I think there is no dispute that, out of all of the WCW performers that came over to the World Wrestling Federation during the “Invasion” era in 2001, Booker T was by far the most successful.
Booker was a decorated superstar by the time WCW was sold to the WWF. A ten-time WCW World Tag Team Champion with his brother Stevie Ray in Harlem Heat, a six-time Television Champion, a former United States Champion, and a four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
In fact, on the final Nitro from Panama City Beach, FL on March 26, 2001, Booker closed out the promotion simultaneously holding both the WCW World Heavyweight and United States Championships after defeating “Big Poppa Pump” Scott Steiner in a Title vs Title match.
Within months after his debut at WWF King of the Ring on June 24, 2001, Booker lost both his titles. He actually handed off his United States Championship to Chris Kanyon on July 26, 2001 due to his “performance” at Invasion being MVP quality and thus deserving of the title, and lost his WCW World Heavyweight Title twice within two months (7/26/01 to Kurt Angle & SummerSlam 2001 to The Rock).
Following a loss in a rematch against the Rock, alongside Shane McMahon in a handicap match, at the Unforgiven pay-per-view on September 23, 2001, it looked as if the five-time WCW Champion was not only on the way down the card, but he was not going to gain another championship opportunity anytime soon.
My sixteen-year old self would be wrong. On September 27, 2001, Booker T won his last WCW championship on SmackDown: the World Tag Team Titles with Test.
Who did they beat for them? The Undertaker and Kane.
How did we get here?
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The Undertaker and Kane, after years of wars with one another, finally unified as a unit, thanks to the WCW/ECW Invasion.
At the time, Undertaker was in a deeply personal rivalry with Diamond Dallas Page. DDP had revealed himself to be the stalker of the Undertaker’s then-wife Sara the week before the King of the Ring pay-per-view. Enraged, “the American Badass” wanted revenge at any cost, attacking Page at will.
After months of war throughout various WWF television programs, Undertaker and DDP would settle their war inside of a steel cage at Summerslam 2001.
However, it wouldn’t be a singles match.
On the August 9, 2001 SmackDown, the tag team scene went into complete upheaval.
First, DDP and U.S. Champ Kanyon, who were once WCW World Tag Team Champions as the Jersey Triad in 1999, defeated the APA to win the WWF Tag Team Championships, thanks to interference from Test.
Several weeks prior, Test, who was friends with Shane McMahon, was attacked by the WWF locker room on rumors he was a mole for WCW wrestlers invading. When Test was proven innocent, he decided to defect to WCW anyway, costing the APA their WWF Tag Team Titles.
Later in the night, the Undertaker and Kane defeated WCW World Tag Team Champions Sean O’Haire and Chuck Palumbo to win the titles. WWF and Alliance management decided to go for Winner Take All, with both sets of Tag Team gold on the line, at Summerslam.
In what many consider to be the most lopsided cage match in WWF history, the Brothers of Destruction destroyed DDP, and, to a lesser extent, Kanyon to hold both sets of World Tag Team Championships at the same time.
Close to a month later, on the September 17, 2001 Raw, The Dudley Boyz, thanks to WCW’s Kronik of Brian Adams and Bryan Clarke, defeated the Undertaker and Kane for the WWF Tag Team Titles. The WCW Tag Titles were not on the line.
They would be, however, defended at the Unforgiven pay-per-view, when Kronik, alongside their manager Steven Richards, lost to the B.O.D. in a match that was very controversial at the time.
A few days later on SmackDown however, Undertaker and Kane’s controversial reign would come to a conspicuous end.
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Booker T and Test were truly aligned by only one entity: Shane McMahon.
As stated earlier, Test and Shane McMahon were close friends. At one time, the most bitter of enemies, due to Test’s relationship with Shane’s sister Stephanie. The “Love Her Or Leave Her” Greenwich Street Fight at Summerslam 1999 was among one of the most violent matches during the entire Attitude Era. However, once Shane realized how strong Test and Stephanie’s love was, he let bygones-be-bygones and let the pair be together.
Even after Stephanie and Triple H became an item in December 1999, Test and Shane remained pals.
Shane’s friendship with Booker T really became strong once WCW was purchased. Shane’s belief in Booker throughout the Summer of 2001, even after losing the World Heavyweight Title to the Rock, was evident.
With Shane being the common bond between Booker T and Test, the two men joined together to attempt to take back the WCW World Tag Team Championships for the Alliance.
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This match was a high-intense brawl from the bell.
It was very fast-paced and loaded with energy. Honestly, I was shocked by the solid chemistry of Booker and Test, especially with how fluid they were as a tandem. Both men really stood toe-to-toe with the Brothers of Destruction.
Booker and Test isolated the Undertaker after a low blow from Test behind the “clueless” referee Nick Patrick’s back. Patrick, who was the head official from WCW, had been a very biased official since the Invasion began, most notably at SummerSlam during the WWF Championship match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Kurt Angle. His reputation preceded him in this match.
Eventually, Undertaker and Test neutralized each other with double big boots, and Kane made the figurative “hot tag”, taking care of business on the challengers. After a chokeslam on Test, Kane went for a cover, but “Shane-O-Mac” dragged the referee Patrick outside of the ring. Shane then showed off a bruise on his face and Patrick began to “console” him. Undertaker ran around the ring and laid a whooping down on Shane against the guardrail.
Finally, the legal men were Booker and Undertaker, as Kane and Test began brawling through the crowd. “The American Badass” accidentally Irish-whipped Booker into referee Patrick, taking him out.
Shane then handed Booker a chair. After a whole mess of shenanigans, including the WCW Owner receiving a Last Ride powerbomb, Booker gave Undertaker a steel surprise into the cranium, knocking him cold.
Three slaps of the mat from an out-of-position Patrick later, we had NEW WCW World Tag Team Champions!
The walking wounded of Shane, Booker - now holding both WCW World Tag Title belts - and Patrick carried each other to the locker room area. Subsequently, the three ended up by a stationary limousine, where Test was waiting, and all entered to party all over Dayton.
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Booker and Test would wind up losing the belts ten days later on October 8, 2001 to the Hardy Boyz on Raw, thanks to interference from the Undertaker. Weeks later on SmackDown, the duo would win the WWF Tag Team Titles from the Rock and Chris Jericho, becoming the quickest team in wrestling history to win both the WWF and WCW Tag Team Titles in thirty-five days!
(To read about that, click on this link for Hardway HQ and Jon Harder’s article on it)
Regardless, September 27, 2001 symbolized the end of an era. Booker T’s long successful WCW history culminated with a World Tag Team Title win. Even 23 years later, it still rings true in my memories.
The question needs to be asked: does Booker T’s WCW championship victories make him the most decorated performer in WCW history? I say yes.
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