Booker T Denies Initiating 2006 Batista Fight

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has addressed a long-standing backstage altercation with Dave Batista from 2006, denying recent claims that he initiated the fight while Batista was injured and emphasizing that he wants no part in being portrayed as a bully.

The incident occurred during preparations for SummerSlam in Los Angeles, where Booker T and Batista, then known as The Animal, engaged in a physical scuffle stemming from personal tensions and what Booker described as a simple testosterone-fueled clash between men. Speaking on the January 12 episode of his podcast, The Hall of Fame with Booker T and Brad Gilmore, the five-time WCW Champion recounted the event as a brief, non-serious confrontation that has been misrepresented in recent discussions. He clarified that he did not start the fight and was unaware of any injury on Batista's part, calling the suggestion an unfair characterization that surfaced only years later.

"I saw a video of him, and he said that the guy chose to pick a fight with me when I was injured," Booker T said on the podcast. "And I go, 'Wow. Man, that's just not fair. Man, it's just not fair. First of all, I didn't pick a fight with anybody, and I definitely...