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WWE superstars tear up the MCI Center LORDS of THE RING

February 23, 2006 12:50 am

By BILL ALTMAN

For THE FREE LANCE-STAR

OBERT TIO HUFFMAN never dreamed of performing Shakespeare or of be-coming a professional wrestler.

Huffman, known in World Wrestling Entertainment circles as "Booker T," wanted mainly to escape the streets of Houston.

At 6 foot 3 and 215 pounds, his physical prowess was a given, but it was his then-undiscovered theatrical skill that would send him on a strange journey to the bright lights and even brighter tights of professional wrestling.

That journey continues Monday as Huffman and other grapplers descend on the MCI Center for the WWE Supershow.

WWE's Smackdown will kick off the night with the likes of new World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle. The Raw SuperShow, aired live with Edge, Lita, John Cena, Triple H and a host of favorite WWE superstars, will follow. Featured wrestlers are subject to change.

At 17, after serving 19 months for robbing a Wendy's, Huffman probably didn't dream he'd one day be performing in the nation's capital. He seemed destined to follow up his rough childhood with an even rougher adulthood.

But on the advice of his brother, he enrolled in a local wrestling school owned and operated by former World Wrestling Federation star Ivan Putski.

Huffman was still a long way from the big time, but he had seemingly found his calling.

"Walking into the ring felt like dejà vu like I had been there all my life," he said in a phone interview. "This is what I was meant to do."

Six months later, Huffman would debut professionally as GI BRO for a small Houston wrestling company.

After toiling on the minor-league Texas independent wrestling scene for three years, Huffman and his brother, Lane, signed with Ted Turner's World Championship Wrestling. They were transformed into the tag team Harlem Heat.

Even though the brothers aren't really from Harlem, they added in-ring ability to the racially stereotyped gimmick and found stardom.

Harlem Heat's popularity in a predominately white sport was staggering. Booker T and "Stevie Ray" started to headline sold-out wrestling cards up and down the East Coast.

In 2000, Booker T became only the second black man to win a wrestling world championship. It was an affirmation of Huffman's mainstream popularity--one he never expected.

"A lot of questions were answered the night I won the title," he said. "Would the fans accept me as the top guy in the business? But they did they appreciated my craft, my talent, my art and my style. It was the best day of my life."

Huffman calls that style "Shakespeare."

"Doing it right in the middle of the ring, uninhibited. There's gonna be a good fight. There's gonna be a good story," he said.

"I never pre-rehearse my matches like some guys [do]. The fans dictate the match. Their response tells me what I have to do at what moment. I'm an artist, I'm a magician, and I'm the greatest actor-wrestler-performer in the world, and that's what I do."

Sometimes, though, Huffman has to perform under less-than-desirable circumstances.

Case in point: The death of wrestler Eddie Guerrero in November continues to affect the WWE's talent and to play a role in story lines.

Huffman said his religious beliefs have helped him deal with the loss of the 38-year-old Guerrero, who died of heart failure hours before he was scheduled to appear at a WWE event in Minneapolis.

"I, like Eddie, am a man of faith," he said. "I know I'm going to see him again."

And though some have questioned a recent WWE plot line that involves Guerrero's legacy and the late grappler's real-life friend Rey Mysterio, Huffman said he's OK with it.

"Eddie was always about the entertainment value of the show," Huffman said, "and Eddie wouldn't have wanted his death to stop the show."