COURTESY WWE
Look out for these mugs when World Wresting Entertainment stomps through Honolulu next week. Top row, from left: Christian, Kane and Tommy Dreamer. Middle row: Booker T, Raven and Goldust. Bottom row: Batista, Test and Triple H.
ALMOST seven months after The Rock laid the smackdown in front of a sold-out crowd here, more than two dozen World Wrestling Entertainment superstars return for a two-night dose of "Ruthless Aggression" at the Blaisdell Arena next week.
Nothing could be meana than the scene
at the arena -- here’s your warningBy Jason Genegabus
jason@starbulletin.comWhile the WWE's stock price continues to languish and television ratings slip to new three-year lows, the family-run operation led by patriarch Vince McMahon still sticks to a formula that any successful wrestling promotion must follow: WWE "talent," as wrestlers are known in the business, spend upward of 200 days a year traveling around the world performing live in front of fans. Just as professional wrestlers of a century ago would journey from town to town taking on all comers as part of a carnival sideshow, WWE talent nowadays must visit city after city in order to supplement each week's original programming that airs on television and pay-per-view cable.
Next week's "house shows," as these nontelevised events are called, will feature talent from WWE's "Raw" roster. After the company's purchase of Ted Turner's rival promotion, World Championship Wrestling, and the shutdown of Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW, the only other company with national exposure at the time), McMahon decided to split his then newly expanded roster in an attempt to produce more main-event-caliber superstars. Raw, which airs Monday nights here on TNN, maintains separate championships and story lines from WWE's "Smackdown" program (which Hawaii fans don't have access to since the UPN network left this market).
VISIT the Blaisdell Arena next Thursday or Friday, and you're sure to find a different style of pro wrestling from the days of Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka or George "The Animal" Steele. Up until the 1990s, there was a clear line separating the heroes from the bad guys in most promotions. Only the villains would cheat; the good guys always played by the rules and fought to overcome adversity without compromising their integrity.
When McMahon decided to mix rock 'n' roll with wrestling in the late '80s and follow it up with the introduction of the company's "Attitude" era, WWE talent began to develop their characters into a mix of both hero and villain. Instead of cheering a wrestler like Hulk Hogan, who implored his "Hulkamaniacs" to say their prayers and eat their vitamins, fans during the "Attitude" era of the '90s learned to love superstars like "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, a beer-guzzling SOB who thrived on terrorizing his boss and giving both opponents and fans alike a middle-finger salute while in the ring.
Today, it's easier to follow story lines if you keep two more wrestling terms in mind: Fan favorites are referred to as "babyfaces" or "faces," while the superstars fans love to hate are called "heels." Unlike wrestlers of yesteryear, who could remain either a face or a heel for most of their careers, now it's not uncommon for talent to make a character "turn" and change from face to heel (or vice versa) a half-dozen times or more.
HERE'S a quick look at some of the more interesting matches WWE fans have to look forward to next week at the Blaisdell:
>> Booker T and Goldust vs. Chris Jericho and Christian (Thursday): In a partial rematch of this month's "Fatal Fourway Elimination" World Tag Team Championship at the "Armageddon" pay-per-view, Jericho and Christian look to avenge their loss to the new tag champs. If it turns out the belts are on the line for this match, look for Booker T and Goldust to win via disqualification following some underhanded tactics on the part of the two Canadians.
COURTESY WWE
From left, Booker T and Goldust vs. Chris Jericho (not shown) and Christian.
>> Kane vs. Batista (Thursday): Another rematch from the "Armageddon" pay-per-view; Batista had to play dirty in order to get his first-ever victory on a WWE pay-per-view, taking advantage of manager Ric Flair's presence at ringside after Kane choke-slammed the rookie. Batista picked up the win when Flair distracted the referee, which allowed him to nail a powerbomb on Kane and get the 1-2-3.
COURTESY WWE
Kane, left vs. Batista, right.
>> Test vs. Rosey (Thursday): Two of the WWE's next generation of superstars, Test and Rosey square off in a singles match that should interest Hawaii residents. Rosey, real name Matthew Anoia, is the son of legendary Samoan wrestler Sika "The Wild Samoan" and is a relative of The Rock, Rikishi and the late Yokozuna. Anoia has also spoken of having played football at the University of Hawaii. Test's "No. 1 Testicle" Stacy Keibler will accompany him to the ring, which should provide some nice eye candy for fans with seats up close.
COURTESY WWE
Test.
>> Trish Stratus vs. Victoria (Friday): Speaking of eye candy, two of the WWE's "Divas" will meet with the company's Women's Title on the line. Since it's strictly a house show (no television), don't expect a title change; this match should be entertaining if it's kept short and to the point.
COURTESY WWE
Trish Stratus, left, will hit the mat with Victoria, right, next Friday at the Blaisdell Arena.
>> Tommy Dreamer vs. Raven (Friday): Fans of ECW won't need an explanation as to why this match is a must-see. Dreamer and Raven were ECW tag-team champs back in the day, although the two were notorious for not getting along. Neither wrestler is getting much of a push on WWE television right now, but with the flexibility a house show allows, this one could be a slobberknocker that educated wrestling fans will really enjoy.
COURTESY WWE
Tommy Dreamer, left, vs. Raven, right.
>> Scott Steiner vs. Triple H (Friday): Unfortunately, there's a pretty good chance that the WWE World Heavyweight Champion won't be performing in Hawaii and this match will get changed. If you noticed on Monday's "Raw," HHH didn't see much action -- he talked some smack towards Big Poppa Pump and was embarrassed later in the show by Steiner during an arm-wrestling contest. Trips partially tore his quadricep while regaining the Heavyweight Title from Shawn Michaels at "Armageddon" and at press time was expected to miss two to three weeks of action. Hopefully his leg will heal enough for Hawaii fans to get a preview of next month's headlining matchup at the "Royal Rumble" pay-per-view.
COURTESY WWE
Triple H.
Where: Blaisdell Arena World Wrestling Entertainment
Ruthless Aggression Tour
When: 7:30 p.m. Jan. 2 and 3
Tickets: $25, $45, $75 and $90
Call: 526-4400
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