Booker T has revealed that WWE originally wanted him to cut his hair as part of his WrestleMania 18 storyline with Edge.
Booker and Edge faced each other at WrestleMania 18 in 2002 following a storyline built around the two competing for a Japanese shampoo commercial. Edge ultimately won the match, but Booker explained that WWE initially had a different idea involving his hair.
Speaking on Insight with Chris Van Vliet, Booker recalled rejecting the proposal after learning that Edge wasn’t willing to cut his own hair.
“They wanted me to cut my hair. Yeah, and when they came to me with the idea, I go, ‘Is Edge cutting his hair?’ And Edge was like, ‘I’m not cutting my hair.’ So that’s when they came up with the shampoo idea, you know,” Booker said. “I wasn’t doing it, you know. I was like, ‘This is who I am, you know.’ I mean, I worked too hard to grow my hair to, you know, cut it off.”
WWE would later incorporate a hair-related stipulation into Edge’s feud with Kurt Angle in 2002, culminating with Angle having his head shaved.
When asked whether he had always been comfortable refusing creative ideas, Booker said he has never been afraid to speak up, even if doing so potentially put his job at risk.
“Oh yeah, I’ve always been able to say no. No, contrary to what the popular belief, what you might hear from people, I’ve never done anything that I didn’t want to do in this business. Never, you know,” Booker said. “I might get fired. But that’s the plan, you know. But no, I’ve always been outspoken.”
Booker explained that his approach was influenced by watching established stars who had earned enough value within the wrestling business to voice their opinions.
“You know, it’s kind of crazy. I come from an era where you know I watch like certain guys perform, and I don’t have to say their names or anything like that, but they were so good that they could say whatever they wanted to say, and I learned from those guys, and I always knew I was talent, and I always knew I was in a position where you was making some money off me, you was selling some tickets, so I always knew once I got to a certain position, I can say whatever I want to say,” he said.
