ProWrestling.net reports that WWE’s recent negotiations with Booker T collapsed over scheduling issues.
The word is that Booker T was looking for a “HBK-style deal” with miminal house show dates, and WWE did not deem that sort of scheduling to be adequate.
Though he did not confirm it was a reason for negotiations breaking down, Booker did imply that he was not after a full-time wrestling schedule in a recent media interview.
When it became clear Booker was planning to leave TNA at the end of 2009, speculation immediately suggested he was headed back to WWE; early media reports quickly downgraded the likelihood of such a move happening.
After a brief quiet period, speculation picked back up–recent rumors claimed Booker T would return as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble.
Unless WWE sources are working the media or a late deal is made, that surprise Royal Rumble return does not appear to be in the works.
