Booker T Speaks On WWE TLC Return & Future

Booker T spoke with The Baltimore Sun to promote Sunday's WWE TLC pay-per-view where he will face Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes. Here are some highlights from the interview:

What's your relationship with Cody away from the ring? You requested this match, right?

"Dusty Rhodes [Cody's father] and I came up in the WCW era. Dusty said something to me a long time ago and I felt this about Cody actually. I did a Saturday show once and I was the first match out. I was a green kid and I went out and I wrestled and Dusty told me, 'They won't put you out first no more.' That right there told me a whole lot about how Dusty Rhodes felt about me and we became really close at that point. I was really close with [Cody's half-brother] Goldust, too. ? And now you see the third generation, Cody Rhodes, the next kid. I really like what Cody has done in the past few years in the WWE. He has grown so much. But to actually go out there with Cody, it's going to be an honor and it's going to be great kicking his butt."

Is TLC a last hurrah for you? Or do you see yourself still wrestling for a while?

"This is my last hurrah. I really understand that this is about the young guys like Cody Rhodes. It's about those guys taking it to the next level. But if I can help them make that transition to becoming superstars, future Hall of Famers, that's what I'm here for. But as for me wrestling full time, I can't see that happening. I've got twin babies and I'm content with this stage of life."

You've been in this business for a couple of decades and in that time you have seen the sport have peaks and valleys. What do you think the state of wrestling is right now?

"We're in a down stage. We're in a slow season. The sport of wrestling has always been like that. But I'll tell you what, it's [on the rise] again. Our young guys are really picking it up and really seeing what entertainment is all about: giving the crowd exactly what they want to see."

Source: The Baltimore Sun