Byte This! 10/12/01
Source: themayhem.com

Friday, October 12, 2001
Hosts: Kevin Kelly and Howard Finkel
Guest: Booker T
Report by: Kevin Gregg of PowerWrestling.com

Welcome everyone, welcome to WWF Byte This!, Live from WWF.com! Kevin Kelly and Howard Finkel kick off the show, and Kevin says that the toughest question for Out Think the Fink would be to figure out the words to the Byte This! opening song. That's a horrible song, it's gotta go! Kevin Kelly talks about the happenings in the past week, and there's a lot of things going on, and they can't wait to talk to the man. Booker T. There will be some Classic Booker T moments this week. Kevin asks Howard about some moments from this past week. Kurt Angle and Stone Cold had the chance to put some time in on Monday, and Howard says that the match was pay per view quality, plus. The time that they put in was extraordinary. The twist and the turn with William Regal added the icing to the cake. Howard thinks that William Regal will fit in better with the Alliance, than he has in the WWF. Kevin hopes that Regal doesn't get lost in the shuffle, because he's got a lot of talent.

Rock and Chris Jericho. Kevin says that we saw Chris nail The Rock with the chair, and RVD went over. Conflict in the trainer's room. Who was right, and who was wrong? Howard says that he doesn't know what was right from wrong. Howard thinks that both guys have their beliefs. They were both right, and wrong in what they did. What's going to happen is that we're all going to be the winners come No Mercy. Kevin says that Shane McMahon hit Chris Jericho with a low verbal blow when he called Jericho a choke artist. Kevin wrote a column, addressing Jericho, whether or not he is a choke artist. Critics will agree that he is, but will it turn out to be a wake up call for Y2J? He'll challenge The Rock for the WCW Championship at No Mercy, and this is the chance for Chris Jericho to break through and capture a World Title. Howard says that people say that good things come in threes. We have Kurt / Austin, Rock and Jericho, and Rob Van Dam is thrown into the mix.

Howard would like to see how many WWF or Alliance have catapulted this quickly into a pay per view. Kevin asks if it's too much too soon for Rob Van Dam, and Howard says that he doesn't think so. RVD is pretty cool with everybody in the back. Rob is very intense on what he wants to do in the ring, with the stretching and yoga, but he's laid back in the backstage area. Droz joins the show, and they start off by talking about football. They talk about wrestling, and Kevin says that a lot of people are surprised that Stone Cold got the victory, and it took a lot to do it, including help from William Regal. After Austin pinned Kurt, he was staring at him, almost looking at him, to make sure he was still. It was like he killed the prey, and he wanted to make sure he was dead. Droz says that we've seen in the past, no matter what has happened to Kurt, he's always gotten back up. This caught Droz totally off guard. Droz has enjoyed Regal in there, but now we get this big swerve. Austin had his time off, and he had a plan laid out.

Kevin asks Droz if Chris Jericho is a choke artist? Droz says that he doesn't believe that at all. He hasn't won the main title yet, but time and time again, we've seen him win title after title. He's one of the top guys. Howard asks if he's snake bit? He always seems to get near the finish line, but he can't press it over. Droz says that it's going to take some time for Chris Jericho to get to the big one. Kevin reads an Instant Message, and it says that Chris Jericho needs the Fink. Howard says that was then, and this is now. He's doing Byte This!, now. Howard asks Droz about Rob Van Dam. Howard made a mention that he's ascended pretty darn quick, like Kurt Angle. What does Droz think of the success of Rob Van Dam, being in the main event? Droz says that it's a position he should be in. He's been around for years, and for the WWF fans, it's a great boost for them to see this. Every time he steps into that ring, we are getting a treat to see him out there. Now, we are seeing him in a Triple Threat match, in the main event. It's great for him, and for the fans, because we know it's going to be a great main event.

Kevin Kelly talks about the Madison Square Garden show this Sunday, and the Superstars will be visiting Ground Zero. As a WWF Superstar, what does Droz think will be going through their minds as they visit the sight of the biggest tragedy of American History? Droz says that it's going to be heavy on their hearts to see it, but it's going to be good for them to go down there and meet the true heroes. These rescue workers are true heroes, and the others working down there. To meet with them, and talk with them and lift spirits, it's going to be great for both sides. It'll help the WWF guys out, to give them a sense of something they can do to help out. Howard says tomorrow night, they are going to venture down to Atlantic City in Droz's stomping grounds on the boardwalk. Hopefully they'll get to see Droz. Droz says that he might try to swing down there to see what's going on. Kevin says that if you had to pick a winner in the match at No Mercy, is it Stone Cold Steve Austin's time to keep the gold, or is Kurt Angle more focused and driven than we've ever seen? What about Rob Van Dam?

Droz says that he thinks that Austin's reign is going to be very short, this time. Week in and week out, everything that he does to Rob Van Dam by putting him down, Rob is going to sneak up and take this away from Austin and Angle. They are going to be too focused on each other, and Rob can come out ahead. Howard says it could be very interesting, and the city of St. Louis is a city that's rich in wrestling tradition. Howard would imagine that Austin, Angle and Rob Van Dam aren't going to disappoint in the city of the arch. It should be a very interesting confrontation to say the least. Howard tells Droz that tonight's guest on Byte This! is Booker T. He has a match against the Undertaker at No Mercy. What are Droz's thoughts, and what chance does he have against the Undertaker? Droz says that anybody has a great chance at any time, but the Undertaker has pulled out one big win after another. Who is going to help Booker T out? When Booker T came to the WWF, Droz was excited to see him.

It's a great task at hand for him, and if he can pull out a win over the Undertaker, that would be a big notch on his belt. Kevin says that they'll get more of Droz's thoughts and predictions on No Mercy next week. Droz leaves the show, and as always, you can read his column on the commentary section on WWF.com, each and every week. It will be great to see Droz, and all the boys will be looking forward to that. Right now, it's time to vote on a classic clip.

* Wins the WWF Tag Team Titles
* Debut with WCW in June of 2001
* Pinfall victory over Kurt Angle at Invasion
* Booker Wee on RAW in August of 2001

If you want to vote: bytethis@wwf.com. Now it's time for Out Think the Fink. The winner will receive a Booker T T-shirt, courtesy of Shopzone. Howard says that if you followed the career of Booker T with WCW, and then when he joined the Alliance, point blank: Who trained Booker T to get into the wrestling industry. Hint: He is a WWF Hall of Famer. If you know the answer, bytethis@wwf.com!

Kevin Kelly says that Tazz was once again victorious on Smackdown!, and he joins the show. Tazz seems miserable, and it's raining in the Hook. It's miserable. Kevin says isn't that a normal day? Tazz says that it's just miserable on his block. Kevin and Tazz talk about Tazz's commentary, and he said something that didn't make sense, but it was good. Kevin asks Tazz his thoughts on going against Maven, two weeks in a row. Did Tazz notice a difference in Maven, the second time around? Tazz says that he's a pretty cool kid. Throughout the day, he's nervous, but when it's go time, he gets his game face on. That's why Tazz is positive about his future. He was relaxed in the ring on Smackdown!. A couple minor things went wrong during the match, and he was talked to about that. They are getting to watch him grow. Eventually, he'll master his craft at a lower level. Tazz thinks that Maven can eventually be a player at the WWF level. Kevin asks Tazz when Maven is going to get some gear? Tazz laughs, saying that Maven is broke. Tazz says that he thinks he might have a pair of old boots that might fit him.

Tazz says that he doesn't know how Maven wrestles in running sneakers. He's used to it. Kevin tells Tazz that someone on the Instant Messenger wishes Tazz a Happy Birthday, and he wants to know if Numbers is out of the pen, yet? Tazz says that they shipped Numbers to Idaho. Dirty Frank and Fat Louie are trying to work on making bail for him. Howard asks Tazz how the talent is accepting Maven, compared to the first week? Tazz says that he wasn't at RAW. For some reason, it seemed like everybody was real busy on Tuesday, as far as Tuesday. Nobody even realized he was there. Everybody was real busy doing a lot of stuff, and he didn't see anything go on. He was out doing commentary, so if anybody did something backstage to him, he doesn't know. Kevin says that he knows in the past where Tazz has been knocked down, and people thought that Tazz couldn't be on commentary anymore. They figured that since he was wrestling one match, he could finish the show. Kevin says that his ears couldn't take another moment of Paul Heyman. Tazz says that he thinks that Heyman is a pleasure to listen to!

Howard asks about Al Snow being out there, and Tazz says that Al did a good job out there. He was telling the story the right way. Tazz took advantage of Maven, and that's what he does. He's a miserable hump. Just visit any web site out there, they know it all. Kevin asks Tazz his thoughts on the No Mercy main event. Tazz says not talking in character, it's not like Stone Cold has to keep up with anybody. These guys have to keep up with him. Kurt knows how Austin goes in that ring. Steve is a machine in there, and he doesn't think that most of the fans realize that. That guy goes, 100 miles an hour, the whole match. Tazz has been in the ring with all of them, and Kurt is a machine, he can go. Rob has a different style than both of those guys. He can go, too. Non stop, but Tazz feels that those two guys are going to have to keep up with Austin. Austin will set the pace, and it will be a hot and heavy, vicious pace. Kevin says that they were glad that they got to put some time into Monday's match, and they told a good story. Kevin talks about the Madison Square Garden show on Sunday, and Howard says that it's always cool for Tazz to get back to his home turf and do his thing.

Prior to the show, a number of them are going to be visiting the firehouses, and some other things are planned, as it relates to thanking and saluting the true heroes of the horrible incident that took place last month. Tazz was one of the first to volunteer to be there. Tazz says that a bunch of guys are going to be at one of the fire houses. He's not sure which one he'll be at. There's going to be groups of four or five talents at about five or six fire houses throughout the New York City area. After that, they'll shoot to the Garden and put on an afternoon show, which will be awesome. Howard says that people that lost loved ones will be the guests at the Garden, and it's going to be tremendous. Kevin says that a lot of stars will be making their way over to WWF New York for the after Garden party on Heat. Tazz knows a lot about Heat, he got the show off the ground. How does Cole stay there forever? The three joke about it, and Howard says it must be the food. Tazz says that he misses doing Heat. Howard asks Tazz what he's going to say next week, after there's no baseball in New York? Tazz says it's a shame. The Yankees are becoming just another victim!

Howard says that Tazz will be working to come up with something great for next week. Tazz says that Tales from the Hook is the greatest segment in the history of the Internet. He sits around in front of a TV, thinking of what he can talk about on Byte This!. They take a look at the footage from this past Monday night, and they had a plan. You could see Regal tell Austin to put his hands on his head, and when Austin put his hands on his head, it was time for Kurt Angle to go down, and he went down, losing the World Wrestling Federation Title. Howard says that he thinks the battle and the war has just begun between those two. Kevin talks about No Mercy, and their guest on Byte This! is going to have a tremendous challenge when he goes against the Undertaker. It will be two Houston guys slugging it out, and Booker T says it will be a lot of fun. He's going to prove a point to the WWF and WCW fans who have turned their backs on him. He's going to prove a point by taking the number one guy in the WWF down, and it's going to be a great night for Booker T.

Kevin says that he thinks it's been a search for respect for Booker T. Is he getting that respect, and is he happy with the way things are going? Booker T says that he's totally happy. As for the respect, it's above and beyond. He's beaten just about everybody he's been put against, but he's still received nothing but boos and shuns from the crowd. Right now, he's bitter, but he has a point to prove, not only to the fans, but to himself. Howard asks Booker T about teaming up with Test. In WCW, he teamed up with his brother to form Harlem Heat. Compare teaming with Stevie Ray with Test? Booker T says there is no comparison. Stevie Ray is his brother. That's blood. Stevie thinks like Booker T does. He and Test are good friends. They make a good unit, but it'll take a whole lot more time for he and Test to become as good as Harlem Heat, probably the greatest tag team of all time. Kevin asks Booker T who he has been hanging out with since coming here. Booker T says that he and Test have a lot in common. Test has been with the WWF for quite some time, and he's still not getting the just due that he deserves.

Right now, they have a common bond, and they are trying to make everything work for each other. They are T n T. Booker T and Test. Dynamite! As far as hanging with anybody, Booker T pretty much hangs alone. Kevin talks about the pre tapes in the WWF and WCW, what's it like? Booker T says that in the WWF, they don't do anything second rate. First class all the way. Doing the pre tapes with the WWF is so much more intense and so much more real. It shows when the product hits the air. Booker T says it's a great change. There's no back stabbing in the locker room. As much as you put into it, that's as much as you're going to get back. Kevin says that the APA are known for a lot of ribbing, and Booker T says that he had a couple go down on him, and Howard tells a story about Mobile. They were in Jacksonville on a Saturday night, and they boarded a plane in Atlanta with 6 fire fighters. They were called up to New York to aid and assist to clean up, and they were on their way back to Mobile. They caught up with them on the plane, and everybody had a great chat with them.

They get into the air port, and Howard and Booker T were walking, and they were ahead of everything. Camera crews were there to welcome back the fireman, and there were some employees that recognized Booker T. These employees see Booker T coming off, and they yell "OH MY GOD, IT'S BOOKER T!" The camera men shot over to Booker T and caught him, and they might not have gotten the fireman. Booker T says that he wasn't trying to steal the spotlight. The firemen are the true heroes. It just goes to show you the power of WWF TV, how well known you become. Kevin Kelly lets Booker T know about the Classic Booker T moment, and Booker Wee on RAW is in the lead with 50%. Booker T says that goes to show you that the fans have no respect for The Book. It ain't right, and something is going to be done about it at No Mercy. As far as everyone having a good laugh at the expense of The Book, it's going to come to an end in just a couple of days. Kevin says that in April, the WWF was in Booker T's hometown with Wrestlemania. Booker T was at home on the sidelines. What was that like for Booker T, being that they were so close, yet so far? Booker T says that he was going through a contract dispute at that time.

It wasn't a good time for him, because he would have loved to be at the Astrodome in front of the fans. It was a bittersweet moment, knowing that he was so close to the WWF, and not able to be there. He couldn't even be in the audience. He sat at home and watched it, and it was a great show, and he promised himself that he would as hard as he possibly could to not only be at the next Wrestlemania, but to be in the main event. That's his goal. Kevin says that Booker T took a tremendous salary cut. He took a lot less money to free himself from Time Warner. Any regrets? Booker T says that he has no regrets. He always looks at the money side of this business as just being a bonus. He loves being in front of the crowd, and he feels that it's always been like a snowball effect in this business, just getting bigger and bigger. He knows the money will come back to him in ten fold, because that's the kind of person he is. Kevin asks Booker T his thoughts on Shane as an in ring performer before he got to hang with him, and then his thoughts of seeing him up close and personal.

Booker T says that before he ever met Shane, he watched him on TV. He always thought he was kind of crazy. Daring, and always putting his body on the line. He thought that with Vince, too. Now meeting Shane, he has a true passion for the game. The sport of professional wrestling. He loves what he does, and Booker T respects him for that. Kevin asks Booker T which he enjoys more. Being a heel or a babyface? Booker T says that he pretty much goes with the flow. As a babyface, you have to work a whole lot harder. You have to keep the fans excited. Being a heel, you can put on cruise control. One or the other, he just loves performing. They go to a caller for Booker T, and the caller asks Booker T, of every Federation he's been in, which has he had his best match with? Booker T says that it would have to be in WCW, the best of 7 with Chris Benoit. No doubt. Kevin says that a lot of people always have Chris Benoit at the top of their list. What did Chris Benoit do to bring out the best in Booker T? Booker T says his relentlessness. He's a true wrestler in every sense of that word.

For Booker T and Chris Benoit, their chemistry was great. Booker T always wants to have a great match like Ricky Steamboat and Randy Savage. Chris Benoit is a great worker, and he's probably one of the top three workers in this business. Kevin says that Chris Benoit doesn't stop. He just keeps going, and Booker T says that he's surprised to see Chris Benoit on the sidelines now, because he never stops. They go to another caller for Booker T, and the caller asks Booker T what he thinks about guys like Sting, or Goldberg? Guys that haven't had their contracts bought out, yet. Booker T says that they have their reasons as to why they are doing what they are doing. Booker T's personal opinion is that the guys that are sitting on the sidelines are the ones that don't want to work for this business. Kevin asks Booker T his thoughts after his match with Buff Bagwell. Was he afraid that there was going to be some negative fallout towards him? Booker T says that he knew it was going to fall out on him one way or another. One thing that he's realized about the WWF is that it's about opportunity.

That was a great match for him by no means, but just by looking at it and by everybody knowing Booker T's reputation, everybody knows it wasn't Booker T's fault. Booker T wasn't doing his thing. He was glad that he was able to come out the following week with Page and redeem himself, and then with Kurt Angle. The rest was history. Howard lets Booker T know of the Out Think the Fink question, and Howard asks Booker T who he enjoyed watching. Did he used to go to the Sam Houston coliseum? Booker T says to be honest, he watched wrestling as a kid, but he wasn't one of those kids like a lot of the guys in the business. He didn't want to be a wrestler all his life. He came up in a single parent household. His days were about getting through day by day. He never thought about that as a kid. But he always liked it, and he felt like he was made for it, because he was always theatrical as a kid. Kevin asks Booker T what he saw himself doing, growing up? Booker T says that he never dreamed like a lot of kids. He always felt like he had a path that you're going to take no matter what and he let life carry him to where he is today.

They go to a caller for Booker T, and the caller says that he's been a fan of Booker T's for quite some time. Does he had any advice for anybody getting involved in wrestling as far as fitness and the business in general? Booker T says that you have to be in the best shape as possible. He's pretty beat up after 10 years, but getting in the gym on a regular basis and preparing yourself to do this on a regular basis, that's important. On the money aspect of it, if you plan on being a rich man by getting into wrestling, that's the wrong reason to get into it. Kevin mentions Maven, and he asks Booker T his thoughts on Tough Enough, and what are Maven's chances of being successful? Booker T says that the show was totally real. It takes a person with a lot of heart and dedication to make it, and Maven seems like he has that. Maven will do okay. Maven is a pretty boy, and he's somebody good to just beat on and rag tag. Kevin asks Booker T, since winning the WCW Title for the first time, how has the direction of his career changed? Booker T says that it's gone totally the way he can only have wished for. WCW was at it's lowest time when Booker T won the title.

The ratings in Booker T's segments were up, and that made him feel pretty good. That let him know that people were watching. The night that he won that title in Florida, it was an unbelievable feeling for him to get that win. Everybody in the building raised the roof, to let him know that he finally made it. Like he said, he's a snowball, and he's just going to keep getting bigger and bigger. They go to a caller, and the caller asks Booker T about working with The Rock? Booker T says that he feels good about it, but he feels that there's so much more to come with that. The Book is still opened on The Rock. The best hasn't been seen by a long shot with The Book and The Rock. Kevin asks Booker T how his brother is doing, and Booker T says that his brother is doing pretty good. Everybody is wondering about him, and Booker T says to stay tuned. Don't count Stevie Ray out. He might need some help some time, and who better to help Booker T than Stevie Ray? It's time to give the answer to Out Think the Fink. Howard asks the question, and he asks Booker T for some insight as well. When Booker T got involved in the wrestling business, who trained him and broke him in?

Booker T says that the person who trained Booker T, the man who came to the ring with the big cowboy hat. The man with the sideburns. The man is Cowboy Scott Casey. Howard says that's correct, and they have a winner. Kevin leaves the set, because he thought he knew the answer, but he was wrong. Kevin says that he's getting his resume put together, and he'll enjoy managing kinkos. Kevin says that he read somewhere that Booker T went to Ivan Putski's school! The have a winner to the question, and everybody on the Instant Messenger says that Kevin Kelly is fired! Kevin thanks Booker T for his time, and it's going to be a great contest with Booker T against the Undertaker. Booker T says that he appreciates everything. Be cool. Booker T leaves the show, and Howard says that he's such a hard worker. Kevin says that he had read somewhere that it was Putski, and he reads about it, so he can try to feel smart with Out Think the Fink. Other than that, he has no clue! Kevin Kelly and Howard Finkel run down some Live Events for the next couple of weeks.

Howard mentions the benefit card for Yokozuna. Of course, Yokozuna, one of the great Superstars in the WWF was taken away from us last year. It's a loss that we still feel. For his size, he was one of the greats. In November, there will be a Yokozuna Benefit Memorial Show. There are going to be any number of matches, featuring any number of Superstars. In the upcoming weeks, we'll be hearing the Superstars that will be attending. Rikishi is scheduled to be there. The Rock, the APA and some others. They may not be wrestling, but they will be there to support. Kevin says it's a great family atmosphere. If you're anywhere in the area, you'll have a great blast. They invite you in like you're one of their own. If you ever get the opportunity to see any of the shows that Afa puts out, especially this one, it's going to be for a great cause. It's time for the Classic Booker T moment, and 64% voted for Booker Wee. Big Country comes on the show, and Kevin jokes about Big Country's mom being hot. B.C. says his mom is like 48. Kevin says that he has some single friends! On another note, Big Country pointed out that he's 24 years old. Okay, time to go to the clip. Next week's guest on Byte This! will be the Hurricane!