HHH did not want to lose to Booker T... and it wasn't just Booker T who was a victim of HHH's (need or the desire or bookings need and desire) holding on to the title.

During this time Kane as well as RVD were both very over and for whatever reason HHH and the WWE felt he had to hold on to that title.

It was a very bittersweet angle and I felt so bad watching it and realizing that the message (in storyline, which children and believers would embrace) is that Booker T led a hard life, busted his ass. Even losing his mother and being a young kid doing stupid things in a bad part of town, leading him to jail. Becoming a wrestler and working in WCW, which was being run bad with many big egos fighting to be the top guy, he won the major title there. Found himself jobless and jumped into the WWE where he started at the bottom again. Fighting and clawing his way to earn a title shot only to have HHH make racist comments, use the indian death lock and then beat Booker T which basically declared Booker T as not worth being champion as well as kind of hurt the whole flow of the event (results wise).

This is one of the events which I always fantasy booked due to my confusion on this match. I am a HHH fan to some extents but had I been booking I would have acknowledged that HHH was the villain on Raw. That they needed a new number one contender but instead of having Booker T eliminate the Rock for the win was have a final four of The Rock, Booker T, Kane and RVD.

Have Booker T eliminate The Rock and then get his hands on the microphone. End the match with a promo about how he and RVD and Kane all came from different places (WCW, ECW, WWE) and have busted their asses for a spot at Wrestlemania against a champion. But instead of only one of them, all three of them should stop with the HHH show and go out there to wrestlemania xix and all challegene HHH in a four way elimination match.

Then the three of them agree slide out of the ring together. HHH isn't having any of it and says it's unfair and he will only face one opponent at WM. The three (Booker T, Kane, RVD) essentially tell him that they already have the paper work done. If HHH won't face them a contract that stipulated the winner(s) of the battle royal will wrestle for the title and he'll be striped of the title.

HHH has to agree.

HHH and Flair point out to each guy in vignettes that the other two are the biggest threats so it creates three fan favourites vs a villainous champion who everyone wants dethroned.

At Mania they have a fatal four way. Kane eliminated first after being a beast to all three of them but then HHH, Booker and RVD triple team him to eliminate him. After a great exchange between Booker T and HHH where Booker T hass HHH beat RVD his a big 5*frog splash to eliminate HHH. RVD and Booker T stall for the fans to go ape shit and wrestle with Booker T eventually coming out the winner...

HHH needs the title back so the next PPV event it's HHH's rematch vs Booker T. HHH wins... the whole Goldberg angle occurs and then Booker T is only used on non televised spots until the PPV where he costs Goldberg the match, allowing HHH to keep the title giving Booker T heel heat and Goldberg a new target. Story is Booker hates that Goldberg just comes in and takes what he worked hard for and that takes them to Summerslam.