Booker T has shared his thoughts on the reported departure of Sheamus from WWE, saying fans shouldn’t be surprised when even long-tenured stars eventually move on.
Speaking on his Hall of Fame podcast, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer questioned the idea that any wrestler is destined to spend their entire career with one company.
“You hear the term ‘lifer,’ ‘I thought he was gonna be a lifer,’ what the hell does that really mean when you work in a job? Does anybody expect any basketball player to stay on the team forever? How many football players stay on the team forever? It’s a life expectancy in everything.”
Booker praised Sheamus for enjoying a nearly two-decade run with WWE, calling it an extraordinary accomplishment in today’s wrestling industry. “Sheamus is 48 years old. Sheamus started in the WWE in 2007 in FCW, he started on the main roster in 2009. This guy has had damn near a 20-year career as a professional wrestler in one company. People don’t understand how extraordinary that is.”
He also defended WWE against criticism that often follows a high-profile departure, noting that roster turnover is a reality in any major business. “When I hear people trying to make WWE the bad guy when someone gets released or fired, that happens in any corporation, it really does.”
Booker added that a performer with Sheamus’ résumé has no shortage of opportunities. “If Sheamus left WWE, he can still go and make money and do this thing for how many more years he wants to do it.”
The WWE Hall of Famer also reflected on his own future, revealing that he has been preparing for the end of his WWE run for years. He explained that he even spoke directly with company management after WWE’s ownership changes. “When the company changed over and the new people came in, I made a point to have a meeting with the upper echelon, and said I know it’s a young man’s game, I know my time could be coming up, and if it is just let me know, there ain’t gonna be no hard feelings.”
Booker concluded by saying he has already accepted that his WWE career will eventually come to an end. “I know my time’s gonna come, I know it, and trust me what I’m gonna be saying is, ‘I appreciate you guys, but we had a great run.’ Then I’m gonna go into the laboratory at Reality of Wrestling and keep on working.”
