John “Bradshaw” Layfield addressed the long-pondered question of why Stevie Ray never joined WWE alongside his brother Booker T following the closure of WCW, admitting on the “Something To Wrestle With” podcast that he remains puzzled by the decision. JBL spoke highly of Booker T’s brother: “I really like Stevie… Stevie was huge. I mean, huge… and could talk. Stevie could work also. I mean, he had everything.”
JBL recalled knowing both brothers early in their careers in Dallas and recognizing their potential as Harlem Heat. “Everybody knew… Stevie. We knew they were. They were the next ones to go. They were going to go big,” he said of Harlem Heat’s prospects even then. Given their talent and status as arguably WCW’s most decorated tag team, JBL assumed both brothers would eventually land in WWE, especially after Booker T made the successful jump post-WCW and became a Hall of Fame singles star.
“I always thought we got Booker. I always figured Stevie would come,” JBL admitted on the podcast. “I don’t know why he didn’t. I never heard a reason. I never heard any negative thing about him… Everybody I’ve ever known him likes him. I certainly like him. I always thought he would be there.” JBL’s comments reflect the perspective of many fans and peers who wondered why the legendary tag team didn’t continue together in WWE.
While JBL lacks the answer, Stevie Ray himself has explained his decision in past interviews, citing several factors rooted in principle and personal choice. A primary reason stemmed from his competitive loyalty during the Monday Night Wars; having battled WWF intensely, joining the “winning” side felt disloyal. “I was always in the mindset of this is competition to me… WCW vs WWF,” Stevie Ray stated during a 2019 interview on Ryback’s ‘Conversations with the Big Guy’ podcast. “To be honest with you bro, I didn’t want to go out like a b****.” He felt so strongly about this “war” mentality that he skipped the final WCW Nitro taping entirely, comparing the WWE takeover to defeated nations having to “submit to the Allies,” which he “wasn’t going to be a part of.”
Protecting the legacy of Harlem Heat was another major factor for Stevie Ray, who feared WWE creative might alter their established tough image. “Frankly… I didn’t want Harlem Heat to be turned into something that it wasn’t,” he explained in a separate interview on Chris Jericho’s ‘Talk is Jericho’ podcast. “I wanted people to remember Harlem Heat… two guys from the streets that’s here to kick ass.” He specifically worried they might become a comedic act like “Doink the Clown.” Additionally, he cited burnout from wrestling politics (“pretty much done with the bureaucracy”) and wanting to spend more time with his young daughter as significant personal reasons influencing his decision at the time WCW closed, noting he also declined a later offer via Booker T because he “didn’t want to be on the road anymore.”
Despite never wrestling a match for WWE, Stevie Ray’s contributions alongside his brother were formally recognized when Harlem Heat was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. Today, Stevie Ray remains connected to the wrestling world. He frequently appears at wrestling conventions, meeting fans and sharing insights from his time as part of one of wrestling’s most successful tag teams.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit AdFreeShows.com with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
