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WWE and A&E Partner for Biography Docs About Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, More

Published Thu, 04 Apr 2019 10:35:22 -0500

WWE has announced a partnership with A&E to produce five two-hour documentaries branded with A&E's Biography title. The company named Macho Man Randy Savage, Rowdy Roddy Piper, Booker T, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Shawn Michaels as the subjects of the five films, which will feature "new and archival interviews and never-before-seen footage" and "give fans an in-depth look at the early lives, rise to fame and careers of some of the most influential stars in WWE history." In the press release, an A&E executive with an unnecessarily long title provided the following generic press release quote:

We are thrilled for the tremendous opportunity to partner with WWE Studios to produce these special films that honor some of the most impactful personalities who have left a lasting imprint on pop culture.

While a WWE exec with a similar title matcher her:

We are thrilled to partner with A&E, and be in business with award-winning directors Billy Corben, Joe Lavine and George Roy, as we bring these documentaries to life. This project further solidifies WWE Studios' commitment to deliver new programming across genres and platforms.

With that out of the way, here's the lineup of the first three films, which will air on A&E in 2020:

Biography: "Macho Man" Randy Savage – Directed by Billy Corben ("Cocaine Cowboys," "Screwball," "The U"), this film will tell the larger-than-life story of one of the most colorful and charismatic Superstars to ever step foot inside the ring. With two WWE Championships, four WCW^® World Championships and a 14-month reign as Intercontinental Champion, Savage became known for his famous catch phrases, larger-than-life personality and the enormous, flashy robes he wore into the ring. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015.

Biography: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper – Directed by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Joe Lavine (ESPN 30 for 30 "Playing for the Mob," HBO "Namath")this film focuses on "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, who is universally considered one of WWE's greatest villains. During his Hall of Fame career, he played the role of the antagonist against a who's who of WWE greats, while amassing more than 30 championships.

Biography: Booker T – Directed by Emmy and Peabody Award winner George Roy ("The Curse of the Bambino", "Mayweather"), this film showcases one of the greatest Superstars in sports entertainment history. Booker T is an 11-time WCW Tag Team Champion, a six-time World Champion, winner of the 2006 King of the Ring Tournament, and a two-time (2013 and 2019) inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. In addition to his Hall of Fame career in the ring, Booker T also went on to become a color commentator for WWE's weekly programming.

Directors for Biography: Stone Cold Steve Austin and Biography: Shawn Michaels will be announced at a later date. These films are slated to air in 2021.

The docs will likely be interesting, though it will be interesting to see whether they're willing to address some of the less savory aspects of the wrestlers' lives. Since WWE is involved, our guess is not… but at least those Viceland docs are set to start airing next week.