Veteran admits he tried convincing WWE about having Triple H lose to a top star at WrestleMania
Triple H has competed in several WrestleMania classics, but his match against Booker T at WrestleMania 19 is certainly not amongst them. Brian Gewirtz has revealed that he pushed for Booker T to defeat Triple H before WWE officials came up with a different plan for the match.
While speaking to AdFreeShows, the former WWE writer stated that he genuinely wanted The Game to lose as it was a logical decision from a storyline standpoint:
"I would say, and I'm certainly not the only one that has been advocating for this, but I was a big proponent; I really wanted to see Booker T beat Triple H at WrestleMania 19," recalled Brian Gewirtz. [1:01:11 - 1:01:20]
The heated rivalry heading into WrestleMania is unfortunately remembered for all the wrong reasons. While the match itself failed to live up to expectations, the racially-motivated angles during the build-up were also heavily criticized by fans.
Brian Gewirtz felt that Booker T going over the Cerebral Assassin would have been the perfect end to an otherwise controversial and mismanaged feud. Gewirtz explained the heel-babyface dynamic and stated that WWE could have told a better story with a triumphant Booker T.
"You know that angle, in and of itself, there are a lot of things to dissect and talk about when it comes to that angle," added Gewirtz. "But as far as the result is concerned, I really wanted to see Booker win, partially from working with him so closely. Secondly, it seemed to be the right culmination of that angle. You're talking about a babyface who is overcoming the odds and, you know, fighting like the big bad of WWE at the time." [1:02:11 - 1:02:36]
Brian Gewirtz on Booker T vs. Triple H not getting the spotlight at WrestleMania 19
WrestleMania 19 is a top 3 WrestleMania of all time in my opinion. https://t.co/MhbKnuTHBS
While the WWE Hall of Famers battled for one of the two world titles at WrestleMania 19, their match wasn't the most attractive option in the star-studded lineup.
The event featured a street fight between Mr. McMahon and Hulk Hogan, Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship, and The Rock & Steve Austin's final WrestleMania clash.
Brian Gewirtz noted that Booker T and Triple H's grudge match got buried under other prominent moments. He even revealed details of a production meeting before the show and the discussions regarding the match's outcome, as you can view below:
"I remember at the time; the feeling was backstage; when you talk about the producer's meeting, it wasn't like, you know, 'Triple H is better than Booker, so Triple H needs to win.' It was, 'In the totality of the show, we had two champions at the time, and Brock is going over Kurt. And then the other huge seismic thing is Mr. McMahon vs. Hulk Hogan match with Roddy doing a run-in and everything else," continued the wrestling veteran. "And if you also have, you know, Booker and Triple H weren't positioned as the last match of the show; it wasn't the main event even though they say there are a lot of main events." [ 1:02:55 - 1:03:26]
Did WWE make a big mistake by having HHH go over Booker T at WrestleMania 19? Sound off in the comments section below.
If any quotes are used from this article, please credit AdFreeShows.com and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription.