Husband, wife team works well in TNA
By Jim Varsallone of MiamiHerald.com
Behind every good man is usually a good woman. In the case of TNA star Booker T, his good woman is next to him. A former WCW Nitro Girl dancer, the lovely Sharmell Sullivan is not only his real-life wife but also his wrestling manager/valet.
''It's amazing to be married and work together,'' she said. ``A lot of people can't handle it. I've talked to a lot of my friends who have tried to work with their husband, not in the wrestling industry but just in business in general, and they can't. So they always say, `I don't know how you do it.'
``Because of our work schedule, we kind of have to work together. Otherwise, I'd never see him. Being on the road together and working together have been great for us because we had been in entertainment prior to wrestling. So we know what it's like. We know what it takes. We know that people seem to think being on the road traveling is all glitz and glamour, and it's not. It's hard work.
``We realize that aspect of it, and we just make it work. We put our relationship first, and that's what helps.''
Sullivan, a 1991 Miss Black America, became a professional dancing, touring with several hip hop artists and R&B bands including a three-year stint the Godfather of Soul James Brown.
For exposure, she started her career in pro wrestling in 1998, making the Nitro Girls dance team under the direction of Kimberly Page in WCW. While there, she met the talented tag team and singles' standout Booker T.
In March 2005, they wed.
''It definitely was not love at first sight,'' she said. ``It was one of those things where we've worked together, but I never really got to know him because Booker never really talked to any of the girls or socialized a lot. He's so business. He just did his job.''
Booker's first wife, Levestia, was not involved in wrestling, but she did appear on WCW Monday Nitro a couple of times. They divorced in 2001.
Booker T and Sharmell dated about five years.
''What happened was he ended up meeting my mother one day at one of the tapings,'' said Sharmell, a native of Gary, Ind. 'I just introduced him to my mom like I introduced my mom to everybody, and he ended up having a 2-hour conversation with her. I go back and I say, `Mom, how in the world did he talk to you for two hours and he barely says hello to me.' It really was the weirdest thing. It was really crazy.
``When I got released from WCW and he was still.......
