When World Wrestling Entertainment — much more commonly known as WWE — was last in Tucson in March of this year, the scripted, ongoing feuds between wrestlers like Undertaker and Batista were at the forefront of fans' minds.
But with WWE returning to the Tucson Arena Monday for a live (on the East Coast, at least; it's tape-delayed a few hours here) taping of its flagship show, "Raw," there's likely a lot more preoccupying the thoughts of spectators. Namely the recent death of one of the company's marquee performers, Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy and son Daniel — which was, as is common knowledge now, quickly ruled by investigators to be a double murder-suicide. And if that wasn't bad enough, it's led to seemingly endless media scrutiny probing why it is that so many wrestlers die young, with the main focus being the alleged use of steroids by many professional wrestling competitors.
Of course, don't expect any of that to be mentioned Monday night. WWE is doing its best to move on from the tragedy, and no mention has been made of the Benoit family on their programming since the week the news broke. Instead, they're focusing on their distinct love-it-or-hate-it brand of "sports entertainment."
People are also reading…
But here's some stuff you can expect:
Downtime. Since it's a live taping of "Raw," a TV show on the USA Network (airing locally at 9 p.m.), there will be commercial breaks just like any other show. Which is fine when you're watching on TV and can channel-surf or go grab some snacks from the fridge, but sort of boring when you're watching it in person. WWE does its best to fill time during these gaps, by using similar tactics as Major League Baseball — "kiss cams," people shooting T-shirts out in the crowd — but it might be a good time to think about a quick bathroom jaunt. This is actually the first time "Raw" has been taped in Tucson in years. Usually Phoenix gets it, and we get "SmackDown," a slightly smaller show that's taped on Tuesdays and airs on The CW on Fridays with fewer big names. That's how it was in March, but this time around, we get the big show.
You can't hear the announcers. For some reason, this surprises a lot of people when they go to a wrestling show for the first time. Who knows why — it's the same as every other televised sport. But, yeah, you can't hear the witty and adroit commentary of ringside talkers Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler, which means that you might miss out on some of the more subtle nuances of the story lines.
Chanting. This probably isn't a shock, but wrestling fans aren't exactly shy. So if a match or interview segment with a wrestler is boring, expect them to yell out, almost in unison "BOR-ING." If a guy is being a real jerk? Well, the chants can get pretty colorful and PG-13.
Making fun of local sports teams. One of the most efficient ways a wrestler can convince a crowd that he or she is indeed a real jerk is by making fun of the local sports teams. It's a good thing Tucson doesn't have a universally beloved college basketball team that got knocked out in the first round of the NCAA tournament just a few months ago. Oh . . . right.
New WWE talent. A lot of the bigger pro wrestling names of the last few years, like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock, have moved on to pursue other interests (like movies). Naturally, WWE has had to create new stars, and a lot of them will likely see action on Monday. Unquestionably the biggest name in pro wrestling right now is John Cena. The current WWE champion, he has won over audiences due to his good looks (he looks like an insanely buff Matt Damon) and charisma.
• When: 5 p.m. Monday.
• Where: Tucson Arena, 260 S. Church Ave.
• How much: $20-$70
• Info: 791-4101 or tucsonaz.gov/tcc.
