October 10, 2007 - Where were you seven years ago? Getting married? Flipping burgers? Eating paste? In a womb?

IGN was right here doing this.

This is the seventh year of IGN teaming with THQ to bring you an exclusive look at the Superstars of the latest WWE videogame. This year, we'll be detailing all 50 of WWE SmackDown! vs. Raw 2008's in-ring renegades -- legends, divas and the current brawlers -- in a one-a-day format leading up to our exclusive review. What can you expect on these pages as time goes by? Well, be on the lookout for stats, bios, videos, screens and much more as we get in-depth, hands-on time with these titles.

Who gets the Countdown spotlight today? Why, it's none other than King Booker.

HEIGHT:
6'3"		 WEIGHT:
250 lbs.		 HOMETOWN:
Houston, Texas
Above all else, King Booker is a survivor. Raised only by his mother, then parentless since age 14, the youngest of eight children did what residents from the notorious South Park section of Houston, Texas often do: adapt to life on the streets or become one of its victims. ("I've seen people shot and stabbed, who got killed right before my eyes," he explains. "I didn't grow up in the best part of town.") While many students at Jack Yates High School turned to sports, Booker, a natural athlete, preferred entertaining people as a drum major and performing on stage—"telling a story," as he puts it. To him, it was "a way out" of an otherwise harsh existence.

Unfortunately, one doesn't become a survivor without making mistakes, then paying for them. Booker's biggest misstep—committing aggravated armed robbery at several fast-food establishments (including one where he worked at)—cost a particularly steep price: a five-year prison sentence, of which he'd serve 19 months. The experience taught him what he considers today his most valuable lesson: "Breathing fresh air is important. Don't waste one day being bitter."

Becoming a single parent himself, Booker took whatever jobs he could to make ends meet, including renting out U-Hauls and holding space in a Houston-based storage facility. When his brother Stevie Ray suggested that they enroll in a new wrestling school opened by WWE Hall of Famer Ivan Putski, he borrowed the $3,000 lesson fee from his boss at the storage facility (to whom he is still grateful). While developing his mat skills under trainer Scott Casey, Booker didn't see a wrestling career as a golden opportunity to attain some lifelong dream of becoming a Champion of Champions. He just saw it as another—and hopefully better—way to survive.

Since then, King Booker has tasted nothing but success, and settled for nothing less than gold around his waist. He ranks high among World Wrestling Entertainment's top Superstars, and thinks it's "pretty cool" that he can share his spotlight in the squared circle with his wife, Queen Sharmell. When he's not owning opponents inside a Raw ring, he's training potential future grapplers with his brother at the Booker T & Stevie Ray Wrestling Academy in Houston. "Putting the academy in the vicinity of a place not far from where I grew up means a lot," he says.

What means most to King Booker, however, is remembering who he is beneath the wealth and fame that accompanies a WWE Superstar of his magnitude. He still sees himself as a survivor, and it's that sense of self-preservation that makes him so dangerous.

Source: WWE.com

FINISHERS
Book End Scissors Kick

CURRENT SUPERSTARS

Ashley John Cena Randy Orton
Batista Johnny Nitro Rey Mysterio
Bobby Lashley JTG Ric Flair
Booker T Kane Sandman
Candice Michelle Kelly Kelly SHAD
Carlito Ken Kennedy Shawn Michaels
Chavo Guerrero Kenny Dykstra Snitsky
Chris Masters Marcus Cor Von The Great Khali
CM Punk Mark Henry Tommy Dreamer
Edge Matt Hardy Torrie Wilson
Elijah Burke Melina Triple H
Finlay Michelle McCool Umaga
Gregory Helms Mickie James Undertaker
Jeff Hardy MVP William Regal

WWE LEGENDS

Bret Hart Roddy Piper Terry Funk
Mick Foley Sabu The Rock
Rick Rude Steve Austin
And so ends another day of IGN and THQ's SmackDown Countdown. Remember, all statistical attributes and other information is temporary until the game ships in November. If they change Kane's hometown to the moon or something, don't yell at us. Until the game is in your grubby paws, keep checking IGN for your daily dose of squared-circle information.