Booker T covered a lot of ground while reflecting on his career and future during a new appearance on INSIGHT with Chris Van Vliet.
The WWE Hall of Famer discussed everything from the controversial finish to his WrestleMania 19 match against Triple H to his work developing younger wrestlers and the possibility of stepping back into the ring for one more match.
One name who has publicly expressed interest in facing Booker is Trick Williams. While Booker stressed that he has already “scratched every itch” when it comes to his own wrestling career, he isn’t completely closing the door.
“You know, I don’t know what’s wrong with these young guys. I guess people calling out Mike Tyson, people calling out Floyd (Mayweather),” Booker said. “I know I’m one of those legends too. People would have called me out, tried to piggyback my career, try to get some brownie points. But my thing is, can I do it? Perhaps.”
Booker explained that much of his attention these days is devoted to developing talent through Reality of Wrestling.
“I’ve scratched every itch as far as the wrestling thing goes,” he continued. “So much young talent that’s under my expert tutelage, trying to get to that next level. I’m so focused and dialed into that.”
That doesn’t mean Williams — or someone else — couldn’t convince him to lace up the boots again.
“I don’t have anything to prove, but don’t get it twisted. If I had to do something, don’t think I won’t put the boots back on and step back in and slap somebody around a little bit,” Booker said. “That easily could be done. The thing is, I still do that on a daily basis. Just never say never.”
Booker last competed for WWE as a surprise entrant in the 2023 Royal Rumble. He later returned to the ring for his Reality of Wrestling promotion in January 2025.
Elsewhere in the interview, Booker looked back at one of the most debated matches of his WWE career — his World Heavyweight Championship loss to Triple H at WrestleMania 19.
More than two decades later, Booker admitted that it is the one finish from his career he would consider changing.
“That would be the only match in my career that I could honestly say, maybe if I could change that finish, I would change it,” Booker said. “But no, there was never any talk about me winning that match from the beginning; I never went into that match thinking I was winning.”
Booker noted that he generally stayed away from the creative side of determining match outcomes, although he understands why so many fans wanted to see him leave WrestleMania as champion.
“I know so many people wanted me to win, and I love those people for it,” he said. “I always said when I got in the business, I just hope I’m in the main event at WrestleMania one day. Then I got in the main event and I didn’t win. I go, man, I should have wished I would have won too.”
Despite wishing the finish had been different, Booker views simply reaching that stage as a victory considering the obstacles he faced earlier in life.
“It’s one of those types of things, but the story was a great story, and anyway you look at it, I always looked at it as stories that was as real as it possibly could be for me,” he said. “Most people wouldn’t understand it. I get it, because it’s something that’s fictional to them, but it’s real to me.”
Booker then reflected on losing both of his parents at a young age, leaving school and eventually serving time in prison before becoming one of professional wrestling’s biggest stars.
“Then I come out and find myself in the main event at WrestleMania. I think that’s a win,” Booker said. “Any kid that’s looking at it, I needed them to understand I’m that kid that went through all that trial and tribulation, but yeah, found myself being one of the best wrestlers in the world, in the main event at WrestleMania.”
He added, “I came that close to winning my sixth world title. I had five before that, but came close to winning my sixth world title at WrestleMania.”
Booker also spoke about how younger generations have helped keep veterans such as himself relevant. He pointed to Bad Bunny naming a song after him as an example of his name reaching an entirely different audience.
“I always say that sometimes it may take someone else to keep you relevant,” Booker said. “People say respect your elders, but I say you got to respect your young guys these days because they’re the future.”
“It’s like when Bad Bunny made the song, Bad Bunny was keeping me relevant in a totally different genre.”
That same philosophy has carried over to Booker’s work with Reality of Wrestling. Rather than spending retirement criticizing the current wrestling product, Booker said he deliberately chose to create something of his own and help develop the next generation.
“I planned on retiring a long time ago from wrestling. But as far as mainstream, as far as WWE and stuff like that, I planned on that going away a long time ago,” Booker said. “I didn’t expect to be in it this long, at all.”
Booker said watching some veterans become frustrated with the industry after their careers ended helped shape his decision to open a wrestling school.
“I hear so many old guys get out of business and then they complain, they’re bitter, you know what I mean? They’re talking about the shows. They’re critiquing the shows.”
Rather than follow that path, Booker wanted to remain involved by creating his own stories and opportunities.
“I say, instead of doing that, I’m gonna just build my own, create my own stories, and still have a great love for the business,” he said. “Something that has given me so much. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the wrestling business.”
Seeing Reality of Wrestling talent spread throughout the industry has only reinforced that decision for Booker.
“Working with the young guys now, and they go out there and look at all the banners around. Over WrestleMania weekend I see the blueprint and the footprint of Reality of Wrestling all over so many different shows, it’s amazing,” he said. “So for me I’m just living my best life.”
