Booker T won't watch AEW after gummy bear spot at Forbidden Door

WWE Hall of Famer Booker T said he will not watch All Elite Wrestling after a viral spot at the AEW x NJPW Forbidden Door pay per view, telling listeners on his Hall of Fame podcast that the gummy bear stunt during the Lights Out Steel Cage main event epitomized why he rejects the promotion. The incident, in which The Young Bucks emptied a bag onto the ring and sold gummy bears as if they were dangerous thumbtacks, was described on the show and circulated widely on social media following the event.

Booker T said he had not watched the pay per view and that he has never watched a full AEW show, although he has seen clips online. "I've said it before. AEW is trying to change the way people look at professional wrestling," he told cohost Brad Gilmore, according to podcast audio. "No, I didn't watch it. That right there is perhaps one of the reasons I would not watch an AEW show." Gilmore had narrated the gummy bear spot to Booker T, informing him the performers had "sold" the spot and even put the candy in their mouths. Booker responded with disbelief and used the moment to argue AEW does not deliver the emotional resonance he expects from the medium.