Brian Gewirtz Gives Insight Into Why Triple H Beat Booker T At WWE WrestleMania

Former WWE head writer Brian Gewirtz has provided insight as to why Triple H beat Booker T to retain the World Heavyweight Championship during WrestleMania 19. "This is one of those things where it was certainly considered," Gewirtz said on Adrian Hernandez of 1140 The Bet Las Vegas. "I can say I was definitely a proponent of it because from a storyline standpoint, Booker is the underdog of that match and Triple H is the big bad. After going through this whole build-up to it, it's a satisfying pay off to see the hero defeat the villain in that particular case."

Fans have been vocal over the years about their feelings regarding Booker T losing at the Grandest Stage Of Them All. The build-up to the match is widely regarded by fans as one of the worst due to problematic and increasingly personal comments that were made. This extended to remarks made by Triple H that many viewed as being racially charged. Fans also felt that WWE didn't let the story play out as organically as it should and that the whole ordeal was forced.

Brian Gewirtz says that creative and management were vigilant about ensuring that they didn't take the spotlight off WrestleMania 19's main event match between reigning WWE Champion Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar, which saw Lesnar dethrone Angle to become the new titleholder. He also mentioned that they wanted to have eyes on the match between Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan as a culmination of their ongoing feud, complete with a run-in from "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. There were also worries Booker T winning the World Championship from Triple H could get lost in the shuffle.

"I think that the mindset at the time was that it was the title match that was third or fourth last on the card and the moment would be lost in the totality of the show if we pulled the trigger and named a new champion. Now, I'm not saying that was the smart decision or one that I was necessarily in agreement with at the time, but I think that was the mindset."

Gewirtz worked as a writer for WWE from 1999 until 2012. He worked as a consultant for the company for 3 years after that before leaving the company in 2015. His new book, "There's Just One Problem...: True Tales from the Former, One-Time, 7th Most Powerful Person in WWE" is currently available for purchase.

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit1140 AM with an h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.