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Entry #574
Triple H (c) vs. Booker T
for the World Heavyweight Championship
WWE WrestleMania XIX - March 30, 2003
Triple H (c) vs. Booker T
for the World Heavyweight Championship
WWE WrestleMania XIX - March 30, 2003
So yeah... today's theme is RACISM! And when it comes to horribly racist WWE world title matches, this has to be right up there. Along with Jinder vs. Shinsuke, which we already covered. Booker T got a World Title shot, and Triple H responded to that by being a massive racist. "People like you don't get to be champs, now get my bags and dance for me" ughhhhhhh. And that culminated in a Triple H main event match! Those are always delightful and never boring slogs to watch! I'm ECSTATIC to be doing this!
Champ out first. Lawler compliments HHH on being reserved and well-mannered, which I can't not read as dripping with racial undertones given the context of this match. Lock-ups to start us off, then both guys take it in turns to do chops. HHH tries to go up top but Booker tosses him off. Guess he learned a lot more from Ric Flair than we thought. TO THE OUTSIDE for some BOTO, and to let Booker and Flair have a bit of a staredown. OVW Rope Running Thing ends in a Booker lariat for two. Booker ends up on the apron and eats ring post. HHH is gassed already. It's the most limited brawly shit while Lawler says "ha ha Booker went to prison". How many racists are in this match?? Booker rallies but eats a spinebuster for two.
HHH hits a corner clothesline that Booker does a nice spinny sell for. HHH tries a suplex but takes a DDT. Booker's face looks like he's going to his Spinaroonie place. He does his stuff with a spinning kick and forearm for two. HHH slaps on a sleeper, Booker gets him in the turnbuckle but eats a high knee. Booker hits HHH with a spinebuster of his own. HHH to the top rope again but flies into a side kick for two. Booker goes for the scissors kick twice but gets sent over the top rope.
Time for the inevitable Ric Flair Interference, which sees Booker's knee hit on the steps. And so HHH puts on an Indian Deathlock for a bit. At least he's not using a chinlock as a rest hold, he's actually working the body part. I feel later HHH would have just gone for a Generic Rest Hold there. Booker eventually gets a rope break. HHH now works that leg on the ropes. Booker can't even run off an Irish whip. HHH tries for a leg-trapped back suplex but Booker rolls him up for two. HHH teases a Pedigree, Booker drops off but HHH kicks Booker into the ref. Booker gets another roll-up. Booker gets a back elbow and scissors kick, but can't capitalise because of the bad leg.
Booker goes up top, fights off Flair and HHH, and hits the goddamn HARLEM HANGOVER! That's a move you never really saw from him after a certain point, when he became a WCW singles star. No pin because Flair puts HHH's foot on the rope. Booker collapses on the ropes, HHH hits a Pedigree, slow crawls, puts the arm over surely Booker will kick out... no. Three. HHH retains. And by my count, it was 23 seconds between the Pedigree impacting the mat and HHH draping the arm. So, not only did the racist win and Booker prove that people like him don't get to be champion... bur he was easily beaten. And by wrestling logic, that means racism is right. Great message, WWE. No wonder this company was dying in 2003.
Typically soporific HHH main event, married to truly abhorrent booking.