Doesn't Booker T Deserve The "Shawn Michaels" Type Deal?

[HBK-aholic]

This statement above is a horrible argument. You make reference to Booker's unprofessional actions when he left the WWE in the same sentence as HBK. Laughable. Shawn was wrestlings most idiotic unprofessional pillhead for years, that is a fact. Shawn's record is far more sketchy than Bookers.

No one will argue Shawn's personal actions a decade ago were good. However he has more than made up for them, both in his performances then AND now (Which are ALWAYS superior to Booker T's), as well as his personal actions now.

Also, to my knowledge, the only time HBK was the face of the WWE and the "main guy" was 1996...and it WAS the WWF's worst year for ratings and profitbility..EVER. And to the person that said NO ONE deserves the "Shawn Michaels treatment"....i'd like to hear you tell that to Taker, Hart, Austin, etc etc etc......Dont get me wrong, Michaels is a great talent, but I think sometimes people get carried away.

I'm not sure on the specific figures, but this was also at a time the WWE were up against the toughest competition it's ever had. Due to that, we can't really argue Shawn's drawing power in comparison to what there is now, with the toughest competition being TNA. I'm not trying to argue Shawn is a great draw, I'm simply saying there are other things that need to be taken into account before assumptions are made.

I'm with everyone else in saying that Booker T does not deserve this type of treatment. More people would go to a show headlined by Shawn, than they would if it was headlined by Booker T, which is why he doesn't deserve it.

I will have to disagree with you that Booker T has not had a great a career as HBK.

Ha.

What has HBK ever really done in WWE. (Except stay loyal to Vince)

Which in itself seems to be quite an achievement in the world of drugs, steroids and money lately. Not only that, Shawn has had more 5* matches than anyone else, makes Vince TONS of money alongside Triple H through DX merchandise sales, and can make any wrestler look great.

He was gone for 5 years during the most important, and fun part of the attitude era while booker wrestled year after year.

I don't usually insult posters, but are you stupid? Seriously, Shawn's back was injured beyond belief, he was surviving only on prescription painkillers for months, years even. He needed surgery. Did Booker have this problem? Seriously, you've just made me discredit everything you'll ever say with this statement.

HBK doesn't have even half of the gold that Booker T has achieved in his career.

Sure, we all know winning a title makes you the best. hhh is the bstest evahh!

Booker T has been around as long as HBK, and has never taking several years off to find Jesus, or anything else for that matter. Booker deserves alot more credit than you give him.

Sure, he took 4 years off to 'find Jesus'. No; that was an added bonus. He actually took 4 years off to have surgery on the body he'd ruined for US and to beat the addiction he'd gained because of the injury.

 

[LongHessa]

I'm not sure on the specific figures, but this was also at a time the WWE were up against the toughest competition it's ever had. Due to that, we can't really argue Shawn's drawing power in comparison to what there is now, with the toughest competition being TNA. I'm not trying to argue Shawn is a great draw, I'm simply saying there are other things that need to be taken into account before assumptions are made.

It's not an assumption, it's a fact. Competition or not, if HBK was a draw people would have watched. Fact is, they didnt....WWE hit all time low's for ratings and house show attendence during his run on top in 1996. It wasnt until Bret's return and his feud with Austin/America in late 96/1997 when the WWE started to rebound. Even when Shawn was champ in 98' i think it's safe to say Austin was already the "top dog" and HBK wasn't the top draw.

 

[HBK-aholic]

It's not an assumption, it's a fact. Competition or not, if HBK was a draw people would have watched. Fact is, they didnt....WWE hit all time low's for ratings and house show attendence during his run on top in 1996.

Saying things like this is pretty much what I ws getting at. You're comparing the ratings of the late 90s, to the ratings of today. In 1996, the biggest competition for the WWE was WCW. Now we have TNA, a promotion a lot of wrestling fans don't even view as 'competition'. I'm not arguing Shawn is a big draw, I'm arguing it's difficult for us to measure, with everything else going on at the time. If the WWE today was against competition of the same calibre as WCW, ratings would go down again.

Now, can you imagine if Booker T was on top during this time? You state that 'people would have watched' if Shawn was a draw - how do you know they didn't watch for him? What I mean by that is, the ratings could have been a lot worse. He was there when there wasn't really anyone else - the midcard wasn't great, and WWE were up against very strong competition. Shawn still held more viewers than Booker T ever would have, and that's why, regardless of how much you like Booker T, he doesn't deserve Shawn's deal.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

"the mark" Booker is alot better than big slow, jerichoke, mysterio, esp kane, and certainly khali

But he wasn't working for Vince pre-March 2001, so therefore he doesn't qualify for hand outs from Vince. At no point did i say anything about the quality of his wrestling.

if anything vince needs to get rid of some of them so he can offer booker more money.

Forget Khali, but are you seriously suggesting that Vince should release one of his best performers in Jericho, two of his largest, most experienced talent who have both put what's best for the company before pride many times, in Kane and Big Show, and one of his top merchandise sellers in the under 14 demographic (ya know, the specific audience that they're targetting these days?) in Rey Mysterio, so that he can hire Booker freakin' T, to work part time on World champion wages?

Booker has more longevity than 75 percent of the roster.

Sorry, didn't realise you were another smark who could predict the future, knowing full well that Booker definitely won't retire from wrestling, due to injury or something. Yes, Vince should re-hire Booker because he's DEFINITELY going to last more than 5-10 years, whereas guys like Morrison, McIntyre, Cryme Tyme, R-Truth, CM Punk, the Hart Dynasty, Ziggler, yeah, they'll probably all be gone in 6 months. But Booker? No, he's a done deal for sure...... imbecile.

Is better than 60 percent of the roster.

You're opinion, not Vince's apparently. Or if it is, then that's not enough to warrant re-hiring Booker T on a light schedule, which is all i said in the first place, i might add.

And in case you haven't noticed, this current wwe roster sucks badly, i cant even remember half of the names on smackdown and i watch the show.

Wow, sucks for you. I do remember most of the guys on the roster, and i DON'T watch the show.

So don't think for a second that booker wouldnt get more ratings for smackdown.

You're a TNA mark right? I mean, that is the TNA method of success isn't it? Bring some old guy back for a cheap ratings boost?

The current crop of of wwe wrestlers are the ones, that are "semi" popular.

Give them time, some of them will be making their Wrestlemania moments and seizing title victories sooner than we imagine. Just because Booker's been and done it for god knows how long, doesn't mean we should invite him back to do it some more.

Booker is really popular, and if used correctly like he was with the king booker gimmick he could be special. That gimmick was very entertaining in my opinion.

That gimmick isn't even relevant anymore. Guys like Harley Race and Jerry Lawler have always been called 'the King' as aprt of their gimmicks. Does anybody say 'King Edge' or 'King Regal' or 'King Austin' just because they won the KOTR? What's he going to do? Come out, say 'Peasants, sorry i've been gone 2 years, i was busy wearing $600 suits while talking jibberish on the microphone, standing next to Kurt Angle and the other 'ghosts of Dub-ya C Dub-ya', and it turns out that 6-sided rings piss me off, and I shan't be upstaged by a commoner like Matt Morgan, so i'm back here to bang on about being a King again, despite there having been a new King of the Ring SINCE i was last here. But fear not, for now i'm going to face THE UNDERTAKER, and become World Heavyweight Champion blah blah blah King Book-AHHHHH blah blah'............ Yeah, that's award winning material right there.

He paid his dues

Not in Vince's eyes

his longevity

Most of which, not with Vince.

and being the most decorated champion ever

Mostly, outside Vince's promotion.

should warrant a favorable schedule.

In your opinion, but you're not running World Wrestling Entertainment, thank christ, Vince McMahon is, and if Vince isn't going to accept Hogan back on Hogan's terms, then he sure as hell isn't going to welcome Booker back with a hug and a light schedule either.

He didnt win all those belts by accident.

You're right, somebody gave them all to him.

My loyal subjects.

Seriously? More than one person listens to you?

 

[Southwind]

I'm a huge Booker T mark, and feel that he is much better than everybody in the IWC gives him credit for.

However this "HBK deal" is not necessarily given to all those that deserve it. Booker T never got proper treatment in the E, and he has little to no shot of getting this type of schedule.

Plus, he is a WCW boy meaning that Vince will never recognize him as "his own". So he will always be one peg lower than he should be, and his career in the WWE shows this to be true.

HBK deserves it,, I'm not arguing that I just feel that Booker T is one of the most iconic, greatest, and most of all influencial wrestlers in history. I bet if you ask Shelton Benjamin, Kofi Kingston, MVP etc. They will tell you Booker was an inspiration to them, the WWE needs more blacks anyways, but that is a whole different topic.

 

[Supernova]

As far as what Booker T could have done back, it wouldn't have been much. Maybe a title reign, but it'd be a "Meh" reign. Not shit, but definitely not anything I'd come on here singing the praises of. He could put some younger wrestlers over, sure. But what difference is it if Booker T or Regal do the jobbing? None. And Regal isn't asking for a Shawn Michaels deal. Regal is being a smart jobber.

Dude seriously? Booker T is WAY more decorated than William Regal, and going over him would be a much bigger deal. I'm not saying he should have got the deal with WWE but he is a guy who current fans would remember, and who's held the world title in both WCW and WWE - he's like the WCW version of Edge and that's worth a shitload more than going over a never has been like William Regal.

 

[drobs85]

the mark" Just because Vince owns the company doesn't make him smart! His dad basically sold it to him for little to nothing. If you or vince really believe booker hasn't paid his dues, then your both crazy. Any man who has dealt with a profession that long no matter what company he was in deserves something favorable. You say "why bring in some old guy to get a cheap ratings boost", WELL HELL what do you think their doing on monday night RAW?? Their bringing in old guys every week that 90% of them have never wrestled in their life paying them a boat load of money, and are getting a .2% RATINGS BOOST, But can't sign the most decorated champion in history? THATS SO GENIUS MCMAHON. THATS VERY intelligent. That's who you would want running the company "the MArk" my bad. Smackdown sucks and needs a makeover, bottom line. Booker deserve some kind of perks, may not be all the ones shawn "broke-down retire already" michaels has but some. not buying you know the smackdown names and dont watch it. bull.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

the mark

Jesus man, learn how to post quotations for fuck sake.

Just because Vince owns the company doesn't make him smart!

At no point did i say it did. I said Vince owns the 'E', so Vince makes the decisions. Never said i agreed with those decisions, i simply stated that when it comes to a situation like this, Vince's opinion is the only one that matters. However, you interpreted that to mean 'Booker is SO shit, he doesn't deserve squat'. Not sure how you managed to confuse those, unless you have extreme mental health problems, and based on what you've posted so far, obviously you do..

His dad basically sold it to him for little to nothing.

How very irrelevant, thanks.

If you or vince really believe booker hasn't paid his dues, then your both crazy.

Let me say this to you once more, in the hope that there's the slightest chance you'll actually be able to process it clearly. I. NEVER. SAID. ANYTHING. ABOUT. BOOKER. HAVING. PAID. HIS. DUES. I. SAID. IF. YOU. HAVEN'T. PAID. YOUR. DUES. TO. VINCE. PERSONALLY. YOU. WON'T. GET. ANY. SPECIAL. DEALS. Now, read that again another 4 times, SLOWLY, and then hopefully, i won't have to read another ******ed post accusing me of saying things i never actually said.

Any man who has dealt with a profession that long no matter what company he was in deserves something favorable.

Not according to Vince McMahon. Vince doesn't think like that, so the 'E' doesn't operate like that.

You say "why bring in some old guy to get a cheap ratings boost",

Actually i said, 'isn't that the TNA method of business?'

WELL HELL what do you think their doing on monday night RAW??

They bring on celebrities in hopes of a cheep ratings boost. Old wrestlers are not the same thing as celebrities who don't have a clue. On occassion they've had some actual retired wrestlers host but mainly it's been nothing but celebrities who have no business in the ring.

Their bringing in old guys every week that 90% of them have never wrestled in their life paying them a boat load of money, and are getting a .2% RATINGS BOOST.

No, they bring in guys who've never wrestled, for individual guest appearances, to get the fans of said celebs, to watch wrestling, which is significantly different to re-hiring an ex-employee who fucked you about before jumping ship, and giving him a reduced schedule just because he's older now.

Different random celeb for one night compared to same old Booker T EVERY week. DO. YOU. UNDERSTAND. THE. DIFFERENCE?

But can't sign the most decorated champion in history?

Replace 'can't' with 'don't want to' and you'll finally have said something that's correct.

THATS SO GENIUS MCMAHON. THATS VERY intelligent. That's who you would want running the company "the MArk" my bad.

Compared to you, which again is what i said in the first place, then hell yeah, Vince wins hands down every time.

Smackdown sucks and needs a makeover, bottom line.

Your opinion (for what THAT's worth). I personally think SD is the best show the 'E' has right now, i'm just not stupid enough to present that opinion as if it were a fact.

Booker deserve some kind of perks, may not be all the ones shawn "broke-down retire already" michaels has but some.

I'd agree that Booker deserves some perks, but he demanded this perk in particular, and Vince said no. If it'd been me, i'd have probably have given it more consideration, but it wasn't me, it was Vince McMahon, and i've already said why i believe Vince turned that down, and somehow that meant that i'm bashing Booker T and making stuff up, JUST so i can look better than some douchebag on the internet.

not buying you know the smackdown names and dont watch it. bull.

Oh no, random WZ ****** doesn't believe that i have better things to do on a Friday night other than watch wrestling. Whatever will i do? Well i think i'll continue not giving a fuck what you think douche lord. I'd be happy to prove that i know the SD roster without watching the show. Why don't you phone me and ask me to recite the SD roster over the phone? That way i won't be able to quickly look it up and cheat. Or perhaps i should post photographs of me every single time SD is aired in the UK, just to prove i'm not watching it! Or maybe you should just not be a twat and not accuse people you don't know, of being liars over such trivial matters like 'can you name everyone on a list without being reminded first?'

 

[Tastycles]

The first thing that struck me about this was "why does Shawn Michaels deserve a Shawn Michaels kind of deal?" The only answer I could come up with was that he has had a long injury problem, and it is essential that that is nursed. I think Michaels is the exception that proves the rule, though, because his injuries in the past were so extreme. OTherwise this sort of deal should be reserved for aging, and I mean truly aging legends, like Flair, Hogan etc. If everyone north of 40 got this kind of deal, then nobody would ever go to house shows. Michaels hasn't earned this deal, in my opinion, because nobody can, otherwise you'd have to give it to Undertaker etc., which would start getting ridiculous. It's only right that Michaels has it because of his back problems, and as far as I'm aware, Booker T has never broken his back.

 

[WonderboyJ]

No, not at all. Booker is nothing more then a WCW late top guy and WWE mid carder. I cant think of anything really good he did in the WWE other then the feud with Austin in the supermarket.

Booker T is no big deal to have or to loose.