WWE Booker T: 5 Possible Directions for His Rumored Return to the Ring

Recently, rumors have been swirling around that former WCW, WWE and TNA star Booker T may be taking a break from his announcing duties to step back into the ring for a brief program on Smackdown. Nothing has been officially confirmed yet, but I know there are plenty of WWE fans out there who'd love to see the former champ return to action on a more full-time basis.

Back on June 6 this year, Booker wrestled his first match in a WWE ring in over four years when he defeated Jack Swagger by countout on Raw. The whole match was uneventful, but many believed that hopefully this would lead to bigger things and a few more spin-a-roonies.

Unfortunately, Booker was back the next week at his usual announcer role, and nothing ever came of his victory over Swagger.

Now, it seems as if the former Grand Slam Champion is suiting up for one more stint in a WWE ring. Hopefully the rumors are true and King Booker returns to action sooner rather than later.

Here are five potential roads that the WWE can take if Booker T does decide to reenter the squared circle.

1. Feud with Cody Rhodes

Over the last few weeks on Smackdown, Booker T has gotten pretty sick of those damn paper bags that Cody Rhodes keeps passing around every week. And for some reason, Rhodes always seems to save one just for him, and Booker isn't too happy about it.

When asked about it last Friday, Booker simply stated that he was sick and tired of it. It was an easy thing to dismiss if you weren't paying attention, but personally I think a short Rhodes-Booker T rivalry is just what Rhodes needs to boost his credibility, and catapult his way into the main event scene.

Showdowns against legends, especially ones that barely wrestle anymore like Booker T, are only reserved for the most promising of superstars. Just think about how much The Miz's credibility shot up when he went one-on-one with Bret The Hitman Hart...In Canada no less.

So what if he lost to The Hitman? It proved that some big things were in store for him, and by the end of the year he had become the most must-see WWE Champion in history...And now he won't shut up about it.

A Rhodes-Booker T feud would be easy to build up, and would be a nice little change to see on the Blue Brand. If Rhodes still has the IC title at the time, it would make things even more intriguing, but a feud like that certainly doesn't need a belt to generate interest.

At the end of it all, Rhodes will be a bonafide star, Booker can go back to announcing as soon as its over, and WWE fans will be happy that their favorite 5-time, 5-time, 5-time WCW champion stepped back into the ring for one more run.

2. Form a Tag Team

Booker T knows a thing or two about how to win in the tag team division. He was a record 10-time title holder in the WCW alongside his brother Stevie Ray. He was also three-time champ in the WWE with three different partners, proving that he can build chemistry with almost anybody.

He was even a tag team champ with Scott Steiner in TNA just for the hell of it.

If Booker T is looking for less strenuous wrestling gig due to his age, then forming a tag team is exactly what he needs to do. Although the tag division is just starting to get back on its feet after years of obscurity, there's still plenty of ways to go before it's back to what it once was.

Throwing Booker into the mix would definitely go a long way towards reviving the division.

Who to team him up with you ask? Well, a few popped into my head after looking the choices over.

1) Ezekiel Jackson: Two very different styles, one dominating duo. Jackson isn't really up to much right now, which is a shame considering not too long ago it looked like he was getting a nice push. Jackson is still young though, and if Booker can take him under his wing and show Big Zeke the ropes, it will do wonders for the tag division. Definitely a very good option for both guys.

2) Johnny Curtis: This one may seem a little odd, but if you really think about it, this team could actually be pretty interesting. Curtis has absolutely no guidance currently on Smackdown and he's off to a completely horrible start since winning the fourth season of NXT.

He's gotten practically squashed in every match he's competed in, and his little team with Trent Barreta lasted about a second. Too bad his mentor, R-Truth, had to go all crazy and stuff, since the poor guy still has a guaranteed shot at the tag belts whenever he chooses.

Cue Booker T, a trainer on Tough Enough and someone who knows plenty about how to win in a tag team. It would be a great way for Booker to return, while giving a young guy like Curtis his chance to shine. And who cares if Curtis is currently heel? Booker knows a thing or two about how to play the bad guy too.

3) Goldust: Best. Tag. Team. Ever. We all remember how ridiculous the team of Booker T and Goldust was back in the day. It was stupid, it was senseless, but most of all it was hilarious. Two legends getting back together like the good ol' days would be a win-win for everyone, including the fans. Of course, this all depends on whether or not Goldust plans to return at all, but he's still on the roster so you can't count him out just yet. All I know is, Booker and Goldust can teach most wrestlers in the tag division today about something that many of them don't have. And that's chemistry.

3. Join the Conspiracy

Like I said in the last slide, Booker T doesn't necessarily have to come back to the ring as a face. He was just as fun to watch as a heel, and because of that, the sky is truly the limit for this veteran's return.

Although the rumors state that he plans on returning to the Smackdown brand, and this whole HHH/John Laurinaitis/Awesome Truth/Kevin Nash/Vince McMahon/whoever-the-hell-else-gets-involved angle is mostly a Raw storyline, I have a feeling that this insane debacle is going to leak into Friday nights soon.

Throw Booker T into the mix and you got another big name involved that would shake the WWE to its core. It would also allow Booker T to work on a part-time wrestling schedule. He could even remain on the announcer's table as the designated heel, but I personally think his best fit along with some part-time wrasslin' would be a manager role for The Miz and R-Truth.

I don't know why, I just think that would be awesome. Plus, he's called Kevin Nash his "big homie" like six times. They're clearly homies.

Booker T has been in stables before, including the very powerful Main Event Mafia and the prestigious nWo. The man can practically do it all, no matter what the WWE decides to do with him, but if they really want to make a big time impact, they'll give this legend a chance to shine in the biggest storyline of the year.

He also would be a pretty good guy to have on the other side of this whole "conspiracy" thing...

4. Fight the Conpiracy

The biggest Survivor Series ever is right around the corner, and with it comes the triumphant return of The Rock to a WWE ring. As advertised, The Great One is supposedly going to team up with John Cena for the first, and only, time in history in what many are predicting to be a classic Survivor Series elimination match.

That leaves another four to five spots open on their team and I think you know where I'm going with this.

The Rock, Cena AND Booker T all on one team? That already sounds like a dream match on WWE '12.

As if this years Survivor Series wasn't crazy enough as it is, the return of Booker T to the ring would be another big reason to tune in on November 20. I don't think MSG's roof would stay on by the end of the night if we saw a spin-a-roonie and a people's elbow in the same match.

Adding Booker to this potential team clears up some space for other matches with some other big name stars. In other words, the WWE doesn't have to put all of their eggs in one basket and try to sell a PPV with only one match, no matter how humongous it may be.

No matter what side Booker may end up on come November, simply seeing him back in the ring would be a moment worth remembering, and there's no doubt that he makes any storyline that much more interesting and fun to watch.

Can you dig that?

5. Luke Robinson

Now that it's officially nearing the end of September, it might be safe to say that this year's season of Tough Enough was a pretty big fail.

Andy Leavine has completely been a bust ever since beating out Luke Robinson for that coveted WWE contract. The man known as Silent Rage started at FCW wrestling like everyone else, but quickly got suspended for violating the WWE's Wellness Policy. He hasn't been heard from since, further enforcing the "silent" part of his persona.

So yeah, maybe it's time to take a loss on that one and bring Robinson in, just as Vince McMahon supposedly wanted in the first place. He's young, athletic, he doesn't break into a compulsive stutter when he talks like Leavine, and the TE finale proved he can generate heat by simply standing there with that stupid spiked hair.

Since losing, Robinson has been quoted saying that he was shocked that Booker T saw an "it factor" in Leavine rather than him. So, one way for Robinson to easily make an immediate splash, if he ever was to enter a WWE ring, would to go after the trainer that doubted him. Since Stone Cold would probably stunner Robinson's head right off, an excellent alternative would be Mr. T. 

Note: Has anyone ever called him Mr. T? I feel like that was right there the whole time and it just never seemed to catch on.

Anyways, this one's a long shot I know, but you can't tell me that this wouldn't be a very different and exciting storyline, and if they plan to do a second season of TE, this would be a perfect way to market it on Raw.

Then who knows? Maybe Leavine could actually get involved instead of just being known as the first "straight-edge" guy in WWE history to break a wellness policy.

What better way to market a show, than to create a heel with huge potential in Robinson and bring back a legend like Booker T all at the same time?

Fin

There you have it.

Five Possible Directions for Booker T's Rumored Return to the Ring

Don't forget to comment on what you think of these rumors and what's the best choice for Mr. Bookah.

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