#Booker t wrestler professional#

They still had some things to learn about handling oneself in a backstage environment alongside Booker T and other legends, including Kurt Angle and The Undertaker. They were SmackDown’s newest tag team at the time. The Gymini, Mike and Todd Shane, had a short stint on SmackDown as the proteges of Simon Dean in 2006. 'Although it was just two Red Bulls, for me, they represented two important steps in preparing to head out to the ring.' 'Many wrestlers have pre-show rituals they do to help them focus on the match ahead,' Booker T explains. Imagine that you made it through a fifty, sixty-hour workweek, and you’re looking forward to a moment of comfort in those last few drinks in the fridge or the leftovers that you were set on eating, but you find them gone because someone consumed them. Sometimes it’s a more casual and laid-back live event, while sometimes, it’s a grueling day of television. When traveling from town to town, the roster meets at the arena before that night’s show. Whether he’s been backstage as a competitor or, in recent years, on the commentary team, anyone who likes their job and hopes to stay with the company knows to be respectful of the seasoned veterans. But if you see two cans of ice-cold Red Bull accompanying the rest, do not even think about touching them!īooker T reserved a section of his autobiography, ' My Rise To Wrestling Royalty,' to discuss how the short-lived tag team The Gymini (consisting of Mike and Todd Shane) drank those two cans because they thought it was a community cooler for the locker room.īooker T has a legendary resume, which includes being a five-time (five-time!) WCW Champion, a WWE Hall Of Famer, and he continues to pass on his knowledge to the next generation with his Texas-based promotion, Reality of Wrestling.

If there’s a community ice bucket filled with bottles of water and Gatorade, it’s likely encouraged that you take one. The same old song and dance for each show, you fill up your plate with protein, carbs, and the occasional dessert. Never forget to shake hands with everyone you encounter backstage.īe thoughtful and develop positive relationships with backstage personnel and crew members on that same road with you each week.Īnd with each show, there’s catering set out for the crew. If you ask a veteran to watch your match that night, you listen to their advice and use it to better yourself. As with any career, you pay your dues, earn your stripes, and earn respect by being a hard worker and a considerate, reliable individual.

#Booker t wrestler professional#

Locker rooms shared by professional wrestlers are founded on the concept of locker room leaders and having respect for the veterans of the business who paved the way. Whatever you do, don’t drink Booker T’s Red Bulls! Booker T and His Red Bulls – A Tale of Etiquette For this tale, it’s one not far into the past about a time when two wrestlers, new to WWE, learned the ins and outs of the system through trial, and in this case, error. The phrase 'Booker T and Red Bull' takes us on an unexpected journey.