Booker Considering Legal Action Against WWE, Impact Ratings Breakdown, Morgan

TNA wrestler Booker T posted a letter on his official Legends of Wrestling Fanfest website (link) regarding World Wrestling Entertainment pulling talent that initially agreed to appear on his event but later pulled out after WWE contacted them. Here is the letter in its entirety: herehttp://www.bookertlow.com/letter.shtml
AN OPEN LETTER TO ALL PRO-WRESTLING FANS:

I want to take this opportunity to let the entire wrestling world understand both my frustration and anger, at what should be a momentous time for myself and those close to me. It was nearly two years ago when I made one of the toughest decisions in my life and decided not to re-sign a contract with the WWE. Several factors came into this decision, but at the end of the day I wanted to be able to prove to myself and to anyone with any doubts, that I was indeed a “self-made” man. I had achieved so much in this business that I love before the WWE, and I felt that with the help of my wife and beloved family and friends, that I could achieve so much more.

Many of you are aware of the labor of love to me that is the PWA (Pro-Wrestling Alliance). PWA has honestly been the culmination of hard-work, sacrifice and undying determination by several people. This organization continues to be a driving force in helping me to entertain and improve the community that I came from. The PWA is also the catalyst for my ultimate calling in life which is the Booker T. Fights For Kids Foundation. I, along with my wife have had several sleepless nights, as we’ve fought to build an organization that we can be proud of. We face the same challenges that many independent promoters around the world face, in bringing fans an alternative to experiencing professional wrestling.

Just as many fans are aware of the PWA, even more fans were excited to hear about the upcoming Booker T “Legends of Wrestling” Fanfest taking place this Friday (4/3/09) here in my hometown of Houston, Texas. The Fanfest is totally independent of TNA Wrestling, and is being produced solely by my wife, myself and the PWA staff. The Legends of Wrestling Fanfest will be the biggest and best ever event where fans can come face-to-face with some of the biggest stars (past and present) that this business has ever known. This event has been well- planned over the last year, with many of my peers (friends and foes alike) offering to donate their time and prized possessions in an effort to make this event a success for the benefit of the Fights for Kids Foundation.

We suffered a setback recently when the WWE unexpectedly pulled eight of the invited participants from our Fanfest. Each of these participants had already either gotten clearance from WWE or were not previously contacted to appear in any Wrestlemania weekend activities this year. It was only after we published the list of participants, that the WWE unlawfully interceded and deceptively worked to pull these talents from our event. As a side note, I have contacted legal representation about this deceitful tactics and will weigh my options. I do want to sincerely thank each of the pulled participants for their interest in helping to make this Fanfest the best ever, and I hold no malice towards them. It was instilled into me a very long time ago that the show must go on, so I want to formally announce that “The Hardcore Legend” Mick Foley is yet another recent addition to an already sensational Legends of Wrestling Fanfest Lineup!

I want to believe that the WWE, as large and as powerful as it is, would be beyond examples of such pettiness. This event, as well as the PWA, are supporting the Fights for Kids foundation so it consumes me with remorse to see the WWE act in this fashion. Make no mistake however, I have been an underdog my entire life, so I have no problem in taking on yet another Goliath. And we all know what happened to Goliath, and I know you can dig that...

Booker T.

-- TNA Wrestling personality and NASCAR star Hermie Sadler has a new interview segment on the official TNA website called "Hermie's Hotseat." In the latest episode, Sadler has Matt Morgan as his guest. (TNA: Hermie's Hotseat with Matt Morgan)

-- Last week's edition of TNA Impact drew a 1.26 cable rating and 1.7 million viewers, reports the Wrestling Observer. The show was hit hard going up against the NCAA Basketball Tournament, particularly in the Males 18-34 demo. The show did a 0.61 in Males 18-34, down 46% from last week, and 1.19 in Males 35-49, an 8% drop from last week. It also did a 1.19 in Males above the age of 50.

In the segment-by-segment numbers, the Suicide vs. Kiyoshi match gained 135,000 viewers. Interviews with Brother Ray & Sting, the Beer Money, Inc. and Team 3D face-off, and Knockouts action featuring The Beautiful People vs. Awesome Kong and Raisha Saeed, gained 40,000 viewers. The Sting and Mick Foley face-off gained 81,000 viewers. The 45-minute gauntlet cage match gained 121,000 viewers, peaking at 1.40 to close out the show.