Booker T: WWE ID Program to Elevate Independent Wrestling Talent

Booker T believes the WWE ID program is going to be great for talents on the independent scene. On October 29th, WWE introduced this developmental program, designed to provide up-and-coming independent wrestlers a pathway to a potential career in WWE. Several professional wrestling schools, including Booker T’s Reality of Wrestling in Texas, will be involved in the initiative.

On a recent edition of his “Hall of Fame” podcast, Booker T commented on the WWE ID program. He stated, “A lot of these independent guys right now, they got a booking on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in three different places, and they’re just going all over the place. Nobody is seeing them, there’s no cameras rolling, there’s not a guy in the back, a veteran, an OG, that can tell them, ‘Hey man, you might need to work on this.’ Because a lot of those promoters just don’t know because they have never been there. No disrespect or anything like that. But I think having a program like this, being able to be mentored, guided on a full-time basis…I would think it would be only beneficial to somebody that’s seriously thinking about working at that next level. Now, if they just want to do independent wrestling, they just want to do backyard wrestling, they just want to play wrestler, there’s a lot of places to do that. But a program like this ID program, it’s gonna be for the elite guys and girls out there that want to partake on this journey.”

Seth Rollins has also revealed his plans for life after his in-ring career. While appearing on “The Pivot” podcast, Rollins announced that he intends to stay involved in wrestling for a long time. He expressed, “I love my business. I love doing it, I love thinking about it. I love coming up with new ideas. The performance aspect of it is fantastic. For me, when I start to phase out in the ring, I will probably do something behind the scenes. I see myself like Triple H. I might dabble in movies and stuff here and there, but I see myself continuing to help the business grow as I start to age out of the in-ring process. I have a ways to go. I’m certainly closer to the end than the beginning, but when I do get to that point, that’s where I see myself. Hopefully, there will be a place there for me, but I do see myself there. That’s my blueprint.”

On this week’s episode of WWE RAW, Bronson Reed cost Rollins in the number one contenders bout.