Swerve Strickland’s recent comments during an interview on Vlad TV have ignited discussions across the wrestling community, prompting a direct and impassioned response from WWE Hall of Famer Booker T.

In the interview, Strickland referenced the infamous 2005 WWE segment involving Vince McMahon using the N-word in a backstage skit featuring Booker T. Strickland questioned the fairness of that moment and broader issues of representation within WWE.

“That’s not what happened when Vince [McMahon] said the n-word in front of you. That’s not being treated fair, my opinion,” Strickland said. “To that statement, it’s not even what I’m saying; I’m saying what people are saying. I’m saying what your audience is saying. So it’s not just me just talking out of my ass out of nowhere. It’s what your audience has been complaining about for the better part of two, three years from not seeing Black talent even getting singles matches on PLEs and stuff like that. Now, those guys are on socials more. They talk back and forth with the fans a little bit more, so you can’t ignore that anymore.”

In response, Booker T addressed the matter on the latest episode of his Hall of Fame podcast. He shared that he encountered Strickland the previous weekend and personally expressed his disappointment with how Strickland handled the situation. He also disclosed that Vlad TV had previously approached him for an interview, which he declined.

Booker T accused the platform of manipulating Strickland and trying to stir up drama between them for views and engagement. He firmly defended his career and accomplishments, pushing back against the notion that there is a lack of representation.

“I hear people like Swerve Strickland talk about there’s not a lot of black representation on the PLEs these days. Well, damn it, I didn’t have to worry about that in my day, I was on all of them. I was on all of the pay-per-views, alright? I was main eventing some of them as well. I don’t know what the hell he is talking about as far as that goes,” Booker stated. “Maybe it’s a drop-off as far as talent, maybe guys need to work up to my level and really think about themselves in a position and say, ‘Hey man, let’s forget about this black thing and let’s throw it all in and see how good we are.’ Let’s do it the way I did, alright? We ain’t got to start nothing on social media or nothing like that, let’s just see how good we are. I could have sank all the way to the bottom in WWE, just like so many others did. So many of them. More importantly, most of those guys are white guys, I’m just say. It’s about how talented I was. As far as he is, it’s about how talented he is. It’s about how talented every other black person that gets what they get. Don’t just throw a tag on them because they’re black. It’s ridiculous. For him to speak on something like that and make it about that because he had a bad experience, bro, that’s like painting everybody the same way. I don’t see it that way. I don’t put myself in the category with everybody else. I just don’t.”

Booker T went on to say that while Strickland never outright admitted to being manipulated by Vlad TV, his silence on the matter spoke volumes.

“I can tell you this: he never said that he didn’t get played. He never said that and that right there spoke volumes to me. It’s not really about what he said, I just wanted to let him know how disappointed I was in him. I just wanted to let him know how disappointed I was in him for going out there.”

Closing out his thoughts, Booker T reiterated his stance on the original skit from 2005, emphasizing once again that he does not view it through a racial lens.

“I’ve said it a thousand times out of one thousand times, I don’t think the skit with Vince McMahon and John Cena was a racial issue with me. I just don’t. Take it for what it’s worth.”