Booker T Clarifies 'Sex Appeal' Comments, Says Industry Is About More Than Wrestling

Earlier this week, WWE Hall of Famer Booker T made poorly received comments about Lacey Evans' recent repackaging on WWE TV. While talking about Evans' new Sergeant Slaughter-esque look, Booker emphasized that women in wrestling should never "lose their sex appeal." On the "Hall of Fame" podcast, Booker provided some further depth to his controversial statements.

"Let me just get this straight, [this business], it's not just about wrestling. Wrestling is a part of it, but becoming a star — I've known a boatload of great wrestlers, guys that could wrap circles around me from a wrestling perspective, but that's not what this thing is really all about," Booker said, "It's about entertaining the fans, making the fans feel a certain way, taking them on a journey that they're going to remember for the rest of their life [...] It's got so much more to do with it than just getting in the ring and wrestling. And if you think that way you're going to be bruised, beat up, battered, and torn by the time your career is over with, and you're going to have no money."

Booker T continued his line of thought on wrestling being about more than just what takes place inside the squared circle. He said that the wrestling end of things can only take the business so far, and that there has to be a focus on the drama side of things as well.

"It's always been about the drama. How many times have we seen a wedding at one of the pay-per-views? It always goes to hell," Booker said, "That's part of professional wrestling, so it's not just about wrestling." He pointed out the amount of contract-signing segments in professional wrestling, and noted that "nine times out of ten," they go to hell in a handbasket. He noted that this kind of drama, above the wrestling end of things, is what fuels storylines. Though he did note this was speaking on the WWE side of things, and not speaking for other wrestling promotions.

In specifically addressing his comments on "sex appeal," Booker noted that the people that are "spinning" what he said might not have a great deal of experience within the wrestling business. ""People that try to spin it they've never been in the business before, they've never made money in this business. They've probably never been in any form of Show Business entertainment, so I don't put a whole lot of stock or weight into what people say when I do make a comment like that," Booker said.

Delving further into the statement, Booker used the analogy of being a singer. He said that while you don't have to have sex appeal to be a good singer, it does help with popularity, citing Beyonce as an example. Additionally, he laid out a question on the subject. "Name me one female that has made it to the top level that didn't have sex appeal. Just name me one. Can you?"