"Do you remember five of the guys that HOOK beat?" - WWE legend fires shot at AEW after Tony Khan's tweets against Jinder Mahal
A WWE legend has taken a shot at AEW and raised questions about the booking decisions of Tony Khan after the latter's recent tweets about Jinder Mahal.
In a conversation with Brad Gilmore on the Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T expressed his views on the winning streak of HOOK, debating the credibility of the highly impressive record and the lack of suitable presentation surrounding it.
The WWE Hall of Famer pointed out that only handful amount of victories picked up by the FTW Champion have been memorable, and criticized Tony Khan for not showcasing Hook's winning streak more prominently on television. This follows Khan's controversial comments regarding WWE's recent decision to book Jinder Mahal in a World Heavyweight Championship match against Seth Rollins, despite his unflattering win/loss record.
"Do you remember five of those 28 wins that HOOK had? I'm serious. Do you remember five of the guys that HOOK beat? Three of the guys HOOK beat? I don't want anyone to think I'm hating on HOOK. I don't want anyone to think, for one second, that I'm hating on HOOK. I wanna touch on Tony Khan more than anything. When I asked, ‘How many of those wins do you remember HOOK had on television?" said Booker T.
Booker also claimed that a record like Hook's would garner a lot more attention and hype in Reality of Wrestling - a promotion which he founded - than it has in AEW.
"Personally, I don’t watch a lot of AEW, but I do watch a lot of highlights from AEW, TNA, and every other organization, and I have not seen a whole lot of buzz about HOOK. There should be a hell of a lot of buzz around HOOK if he has a 28-1 record. I could be wrong. I could be wrong about that. I do know that if this kid was in Reality of Wrestling and he had a 28-1 run, he’d be near the top rung as far as people talking about him on a weekly basis," said Booker T.
Khan had taken to X to defend his booking of HOOK, who is scheduled to face Samoa Joe for the AEW World Championship on the upcoming episode of Dynamite, citing the Cold Hearted Handsome Devil's win/loss statistics. The online argument also saw the involvement of Eric Bischoff and Jinder Mahal himself, who shared a now deleted post hinting at his unfamiliarity with HOOK's work.
HOOK was last seen on Collision, where he swiftly defeated Kevin Matthews to keep his momentum going ahead of his clash against Samoa Joe.
Eric Bischoff says he "couldn't be happier" for top AEW star
WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff recently shared his views on a top star in AEW.
Speaking on Strictly Business, Bischoff praised Samoa Joe for his accomplishments in the wrestling business:
"Joe is an amazingly talented guy whose head is on so straight, I am thrilled for Joe," Bischoff added. "The fact that he's able to make what is probably a phenomenal living in a business that's very, very, very difficult to break into, kind of like breaking into rock and roll, that difficult. Maybe making it to the NFL, which is one-tenth of one percent of people who play college football, are able to achieve, wrestling is just about as difficult."
Bischoff conveyed his admiration for Joe's achievements, which are undoubtedly well-deserved when one considers the former ROH World Television Champion's contributions to the industry.
"To see someone like Joe, who has been so committed for so long, has overcome so much, I couldn't be happier," Bischoff said.
Joe, who beat MJF at World's End 2023 to win the World Championship, is set to defend the title against HOOK on the January 17 episode of Dynamite.
Can HOOK overcome Samoa Joe and win the AEW World Championship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!