Booker T was an iconic name in WCW, and he jumped ship by joining WWE in the summer of 2001. Along with Rob Van Dam, Booker T was the biggest acquisition to join WWE in the poorly booked Invasion storyline. Booker was draped in gold by holding the WCW Championship and the WCW United States Title upon his arrival in June 2001. However, Booker was not booked like a top star during the Invasion storyline, but he played a pivotal role.
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Nevertheless, Booker's first 10 PPV matches gave WWE fans a glimpse of how great he is in the ring. The Houston native was finding his footing in WWE, but once he did, Booker was an incredible asset to WWE.
10 Royal Rumble Match (Royal Rumble 2002)
The invasion angle had ended, and Booker T hoped to get off to a great start at the 2002 Royal Rumble. Booker made his debut in the Royal Rumble match and entered at the coveted 30th position. He could not have picked a better number himself to gain the significant advantage.
Booker quickly eliminated Rob Van Dam, who was laid out by Triple H from taking the Pedigree. However, Booker failed to make a lasting impression in this contest with Stone Cold Steve Austin throwing him over the top rope with a laughable appearance at just 33 seconds long.
9 Booker T & Test Vs. Spike Dudley & Tazz (No Way Out 2002)
Strange bedfellows were formed during the Invasion angle, and Booker T partnered with Test in the fall of 2001. Surprisingly, they captured both the WWF and WCW Tag Team Titles, although their reigns were forgettable. Nevertheless, they renewed their partnership at No Way Out 2002 by taking on Spike Dudley and Tazz for the WWF Tag Team Championship.
This was a dismal Tag Team Title match, and it epitomized how bad Spike and Tazz's brief Tag Team Championship reign was. Ultimately, the underdogs retained their titles, after the referee Jack Doan retaliated to Test pushing him, and Tazz locked Test in the Tazzmission with Test submitting instantly.
8 Booker T Vs. Big Show (Vengeance 2002)
Vengeance 2002 saw Booker T and Big Show, two former members of WWE's failed reincarnation of nWo, collide. Booker was finally getting the chance to prove himself as a babyface singles competitor by taking on Show.
Most notably is that Booker was booked strongly in this clash as he had the majority of the offense. Remarkably, Booker put Show through the announce table with his patented Scissors Kick. In the end, Booker came out on top and scored a huge victory by taking Show out with his Houston Hangover.
7 Booker T Vs. Edge (WrestleMania X8)
Booker's maiden WrestleMania appearance occurred at WrestleMania X8 when he squared off with hometown favorite Edge in Toronto. The way their showdown came around was laughable, as Edge usurped Booker as the face of a Japanese shampoo company.
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Both Booker and Edge are amongst the greatest of all-time to grace a WWE ring but for some reason, they lacked the in-ring chemistry together at WrestleMania. Nevertheless, Edge picked up the victory for his first singles win at Mania with an Edgecution.
6 Booker T & Shane McMahon Vs. The Rock (Unforgiven 2001)
At SummerSlam 2001, The Rock defeated Booker T for the WCW Championship in the main event. Bitterly disappointed with the defeat, WCW Owner Shane McMahon flexed his muscles by making Booker's rematch at Unforgiven, a Handicap match. Rock was forced to defend the WCW Title against both Booker and Shane.
This was an entertaining contest and Shane O'Mac maximized his abilities as he does every time he steps foot in a ring. However, he accidentally clocked Booker with the WCW Title belt, and he did the same to Rock. Test interfered by hitting Rock with a jaw-dropping Big Boot to the face. Nonetheless, Bradshaw chased Test away with a weapon, which left the three men slugging it out. Ultimately, Rock had the last laugh as he retained the WCW Championship with the Rock Bottom.
5 Team Alliance Vs. Team WWF (Survivor Series 2001)
The conclusion of the Invasion storyline came to a head at Survivor Series 2001 with Team Alliance going toe-to-toe with Team WWF. Booker T represented Team Alliance alongside Shane McMahon, WWF Champion Steve Austin, Hardcore Champion Rob Van Dam, and Kurt Angle. They clashed with WCW Champion The Rock, The Undertaker, Kane, Big Show, and Chris Jericho.
Booker failed to register a single elimination in this high-profile contest, but he had a great performance overall. The five-time WCW Champion proved that he belonged in the upper echelons of WWE. Nonetheless, Booker failed to help Team Alliance stay in business with Rock continuing to get the better of him by removing him from the equation with a roll-up.
4 Booker T Vs. Steven Richards (Insurrextion 2002)
With the chaotic nature of the Hardcore Championship, it's hard to remember many memorable matches for the title. The Hardcore Championship was on its last legs in 2002, and the title was defended on PPV for the final time at Insurrextion. Booker challenged Steven Richards for the Hardcore Championship across the pond.
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It was a significant night for the title as Insurrextion was the final PPV under the WWF banner with WWF changing its name to WWE. This is an underrated gem between Booker and Richards, which is a testament to both men's work ethic. Richards almost retained the title with his Stevie Kick but Booker captured the Hardcore Title with his Book End. Moments after, Crash won the title from Booker, but Booker quickly regained it. Justin Credible and Tommy Dreamer tried to take the title from Booker, but it was to no avail. Furthermore, Richards returned with Jazz, and Stevie put Booker through the table and recaptured the Hardcore Title.
3 Team WCW/ECW Vs. Team WWF (Invasion 2001)
Invasion 2001 was the first PPV to feature wrestlers from The WCW/ECW coalition. Team WWF's Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, Kane, The Undertaker, and Chris Jericho squared off with The WCW/ECW coalition's Booker T, DDP, Rhyno, and The Dudley Boyz.
This was Booker's first match on a WWE PPV, and he was the reigning WCW Champion and the United States Champion. However, the main angle heading into this bout was McMahon wanting the old Stone Cold to return. Angle had Booker locked in the Ankle Lock, but Austin turned his back on the WWF by nailing Angle with the Stunner and putting Booker on top of Angle for the win.
2 Booker T Vs. The Undertaker (No Mercy 2001)
Another overlooked encounter from the Invasion angle was Booker T squaring off with The Undertaker at No Mercy 2001. Booker and Test upset The Brothers of Destruction for the WCW Tag Team Championship a few weeks before this encounter.
The two native Houstonians put on a remarkable contest that went back and forth. Booker rose to the occasion with Undertaker, who did not have his best matches in his American Badass gimmick. Ultimately, Booker committed a huge error by fighting Undertaker in the corner with Big Evil planting Booker with the Last Ride for the win.
1 Booker T Vs. The Rock (SummerSlam 2001)
For the first time in WWE history, the WCW Championship was defended on PPV with Booker T putting his title on the line against a returning The Rock at SummerSlam 2001. The People's Champion had returned from filming The Scorpion King, and in the lead up to SummerSlam, he opted to remain loyal to the WWF and rebuffed The Alliance's advances.
Booker put on a great fight, and he had magnificent in-ring chemistry with The Great One. Rock had the fans' support for the duration of this bout, and he landed a devastating blow to The Alliance by ending Booker's fifth and final WCW Championship reign with a Rock Bottom for his first of two WCW Championship reigns.
