Booker T is weighing in on WWE’s recent wave of talent releases with a message that’s direct and grounded in experience.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, the current NXT commentator said he wasn’t surprised by the company’s latest cuts. “You know what? No, it didn’t catch me off guard at all, man,” Booker said.
“I mean, that’s the one thing — and I hear a lot of people, you know, say — I was just like one comment was like WWE releases are weird, you know, man, they shouldn’t do people like this. All kinds of comments.”
He said talent cuts are nothing new in WWE. “I’ve been a part of WWE now, you know, for a very, very long time. And every year, especially after WrestleMania, there’s a list that comes out. Guys get cut. This is not something that’s brand new or anything like that,” he said.
Booker also gave advice to those who were released. “Do you want to be on that list? Of course not. But this is a business,” he said. “And that’s one thing that you better always keep in the back of your head that you might be getting let go sooner or later.”
He shared that he’s mentally prepared for that moment for years. “I’m going tell you right now, I’ve been planning to get that note for about 20 years. When it happens, I’m going to say, ‘Man, I appreciate everything y’all have done, and I’m going to move on.’”
To those reacting with anger, Booker had this to say: “And it seems like it’s a lot of bitterness about getting let go. I get that, too,” he said.
“But I’m going to tell you right now, every job that you work at, I don’t care what it is, there’s going to be a chance that one day they’re going to come to you and say, ‘Hey, bro, it’s time to wrap it up.’ It’s just that simple.”
He ended on a hopeful note, reminding released talent that a comeback is possible. “Just because you get released now doesn’t mean that that’s the end of your WWE career,” he said.
“We’ve seen Drew McIntyre is the best example. Zelina Vega, another example of someone who gets released and now look at where they are.”
