Episode 479: Booker T - The Early Years

On this episode of What Happened When, Tony Schiavone and Conrad Thompson take you back to a defining—and emotional moment in wrestling history: the 25th anniversary of the final Monday Nitro. Tony opens up like never before about what it felt like being there that night where his head was, what the atmosphere was really like backstage, and the surreal moment when the lights went out on WCW for good. It's honest, reflective, and full of perspective only Tony can provide. Then, the guys switch gears and fire up the tape machine to revisit some of Booker T's earliest matches alongside his brother Stevie Ray as The Ebony Experience from You'll hear Tony's thoughts watching the future Hall of Famer in his earliest days, and how those roots shaped what Booker would become. And of course it wouldn't be What Happened When without the laughs. Tony and Conrad bring the chaos, the jokes, and the off the rails moments that make this show a fan favorite week after week. Dennis Condrey GoFundMe - MORGAN & MORGAN - Morgan & Morgan is America's Largest Injury Law Firm Morgan & Morgan is giving one lucky fan the chance to win $2,000 and 2x tickets to WrestleMania 42 on April 18th & 19th in Las Vegas! To enter, all you need to do is text 'HEAT42' to 4-THE-PEOPLE (484-373-6753) and follow the prompts in your text message. For The People. For The Fans. BLUECHEW - Get 10% off your first month of BlueChew Gold with code WHW at SAVE WITH CONRAD - Stop throwing money away by paying those high interest rates on your credit card. Roll them into one low monthly payment and on top of that, skip your next two house payments. Go to to learn more.

You can listen to Episode 479: Booker T - The Early Years online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

Episode 479: Booker T - The Early Years is an episode from What Happened When by Podcast Heat.

This episode is 01:30:30 long.

This episode was published on Mar 25, 2026.

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