Booker T Reveals When His WWE Contract Expires, Recalls Worst In-Ring Injury

– Booker T spoke with CultureMap for a new interview and revealed when his contract with WWE is up, plus more. Highlights are below:

On if he’s serious about running for mayor of Houston: “Absolutely! I’m very serious. My ultimate goal is to be the mayor of Houston. It might be too late for me to get in the 2019 race, but a mayor’s term is only four years. It looks like 2023 will be my time.”

On the worst injury he’s ever had in the ring: “Several years ago, I slipped a disc in my back in Australia. I was working a match, nothing out of the ordinary, but when I woke up the next morning I couldn’t move. I was out for two months and had to take two epidurals.”

On his WWE status: “I still work for WWE. I’m currently an analyst on pay-per-view shows and ambassador for the company. My contract runs through 2029.”

On the first time he did the Spineroonie: “I did it during my very first match. I used to do it in practice, just screwing around. I was a break dancer back in the day. It was very natural for me. So I did it during my first real match. It changed the whole momentum of the match. I knew it was something that would stick with me forever. It’s actually easy to do in a ring. Under the mat, there’s a pretty hard piece of foam, and there are 2-by-4’s under that. It’s pretty sturdy and it gives me good balance, so I’m not going to break any skin.”

On the wrestlers he most looked up to growing up: “Ric Flair, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat and Bret Hart. I was in awe of them. They were major players who did so much for the business. I was a kid from South Park in Houston and never imagined working with anybody, let alone those three legends. Wrestling against them took me to another world.”