Wrestling slams into Joe Louis Arena

Surprisingly, more than nine million viewers - a staggering number - tune in every Monday night to professional wrestling. Many of us grew up watching the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) back in the day when Hulk Hogan was as popular as Mom's apple pie. Hogan's persona, not his wrestling abilities, appealed to all of us during those adolescent years. We ate our vitamins, said our prayers and exercised so that we could all be fellow Hulkamaniacs. It was good, clean entertainment.

Hogan has since defected to the WWF's biggest rival organization, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), but that doesn't matter. The WWF is new now. Very few of the household names are still there, barring the likes of "The Undertaker." Guys such as "Kane," "Vader," "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and "The Rock" now take center stage. Sound silly? It is. But the WWF has also brought in actual wrestlers such as Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn (who reside in Coldwater, Michigan) from the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Mark Henry, a former Olympic weightlifter for the United States, is now a member of the "Nation," a group of militant African American wrestlers.

"Monday Night Raw," WWF's Monday night program, airs 9-11 p.m. on the USA network, but wrestling fans in the state of Michigan will be happy as the WWF will invade Detroit's Joe Louis Arena for a live taping. The next night, "Raw" will invade the Breslin Center in East Lansing, three days after Michigan's trouncing of the Spartans.

It's difficult to take the WWF for what it is - a giant show not unlike "General Hospital" or any other soap opera. The only difference is that you don't get the love triangles, botched marriages, possessions and people being reincarnated. Instead, you have guys issuing threats and later kicking the tar out of each other. And just like a soap opera, it is easy to get hooked on the theatrics.

With the monthly WWF Pay-Per-View special airing last night, titled "In Your House: Breakout," expect a gigantic evening planned for the upcoming Detroit match. The past six months have seen WWF owner Vince McMahon attempt to snatch the belt away from current title holder "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

McMahon doesn't have any actual reason to take the belt away; he just doesn't like him. Austin has been a tremendous crowd favorite, and has answered every challenge.

But there was a time in the early '90s when the WWF was the show that everyone could love. Kids had their favorite wrestler to root for, whether it was Hogan, Slim Jim spokesman "Macho Man" Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior or Andre the Giant. But professional wrestling is about television ratings, and with the influx of former WWF wrestlers defecting to the rival WCW organization, changes had to be made. Storylines have gotten cruder and language only found in a Steven Bochco show was put in. But five million viewers can't be wrong. Consequently, the WWF's ratings soared into the lead.

Nevertheless, a wrestling event is quite a show to watch, with thousands of screaming fans, beer thrown everywhere and an occasional chair being tossed around. Once in a while, a wrestler might come out of the audience. You can watch it on television tonight, but why do that when you can see it live?

Macho Man, Hogan and Ultimate Warrior (or the 13th man to take on the role) may now reside in the WCW, but how can that compare with midgets, bikini contests and co-ed tag team matches? Only on "Raw is War" can you find such a thing.

Oooooooo yeaaaahh! Whooops. Wrong wrestling federation.

09-29-98