Booker T WWE in-ring return opponent: Three stars who the Hall of Famer could face after teasing stepping back into the ring

WWE

Hall of Famer Booker T last wrestled for WWE in the 2023 Royal Rumble match, and announced his in-ring retirement shortly thereafter.

With the NXT commentator stepping back into the ring for a one-off match in January 2025, Booker T has teased doing something similar in WWE.

While speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet in an interview shared on Thursday, Booker T stated “never say never” regarding a potential return to the ring, noting:

“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.

“That easily could be done. The thing is, I still do that on a daily basis. Just never say never.”

With Booker T fuelling speculation about a potential in-ring comeback, here are three stars we could see him wrestle in WWE.

Trick Williams

Booker T has had a huge influence on Trick Williams’ presentation, not only with Williams being inspired by the Hall of Famer’s in-ring work, but also with the NXT commentator’s ad-libs to his entrance theme.

Williams has named Booker T as a dream opponent on several occasions, even pitching to be the legend’s opponent for a future retirement match.

If Booker T does return to the ring, WWE would be remiss if they didn’t have him cross paths with the current US Champion in some way.

With Williams having a lot of respect for Booker T, the duo could share the ring as allies or opponents.

Zilla Fatu

Booker T also played a key role in introducing Zilla Fatu to the pro-wrestling world, with Zilla training with, and wrestling his first-ever match for Reality of Wrestling in 2023.

With Zilla Fatu making his NXT debut this past July, it’d be interesting to see him come face to face with his mentor in WWE, inside the ring.

After making amends following previous issues, Zilla Fatu and Booker T feuded in Reality of Wrestling, with the WWE legend defeating the young star at the January 2025 Battle to the Bell event.

With the Anoa’i family member now making a name for himself in WWE, there could be some interesting stories worth telling if he was to renew his rivalry with Booker T.

GUNTHER

Booker T’s last in-ring appearance for WWE was as a surprise entrant in the 2023 Royal Rumble match. He was in the match for less than a minute ahead of being eliminated by GUNTHER.

Since then, GUNTHER has earned a reputation as a career killer, retiring Goldberg, John Cena and AJ Styles, with the latter name losing a career-threatening match against the Ring General at Royal Rumble 2026.

With Booker T teasing coming out of retirement, GUNTHER could be the star to end the Hall of Famer’s in-ring career once and for all.

With Booker T wrestling at a ROW show following his original retirement announcement in 2023, returning for a match with GUNTHER would once again give the Ring General the opportunity to become the final star to defeat the legendary name.

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• wwe
• Return
• Booker T
• hall of fame

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