With SummerSlam officially in the rearview, fans, pundits, and former pro wrestlers alike are looking back on the “biggest show of the summer,” with matches like Cody Rhodes' effort against the “Beast Incarnate,” Brock Lesnar drawing particular praise both for the work in the ring and for the aftermatch of angle that seemingly saw the “American Nightmare” get “acknowledged” by the most prolific combat sports athlete of all time.
Discussing the match on his Hall of Fame podcast on an episode specifically earmarked to cover SummerSlam, Booker T had nothing but love for the match in question, going so far as to declare Lesnar his early pick for “Worker of the Year.”
“It was a great match because it didn't have a whole lot of jumping off or anything,” Booker T said vis Wrestling Inc. “It was just two guys going out there, fisticuffs fighting. The storytelling was really, really awesome. The Rocky Balboa vs. The Russian came in there for a moment. That ‘never say die' Rocky attitude. ‘You can just beat on me and beat on me, and I'm gonna find a way to win.' It was poetic, it was great.”
“It was one of those matches that every guy on the card, if they're wondering what it means to work at a main event level, look at that match, and it will tell you everything you need to know. Because wrestling is the art of going out and creating the illusion of a real fight. Those guys, they did that for me. When Cody hit him with the three Cross Rhodes at the end, you thought Brock may kick out. But when he stayed down, you weren't surprised either. Those kinds of stories never die.”
“And Brock Lesnar, what a worker. What a d*mn worker. Brock should get the award of the year, ‘Worker of the Year,' as far as I'm concerned. That's how good he really made that match on Saturday night.”
Should Lesnar be in the running for “Worker of the Year?” Eh, probably not, performers like Kenny Omega, MJF, Gunther, Seth Rollins, and even his SummerSlam opponent, the “American Nightmare,” all have a stronger claim for that title, but the fact that the “Beast” was happy to put over the 38-year-old is pretty incredible stuff, as it should help the legacies of both men, just like any good feud should be designed to do.
Booker T weighs in on WWE's post-SummerSlam announcing shakeup.
Elsewhere on the Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T weighed in on WWE's recent announcing shakeup, which saw Michael Cole and Wade Barrett take over the RAW commentary table, with Corey Graves and Kevin Patrick transitioning over to SmackDown alongside Bayley's least favorite broadcast journalist.
Though this change doesn't change anything for Booker T, as his NXT commentary booth remains the same, he does wonder if his partner, Vic Joseph, will get the call back up to the main roster in the not-too-distant future and who would then be asked to take his place down in developmental.
“[Michael] Cole ain’t never gonna be able to retire [laughs], he can forget about it,” Booker T said via Fightful. “It’s hard finding the next Michael Cole, too. But I’m glad in a lot of ways, but I’m perplexed in certain ways, just because I’m waiting on Vic to get a shot. I’m waiting on Vic Joseph to get a piece of the action, champagne wishes, caviar dreams and all that. But I do understand the wanting to have Michael Cole as a part of both brands. I do see that. I do know Michael Cole wants to wind down a little bit as well. So I don’t know how long this thing is gonna last or anything like that, but one thing I do know about Michael Cole, he’s a player, he’s a team player, he’s a soldier. Wherever he’s needed, he’s gonna step up to the plate and take care of that job. Everything’s good. So yeah, I’m glad, like I said. As well as the NXT commentary team, Vic and I, we still together. I like that, but like I said, I’m waiting on Vic to get his come-up. But I’m wondering if Vic moves up, who’s gonna move into that spot as well? Because I just can’t work with anybody.”
After spending a few months at the end of 2019 into 2020 as a member of the RAW commentary team, Joseph has been working on NXT since August of 2020, first joining a team that featured Mauro Ranallo and Beth Phoenix before settling into a team with Wade Barrett that extended from December of 2021 through September of 2022 when Booker T took over the color commentary position full-time in October. While Booker has advocated for Joespeh to get the main roster rub in the past, it would be a shame to see the duo broken up, as they have forged an incredibly fun dynamic that has really won fans over.
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