Wrestling's 13 Greatest African-American Stars

Harlem Heat's finest dancer is best remembered for two things in his career: claiming the WCW World Heavyweight Championship five times, and inadvertently calling Hulk Hogan a rather inappropriate racial epithet (and we wonder where the Hulkster picked up such language).

The latter of those two items was farcical, but admittedly funny. The former, truth be told, was simply farcical. As WCW completed its record dive down the toilet, its top title carried as much value as a charity shop copy of The Da Vinci Code. Of Booker T's four fondles of the Big Gold Belt before it became WWE property, one was claimed in a rarely-seen San Francisco 49ers match, another heralded the very extinction of the company, and a third was lost to Vince Russo. The details are less impressive than the numbers, then.

But is that fair? The fact WCW kept turning to Booker - one of their few home-grown stars - as someone they could depend on during their annus horribilis is testament to his ability. When WWE acquired the failed Atlanta group, they quickly learned Booker's value themselves. Over a six year stint, Mr T won his much-vaunted 5th WCW title - for what that was worth - before making legitimate history in becoming the company's first ever non-mixed race African-American world champion.

Further success followed, including a memorable King of the Ring victory, as an ex-WCW employee overcame every possible barrier - including that one - in becoming one of the business' most decorated superstars.