Booker T explains the differences between doing commentary on the main roster and NXT.
When Booker stepped away from the ring on a full-time basis in 2001, he transitioned into being a color commentator for the main roster. He didn’t last long in the position, becoming the general manager for a bit and then an analyst for shows.
In 2022, he became the full-time color commentator for NXT, a role he continues to this day.
“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.”‘ 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,” Booker said about his role on commentary while speaking to Chris Van Vliet on Insight.
Booker works alongside Vic Joseph on NXT.
Elsewhere during the interview, Booker reflected on his WrestleMania match with Triple H. You can find his full comments here.
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