Booker grew up in Houston's South Park neighborhood, where he developed a love of wrestling. [31] They held the belts for about three weeks, when they lost them to Regal and Storm. assad@cinema-specilist.com holy family basketball coach [citation needed] On the February 23 episode of SmackDown!, Booker won a Falls Count Anywhere Money in the Bank qualifying match, defeating Kane (with assistance from The Great Khali) and earned himself a spot in the match at WrestleMania 23. [11] Booker then turned face and found a partnership with Goldust and the pair teamed to battle the nWo. In 2005, he got married to wrestling valet and beauty queen Sharmell Sullivan. [11] Booker T kept the title until SummerSlam, when he lost it to The Rock after feuding with him over the similarity in their gimmicks and their identical finishing moves, the Book End/Rock Bottom. Cena successfully defended the title at The Great American Bash in a four-way elimination match against Booker, Ren Dupre, and Rob Van Dam. Following his WCW World Heavyweight Championship victory, he introduced her to the Nitro crowd, seemingly proud of his ongoing romance with Levestia at that time. [11] After dropping the title to The Nasty Boys, Harlem Heat regained the belts on June 24, 1995. At Hard Justice, Samoa Joe defeated Booker after a guitar shot, thus reclaiming physical possession of the title belt, which Booker had kept after Victory Road. He is American by nationality. [12] They lost the match but were over as heels because of the caliber of faces they wrestled. . In 2006 Booker won WWE's King of the Ring Tournament. On the June 6 episode of Raw, Booker wrestled his first match on the brand in four years, gaining a victory against Jack Swagger by count out. Championship. [citation needed], Booker next entered the 2006 King of the Ring tournament on SmackDown!, advancing through to the finals due to a bye as his semi-final opponent, Kurt Angle, was unable to wrestle. On September 16, 2010, Booker T made his debut for Mexican promotion Perros del Mal. Styles, who was unable to attend the event due to travel issues, and wrestled Rob Van Dam for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship in a losing effort. He and his brother Lane Stevie-Ray Huffman formed Harlem Heat, which won an unprecedented 10 WCW World Tag Team Championships. [45] He denied using any drugs and being a customer of Signature Pharmacy. He's also on a mission to find the legendary dog collar worn be his childhood idol, Junkyard Dog. Stevie neglected her help and started disputing with Booker over her. They were spotted by Skandor Akbar who hired them to work for the Global Wrestling Federation (GWF), where he and Eddie Gilbert were involved. This rivalry spilled over to real life when the two got into a legitimate fistfight at a SummerSlam pay-per-view commercial shoot, reportedly due to Batista considering himself superior to the rest of the roster due to his quick climb to main event status. He is also oversees all new acquisitions and development business including capital structure, market focus and site selection. This promo is often interpreted as racist due to Triple H referencing Booker T's "nappy" hair and implying that Booker T was just in WWE to dance and entertain for "people like" Triple H. During the WrestleMania XIX press conference Michael Cole asked Triple H as to whether he had deliberately cut a racist promo, Triple H claimed this was not the case and that he was just referring to Booker's criminal past. [24] He won a total of twenty-one titles within the organization, making him the most decorated performer in its history. Get started He speaks of his son Brandon, now an adult and in jail, and how he couldn't really be a father at that early point in his life. [citation needed] At Turning Point, Booker and Kaz defeated Roode and Cage when Booker pinned Cage. In February 2003, he eliminated The Rock to win a battle royal to become the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania XIX. [citation needed] Over the next few weeks, Boogeyman would stalk Booker and Sharmell. with the winner to challenge Rey Mysterio for his World Heavyweight Championship at The Great American Bash. In Ivan Putski 's Western Wrestling Alliance, he first started feuding with his brother, Booker (who was G.I. [10] In high school, Huffman was a drum major. [18] Booker lost the Television title to Rick Steiner a month later at Slamboree.[18]. [11] Booker began a feud with Lawler, defeating him on the August 6 episode of Raw where the loser had to crown the winner the next week. [citation needed] A week later, Booker attacked Triple H in the bathroom and laid him out after Triple H had thrown a dollar bill at him, ordering Booker to get him a towel. He said that "people like" Booker T would never win world championships in WWE. [11], In August, he was linked to Signature Pharmacy, a company thought to be distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Stevie then took five months off from WCW to recover from an ankle injury and Jacqueline left for the WWF. Huffman married his first wife Levestia on May 23, 1996. After Booker T cost Austin a match against Chris Jericho for the Undisputed WWF Championship at Vengeance,[25] Austin gained revenge in a brawl in a supermarket, in which Austin won, assaulting Booker T with food. As the ninth WCW Triple Crown Champion, Booker is one of four men to achieve both the WWE and WCW Triple Crowns. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 and 2019. A frustrated Booker returned to the ring illegally and eliminated Kane. Both he and Lash were inducted together into the 2019 class on April 6, 2019, as Harlem Heat, making Booker a two-time Hall of Famer. The lawsuit claimed that the Black Ops character contained similarities to Booker's GI Bro comic book character. In December 2016, after Jerry Lawler and Lita left the pre-show team, WWE ended their Raw and SmackDown pre-shows leaving Booker T to the WWE pay-per-view pre-shows and other WWE Network specials. Booker was also the reigning WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and WCW World Heavyweight Champion when he accepted a contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Booker still had to work day jobs in between traveling to and from Dallas for the Global Wrestling Federation. [8] His brother Lash (Stevie Ray) suggested that he and Booker check out a new wrestling school being opened, run by Ivan Putski, in conjunction with his Western Wrestling Alliance organization. The youngest of his mother's eight children, his father died when Booker was 10 months old.. [31] For several weeks, he teamed with Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash in a feud against Triple H, Ric Flair, and Chris Jericho. and feuded with The Undertaker. [19] When The Filthy Animals were stripped of the WCW World Tag Team belts due to an injury suffered by Rey Mysterio Jr., the title was put up in a three-way dance at Halloween Havoc. After Lashley defeated John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL) for the United States Championship at the end of May, Booker began chasing after the title and even resorted to making Lashley kiss his "royal feet" on the June 2 episode of SmackDown!. The popular duo went on to be 10-time WCW Tag Team Champions. Eventually this led to a match at Survivor Series on November 26, where Booker declared that if Batista failed to defeat him this time, it would be the last World Heavyweight Championship match he would receive as long as Booker was champion. He also held the title when WCW was acquired by WWE (then known as the World Wrestling Federation) in 2001, making Booker the last WCW Heavyweight Champion. The next month at Against All Odds, Booker T defeated Shane Sewell to retain the Legends Championship. "Wrestling's historical cards" (p.111), Pro Wrestling Illustrated presents: 2007 Wrestling almanac & book of facts. Booker T. Huffman Official Account of WWE Hall of Famer, 35X Wrestling Champion, Host of #TheHallofFame on @espn975 & Founder of @RealityofWrestling. He then re-defeated Crash and lost the title to Stevie Richards a few minutes later. Booker entered the match at number 21 and was eliminated by Mason Ryan. Marriage: Spouse: Booker Huffman. School was neglected, and he was surrounded by drug use and partying. [23], According to sports journalist Michael Landsberg, Huffman was salaried at "close to a million dollars a year" in WCW. Booker and his brother went on to win the Tag Team Championship in the Global Wrestling Federation. This caused the anonymous Raw General Manager to reverse the decision and give Cole the win as a result of a disqualification. [74] During the week of November 5, 2007, he appeared on Family Feud with several other WWE wrestlers. Her ex-husband on the other hand is 54 years old as of 2022. After the birth of his son, Brandon, by . Cena would retain at the event by pinning Foley. Booker attacked Lawler, throwing him into the ring post and hitting him with a television monitor. Big Show arrived and thanked Long for doing a better job than Booker, further infuriating him. brand in exchange for Triple H, but as part of a new storyline, he appeared unhappy with the move calling SmackDown! pgat.us . He is currently signed to WWE where he serves as a commentator on the NXT brand, and is also the owner and founder of the independent promotion Reality of Wrestling (ROW) in Texas City, Texas. Booker T", "Mr. McMahon names Booker T the new SmackDown General Manager", "WWE: Booker T has joined the announce team for Raw as part of a commentary shake-up", "WWE Sets New Commentary Teams for 'Raw,' 'SmackDown,' 'NXT' (EXCLUSIVE)", "The 16 most decorated champions in WWE history", The WWE Universe's picks for best champions ever, Pro Wrestling Illustrated | The Wrestler/Inside Wrestling Volume 50, 2012 | Inside | Zinio Digital Magazines, "Heated Conversations: Hosted By Booker T", "WWE Legends: Link & Win Online Slot by Microgaming - Play For Free & Real", "Booker T and Sharmell's Wedding: Wrestling's Favorite Power Couple", Booker T's Reality of Wrestling Gets a Second Chance, Just as He Did, "WWE Hall of Famer Booker T: I'm in for Houston mayor's race", "Booker T Talks His Run For Mayor of Houston, Texas", "Turner Leads Houston's Mayoral Race And Voters Support METRO Bond, HPM-KHOU 11 Poll Finds", "Harlem Heat Will Be Honored in Las Vegas Cauliflower Alley Club", "Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) 500 for 2001", "Impact! On the March 26, 2012 episode of Raw, Booker T saved Teddy Long from an attempted attack by Mark Henry, thus becoming the sixth and final member of Team Teddy at WrestleMania XXVIII, where Team Johnny emerged victorious. [13] Their third title reign only lasted one day,[citation needed] but the duo regained the tag team title nine days later from The American Males (Buff Bagwell and Scotty Riggs). In 2001, along with several other WWE wrestlers, Booker competed on an episode of The Weakest Link, being eliminated second from the show. Following the 2017 WWE Superstar Shake-up, Booker T replaced David Otunga as color commentator on Raw. [citation needed] Booker was removed from television to deal with a knee injury. Follow. He is signed to WWE, and is also the owner and founder of the independent promotion Reality of Wrestling (ROW) in Texas City, Texas. As a professional wrestler he is known for his time in WWE, World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA . By mid-1999, Booker had convinced his brother, Stevie Ray, to leave the nWo and reunite Harlem Heat. Later that night, Booker T attacked Rhodes during his match with Daniel Bryan, leading to an Intercontinental Championship match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs,[59] which Rhodes won. Brandon Huffman - Biographical Summaries of Notable People - MyHeritage Brandon Huffman In Biographical Summaries of Notable People Save this record and choose the information you want to add to your family tree Save record Spotted an error? Career Before working for WCW, he was working in a storage company in Texas. Levestia Huffman is a very secretive individual who has kept facts about her date and place of birth hidden. His parents passed away when he was 13 years old. [citation needed] Roode defeated Booker in a strap match at Destination X after hitting Booker with a pair of handcuffs. Booker T's sixth WCW World Heavyweight Championship win overall and first under the WWF banner, where it was known as the WCW Championship. [21], When Vince Russo and Eric Bischoff formed The New Blood, Huffman eventually completely changed his in-ring persona, helping lead Captain Rection's military-themed Misfits In Action stable as G.I. Despite the break-up of his Court, Booker lost to Batista by disqualification on the October 20 episode on SmackDown!, due to interference from WWE Champion John Cena from Raw and ECW World Champion Big Show, the two of whom King Booker was to face at Cyber Sunday in a "champion of champions" match. During that time they also worked for Network Of Wrestling in Japan. [32] About a month later, because of a nagging back injury, Booker lost the Intercontinental title back to Christian at a non-televised house show on August 10. 5 of the top 500 wrestlers in the, SCW Florida Southern Heavyweight Championship (1 time), ROW Tag Team Championship (1 time) with Stevie Ray, This page was last edited on 2 May 2023, at 01:35. JBL expected Booker to betray his partners, but instead Booker pinned him, thus turning face again. The two met when she was a WCW Nitro Girl. Slaughter angle. Professional wrestler Booker T. Huffman is the creator of a special operations action hero known as "G.I. Article Title: Booker T Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/booker-t, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: June 7, 2021, Original Published Date: March 15, 2021. Booker T. Huffman Jr.[a] (born March 1, 1965),[1] better known by his ring name Booker T, is an American color commentator and retired professional wrestler. [10], Harlem Heat reunion; Misfits In Action (19992000), WCW World Heavyweight Champion (20002001), World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment (20012007), King Booker; World Heavyweight Champion (20062007), WWE Championship pursuit and departure (2007), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (20072010), Color commentator and part-time wrestler (20112012), SmackDown General Manager and Hall of Fame (20122013), Return to commentary and pre-show panelist (2014present). However, Booker found he could win wrestling fans over with moves like his breakdance-inspired "Spinaroonie." He also has a son named Brandon from his relationship with his high school . Verified. On the February 16, 2004, episode of Raw, Booker T and Rob Van Dam defeated Ric Flair and Batista for the World Tag Team Championship. On the November 29 episode of Impact!, Booker said he came to TNA to test his skills against the young talent, take TNA to a higher level, and win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Booker has a son, from a previous relationship with a high school girlfriend, named Brandon with whom he has a strained . On the June 24, 1996, Nitro, Harlem Heat defeated Lex Luger and Sting to capture their fifth WCW World Tag Team titles. In 2020, Booker made his return by wrestling at the Reality of Wrestling promotion. In 1989, Booker's brother, Lash "Stevie Ray" Huffman, talked to Booker about attending a wrestling school .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}run by bodybuilder and wrestler Ivan Putski. Parker and Sherri were carrying on a love affair and Parker eventually left the Stud Stable in favor of the Heat to be with Sherri. On July 11, 2010, Booker T was booked by World Wrestling Council in a match against Carlito which also involved Orlando Coln and El Mesias. 115117). [20] Kidman and Booker T defeated Harlem Heat 2000 (Ray and Big T) at Uncensored 2000. He has headlined multiple pay-per-view events for the WWF/E, WCW and TNA throughout his career. [34] Booker then feuded with Mark Henry, who eliminated him in the Survivor Series match. He is also the winner of the 2006 King of the Ring tournament, the 16th Triple Crown Champion, and the eighth Grand Slam Champion in WWE history. Starting his own wrestling school, known as Reality of Wrestling, allowed Booker to share his love of the sport. Booker took a plea deal and received a five-year prison sentence. In 2012, the promotion rebranded to Reality of Wrestling. Booker became a father at the age of 17. Also around this time he reverted to a gimmick similar to his King Booker gimmick albeit while proclaiming himself a supposed king of Africa. [11] Harlem Heat defeated Bam Bam Bigelow and Kanyon for the WCW World Tag Team titles at Road Wild. They won the World Tag Team Championship at Armageddon in a Tag Team Elimination match defeating the teams of Christian and Chris Jericho, Lance Storm and William Regal, and the Dudley Boyz. [11] His time there was short-lived, when he was kicked out of the group by Shawn Michaels after a superkick from Michaels. https://iamng.com/cody-detwiler-bio-age-wiki-net-worth-facts-family/ General Manager, and booked a best-of-five series of matches for the United States Championship between Booker and Cena. General Manager Theodore Long placed Booker in a six-man tag team match with Rob Van Dam and Rey Mysterio against John "Bradshaw" Layfield (JBL), Ren Dupre, and Kenzo Suzuki. Suggest an alternative. He later became a two-time inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. On the August 28 episode of SmackDown Live Booker T made a surprise appearance as "King Booker" in the opening segment when he interrupted and joined in on The New Day's "five timers" celebration, following the latter's fifth tag team championship win. Members of the audiences they faced felt free to hurl racist abuse, including the n-word, at the duo. [citation needed], Booker targeted Evolution after Batista and Randy Orton attacked Booker's former partner, Goldust. [24] At InVasion, The Alliance defeated Team WWF when Austin joined the Alliance. [45] He was suspended by WWE for violating its Wellness Policy. Under the moniker King Booker, he became champion in 2006's King of the Ring Tournament. [citation needed] When the time came, Lawler refused, declaring that Triple H was still a king and announcing that King Booker would battle Triple H at SummerSlam. He organized a Reality of Wrestling promotion featuring his school's talent. [54] On the February 1 taping of SmackDown, Huffman debuted as the show's new color commentator, working beside Josh Mathews and Michael Cole, replacing Matt Striker. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. 1M followers. [29] Then the week after Booker T vandalized Austin's truck causing Austin to chase Booker T around a bingo hall and a church. In addition, Booker appeared as a trainer on the popular reality series WWE Tough Enough. debut match, but afterwards, Christian Cage and Robert Roode beat down Booker until Kaz made the save. Best Known For: Booker T enthralled and inspired countless fans over the course of his wrestling career. where Theodore Long would inform him he would be facing The Undertaker), which lent some comedic aspect to the character; he even went as far as having Lashley kiss his "royal" feet. However, Booker, who was subbing for Lawler on commentary, threw Cole back into the ring after he tried to escape. to win the series and the title for Booker T, who held the title until No Way Out where Benoit won it back. "the minor leagues" and even disrespected Eddie Guerrero, the brand's WWE Champion, turning heel in the process. [16][26] In his debut match in the company, Booker defended his WCW Championship against Buff Bagwell on the July 2 episode of Raw;[11][27] sports journalist Michael Landsberg reported that many have called this bout "the worst match ever". [11] Booker feuded over the title with Perry Saturn and Rick Martel culminating in a gauntlet match at SuperBrawl VIII. He is Sports Persons (Wrestler) by profession. [72] Booker was voted WWE's greatest World Heavyweight Champion in a 2013 viewer poll.[73]. [11] Booker and Van Dam held the titles for a month, even defending the belts at WrestleMania XX in a Fatal 4-Way tag team match. Booker's son Brandon was born when Booker was 17. [11] Benoit cost Booker the TV title during a match against Fit Finlay. On July 27, 2012, Booker T was appointed the new General Manager of SmackDown. Cite this record . Booker made the transition into singles action and won the WCW World Television Championship from Disco Inferno on the December 29, 1997, episode of Nitro. Kurt Angle won and wanted to wrestle Sharmell. Booker T successfully defended the title at Turning Point against Cage. [11] As a result, Booker and Benoit engaged in a "best-of-seven series" with the winner meeting Finlay for the title. [11] Booker then boasted that he had been fully aware of what Sharmell had been doing and had been playing dumb to fool everyone.