5. Had A Major Falling Out With WWE In 2007 Over Drug Testing
By 2007, Booker had changed up his character quite drastically. For years, Booker portrayed the kind of wrestler people could easily identify with, a man who did his best regardless of the circumstances. Winning the 2006 King Of The Ring Tournament morphed the grappler into the egotistical King Booker, a guy who had lost touch with reality and really believed his hype. Generally speaking, the 'King' gimmick rarely works when simply tacked on to a well-known wrestler (Haku, Sheamus etc), but Booker really did his best to make the idea work, completely rethinking how he approached things. It was a successful reinvention, and Booker was an extremely important part of the Smackdown brand as the 'King' from 2006 onwards. In 2007, the man was named on a list outing those who were involved in the Signature Pharmacy scandal, but was later cleared. The damage had been done however, Booker was furious that WWE had shamed him via association with the controversy, and decided to ask for his release from contract.