:02,542 --> 01:06:05,336
[both grunting]

1655
01:06:07,505 --> 01:06:10,258
<i>I'm walking through the store,
up an aisle, down an aisle.</i>

1656
01:06:10,341 --> 01:06:11,801
You're working
off of instincts...

1657
01:06:11,885 --> 01:06:14,137
I like shopping, Booker.
Ahh!

1658
01:06:14,262 --> 01:06:15,972
<i>As if you were in the ring.</i>

1659
01:06:16,055 --> 01:06:19,142
<i>You know you're trying
to entertain people.</i>

1660
01:06:19,267 --> 01:06:21,978
Let's go back for more burgers.

1661
01:06:22,103 --> 01:06:25,106
‐ Oh, Booker with a shot
to the jaw of Austin.

1662
01:06:25,190 --> 01:06:27,734
‐ Hey, Book, you got milk?

1663
01:06:27,859 --> 01:06:29,736
<i>‐ Got milk!
‐ I'm action.</i>

1664
01:06:29,819 --> 01:06:32,071
He's reaction,
and his reactions

1665
01:06:32,197 --> 01:06:34,324
were just off‐the‐chart gold.

1666
01:06:34,449 --> 01:06:35,492
You want to burp?

1667
01:06:35,533 --> 01:06:37,327
[both grunting]

1668
01:06:37,410 --> 01:06:39,662
‐ This is what wrestling is
right here.

1669
01:06:39,787 --> 01:06:40,997
The stuff that we do
in the ring,

1670
01:06:41,122 --> 01:06:43,333
that's one thing,
but this is wrestling.

1671
01:06:43,374 --> 01:06:45,251
<i>‐ By the time
it was all said and done,</i>

1672
01:06:45,335 --> 01:06:48,129
<i>it was about $10,000
worth of damage to that store.</i>

1673
01:06:48,254 --> 01:06:50,256
"Price check on a jackass,"

1674
01:06:50,340 --> 01:06:52,133
people still remember
that line.

1675
01:06:52,175 --> 01:06:53,301
Price check on a jackass.

1676
01:06:53,384 --> 01:06:54,719
[siren wailing]

1677
01:06:54,802 --> 01:06:57,972
‐ [Booker moaning]

1678
01:06:58,056 --> 01:06:59,933
Oh, I'ma get you.

1679
01:07:00,016 --> 01:07:01,976
‐ Booker T and I painted
a Mona Lisa

1680
01:07:02,018 --> 01:07:05,313
with a bunch of damn stuff that
you'd find in a grocery store.

1681
01:07:05,355 --> 01:07:06,981
‐ Who wants to see
the Spinaroonie?

1682
01:07:07,106 --> 01:07:11,152
<i>‐ Who, at 6'3" and 260 pounds,</i>

1683
01:07:11,236 --> 01:07:13,696
<i>can do, like, the
Spinaroonie, you know,</i>

1684
01:07:13,821 --> 01:07:16,533
the break dancing move up
on his shoulders, flip up and?

1685
01:07:16,658 --> 01:07:18,618
<i>‐ It starts with the hand,
of course,</i>

1686
01:07:18,701 --> 01:07:20,245
<i>and then you drop to one knee.</i>

1687
01:07:20,370 --> 01:07:23,456
All the centrifugal force
comes from the dreads,

1688
01:07:23,540 --> 01:07:26,084
you know, shake‐‐
once you shake the dreads,

1689
01:07:26,167 --> 01:07:28,878
it goes through the body
all the way down to the legs,

1690
01:07:29,003 --> 01:07:30,171
which gives you torque.

1691
01:07:30,296 --> 01:07:31,714
<i>‐ Oh, wait a minute.</i>

1692
01:07:31,839 --> 01:07:32,924
<i>I think Booker T's
gonna give him‐‐</i>

1693
01:07:33,007 --> 01:07:34,592
<i>he's on the ground,</i>

1694
01:07:34,676 --> 01:07:36,261
<i>and he's taking a big old‐‐
and it's a Spinaroonie!</i>

1695
01:07:36,344 --> 01:07:37,804
<i>‐ A Spinaroonie!
‐ Oh, yeah!</i>

1696
01:07:37,845 --> 01:07:39,222
<i>‐ Spinaroonie!
Spinaroonie!</i>

1697
01:07:39,347 --> 01:07:43,810
<i>‐ Can you dig that, suckas?</i>

1698
01:07:43,935 --> 01:07:45,603
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1699
01:07:45,687 --> 01:07:48,189
<i>‐ The Spinaroonie in concept
is not, like, that silly.</i>

1700
01:07:48,273 --> 01:07:50,316
Like, it's a cool way to get up
and get to your feet,

1701
01:07:50,400 --> 01:07:53,361
and it's just
a charismatic moment,

1702
01:07:53,486 --> 01:07:55,154
but over time,

1703
01:07:55,280 --> 01:07:58,408
the Spinaroonie kinda took on
a life of its own.

1704
01:07:59,701 --> 01:08:01,411
<i>‐ Everybody had a roonie.</i>

1705
01:08:01,536 --> 01:08:03,663
<i>The most infamous night was
trying to get the Undertaker</i>

1706
01:08:03,746 --> 01:08:05,039
<i>to do a Taker‐roonie.</i>

1707
01:08:05,123 --> 01:08:09,711
I think it's time
for the Undertaker‐roonie.

1708
01:08:09,836 --> 01:08:12,839
[cheers and applause]

1709
01:08:12,964 --> 01:08:14,299
<i>‐ If you know the Undertaker,</i>

1710
01:08:14,382 --> 01:08:16,759
like, he don't come out
of character ever.

1711
01:08:16,843 --> 01:08:18,261
<i>‐ I tried to get him to do it.</i>

1712
01:08:18,344 --> 01:08:19,512
<i>You know, I tell the fans,
you know,</i>

1713
01:08:19,637 --> 01:08:21,764
<i>get the fans hyped up.</i>

1714
01:08:21,848 --> 01:08:23,141
Get up!

1715
01:08:23,266 --> 01:08:26,394
[cheers and applause]

1716
01:08:26,519 --> 01:08:29,397
[fans chanting]

1717
01:08:34,444 --> 01:08:37,822
<i>And Taker looks at me,
and he goes,</i>

1718
01:08:37,905 --> 01:08:40,283
<i>"I'm gonna kill you."</i>

1719
01:08:42,785 --> 01:08:45,121
All the named players
on the card come out,

1720
01:08:45,204 --> 01:08:46,623
<i>and literally,</i>

1721
01:08:46,706 --> 01:08:49,626
<i>we're 30 minutes after
we're off the air</i>

1722
01:08:49,709 --> 01:08:51,878
trying to get the Undertaker
to do the Spinaroonie.

1723
01:08:52,003 --> 01:08:53,421
Everybody does the Spinaroonie.

1724
01:08:53,504 --> 01:08:55,798
‐ You want to see the Rock
do the Rock‐a‐roonie?

1725
01:08:55,923 --> 01:08:59,135
[cheers and applause]

1726
01:08:59,177 --> 01:09:00,428
‐ There ain't no way in hell

1727
01:09:00,511 --> 01:09:02,347
you could do
something like that.

1728
01:09:02,472 --> 01:09:05,933
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1729
01:09:06,017 --> 01:09:07,518
‐ Vince McMahon.

1730
01:09:07,644 --> 01:09:09,854
He does the worst Spinaroonie
I ever seen in my life.

1731
01:09:09,937 --> 01:09:16,861
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1732
01:09:19,947 --> 01:09:21,741
<i>Out of all the wrestlers,</i>

1733
01:09:21,866 --> 01:09:25,495
I've gotten everyone to do it,
except the Undertaker.

1734
01:09:25,578 --> 01:09:27,705
He's the only one,
still to this day.

1735
01:09:27,830 --> 01:09:29,624
‐ There ain't a chance in hell
I'm gonna get out there

1736
01:09:29,707 --> 01:09:31,167
and do the Spinaroonie,

1737
01:09:31,292 --> 01:09:33,878
so you might better
send the cavalry.

1738
01:09:33,961 --> 01:09:39,509
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1739
01:09:43,846 --> 01:09:45,598
<i>[mysterious piano music]</i>

1740
01:09:45,682 --> 01:09:48,768
<i>‐ My first son,
he's 35 years old now,</i>

1741
01:09:48,851 --> 01:09:52,647
<i>we had a somewhat
of a rough life growing up,</i>

1742
01:09:52,772 --> 01:09:55,149
and I thought it was due to me
being on the road a lot,

1743
01:09:55,233 --> 01:09:58,069
being on the road wrestling,
not being there.

1744
01:09:58,194 --> 01:09:59,779
When I got in
the wrestling business,

1745
01:09:59,862 --> 01:10:01,572
he went to stay with my sister.

1746
01:10:01,698 --> 01:10:05,159
<i>‐ When he'd get a weekend off,
he would fly from Atlanta,</i>

1747
01:10:05,243 --> 01:10:07,078
and he'd come back to Houston,

1748
01:10:07,161 --> 01:10:08,913
and they'd spend time together,

1749
01:10:09,038 --> 01:10:12,375
<i>still trying to get
a relationship with his son.</i>

1750
01:10:12,500 --> 01:10:14,585
<i>It's just a process.</i>

1751
01:10:14,669 --> 01:10:18,297
I'm sure they had
their ups and downs.

1752
01:10:18,381 --> 01:10:21,217
‐ My son turned 16,
17 years old,

1753
01:10:21,342 --> 01:10:24,804
<i>and that's when it really got
tough between him and I.</i>

1754
01:10:26,347 --> 01:10:28,641
It was always just rocky.

1755
01:10:28,683 --> 01:10:31,227
My son ended up going down
that same road that I did,

1756
01:10:31,352 --> 01:10:33,062
you know, getting in trouble,

1757
01:10:33,146 --> 01:10:34,564
you know, even as an adult.

1758
01:10:34,689 --> 01:10:36,274
That's why he's not here
right now.

1759
01:10:36,357 --> 01:10:38,401
He's sitting in a jail cell,

1760
01:10:38,526 --> 01:10:39,944
you know, waiting to see

1761
01:10:40,027 --> 01:10:43,990
exactly what's gonna happen
with his life, you know?

1762
01:10:44,073 --> 01:10:45,867
You know, he's still my son.

1763
01:10:45,992 --> 01:10:47,660
I'm still there for him.

1764
01:10:47,744 --> 01:10:49,162
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1765
01:10:49,287 --> 01:10:50,788
<i>It was totally different
when I had my son</i>

1766
01:10:50,872 --> 01:10:52,707
<i>because I was a kid myself,
you know?</i>

1767
01:10:52,832 --> 01:10:54,834
<i>I was only 17 years old.</i>

1768
01:10:54,876 --> 01:10:58,963
<i>Not having that male presence
in my life was a huge factor,</i>

1769
01:10:59,005 --> 01:11:01,132
<i>but I tried my best.</i>

1770
01:11:01,174 --> 01:11:03,676
<i>I tried to make sure
I did the same thing</i>

1771
01:11:03,801 --> 01:11:05,553
<i>that my mom did for me,</i>

1772
01:11:05,678 --> 01:11:09,015
<i>and that was work my butt off.</i>

1773
01:11:09,140 --> 01:11:11,309
<i>I tried to give my son a image</i>

1774
01:11:11,392 --> 01:11:13,686
<i>that I wanted him
to actually be like,</i>

1775
01:11:13,811 --> 01:11:16,689
but I didn't have the tools
to actually be able

1776
01:11:16,814 --> 01:11:18,483
to teach him everything
that he needed to know,

1777
01:11:18,608 --> 01:11:20,651
especially from
a educational side.

1778
01:11:20,693 --> 01:11:22,153
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1779
01:11:22,236 --> 01:11:24,655
<i>‐ He was so young,
a young single parent</i>

1780
01:11:24,739 --> 01:11:26,908
<i>without a wife,
working hard,</i>

1781
01:11:27,033 --> 01:11:31,037
<i>building up his career,
a lot of time on the road,</i>

1782
01:11:31,162 --> 01:11:35,166
<i>but then when that second
phase of his life came around,</i>

1783
01:11:35,249 --> 01:11:36,667
there was different dynamics

1784
01:11:36,793 --> 01:11:40,046
that played into
the role of fatherhood.

1785
01:11:40,171 --> 01:11:41,631
‐ Booker T!
‐ Hey, Booker!

1786
01:11:41,756 --> 01:11:43,049
<i>‐ He was stable.</i>

1787
01:11:43,174 --> 01:11:45,593
<i>He was more established
in his career.</i>

1788
01:11:45,676 --> 01:11:47,637
<i>He married a wonderful woman.</i>

1789
01:11:47,678 --> 01:11:48,763
‐ All right.

1790
01:11:48,846 --> 01:11:50,556
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1791
01:11:50,640 --> 01:11:52,183
<i>Booker and I were married</i>

1792
01:11:52,308 --> 01:11:55,478
<i>February 5, 2005.</i>

1793
01:11:55,561 --> 01:11:59,315
<i>It was a beautiful ceremony in
my hometown of Gary, Indiana.</i>

1794
01:11:59,440 --> 01:12:00,858
I only had, I think,
three months

1795
01:12:00,983 --> 01:12:04,195
<i>to plan the wedding
because of our schedule.</i>

1796
01:12:04,278 --> 01:12:06,197
Most women want to have a year
to plan

1797
01:12:06,322 --> 01:12:08,574
and find the perfect dress
and all that.

1798
01:12:08,699 --> 01:12:09,992
I didn't have time
for any of that.

1799
01:12:10,076 --> 01:12:11,494
It was definitely a whirlwind

1800
01:12:11,619 --> 01:12:14,872
and then right back to work
the following week.

1801
01:12:14,956 --> 01:12:18,125
<i>‐ I was gonna quit the company
right after we got married.</i>

1802
01:12:18,251 --> 01:12:19,669
I didn't want to be away
from Sharmell.

1803
01:12:19,794 --> 01:12:21,420
I didn't want to be
on the road all the time.

1804
01:12:21,504 --> 01:12:24,882
‐ He was considering
cutting back on his work,

1805
01:12:25,007 --> 01:12:28,135
and all of a sudden,
they decided to bring me in,

1806
01:12:28,219 --> 01:12:29,387
to bring me back.

1807
01:12:31,681 --> 01:12:33,724
So babe, I don't know
how you felt

1808
01:12:33,850 --> 01:12:35,643
the first time you saw
action figures

1809
01:12:35,726 --> 01:12:37,562
'cause I know you've had
action figures before,

1810
01:12:37,645 --> 01:12:39,438
but this was
my very first one.

1811
01:12:39,522 --> 01:12:40,940
‐ Yeah.
‐ This is amazing.

1812
01:12:41,023 --> 01:12:43,985
How many husbands and wives
do you think have this?

1813
01:12:44,110 --> 01:12:45,486
‐ Yeah, it's crazy,
yeah.

1814
01:12:45,570 --> 01:12:48,155
<i>‐ He's always called me
his queen,</i>

1815
01:12:48,239 --> 01:12:50,908
<i>so we kinda just transitioned
that into wrestling.</i>

1816
01:12:50,992 --> 01:12:55,329
<i>The true life stories
make for the best work, right?</i>

1817
01:12:55,413 --> 01:12:57,373
So it kinda just easily flowed
into King Booker

1818
01:12:57,498 --> 01:12:58,541
and Queen Sharmell.

1819
01:12:58,666 --> 01:13:03,504
All hail King Booker!

1820
01:13:03,629 --> 01:13:05,256
<i>‐ Oh, look at this!</i>

1821
01:13:05,339 --> 01:13:09,010
<i>‐ Oh, must be good‐‐must
be nice to be the king.</i>

1822
01:13:09,135 --> 01:13:10,803
<i>‐ It was just entertaining.</i>

1823
01:13:10,845 --> 01:13:12,805
<i>It was something that people
had never seen before,</i>

1824
01:13:12,847 --> 01:13:15,474
<i>and then they had never seen
Booker T in that light before.</i>

1825
01:13:15,558 --> 01:13:18,644
He was always rugged,
raw, you know, tough,

1826
01:13:18,728 --> 01:13:20,521
and now he's coming out
and just,

1827
01:13:20,605 --> 01:13:24,984
like, prancing around,
elegant and classy and pompous,

1828
01:13:25,067 --> 01:13:26,944
contradictory on every level.

1829
01:13:27,028 --> 01:13:27,904
I thought it was brilliant.

1830
01:13:28,029 --> 01:13:29,697
<i>[regal music]</i>

1831
01:13:29,780 --> 01:13:31,908
<i>‐ It was such an awesome,
awesome time in my career,</i>

1832
01:13:32,033 --> 01:13:33,159
<i>so much fun,</i>

1833
01:13:33,284 --> 01:13:34,869
but man, this fool's crazy.

1834
01:13:34,952 --> 01:13:36,078
He really is crazy.

1835
01:13:36,203 --> 01:13:37,830
‐ He would just open up
the cape,

1836
01:13:37,872 --> 01:13:40,666
and he'd have his scepter,
and he'd just twirl around

1837
01:13:40,791 --> 01:13:43,127
<i>and look so very majestic.</i>

1838
01:13:43,252 --> 01:13:45,254
<i>All of the little things
that he did</i>

1839
01:13:45,338 --> 01:13:48,382
<i>really made
that character amazing.</i>

1840
01:13:48,507 --> 01:13:51,427
‐ This guy is walking around
like he's royalty,

1841
01:13:51,510 --> 01:13:54,430
holding his pinkie
up in the air.

1842
01:13:54,513 --> 01:13:56,933
<i>‐ I think he was just
making it up as he goes.</i>

1843
01:13:57,016 --> 01:13:58,684
‐ As I ponder.

1844
01:13:58,809 --> 01:14:00,478
<i>‐ He started speaking
in a bad British accent.</i>

1845
01:14:00,603 --> 01:14:03,689
‐ Has become a much,
much better place since I,

1846
01:14:03,814 --> 01:14:07,068
King Booker,
has become ruler of it.

1847
01:14:07,193 --> 01:14:09,570
‐ He was almost like
Kevin Costner in "Robin Hood."

1848
01:14:09,654 --> 01:14:11,489
Like, he would float
in and out of the accent.

1849
01:14:11,572 --> 01:14:13,115
‐ If you got him too angry,

1850
01:14:13,199 --> 01:14:15,660
then his British accent
went right back to the hood.

1851
01:14:15,743 --> 01:14:18,329
‐ It's going to be
in a steel cage.

1852
01:14:18,371 --> 01:14:19,497
‐ Oh, hell no!

1853
01:14:19,580 --> 01:14:21,707
‐ What?
Oh, baby, baby.

1854
01:14:21,832 --> 01:14:23,459
‐ Hell no! Oh, hell no! ‐
Come on, baby, you‐‐

1855
01:14:23,584 --> 01:14:26,045
‐ Oh, oh, oh.
Oh, oh.

1856
01:14:26,170 --> 01:14:29,298
People would actually treat me
like a king as well.

1857
01:14:29,382 --> 01:14:31,467
I don't think I paid
for a meal the whole year

1858
01:14:31,550 --> 01:14:33,761
<i>I was King Booker anywhere.</i>

1859
01:14:33,844 --> 01:14:36,430
‐ This is Booker T
reaching that nirvana

1860
01:14:36,514 --> 01:14:38,099
of character development,

1861
01:14:38,182 --> 01:14:42,728
the culmination of all of
Booker T's years in wrestling.

1862
01:14:42,812 --> 01:14:46,607
<i>All of that sort of led to him
finding this perfect character</i>

1863
01:14:46,691 --> 01:14:48,859
<i>that was undeniable,
I mean, to the point</i>

1864
01:14:48,943 --> 01:14:51,320
<i>where you gotta give him
the championship.</i>

1865
01:14:51,404 --> 01:14:53,406
He became champion
as King Booker,

1866
01:14:53,531 --> 01:14:55,449
and it is as memorable

1867
01:14:55,533 --> 01:14:57,368
<i>as anything
he's ever done in wrestling.</i>

1868
01:14:57,493 --> 01:15:00,371
<i>‐ The poor kid from Houston,
Texas,</i>

1869
01:15:00,454 --> 01:15:01,414
<i>has risen
to the top of the world.</i>

1870
01:15:01,539 --> 01:15:04,792
‐ All hail King Booker!

1871
01:15:04,875 --> 01:15:06,252
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1872
01:15:06,335 --> 01:15:08,963
‐ King!

1873
01:15:09,005 --> 01:15:12,091
Booker!

1874
01:15:12,174 --> 01:15:14,343
[laughter]

1875
01:15:14,427 --> 01:15:17,972
Ooh, give me some, baby.

1876
01:15:18,055 --> 01:15:22,226
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1877
01:15:22,309 --> 01:15:23,477
[camera shutter snaps]

1878
01:15:23,519 --> 01:15:25,980
‐ Watch out, now. And...

1879
01:15:26,105 --> 01:15:27,148
<i>We know that...</i>

1880
01:15:27,231 --> 01:15:28,524
‐ [laughs]
‐ You look great.

1881
01:15:28,649 --> 01:15:30,693
<i>We're the one person
we can count on</i>

1882
01:15:30,818 --> 01:15:33,529
<i>when all else fails,
and we really hold that dear.</i>

1883
01:15:33,612 --> 01:15:36,073
<i>[light music]</i>

1884
01:15:36,198 --> 01:15:41,078
<i>‐ For us, it's been
a team effort since day one,</i>

1885
01:15:41,203 --> 01:15:43,664
<i>us pulling together
and now having twins...</i>

1886
01:15:43,748 --> 01:15:44,957
Hey, guys.
<i>A boy and a girl,</i>

1887
01:15:45,041 --> 01:15:46,250
<i>eight years old,</i>

1888
01:15:46,375 --> 01:15:48,669
<i>I never imagined
in a million years</i>

1889
01:15:48,794 --> 01:15:50,671
<i>that her and I would have
kids running around.</i>

1890
01:15:50,796 --> 01:15:52,339
<i>It's pretty, pretty special.</i>

1891
01:15:52,465 --> 01:15:54,133
Good day at school today?

1892
01:15:54,258 --> 01:15:55,634
‐ Yeah.
‐ Yeah?

1893
01:15:55,718 --> 01:16:00,473
I've been practicing
all day long, yeah, baby.

1894
01:16:00,598 --> 01:16:02,767
[laughs]
‐ No.

1895
01:16:02,850 --> 01:16:03,684
‐ [laughing]

1896
01:16:03,768 --> 01:16:05,311
<i>You know, Sharmell and I,</i>

1897
01:16:05,394 --> 01:16:06,687
<i>we tried to have kids
for three years,</i>

1898
01:16:06,771 --> 01:16:08,856
<i>and things just
didn't work out,</i>

1899
01:16:08,981 --> 01:16:10,608
<i>and then, you know,
instead of one, you know,</i>

1900
01:16:10,691 --> 01:16:12,818
God blessed us with two.

1901
01:16:12,860 --> 01:16:19,742
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1902
01:16:22,870 --> 01:16:25,331
<i>I've watched them grow
over the last eight years</i>

1903
01:16:25,414 --> 01:16:26,999
<i>and not being on
the road wrestling</i>

1904
01:16:27,041 --> 01:16:29,251
<i>on a weekly basis
in a different town.</i>

1905
01:16:29,335 --> 01:16:31,378
‐ How do you do a Spinaroonie?

1906
01:16:31,504 --> 01:16:33,422
Whoa!

1907
01:16:33,506 --> 01:16:34,590
[clapping]

1908
01:16:34,673 --> 01:16:37,843
[laughter and chatter]

1909
01:16:37,927 --> 01:16:39,428
<i>‐ That part right there,
I think,</i>

1910
01:16:39,512 --> 01:16:41,972
has been more special
than anything.

1911
01:16:42,098 --> 01:16:43,641
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1912
01:16:43,766 --> 01:16:47,186
‐ Wait.
[laughter]

1913
01:16:48,813 --> 01:16:50,731
Okay, don't eat it all
at one time.

1914
01:16:50,856 --> 01:16:52,566
‐ I'm not.
‐ [laughs]

1915
01:16:52,691 --> 01:16:54,652
‐ I was working on prefixes
and suffixes.

1916
01:16:54,777 --> 01:16:57,780
‐ So how much did Tessa save?
‐ Seven.

1917
01:16:57,863 --> 01:16:59,615
‐ $7? And how much did‐‐
‐ $7.

1918
01:16:59,698 --> 01:17:02,326
‐ Mm‐hmm.
‐ $7 and $7, so $14.

1919
01:17:02,409 --> 01:17:05,496
<i>‐ In some aspects,
our kids are polar opposites,</i>

1920
01:17:05,579 --> 01:17:06,831
<i>but they're both
extremely talented</i>

1921
01:17:06,914 --> 01:17:09,291
<i>and so very, very smart.</i>

1922
01:17:09,375 --> 01:17:11,335
Booker is an amazing dad.

1923
01:17:11,460 --> 01:17:13,462
He's so playful with the kids.

1924
01:17:13,587 --> 01:17:15,464
‐ Come on!

1925
01:17:15,589 --> 01:17:18,509
[laughing]

1926
01:17:18,634 --> 01:17:20,970
Finish him!
‐ Yes!

1927
01:17:21,011 --> 01:17:22,012
‐ Oh, no.

1928
01:17:22,138 --> 01:17:24,223
‐ My son, Kendrick,
is now really,

1929
01:17:24,306 --> 01:17:25,516
really into wrestling.

1930
01:17:25,641 --> 01:17:27,184
‐ I got him now, baby.

1931
01:17:27,309 --> 01:17:29,728
<i>‐ A lot of times I catch
just spontaneous moments</i>

1932
01:17:29,812 --> 01:17:31,230
between the two of them.

1933
01:17:31,313 --> 01:17:34,275
‐ Hey, come on.
‐ [laughs]

1934
01:17:34,358 --> 01:17:35,568
Oh, my God.

1935
01:17:35,693 --> 01:17:36,902
<i>‐ I'm very fortunate</i>

1936
01:17:37,027 --> 01:17:38,654
<i>for the way our kids
are growing up,</i>

1937
01:17:38,779 --> 01:17:40,865
<i>and we're just afforded
this family</i>

1938
01:17:40,990 --> 01:17:43,367
<i>that Booker, unfortunately,
didn't have</i>

1939
01:17:43,492 --> 01:17:44,618
<i>when he was growing up.</i>

1940
01:17:44,702 --> 01:17:46,370
‐ You got it! Yes!

1941
01:17:46,495 --> 01:17:48,664
Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!
‐ Oh, no!

1942
01:17:48,747 --> 01:17:51,000
‐ Yes! Yes!
[laughter]

1943
01:17:51,083 --> 01:17:53,794
‐ Of course,
Booker cooks really well.

1944
01:17:53,836 --> 01:17:55,087
He can cook better than me.

1945
01:17:55,171 --> 01:17:57,214
That's the only time
I'll admit that.

1946
01:17:57,298 --> 01:17:58,632
So I'll tell you
what I can do.

1947
01:17:58,716 --> 01:18:01,635
I can turn the oven on
for the French fries.

1948
01:18:01,719 --> 01:18:03,971
<i>‐ I get anxiety
maybe three days</i>

1949
01:18:04,054 --> 01:18:06,682
before I have to leave
on a one‐day trip.

1950
01:18:06,765 --> 01:18:09,059
I literally‐‐I'll be
sitting here, and I go,

1951
01:18:09,185 --> 01:18:10,811
"Man, I can't wait
to get back,"

1952
01:18:10,895 --> 01:18:12,646
and I haven't even gone.
‐ And he hasn't even left yet,

1953
01:18:12,730 --> 01:18:14,690
Yeah.
‐ [laughs] So...

1954
01:18:14,815 --> 01:18:15,983
‐ Every time.

1955
01:18:16,025 --> 01:18:18,444
‐ Because I do love
being a dad.

1956
01:18:18,527 --> 01:18:20,362
I do love being at home.

1957
01:18:20,446 --> 01:18:23,032
That's what's cool about,
you know, this stage of life,

1958
01:18:23,157 --> 01:18:26,827
and I can honestly say,
you know, it's the best stage.

1959
01:18:26,911 --> 01:18:30,206
<i>I do want the memories
that my son and my daughter</i>

1960
01:18:30,331 --> 01:18:32,249
<i>have of their dad</i>

1961
01:18:32,333 --> 01:18:35,836
be something that's gonna
catapult them throughout life.

1962
01:18:35,961 --> 01:18:37,463
They're gonna know exactly
what it's‐‐

1963
01:18:37,588 --> 01:18:39,131
what it means to be a dad.

1964
01:18:39,173 --> 01:18:41,800
They're gonna know exactly
what it means to be a mom,

1965
01:18:41,926 --> 01:18:43,969
and that right there,
at the end of the day,

1966
01:18:44,094 --> 01:18:46,639
you know, we've done our job.

1967
01:18:46,764 --> 01:18:52,353
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1968
01:18:52,436 --> 01:18:54,146
‐ Let's bring in now
our two‐time WWE Hall of Famer,

1969
01:18:54,271 --> 01:18:56,607
our good friend, of course,
Booker T, to the panel.

1970
01:18:56,690 --> 01:18:58,067
‐ Whoo!
‐ Let's see those rings.

1971
01:18:58,192 --> 01:18:59,652
‐ Which one of these?
Where my camera at?

1972
01:18:59,777 --> 01:19:01,278
‐ Right there.
‐ Right there? Oh. [laughs]

1973
01:19:01,362 --> 01:19:02,988
‐ Look at all that gold.

1974
01:19:03,072 --> 01:19:05,282
‐ Congratulations, sir,
last night‐‐

1975
01:19:05,366 --> 01:19:07,076
‐ If you know Booker,

1976
01:19:07,201 --> 01:19:09,370
I've never seen the guy
in a bad mood.

1977
01:19:09,495 --> 01:19:11,538
<i>♪ ♪</i>

1978
01:19:11,664 --> 01:19:14,166
‐ That feels good right there.

1979
01:19:14,208 --> 01:19:17,294
<i>‐ Sports entertainment
is in his blood.</i>

1980
01:19:17,336 --> 01:19:20,089
‐ Coming to the final chapter
of Wrestlemania.

1981
01:19:20,172 --> 01:19:23,842
‐ To see the guy
that I first met in the '90s

1982
01:19:23,968 --> 01:19:25,678
and to know Booker now,

1983
01:19:25,803 --> 01:19:28,472
<i>his legacy
just continues to grow</i>

1984
01:19:28,597 --> 01:19:32,434
<i>because he's one of the guys
that wants to give back,</i>

1985
01:19:32,518 --> 01:19:33,936
<i>that is giving back.</i>

1986
01:19:34,019 --> 01:19:35,980
‐ And I understand exactly
what you're talking about.

1987
01:19:36,105 --> 01:19:40,484
It will eat you all week
thinking about that, I swear.

1988
01:19:40,567 --> 01:19:43,279
‐ I appreciate
the words of wisdom.

1989
01:19:43,362 --> 01:19:46,031
‐ Holla. Stay up.

1990
01:19:46,156 --> 01:19:48,867
<i>I love being around the events
to be a mentor.</i>

1991
01:19:48,993 --> 01:19:50,452
‐ Off the European tour.

1992
01:19:50,536 --> 01:19:51,829
‐ Shine some knowledge,
you know,

1993
01:19:51,912 --> 01:19:53,831
let these guys sit under
the learning tree.

1994
01:19:53,956 --> 01:19:56,166
‐ An African‐American kid
coming up, you know,

1995
01:19:56,250 --> 01:19:57,710
wanting to do
what you were doing.

1996
01:19:57,835 --> 01:19:59,295
It was‐‐it was always
a sense of motivation,

1997
01:19:59,420 --> 01:20:01,839
so I'm just trying to‐‐
trying to pay it forward.

1998
01:20:01,964 --> 01:20:03,257
‐ So you gotta be champion
in the ring

1999
01:20:03,340 --> 01:20:05,175
as well as out of the ring,
all the time.

2000
01:20:05,259 --> 01:20:07,094
It doesn't cost you anything
to be nice to people, man,

2001
01:20:07,177 --> 01:20:08,929
and it'll take you
so far in life,

2002
01:20:09,013 --> 01:20:11,473
so definitely, man, just keep
doing what you do, bro.

2003
01:20:11,557 --> 01:20:12,850
‐ Yeah.
‐ I love the business,

2004
01:20:12,975 --> 01:20:19,148
and the business
have given me so much.

2005
01:20:19,231 --> 01:20:20,774
‐ Oh!

2006
01:20:24,695 --> 01:20:25,738
<i>‐ It starts right here.</i>

2007
01:20:25,863 --> 01:20:28,240
<i>I had a dream back in 2005.</i>

2008
01:20:28,365 --> 01:20:29,950
<i>I said, "One day
I'm gonna open up</i>

2009
01:20:30,034 --> 01:20:31,660
<i>my own wrestling school.</i>

2010
01:20:31,785 --> 01:20:35,164
<i>I'm gonna teach kids
the proper way."</i>

2011
01:20:35,205 --> 01:20:36,832
Good job, Callie, good job.

2012
01:20:36,915 --> 01:20:38,667
We come here Monday
through Friday.

2013
01:20:38,751 --> 01:20:41,545
The gym's open from normally
around 6;00 p. m.

2014
01:20:41,670 --> 01:20:43,088
It goes till
the last man leaves.

2015
01:20:43,172 --> 01:20:45,799
Bang, all right?
It's gotta be that big.

2016
01:20:45,924 --> 01:20:47,843
That's the thinking part, guys.

2017
01:20:47,968 --> 01:20:49,970
You're trying
to think storytelling.

2018
01:20:50,095 --> 01:20:52,473
<i>This is my livelihood.
This is what I do.</i>

2019
01:20:52,598 --> 01:20:53,974
<i>This is my trade.</i>

2020
01:20:54,099 --> 01:20:56,435
<i>My knowledge
is never gonna go away.</i>

2021
01:20:56,518 --> 01:20:58,312
And then bam.

2022
01:20:58,395 --> 01:21:00,898
I loved doing that spot right
there

2023
01:21:01,023 --> 01:21:03,901
almost more than any spot
that I ever did

2024
01:21:04,026 --> 01:21:06,153
in professional wrestling,
I swear to God.

2025
01:21:06,195 --> 01:21:09,031
Pop the crowd to where they go,
"Wow, that was awesome."

2026
01:21:09,156 --> 01:21:11,867
Add a little bit more on it.
It means something.

2027
01:21:11,992 --> 01:21:13,327
Think about the guy
in the cheap seats.

2028
01:21:13,410 --> 01:21:14,995
<i>I want my youngsters
to be able</i>

2029
01:21:15,079 --> 01:21:16,246
<i>to create their own stories.</i>

2030
01:21:16,372 --> 01:21:17,664
Okay, bro.
‐ I want to be with you,

2031
01:21:17,790 --> 01:21:20,084
brother.
‐ Hey, man, welcome to the club.

2032
01:21:20,167 --> 01:21:21,251
‐ Thank you.

2033
01:21:21,335 --> 01:21:22,961
<i>‐ That's what it all
started out as,</i>

2034
01:21:23,045 --> 01:21:25,672
<i>and then it manifested into</i>

2035
01:21:25,798 --> 01:21:27,424
us having our own
wrestling promotion.

2036
01:21:27,508 --> 01:21:30,010
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2037
01:21:30,135 --> 01:21:32,805
‐ This is really exciting.
We have a huge crowd tonight,

2038
01:21:32,888 --> 01:21:34,556
and all of our hard work,
I know it's gonna pay off,

2039
01:21:34,640 --> 01:21:35,974
and we're gonna have
a great show.

2040
01:21:36,058 --> 01:21:37,684
‐ Yeah, do you hear that crowd
behind us?

2041
01:21:37,810 --> 01:21:39,395
They're getting ready
to have some fun.

2042
01:21:39,520 --> 01:21:42,356
[indistinct shouts]

2043
01:21:47,361 --> 01:21:51,615
Then our fans coming to see
our own homegrown talent,

2044
01:21:51,698 --> 01:21:53,325
they are the stars of the show.

2045
01:21:53,409 --> 01:21:56,537
[indistinct shouts]

2046
01:21:56,662 --> 01:21:58,080
<i>I mean, we got something here,</i>

2047
01:21:58,205 --> 01:22:00,165
and we could take this thing
to the next level...

2048
01:22:00,290 --> 01:22:02,793
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2049
01:22:02,835 --> 01:22:04,294
<i>And we're on our way.</i>

2050
01:22:04,378 --> 01:22:06,964
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2051
01:22:07,047 --> 01:22:08,799
‐ Hey! [indistinct shout]

2052
01:22:08,882 --> 01:22:13,011
‐ [laughs]

2053
01:22:13,137 --> 01:22:15,764
<i>‐ He had all the odds
against him.</i>

2054
01:22:15,848 --> 01:22:18,142
<i>If you were to pick out
the kid</i>

2055
01:22:18,267 --> 01:22:21,520
<i>that was gonna end up dead
by the time he was 30,</i>

2056
01:22:21,645 --> 01:22:24,481
<i>you would probably pick
Booker T. Huffman.</i>

2057
01:22:24,565 --> 01:22:27,359
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2058
01:22:27,484 --> 01:22:28,652
<i>He grew up.</i>

2059
01:22:28,735 --> 01:22:31,321
<i>He experienced life‐‐</i>

2060
01:22:31,405 --> 01:22:34,116
<i>good, bad, ugly.</i>

2061
01:22:34,199 --> 01:22:37,411
<i>Book did what it took.</i>

2062
01:22:37,536 --> 01:22:39,204
<i>He never went and said,</i>

2063
01:22:39,329 --> 01:22:43,000
<i>"Well, here's a shortcut
over here I can take,"</i>

2064
01:22:43,125 --> 01:22:46,837
<i>and the rewards matched
the hard work that he put in.</i>

2065
01:22:46,962 --> 01:22:48,797
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2066
01:22:48,881 --> 01:22:52,301
He is a real‐life
success story.

2067
01:22:52,384 --> 01:22:53,802
‐ You ain't never
coming back!

2068
01:22:53,844 --> 01:22:56,263
You going down
for the one, two, three

2069
01:22:56,346 --> 01:22:59,683
because I got all my people
standing behind me 110%!

2070
01:22:59,808 --> 01:23:01,351
Hey!

2071
01:23:01,477 --> 01:23:03,645
<i>‐ People thought that
he couldn't do something</i>

2072
01:23:03,729 --> 01:23:05,397
<i>because of either his race</i>

2073
01:23:05,522 --> 01:23:06,773
<i>or where he was from</i>

2074
01:23:06,857 --> 01:23:08,233
or how he looked or the fact

2075
01:23:08,358 --> 01:23:10,652
that he didn't have
a formal education.

2076
01:23:10,777 --> 01:23:11,820
That's what drove him.

2077
01:23:11,904 --> 01:23:18,160
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2078
01:23:18,285 --> 01:23:20,662
<i>Booker's just a survivor,</i>

2079
01:23:20,746 --> 01:23:23,290
<i>and when you see Booker T,
you take people at face value,</i>

2080
01:23:23,373 --> 01:23:25,125
<i>and you believe
in redemption stories.</i>

2081
01:23:25,209 --> 01:23:27,377
‐ Those kids who told me
I wasn't gonna be anything,

2082
01:23:27,503 --> 01:23:29,129
I look back on them now,

2083
01:23:29,254 --> 01:23:31,965
and I say,
"How do you like me now?"

2084
01:23:32,049 --> 01:23:33,509
Guys, all of you gonna
get a chance

2085
01:23:33,634 --> 01:23:34,885
to make it through that.

2086
01:23:34,968 --> 01:23:37,554
Don't let anyone stop you

2087
01:23:37,679 --> 01:23:38,889
from making...

2088
01:23:39,014 --> 01:23:41,350
<i>[cheering]</i>

2089
01:23:41,433 --> 01:23:42,935
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2090
01:23:43,018 --> 01:23:44,978
<i>‐ Statistically,
he wasn't supposed to be</i>

2091
01:23:45,062 --> 01:23:46,980
<i>on that stage
at Madison Square Garden</i>

2092
01:23:47,064 --> 01:23:48,690
<i>being inducted
into the Hall of Fame.</i>

2093
01:23:48,774 --> 01:23:52,319
That made it all the more
special, because he made it.

2094
01:23:52,444 --> 01:23:53,111
He made it.

2095
01:23:53,195 --> 01:23:56,323
[cheers and applause]

2096
01:23:56,406 --> 01:24:03,330
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2097
01:24:10,629 --> 01:24:13,006
‐ I always ask God, you know,
why me, you know?

2098
01:24:13,131 --> 01:24:16,468
I've always asked God,
you know, why me?

2099
01:24:16,552 --> 01:24:18,262
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2100
01:24:18,345 --> 01:24:21,640
<i>30 years later, it's really,
really hard to explain.</i>

2101
01:24:21,723 --> 01:24:25,143
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2102
01:24:25,269 --> 01:24:27,187
<i>The safest place
that I could ever be</i>

2103
01:24:27,312 --> 01:24:29,982
<i>was in the middle of the ring
painting my Picasso.</i>

2104
01:24:30,065 --> 01:24:32,442
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2105
01:24:32,526 --> 01:24:35,028
<i>I always wanted to perform
at the highest level,</i>

2106
01:24:35,153 --> 01:24:36,738
<i>and I wanted to be remembered</i>

2107
01:24:36,822 --> 01:24:39,408
<i>making people feel a certain
way when they watch me.</i>

2108
01:24:39,491 --> 01:24:46,415
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2109
01:24:50,752 --> 01:24:52,629
[inaudible]

2110
01:24:52,713 --> 01:24:54,881
♪ ♪

2111
01:24:55,007 --> 01:24:58,594
And if you guys,
the fans are enjoying it

2112
01:24:58,677 --> 01:25:02,180
and having a good time,
we're doing something right.

2113
01:25:02,306 --> 01:25:04,766
<i>That's what it's always
been about with me.</i>

2114
01:25:04,850 --> 01:25:06,643
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2115
01:25:06,768 --> 01:25:08,854
Now, can you dig that...

2116
01:25:08,979 --> 01:25:12,774
all: Sucka!

2117
01:25:12,858 --> 01:25:16,153
<i>♪ ♪</i>

2118
01:25:16,194 --> 01:25:18,405
‐ I just want to say
it's on

2119
01:25:18,530 --> 01:25:21,033
like a big pot of neck bone,
baby.

2120
01:25:21,158 --> 01:25:23,660
I'm gonna put you in the pot
like I do the neck bone.

2121
01:25:23,744 --> 01:25:26,413
I'm gonna stir it up,
and it's gonna be on, daddy.

2122
01:25:26,538 --> 01:25:28,999
We gonna turn the thing
up to 1,000 degrees,

2123
01:25:29,082 --> 01:25:30,459
and we gonna burn everybody!

2124
01:25:30,542 --> 01:25:33,670
Five‐time, five‐time,
five‐time, five‐time,

2125
01:25:33,795 --> 01:25:36,298
five‐time WCW champion!

2126
01:25:36,423 --> 01:25:39,009
Now, can you dig that?

2127
01:25:39,134 --> 01:25:42,179
[crowd cheering]

2128
01:25:43,513 --> 01:25:45,307
Sucka!



