WWE Hall of Famer Booker T sat down with Chris Van Vliet in Houston, Texas to discuss being an NXT announcer and why it is more fun than being on the main roster, how he got the role as a commentator, his calls getting the likes of Trick Williams and Stephanie Vaquer over, being chased by Stone Cold while playing bingo in church, The Shockmaster’s debut, the last time he did a Harlem Hangover, being challenged to a match by Trick Williams, and more!

How did you get this job to be a commentator in WWE?

“This thing goes back to WCW. It’s just one of those things where every time we were on the road overseas, I was the commentator in the back for the boys, in front of the monitor. I just would be having fun, and I would give guys different names; I would name their moves totally different names. I would just be way over the top with it, so it was just something I did to pass time, and the boys liked it. When you’re out on the road, you got to figure out a way to pass time more than anything.”

But how’d that turn into you getting the job that you have now in WWE?

“Well, when I came to WWE, same thing. I was on the road, doing commentary on the road.”

Just making the guys laugh?

“When I was wrapping my career up, Michael Cole, he came to me and he was like, ‘How would you like to start doing commentary and get on the commentary team?’ What are you talking about? I can’t do that, and he was like, ‘I think you could do it.’ I love Michael Cole. He’s always been my biggest supporter. I wouldn’t be doing commentary if it wasn’t for Michael Cole putting me on the team and trusting me for some damn reason. I would screw up so many times. One day on television I go, ‘I want to see a f*cking fight.’ I’m like, what the hell? I didn’t mean for that to come out. Cole goes, ‘What did you just say?’ I go, What did I just say? I didn’t even realize I said it. And the thing is, I knew I would be screwing up.

But he would still keep trusting me, I just didn’t understand it, and a lot of times I was like I just know they’re gonna take me off the team sooner or later. Sooner or later, that day came for me. I was doing SmackDown, I was doing Raw, and then they came to me one day and they go ‘Book, we’re gonna take you off commentary, but we’re gonna leave you on the kickoff show. It’s nothing wrong or anything like that.’ I go guys, I was gonna come talk to you guys about it. I was so happy that day. Graves thought I was crazy because they took me off the team, and I was so happy because I just knew I wasn’t ready for that. I knew I wasn’t. Then they end up putting me back on again, and they end up taking me off again. But then the NXT gig [came along].”

You being on NXT looks like you’re just having the time of your life!

“You know what? I always tell the story of when I was doing commentary my first time around under the Vince regime, and he came into my ear and he goes, ‘Hey, Book, say “much to his chagrin. Much to his chagrin.”‘ I didn’t even know what that meant. First of all, chagrin? I’m thinking about the chin area. I’m just saying, and I look at the camera, got those little cameras that’s looking at us. I knew if I said that, all my street cred would have been gone. So I couldn’t really be myself on Raw and SmackDown. But when I came to NXT, Shawn Michaels was just like, ‘Just be you. Whatever you want to do, just do it.’ I remember after the first night I did commentary in NXT, and I came back through the curtain. Shawn goes, ‘Man, I don’t know what you were saying, but I liked it.’ So I was like, Oh man, I love this. So being able to be down there in NXT, it’s so refreshing to be myself. But it’s really, really cool also because I used to be one of those kids, and I know about making mistakes. When I see them make mistakes, I can call it out. I can critique them from a certain disposition, as opposed to the guys on the main roster. I see the guys on the main roster making mistakes. It’s a little bit harder to critique them because they’re supposed to be pros. They’re supposed to have everything, but with the young guys, they’re still learning. So that’s why for me it’s so refreshing. As well as I get a chance to work with them hands-on. I’m a teacher at heart. I love teaching and explaining and trying to get you to understand. You know what chess is all about, because you just can’t run into a chess game and start moving pieces. You gotta really strategize if you want to be really, really good at chess.”

I loved when you were feuding with Stone Cold and you did the bingo. What do you remember from that day?

“I remember everything from that. I remember even the suit I had on. I had the store here called Jam Zone, where we sold CDs, clothing items from New York, and I had this brown outfit. I remember that’s why I got it from New York warehouse district. I don’t know, maybe 30,40, bucks, but it looked good. It looked sharp. But I remember having so much fun doing those skits. I remember just totally going into a totally different mode. I was watching some earlier today actually, and it was just me doing a skit talking about a movie role that I was auditioning for, and it was about The Rock. I was trying to remember it. I was like, I don’t even remember this, but it was so stupid. It was so funny and that’s what I got a chance to do. Like with the bingo stuff, with the old lady, the bait and switch, and it just was stupid.”

Do you think you have another match in you? Because Trick Williams has called you out a few different times.

“You know, I don’t know what’s wrong with these young guys. I guess people calling out Mike Tyson, people calling out Floyd [Mayweather]. I know I’m one of those legends too. People wanna call me out, tried to piggyback my career, try to get some brownie points. But my thing is, can I do it? Perhaps. But I’ve scratched every itch as far as the wrestling thing goes, and you know, just like tonight, we got Summer Champions 12 going down in the building. So much young talent that’s under my expert tutelage, trying to get to that next level. I’m so focused and dialed into that. I don’t have anything to prove, but don’t get it twisted. If I had to do something, don’t think I won’t put the boots back on and step back in and slap somebody around a little bit. That easily could be done. The thing is, I still do that on a daily basis. Just never say never.”