Booker T Owns Up After On-Air NXT Gaffe, Apologizes to WWE Fans

Booker T is back in the spotlight for, well, being Booker T. After going a little too hard for his guy Trick Williams at NXT Halloween Havoc 2025 and chucking his headset when Ricky Saints got the win, the Hall of Famer is now trying to clean it up.

What set him off at Halloween Havoc

During the Santos vs. Williams finish at Halloween Havoc 2025, Booker was visibly heated on commentary and clearly biased toward the former NXT champ Trick Williams. When Ricky Saints pinned Trick, Booker spiked the headset. Viewers noticed. So did pretty much everyone else.

The apology (sort of)

On his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T apologized to NXT fans for the outburst. He backed off the homerism a bit and gave Saints his due.

"I wanna apologise to the NXT Universe for throwing my headset at the end of the Ricky Saints Trick Williams match. I was a little upset, I was backing my boy Trick Williams, but Ricky Saints he showed up and went out there and did his job, even though he had the little Xerxes veil going."

He also said part of why he was sorry is because the moment got picked up in the news. Not the strongest mea culpa, but he did add that everyone has favorites in wrestling and that picking sides is part of the game.

This isn't his first on-air blowup

Booker has a reputation for letting emotions run the show on commentary. This latest headset toss just joins the pile.

• On live TV, he once told Michael Cole he had a dream the night before where Cole died. It stunned Cole and the audience, and it pulled focus right before a Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry angle was supposed to land.
• On the September 9, 2025 episode of NXT, when Tiffany Stratton hit the ring alongside main roster names like Rhea Ripley and Stephanie Vaquer to confront Fatal Influence, Booker dropped a "I gotta pop my neck, man" line as the undisputed women's champ made her entrance. A lot of fans felt that crossed into objectifying Stratton and was unnecessary.

Where NXT fans stand on him now

Booker's NXT run has been polarizing from the jump. The brand has tapped into his veteran experience in a few roles, but his aggressive, off-the-cuff style and occasional abrasive remarks have rubbed some wrestlers and fans the wrong way. Some think that's just his trademark energy. Others think it's time for WWE to move on from his brand of commentary entirely.

Bottom line: the headset toss got the headlines, the apology is in, and the larger conversation about Booker T on NXT isn't going anywhere.