The WORST Wrestling Moment Every Year (1989 - 2025)

23. 2003 | 23 Seconds

Terri Runnels
WWE

The most reductive assessment of the Triple H Vs. Booker T programme of 2003 is also the most accurate: Triple H’s character racially abused World title challenger Booker T, narrowing the path to only one outcome. Booker T had to win. 

Booker T did not win; after Ric Flair interfered, a fatigued Triple H stuck Book with the Pedigree, waited 23 full seconds, and made the cover. What happened here? 

When the match was laid out, between the wrestlers, Vince, and the agents, was this gap between the Pedigree and the cover agreed-upon? And for what possible reason? 

The white man defeating the black man towards whom he was racist, with no plans of the happy ending happening in the return match, was bad enough. That was likely sufficient to earn Triple H his precious “heat”. Why wait 23 seconds? That is such an egregious amount of time. There must have been something to it. Was Triple H simply that slow and boring in 2003? He was slow and boring, yes, but it shouldn’t have taken him that long. Did Booker piss somebody off?

WWE under Vince McMahon was notorious for punishing talents through the booking. Examples of that are legion. But even if Booker had pissed someone off, if you were somebody of influence, wouldn’t you still think to protect the guy in defeat as carefully as possible, purely because of how f*cking bad it would look if the racially abused black man couldn’t kick out of a finisher at WrestleMania, the show where that happens, after 23 seconds? 

Or, did Triple H take the decision upon himself mid-match? 

If so…why? 

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!