1:13 PM EST

It's not much of a surprise, but now it's official. World Wrestling Entertainment announced in very low-key posting on its website this afternoon that Booker Huffman, better known as King Booker or Booker T, and his wife Sharmell, also known as Queen Sharmell, have been released as of October 27th. WWE simply stated WWE has come to terms on the release of WWE Superstar Booker T and WWE Diva Sharmell as of October 27. We wish both Booker & Sharmell the best in all their future endeavors.
 
Booker was the first big name WCW talent to officially appear on WWE television in 2001. His up-and-down career with WWE has been plagued by dropped pushes, but the King Booker character really took off. Booker, who planned to retire when his contract ran out, ended up signing an extension, but hjs relationship with WWE turned sour when his wrestling school was passed over to become a new WWE developmental territory. Then, when WWE stopped allowing Raw, Smackdown, and ECW performers to appear on Booker's Texas shows, Booker started booking TNA talent to headline. 
Then it got worse.

Booker was reportedly the wrestler suspended for 60 days in August in the wake of the Signature Pharmacy scandal.

Booker told the company at that time he wanted out. He was going to run his wrestling school in Houston and the new one he opened in South Africa. He's come a long way from the Booker Huffman grew up in a poor neighborhood in Houston. In 1987, at the age of 22, aided in the robery of a local Wendy’s restaurant and would spend 19 months in prison.

Sharmell Sullivan was named Miss Black America 1991, and became "Storm" in the WCW Nitro Girls dance troupe. When the Nitro Girls were broken up, she became Paisley, and started working as a ringside manager. She also started dating Booker as they were both in WCW at the time.

Sharmell joined WWE when Booker pushed for her to become a backstage interviewer. The two were married in March 2005, and soon thereafter Sharmell joined Booker as part of his act, and then adopted the moniker Queen Sharmell after Booker won The King of The Ring tournament.

Rumors of the two showing up on TNA are obviously rampant.