Kurt Angle Recalls Backstage Bust Up Between Booker T And Batista
Kurt Angle has recalled witnessing the aftermath of a backstage altercation between Booker T and Batista after a comment made by The Animal upset the 5-time WCW Champion.
Backstage fights are nothing new in wrestling but the one in 2006 between Booker T and Batista has been the subject of much conversation over the years. Speaking on the latest edition of The Kurt Angle Show, the Olympic gold medallist shared his recollections of the famous falling out.
Kurt Angle explained:
“I was there after the fight ended. I heard what occurred. Batista got there for a commercial shoot, I think it was for SummerSlam, and someone approached him and Batista said ‘Hey, when are you coming over to SmackDown because I have nobody to work with.’ Booker took that as ‘Wait a minute, I’m on SmackDown? There’s a lot of people to work with’. I think Batista was just saying because there were a lot of injuries going on and it was getting a little bare at the top and he was just trying to tell the person I’d love you to come over and work a program with you.”
“I don’t think it was anything personal against Booker T or anyone else on SmackDown. Batista said it and Booker confronted him and now the situation got hotter. Now Booker confronts Batista, makes Batista look like an idiot, Batista confronts Booker and now they end in a fight competition. The fight occurred, I got there afterward, I saw Booker T had a black eye and Batista was a little banged up and I just thought it was a big misunderstanding. I know they apologized afterward and made up and did whatever they had to do to move on, they just misunderstood each other about the whole situation. It was a shame, it didn’t have to happen.”
Ironically, Batista challenged Booker T for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2006. Batista won the match but only by disqualification, meaning Booker retained the title. Two months later the men shared a ring again for the title, this time in a four-way match including Bobby Lashley and Finlay with Booker T once again retaining.
Batista and Booker T faced off in a ‘Last Chance Match’ for Batista to dethrone Booker as World Champion at Survivor Series 2006. This time The Animal prevailed and he wrestled the title away from Booker T.