Booker T’s Focus on Self-Improvement
WWE Hall of Famer Booker T revealed his current focus on personal health and cosmetic improvements, detailing his upcoming stem cell therapy and his decision to get Invisalign.
Speaking on The Hall of Fame podcast, the wrestling legend and NXT announcer explained that he is constantly looking to improve himself. “I’m getting ready to go to, you know, Colombia and get stem cell therapy here at the end of the month, as well as I got the Invisalign,” Booker T said. He stated that after all these years, he is going to “fix my crooked smile and fix my teeth”.
Booker T acknowledged that while his teeth have never been an issue in wrestling, he may want to do “a little bit more acting” and is preparing for potential roles. “One thing I say about wrestling and acting, you know, the way it correlates, you’re never going to see an actor with bad teeth unless they cast him, for that reason, for the look, for that look, yeah,” he explained. “So for me, I say, let me prepare for the role you never know”.
The Hall of Famer noted the Invisalign process has been an “experience,” saying his teeth are “really, really sore right now” as they begin to contract. He said he will likely have to wear them for about “a year and a half, two years”.
Health Check and the “Hair Restoration”
Booker T shared a personal anecdote about his recent medical checkup after getting several MRIs. He was shocked by the results.
“After the nurse called me and told me everything that’s going on in my body. I don’t know if I should have another,” he confessed. “Everything is broke, according to her, I should be on a walker right now, in a wheelchair”.
He attributed his ability to function despite the results to a high tolerance for pain, saying, “I got a high, you know, threat, threshold of pain”.
Booker T also gave a “big shout out” to a local clinic for his hair restoration plan. He detailed his year-long dedication to the treatment, which involved weekly visits. He noted the treatment was a relaxing experience, saying, “They give you a little glass of wine. You sit back in the massage chair, you know what I mean, and whatnot. Just relax, relax, relax”.
Recalling His Time in Prison
The conversation shifted to Booker T’s past, when he spent time in prison, which he has been open about over the years.
Booker T recalled the shock of finding himself incarcerated. “I must say, the last place I ever saw myself in this lifetime was behind bars, you know, in jail, especially then, to say the least, imprisoned. Oh, my God, man, I not see that happening at all, just because I just wasn’t that kid that just wasn’t me to do something stupid enough to find myself, you know, in that circumstance,” he admitted.
He recounted being processed at Huntsville, Texas, where he was put in a small, single cell. “I remember seeing all the writing on the wall… It was just crazy. You know, it was like something like out of one of these Mad Max movies or something that you would and I just remember asking myself, How the hell did you get here?”.
Once he was sent to the Pack 2 facility in Navasota, Texas, he began to focus on his future. “I just started thinking about, you know, what I was going to do when I got out, what I needed when I got out, and then, more importantly, being prepared when I got out,” he said. He said his 18-month sentence “went by relatively, relatively quick” because he “kept myself busy,” working, going to school, and joining the weightlifting team. His job while imprisoned was working in the laundry.
Avoiding the Traps of the Past
The Hall of Famer reflected on the temptations and dangers of the “hard” life lived by past generations of wrestlers who worked constantly and partied heavily.
“Those guys, they lived really, really hard. I mean, they burned the candle at both ends,” Booker T noted. “When you… like, countless hours, you know, and you’re on the road countless hours you’re in the bar, you’re hammering them down, then you’ve taken a few gimmicks to get to sleep, a little some something to wake up”.
Booker T stated he was “lucky” to have avoided that lifestyle. He said he was “playing my video game” when he was on the road and that he would often go to his hotel room, run a bath, and “just sit there and soak”. “I was always in the natural man… The herbs, herbs,” he joked.
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit The Hall of Fame with Booker T & Brad Gilmore with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
