10 Most Successful Outsiders In WWE History
8. Booker T
Booker T had one of the most memorable tag team runs in wrestling history with his older brother, Stevie Ray, and their amazing manager, Sherri Martel. As Harlem Heat, the tandem made their mark in an industry where African American performers are often overlooked and overshadowed - especially in a company with strong southern roots like WCW. Harlem Heat won the WCW World Tag Team Championships a record ten times over the course of their career, and Booker T was destined to be one of the greatest tag team wrestlers to ever live. Hey, thats a pretty great career, right?
All of a sudden, though, Bookers work got better, and he gained steam as a singles combatant. Winning the WCW Television Championship opened a few eyes as to what the charismatic breakdancing fool could do. Near the end of WCW, he was a top guy, winning both the United States and WCW World Heavyweight Championships on the final night of the company. When the doors closed at WCW, he was the man. Perhaps thats why the WWE took a flyer on him, giving him the opportunity to come into an incredibly hostile territory and make an impact.
With hundreds of WCW wrestlers on the books at the WWE, many were outright buried before they had a chance. Big names like the nWo and Goldberg sat home and collected checks, while guys like DDP were chewed up and spat out. Booker kept grinding though, and won the boys in the back over with his likable demeanor and fantastic work in the ring. Hed end up winning that same World Heavyweight Championship, though fell short of the WWE Championship in what could be argued as the worst decision the company ever made: holding a red hot babyface down against Triple H at WrestleMania XIX.
Its impossible to justify a scathingly racist promo, let alone when the guy cutting said promo goes on to win. No matter the scenario, Booker thrived in every segment he was given in the company, from comedic to deadly serious.