WWE.com has posted a photo of Booker T with a black eye, along with the following:
Booker T sets the record straight
May 9, 2006
“It was simply about respect, that’s all.” Booker T, sporting a swollen left eye, commenting exclusively to WWE.com about the bloody and brutal fight he had with former World Heavyweight Champion Batista on the set of the SummerSlam commercial Monday in Encino, Calif. It took a number of SmackDown Superstars to pull Batista and Booker T off one another in a fight that lasted at least five minutes. “I’m not going to say anything else about it. The fight had to do with respect,” says Booker.
“I have no ill will toward Dave, but I feel like he doesn’t know the history of the business that’s all. Maybe he should study the history. There’s a lot of us who paved the way in this business for men like Batista,” says Booker. “When I started, guys like Greg Gagne, Dusty Rhodes, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and countless others were in WCW. I walked in the locker room and had to earn their respect. It took me 16 long years, but I earned it. Respect isn’t a right, it’s a privilege.”
When asked if the two men have buried the hatchet, Booker T pointedly says, “We’ll never be friends. We’ll never exchange Christmas cards. But I will work with Dave in the ring like nothing ever happened. It’s not about us, it’s about the company and more importantly it’s about entertaining the fans. I’ll never do anything to hurt our product.”
WWE.com is attempting to reach Batista for more on this situation.
As of this posting, PWInsider.com has not been able to confirm if this is a worked storyline or real-life situation. We’ll have more on this as information is available from other sources.
