WE'RE JUST FIVE days away from the annual extravaganza that lives up to the hype more often than the Super Bowl, World Series or any other major sporting event.
Of course, I'm talking about WrestleMania, the premier spectacle in professional wrestling. Before a sold-out crowd at the Staples Center in Los Angeles and an international pay-per-view audience of millions on Sunday, bitter rivals will settle scores and champions will defend their titles in the 21st installment of the World Wrestling Entertainment production.
You won't see it covered in most sports sections, though, including this one. That's because members of the elitist mainstream sports media snicker at pro wrestling. They contend that it isn't a "real" sport.
Technically, they might be right (although pro wrestling programs are categorized as sports in the Nielsen ratings). Then again, I don't see how a guy sitting in a boat and reeling in fish, or dogs with unfortunate haircuts prancing around a ring qualify as sports, yet we cover the Bassmaster Classic and Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
I will concede that pro wrestling is not true competition, as it's no secret that the results of the matches are predetermined. But make no mistake: Pro wrestlers are athletes, as most of them have backgrounds in football, amateur wrestling or basketball. And at least WWE admits its matches are fixed, unlike pro boxing.
Actually, the fact that pro wrestling is scripted is one of the reasons WrestleMania is more likely to give viewers their money's worth than other big-time sports contests. There have been a number of blowouts in the Super Bowl and quick knockouts in high-profile boxing matches, but because pro wrestling is "sports entertainment," WrestleMania is guaranteed to deliver nearly four hours of action and compelling story lines.
Although you won't see any of them on ESPN Classic, WrestleMania has produced a number of memorable moments over the years. Who could ever forget Hulk Hogan body-slamming Andre The Giant at WrestleMania III, the brutality of the "I Quit" match between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Bret "The Hitman" Hart at WrestleMania XIII, or the epic encounter between Hogan and The Rock at WrestleMania X8?
