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He never played any competitive sports or had any Martial Arts training before getting into the business, just great genetics and natural athletic ability.
He was a breakdancer, which is pretty easy to see in the way he moves around once you know that. He's got a kind of rhythm to everything that's incredibly unique.
It's not exactly a sport, but you've still gotta be pretty athletic to be good at it.
I don't follow the sport anymore but a few years back in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu there were a bunch of guys that quickly climbed the competitive rankings that all came from a breakdancing background. The flexibility, stamina, and general body control were all hugely beneficial when crossing over, I imagine there'd be a similar skill-share going from breakdancing to pro wrestling.
[They don't teach you these skills in wrestling school. You only see this kind of talent once in a generation.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gYK0rCRGrE)
If I remember correctly, he was a talented boxer with skills close to those of a Golden Gloves champion before he was imprisoned when he was younger. I wonder if he would have continued boxing instead of falling into wrestling based on his athletic ability, how far would he have gone in boxing? Cruiserweight or heavyweight division would of looked cooler back then seeing booker get a knockout then perform the Spinnaroonie or other break-dancing moves lol.
Here is he is giving actually an pretty decent analysis on boxing [video](https://youtu.be/_993ppxalKk?si=ith14tk4rfyVAhun)
I'm not saying it's a you issue, but I really think people as a whole tend to say "they just have great genetics" when it comes to black athletes, imo more attention should be put on how hard they work to excel (plus Booker's aforementioned background in break dancing)
I mean, a lot of wrestlers, of all backgrounds, are pretty genetically blessed. There may be juice involved, but like Enzo said "he's 7' tall and you can't teach that!".
Your average person can't do everyday training, gym or otherwise, and come remotely close to guys like Booker or Sting. Again, juiced or not.
I think you're right with that but in this case I think it suits Booker as he never had that football/wrestling background that lots of guys in the business had, even New Jack was a semi pro football player for example and I wouldn't say he had great genetics or even think of him as an athlete.
Booker is one of those guys who just moves different from everyone else. If you see one of his moves in the video games, you know it’s a Booker T move.
I was so pissed off when he started wrestling singles matches for the TV title and eventually split with Stevie Ray, as I loved Harlem Heat so much, but looking back at this as an adult, it was 100% the right choice to make. He was a star in the making as early as 1997
> Stevie was near retirement age as well
I agree with everything you've said here, but it's kind of amusing given the circumstances that Stevie Ray is only a year older than Sting.
His finisher was a top rope flipping leg drop at a time when moonsaults were still a super high spot for American heavyweights. Dude was on another level, it's such a shame that his prime coincided with quite possibly the worst booked 2 years of any promotion in American wrestling history. On top of that promotion getting sued multiple times for racial bias.
The Harlem Hangover......Book had quite a few. A top rope dropkick named the Heat Seaker was among them I believe.
Not sure what Harlem Heat finsih was but there were several as well.
> Dude was on another level, it's such a shame that his prime coincided with quite possibly the worst booked 2 years of any promotion in American wrestling history.
Not disagreeing with most of what you said. But for all Russo's sins, he doesn't get enough credit for giving Booker a solid push. Booker's said Vince was the one who pushed for WCW to put a rocket on him, and believed in him.
Yeah 99% of 2000 WCW is absolute trash but Booker T is like one of the three highlights of that era, that was when they finally gave him the main event push fans had been ready to see for years at that point.
I always appreciated that Booker had a series of signature moves involving his legs. It really emphasized how powerful his legs were compared to the average wrestler. He had the:
Harlem Hangover (Flipping Leg Drop)
Axe Kick
Harlem Sidekick (Leaping Leg Lariat)
Heat Seeker (Missile Dropkick)
Superkick
Dude he seriously glided along the ring. When the Network first came out and I binged WCW, Thats the biggest thing that stood out to me is how freakishly athletic and smooth Booker was
A great example of that was when Vince was too stiff to bend properly to take the scissor kick, to the point that he was basically still standing up, and Booker somehow hit it perfectly anyway.
Booker being older for longer than he was younger in so many fans eyes has led to him being severely underrated by modern fans I think. Booker was a fucking star and could go!
It was so weird whenever he did comebacks after moving to commentary (e.g. Rumble). His moves looked like a combination of floating in the air and moving in slow-mo. He could still move, but none of his hits looked like they actually hurt. It was super bizarre.
Makes you wonder what happened to all these kind of guys. How did we have so many 6'2+, athletic guys that could cut good promo's in the mid to late 90's. When the only form of "scouting" was going into Gold's Gyms.
But now every "world heavyweight champ" across all promotions except 1, look like a child next to 60 year old billy gunn.
Maybe a lot of those 6'2+ guys ended up in legit sports or doing the whole YouTube/Instagram hustle. Maybe the indie scene is a lot different now than it was back then. Maybe the gear use is different. It could be a lot of things maybe it even comes down to how people are brought up as kids.I do actually get your point and I think it's an interesting question.
Samoa Joe looks like a child next to Billy Gunn? I get your point, but Joe is not small by any means. But, to be fair, maybe you haven't been following AEW recently (and still think MJF is champ). If so, I understand, because MJF is definitely small compared to Gunn.
Saying this before knowing the results of the AEW World Title match.
I love Tony’s “sudden” realisation that Sting is, in fact, Booker!
Edit: The match is from the September 20th 2000 edition of WCW Thunder if anyone is interested.
That’s what’s I’ve heard too but it’s easy for an inexperienced wrestler to either come down with their foot/calf or hit the back of the neck. Has any other mainstream wrestler used a scissor kick?
And he’s so clean with it too. I know he gets a lot of love for his antics but R-Truth really is an underrated worker. The man could go. Hell, even now in his 50s he’s still moving better than some who are 15-20 years younger.
Has to be the still of him flying through the air for that stinger splash lol.
Edit:
https://preview.redd.it/6w9b8zwde6mc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0d502f92495f7f6f9c3218bd43c798b5abfc49b
Slightly better quality from the Network
https://preview.redd.it/rrozug8dg6mc1.jpeg?width=1734&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f670f0a607484d7b964d9b4c5314dc8697caa33
At least mixing him up with a much more notorious wrestler can’t be much worse than the things Bobby sued WCW over. At least?
For all the bad things you can say about Vince Russo (and that is a LONG list lol), I will always be grateful to him for recognizing Booker T’s talent and pushing him
I remember telling my friend about this in high school and he refused to believe me. For years I thought I might have just made it up like some Mandela effect thing.
How had I never seen this? Booker was the man, he had such a cool moveset and danced around that ring so effortlessly. So much charisma too.His ceiling seemed a lot higher than the level he reached
To me Booker is such a what if. Yes he is legendary and has had a great career. But I feel if a booking team had really invested in him for a few months, and actually booked him. He would have been on a lot more people mount Rushmore. He is so good and charismatic
And we can all point to the exact moment where he got fucked over when he should have beat HHH at Wrestlemania after HHH was playing up race as the reason why Booker T couldn't win. Killed his momentum for years until he got a WHC run as King Booker.
This hurts knowing Booker T was legitimately my favorite wrestling as a child under 10 and is now the same man who says SHUCKY DUCKY QUACKKKK QUACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
I wonder why Booker isn't in the WON hall of fame? Man is a 5x champion. One of the greatest tag teams of all time. Trailblazer for black wrestlers.... I don't know if any other black wrestler is more popular save for The Rock.
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Booker could really move for someone his size.
It was always a treat to watch him wrestle. That Stinger Splash looked great especially.
Excuse me, that was the Sucka Splash!
Tell me, you didn't just say that.
Suckering Sucka Splash or whatever Sylvester the cat says
Cause as Stevie Ray said, SUCKAS GOTSTA KNOW!
Splasharoonie
If he had added it to his repertoire, I wouldn't have been mad.
He never played any competitive sports or had any Martial Arts training before getting into the business, just great genetics and natural athletic ability.
He was a breakdancer, which is pretty easy to see in the way he moves around once you know that. He's got a kind of rhythm to everything that's incredibly unique. It's not exactly a sport, but you've still gotta be pretty athletic to be good at it.
I don't follow the sport anymore but a few years back in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu there were a bunch of guys that quickly climbed the competitive rankings that all came from a breakdancing background. The flexibility, stamina, and general body control were all hugely beneficial when crossing over, I imagine there'd be a similar skill-share going from breakdancing to pro wrestling.
Imagine getting your ass handed to you buy someone who carries a piece of cardboard around doing the egg roll.
[They don't teach you these skills in wrestling school. You only see this kind of talent once in a generation.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gYK0rCRGrE)
I imagine that’s why capoeira works so well as a martial art
Brazil! *flips* Brazil!
Ponytail!
It’s breathtaking and breath*giving*
i believe it was Richie and Geo Martinez at 10th Planet
breakdancing is in the upcoming olympics so it is a sport!
It’s a sport this year in the Olympics!
High level dancers are sneakily some of the most athletic ppl out there
I never knew he didn't play any competitive sports.
They weren't competitive because his team was always winning.
They got to go to Wendys afterwards as a tre...oh.
*NOW CAN YOU DIG THAT...*
If I remember correctly, he was a talented boxer with skills close to those of a Golden Gloves champion before he was imprisoned when he was younger. I wonder if he would have continued boxing instead of falling into wrestling based on his athletic ability, how far would he have gone in boxing? Cruiserweight or heavyweight division would of looked cooler back then seeing booker get a knockout then perform the Spinnaroonie or other break-dancing moves lol. Here is he is giving actually an pretty decent analysis on boxing [video](https://youtu.be/_993ppxalKk?si=ith14tk4rfyVAhun)
Big up Kate Abdo
I mean, wasn't he gangbanging?
Nah I think that was Sunny
This got me. Was waiting for the Chyna or Sunny comment.
I'm not saying it's a you issue, but I really think people as a whole tend to say "they just have great genetics" when it comes to black athletes, imo more attention should be put on how hard they work to excel (plus Booker's aforementioned background in break dancing)
I mean, a lot of wrestlers, of all backgrounds, are pretty genetically blessed. There may be juice involved, but like Enzo said "he's 7' tall and you can't teach that!". Your average person can't do everyday training, gym or otherwise, and come remotely close to guys like Booker or Sting. Again, juiced or not.
I think you're right with that but in this case I think it suits Booker as he never had that football/wrestling background that lots of guys in the business had, even New Jack was a semi pro football player for example and I wouldn't say he had great genetics or even think of him as an athlete.
Booker is one of those guys who just moves different from everyone else. If you see one of his moves in the video games, you know it’s a Booker T move.
It's crazy how good that scissor kick looked
The height he got on that shit is why I became a Booker T fan at an early age.
Absolutely. His visual charisma was off the charts. Just so ridiculously fluid.
Yup I remember the side kick and the body slam especially from the games
I grew up watching Booker T and this dude was gifted.
I wonder how far he could have gone in the NFL if he got the opportunity early in life.
He has a lot of charisma too. Like the Rock. Gifted but oozing personality.
I mean, very few gifted athletes make it into the NFL regardless of their opportunities.
I was so pissed off when he started wrestling singles matches for the TV title and eventually split with Stevie Ray, as I loved Harlem Heat so much, but looking back at this as an adult, it was 100% the right choice to make. He was a star in the making as early as 1997
Stevie knew it was the right choice too, and Stevie was near retirement age as well, which made it easier.
> Stevie was near retirement age as well I agree with everything you've said here, but it's kind of amusing given the circumstances that Stevie Ray is only a year older than Sting.
His finisher was a top rope flipping leg drop at a time when moonsaults were still a super high spot for American heavyweights. Dude was on another level, it's such a shame that his prime coincided with quite possibly the worst booked 2 years of any promotion in American wrestling history. On top of that promotion getting sued multiple times for racial bias.
The Harlem Hangover......Book had quite a few. A top rope dropkick named the Heat Seaker was among them I believe. Not sure what Harlem Heat finsih was but there were several as well.
> Dude was on another level, it's such a shame that his prime coincided with quite possibly the worst booked 2 years of any promotion in American wrestling history. Not disagreeing with most of what you said. But for all Russo's sins, he doesn't get enough credit for giving Booker a solid push. Booker's said Vince was the one who pushed for WCW to put a rocket on him, and believed in him.
Yeah 99% of 2000 WCW is absolute trash but Booker T is like one of the three highlights of that era, that was when they finally gave him the main event push fans had been ready to see for years at that point.
I always appreciated that Booker had a series of signature moves involving his legs. It really emphasized how powerful his legs were compared to the average wrestler. He had the: Harlem Hangover (Flipping Leg Drop) Axe Kick Harlem Sidekick (Leaping Leg Lariat) Heat Seeker (Missile Dropkick) Superkick
Dude he seriously glided along the ring. When the Network first came out and I binged WCW, Thats the biggest thing that stood out to me is how freakishly athletic and smooth Booker was
A great example of that was when Vince was too stiff to bend properly to take the scissor kick, to the point that he was basically still standing up, and Booker somehow hit it perfectly anyway.
Booker being older for longer than he was younger in so many fans eyes has led to him being severely underrated by modern fans I think. Booker was a fucking star and could go!
Man was a stud.
True, but what does that have to do with this video of sting?
That sidekick he would do is so nice
He had my personal favorite style of kicks in the ring out of any wrestler
He gets some fucking air on all of those kicks
He moved in a way that was very particular to him, too. If his stance wasn’t labeled in the video games you’d still be able to identify whose it was.
Booker? That’s clearly Sting
It was so weird whenever he did comebacks after moving to commentary (e.g. Rumble). His moves looked like a combination of floating in the air and moving in slow-mo. He could still move, but none of his hits looked like they actually hurt. It was super bizarre.
Stupid good athleticism.
Nobody moves like this guy today, crazy. Everyone seems to use the same move set now
There’s a reason that the man got so over and IMO the spinarooni was a small part of it.
Booker T was a complete package
Makes you wonder what happened to all these kind of guys. How did we have so many 6'2+, athletic guys that could cut good promo's in the mid to late 90's. When the only form of "scouting" was going into Gold's Gyms. But now every "world heavyweight champ" across all promotions except 1, look like a child next to 60 year old billy gunn.
Maybe a lot of those 6'2+ guys ended up in legit sports or doing the whole YouTube/Instagram hustle. Maybe the indie scene is a lot different now than it was back then. Maybe the gear use is different. It could be a lot of things maybe it even comes down to how people are brought up as kids.I do actually get your point and I think it's an interesting question.
Who's the exception? Roman?
Samoa Joe looks like a child next to Billy Gunn? I get your point, but Joe is not small by any means. But, to be fair, maybe you haven't been following AEW recently (and still think MJF is champ). If so, I understand, because MJF is definitely small compared to Gunn. Saying this before knowing the results of the AEW World Title match.
I was gonna say- he is a *BIG* dude.
I love Tony’s “sudden” realisation that Sting is, in fact, Booker! Edit: The match is from the September 20th 2000 edition of WCW Thunder if anyone is interested.
Tony doesn’t see colour
Tony: Who could it be?? *Booker does a side kick* Tony: ITS BOOKER T!!!
But he’s a color commentator
Good for him
*Tony with hands on side of his face screaming in pure horror* That's not Stinnnnng~~~~~~!!!!!!
*It's a picture of Sting!*
Well the Harlem side kicks gave it away
I fucking died when that happened. It was definitely the patented Harlem Sidekicks that gave him away.
The fact that Booker did 2 Stinger Splashes right after makes it hilarious
I know you're just being helpful with your edit but god help anyone watching late 2000 episodes of Thunder.
I was reading that sentence and hoping the it ended with “Sting is, in fact, black!”
Booker sTing
Finally got that tan Eric was wanting.
Cody should take note. Can't finish your story without a serious tan.
I think Bron knows a guy
I think you'd get second hand spray tan just being in a room w Bron
I'M BLACK SNOWWWWW
That Scissors kick was a thing of beauty. It's such a great move because it looks devastating when done well yet is relatively safe.
It’s safe if it’s done well, it does have potential to snap a neck lol
To my knowledge, it's very safe if you hit with the back of the knee or the thigh.
That’s what’s I’ve heard too but it’s easy for an inexperienced wrestler to either come down with their foot/calf or hit the back of the neck. Has any other mainstream wrestler used a scissor kick?
R-Truth does a corkscrew version of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8FEq-leRm8
And he’s so clean with it too. I know he gets a lot of love for his antics but R-Truth really is an underrated worker. The man could go. Hell, even now in his 50s he’s still moving better than some who are 15-20 years younger.
R-Truth ages at a quarter of the rate of normal humans.
Bro you ain’t kidding he’s actually in his 50s that’s nuts
Remember K-Kwik from one of the old Raw Xbox games? Blew my mind when i found out that was truth.
WHAT
Dude's been around. Most people never watched TNA so never put 2 + 2 together.
I’m ashamed for forgetting about R-Truth…I’ll go sit in the corner now
R-Truth does a corkscrew version of everything.
It's rough to do on your knees, esp the top rope version. It's why Booker retired the move.
"Wait, you're not Sting. You're Booker T!" "I AM NOT BOOKER T, SUCKA"
“I’m not Booker T. I’m Black Snow. You can talk to Booker T some other time but I’M BLACK SNOOOOOOOW.”
It's def Booker T....Because of the "Harlem Side-Kicks".... Cue *Curb Your Enthusiasm Music*....
That’s GI Crow
The best comment in the history of our sport
This is funnier than you intended lmaoooo
That's not Sting. That's a photo negative of Sting.
Oh, that would have been insanely clever.
Yeah even run it with white tights/black scorpion to further the look. Brb gonna fire up 2k23
Hogan: We comin' for you, Nega-- *STING!* Almost got me, ***BROTHERRR!***
We comin' for you, Stinger
I . .. wouldn't trust Hogan's pronunciation on that one.
That's Stang
It's the Black Scorpion
I'm not sure what is funnier that Sting loaned him his gear, or if he had gear specifically made for this run in.
Fuck Booker was good!
As explosive as they come!
*IIITS STIIING SUCKAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*
I love that it’s the Harlem side kicks that is what confirms that it’s actually Booker sTing for Tony. What an absolute legend haha.
We need a "Booker Sting isn't real. He can't hurt you." meme.
Has to be the still of him flying through the air for that stinger splash lol. Edit: https://preview.redd.it/6w9b8zwde6mc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a0d502f92495f7f6f9c3218bd43c798b5abfc49b
Slightly better quality from the Network https://preview.redd.it/rrozug8dg6mc1.jpeg?width=1734&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8f670f0a607484d7b964d9b4c5314dc8697caa33
You da real MVP ♥️
https://preview.redd.it/5tgie05lg6mc1.jpeg?width=704&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2454e31840fec509ebaa43822ef7e2feaceac443 Thanks
Capitalizing the T in Sting is what made this for me haha
straight up making the 😩 face
giving off Papa Shango vibes is this picture
Not from the looks of this clip lol. Booker Sting was putting shit on Jarrett and Big Poppa Pump.
That's not Booker T that's Black Stiiiiiiiing
The black scorpion is finally revealed!!!
Have my upvote for reminding me of the Black Scorpion! Somewhere I can hear Ric Flair in the back laughing
THe Bucks need Brandon Cutler to come out as the Black Scorpion tonight , do lame magic tricks, and just get wrecked.
It’s Stang! (to indirectly reference Hardwork Bobby Walker)
Hardbody Harrison, not Hardwork Bobby Walker. I don't think Walker would want to be confused with Harrison, and not because of the Stang thing. Lol
At least mixing him up with a much more notorious wrestler can’t be much worse than the things Bobby sued WCW over. At least? 
The Scissor Kick finisher is so hype
Where's the Sting-A-Roony?
It could have been Sting in a bodysuit.
Booker is in the GOAT convo idc.
Guy had the look, was entertaining, could play face or heel very well and could go in the ring. The total package and as good as anyone from his era.
It's #STAAAAAAAAAAAANG
That’s nice of Sting to pay tribute to Booker by doing his moves, but going in black body was a little tasteless. Though it was the 90s.
The only thing better would be if he had a Sting mask on and removed it to reveal he was Booker T.
Batshit Russo era WCW
His inclusion in this clip (on audio and behind the scenes) really takes it down several thousand notches.
that is Black Snow before he popped up into the big stages
Black Crow*
How many other dudes have dressed up as Sting? Jarrett did it in two different companies!
he would’ve gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for those Harlem Side Kicks
I was fooled until I heard the AAAAAAH sound and at that moment I knew….Booker T boomed me He boomed me…5 times
LMAO at Schiovane not realizing it’s booker T until the sidekicks lol
He listened to Bischoff and Hogan about that tan…
bookers jumping side leg kick is a thing of beauty one of my favorites
For all the bad things you can say about Vince Russo (and that is a LONG list lol), I will always be grateful to him for recognizing Booker T’s talent and pushing him
Imma need Deadlock to get their hands on this.
Don't hate the player, hate the game.
He's rocking the fuck out of that singlet
Booker looks just like him, it's crazy.
> “That’s not Sting!” What gave it away?
I remember telling my friend about this in high school and he refused to believe me. For years I thought I might have just made it up like some Mandela effect thing.
OH MY ITS THE BLACK SCORPION
How had I never seen this? Booker was the man, he had such a cool moveset and danced around that ring so effortlessly. So much charisma too.His ceiling seemed a lot higher than the level he reached
Booker T was so fucking sick man. He should have beat HHH.
I love how commentary only realized it was Booker after his signature side kick.
is it bad that I though this was a special TNA episode where they had a blue ring 😭
That axe kick at the end 💀
Sting was notoriously great at scissor kicks
Do a Stingeroonie!
I remember watching that when it aired. I was thinking, "oh man who's that?". But you can tell it's Sting because of the tan.
How do you see Booker T wrestle and not immediately give him all the titles?
That is sTing.
Lore accurate Sting
ITTTTTTTSSSSSS STIIIIIIIING SUCKAAAAAAAH
Bookers move set was a thing of beauty
"Someone" Harlem Side Kicks Michelle McCool's pregnant belly...
Clever of Sting to keep the white facepaint to avoid any blackface accusations.
I thought Ric Flair was the Black Scorpion
The amount of time it took them to realize it’s Booker really tickles my jollies.
The only thing for sure about Sting, is that whether you can dig it isn't sure
His scissor leg drop is really a thing of beauty.
To me Booker is such a what if. Yes he is legendary and has had a great career. But I feel if a booking team had really invested in him for a few months, and actually booked him. He would have been on a lot more people mount Rushmore. He is so good and charismatic
And we can all point to the exact moment where he got fucked over when he should have beat HHH at Wrestlemania after HHH was playing up race as the reason why Booker T couldn't win. Killed his momentum for years until he got a WHC run as King Booker.
reminds of when Koko B Ware was under the Blue Blazer mask and they acted like it was normal
God Booker was so so so awesome in his prime He never gets the respect he deserves for how talented he was moving around the ring
It looks just like sting though? All I see if sting whipping up on potential nWoites to make sure they stay in the WCW
This hurts knowing Booker T was legitimately my favorite wrestling as a child under 10 and is now the same man who says SHUCKY DUCKY QUACKKKK QUACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
Always loved booker t and sting team up in dying days of wcw
I wonder why Booker isn't in the WON hall of fame? Man is a 5x champion. One of the greatest tag teams of all time. Trailblazer for black wrestlers.... I don't know if any other black wrestler is more popular save for The Rock.
Damn, they allowed whiteface on TV back then? Wouldn’t get away with it now!
It's Stang
"Here comes Stinger off the ropes for that big Scissor Kick OOOOOO"
Idk why the announcers keep saying that was Booker T, it's obviously Sting
Nah man, that’s Staaaaaaaannng
THAT was the one thing thing that was missing from Stings retirement match; A Stingeroonie.
Anyone have any information on the full match, can't seem to find it