For the first time in four years, wrestling juggernaut World Wrestling Entertainment's flagship broadcast, "Monday Night Raw," will emanate from Austin. Shown on the USA network, the event will take place at the Frank Erwin Center tonight. The show is usually taped and broadcast live from a different town every Monday night, but since the WWE will be in Japan next week, it is taping two weeks' worth of the show tonight. In other words, if you decide to go, you'll see not only tonight's episode, but also next week's as well. What a deal!
Granted, the number of college students who still watch wrestling from their younger days is probably low, but nobody can deny that at some point he or she has tuned in to watch the guilty pleasure of two grown men pretend to beat the crap out of each other. Because of that, The Daily Texan put together a helpful guide to fill you in on what's going down in the world of sports-entertainment.
WWE is the top dog in the professional wrestling world. Everything that goes down is of course scripted and fake, but there's pleasure in the suspension of disbelief, in pretending that what you're seeing is a bona fide display of athleticism. The company has two main television shows that serve as weekly outlets for the development of storylines and rivalries. These shows are "Raw" and "Friday Night SmackDown." Every month, the company also broadcasts Pay-Per-View events that allow for pay-off matches that resolve the feuds. In other words, everything that happens on television is a lead-in to the Pay-Per-View events, giving monthly resolutions before the hype machine chugs along toward the next event.
The current WWE champion is Randy Orton, a third-generation superstar and son of the legendary wrestler "Cowboy" Bob Orton Jr. Randy Orton won the title at the October Pay-Per-View event No Mercy. He has defended it at each Pay-Per-View since and just two weeks ago defeated Jeff Hardy at the Royal Rumble Pay-Per-View to ensure a longer reign. Jeff Hardy, despite losing to Randy Orton two weeks ago, does hold the Intercontinental Championship, the second most prestigious title in WWE. One half of the popular Hardy Boyz tag team, Jeff Hardy is competing in one-on-one matches because his brother Matt Hardy was sidelined a short while ago thanks - once again - to Randy Orton, who kicked him in the head. (No seriously, he kicked him in the head.)
The current women's champion is Beth Phoenix, nicknamed the Glamazon for her mixture of beauty and strength (at least that's what she claims). Finally, the World Tag Team champions are Cody Rhodes, son of WWE Hall of Famer "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, and Hardcore Holly, a brawler from Alabama.
As things stand now, it's only two weeks until the company's next Pay-Per-View event No Way Out (scheduled for Feb. 17), so without a doubt tensions will be high. Two huge matches for the event have already been confirmed. Randy Orton will defend his title against John Cena, who returned to the WWE just one week ago after a pectoral injury sidelined him last fall. Cena won the Royal Rumble, which would usually afford him a title match at Wrestlemania, the company's biggest Pay-Per-View. He, however, chose not to wait that long and convinced the powers that be to move the match up to No Way Out.
Because of that, it was necessary to develop plans regarding who will get that Wrestlemania title shot instead. That will be decided via a six-man elimination chamber match, also taking place at No Way Out. The elimination chamber is a solid steel structure 36 feet in diameter composed of chain and glass. Two superstars enter and after set periods of time the other wrestlers, locked in compartments, are released into the ring. The participants of this sinister match will be Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, JBL and Umaga. If previous elimination chamber bouts are any indication, this match will be bloody and violent. That's real blood, too.
Aside from the match itself, the participants have their own rivalries. Jericho and JBL are locked in an intense feud that started in December. Four weeks ago, JBL choked Jericho with a television cable, wrapping it around his neck and bruising his larynx (or 'lair-uh-nix' as veteran commentator Jim Ross calls it). Jericho recovered and at the Royal Rumble gave JBL the same treatment. Their feud, however, is far from over and chances are they'll be at each other's throat - literally - tonight as well.
Elsewhere in the wrestling world, the opportunistic Mr. Kennedy is preparing for a match with the legendary, 16-time world champion Ric Flair. WWE chairman Vince McMahon has said that the next time Flair loses, his career is over, so the stakes couldn't be higher. So what's going to happen? Will Cena begin wearing down Randy Orton before their match at No Way Out? Will a rift form between Triple H and Shawn Michaels, who are friends and often tag team partners, because of their upcoming Elimination Chamber bout? Will the women wrestlers get to do anything besides prance around half-naked? Will the crowd be confused as to why two weeks' worth of the show is being filmed, especially since "WRESTLING IS REAL!?" Find out tonight!
WWE will be at the Frank Erwin Center at 6 p.m. For more information on tickets, visit www.texasboxoffice.com.
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