ICON lives up to the hype

SATURDAY'S ICON Sport main event between Jason "Mayhem" Miller and "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler was one for the highlight reel, living up to all the hype and drawing a huge crowd to Blaisdell Arena.

Promoter T. Jay Thompson stepped his game up as well, bringing in a much better lighting rig than we've seen at recent fights, along with a bigger video screen for fans to see all the action. Throw in Japanese referee Yuji Shimada and ring announcer Sherry Shaoling, and it almost felt like I was at a Pride Fighting Championship pay-per-view last weekend.

It was also a trip to watch Falaniko Vitale announce his comeback from retirement, and I liked how Thompson really tried to hype matchups planned for the next ICON event on Dec. 1. Congrats also go out to Chico Cantiberos and Sidney Silva, who joined Miller in capturing the ICON Sport titles in their weight categories ...

MORE BRAWLING will take place at the Blaisdell on Oct. 20, when World Wrestling Entertainment returns to town.

This particular visit will feature "RAW Superstars" and "ECW Extremists" facing off against each other. Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, Umaga, Rob Van Dam, Tommy Dreamer and Balls Mahoney are among those scheduled to appear. Tickets go on sale Sept. 16 at all Ticketmaster outlets ...

TALK ABOUT dedicated -- when software engineer Reid Yamamoto came home for a visit last week, he made sure to book a gig for his San Jose-based band, Aloha Brewed.

On Saturday, the band opened for Epic Session at Bliss Nightclub, playing to a packed house. His fiancee was in attendance, as were a number of classmates from Punahou's class of 1995.

The interesting thing? The reason Yamamoto came back was to get married, which he did on Sunday at Central Union Church, just hours after rocking out at Bliss.

"I'd just like to thank my fiancee for letting me play," he said Saturday with a grin ...

FEMALE SHOE fanatics will descend on Macy's Ala Moana once again this week, when SMART Magazine hosts "Shoe Diva" on Thursday.

Another sexy shoe contest is planned, and ladies will be able to preview the latest offerings from Betsey Johnson, Bruno Magli, Calvin Klein and others. Oh, and did I mention complimentary cocktails courtesy of Absolut Apeach Vodka? Call 945-6427 to RSVP ...