Published: January 03, 2008 01:21 pm      

In this corner | Professional wrestlers ready for Smackdown at War Memorial

BY RUTH RICE

RRICE@TRIBDEM.COM

Professional wrestlers will bring their entertaining sport to Johnstown – again.

World Wrestling Entertainment will present Smackdown/ECW Live at 5 p.m. Sunday at the Cambria County War Memorial Arena, 326 Napoleon St., Johnstown.

Jim Vautar, arena general manager, said the earlier-than-usual time slot is a big market time in a small market.

“This is well-supported locally,” he said.

“Tickets are selling well. We’re getting a lot from Pittsburgh and Greensburg.”

Vautar said World Wrestling Entertainment brings its show to Johnstown once a year, but if support continues, shows could come twice a year.

“The headliners will definitely be coming, but some of the others might change,” he said.

“They’ll do the music, lights and action like on television. It’s more entertainment than sport, so we call it an entertaining sport.”

Vautar said the main draw will be Dave “The Animal” Batista.

Batista spent his days training and competing as a bodybuilder and his nights working as a bouncer before entering the world of sports entertainment with WWE in 2002.

After the 6-foot-6, 290-pound Batista was told he didn’t have what it takes to make it as a professional wrestler at a World Championship Wrestling tryout, he became obsessed with wrestling.

He was recently named WWE magazine Superstar of the Year.

Batista has been known as “The Animal” since childhood because of his temper, which he has learned to control.

Inside the ring, his composed demeanor usually explodes with a fury befitting “The Animal.”

Others in the Smackdown include Rey Mysterio, who grew up as Oscar Gutlerrez in San Diego wanting to become a world champion wrestler.

As a teen, Gutlerrez trained in the unpredictable and high-flying Mexican Lucha Libre style of wrestling.

His signature costume always involves a colorful mask.

His career in Tijuana, Mexico, led him to World Championship Wrestling from 1996 to 2001 and WWE from 2002 to present.

Gutlerrez has won eight cruiserweight championships and four WWE tag-team championships.

In 2006, he won the Royal Rumble, where he set the record for longest time in the ring.

He also went on to realize his dream of becoming world heavyweight champion.

Kane, who was born Glen Thomas Jacobs, had stints in college basketball and football as well as a junior high English teacher before turning to professional wrestling in 1992.

He has been with World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment since 1995.

As Kane, Jacobs has won a WCW tag-team championship with The Undertaker, a WWF championship, a WWF Hardcore championship, two Intercontinental championships and nine WWF/E world tag-team championships.

Dalip Singh Rana, better known by his ring name, The Great Khali, signed with WWE in 2006.

He is a former power lifter who won Mr. India in 1995 and 1996.

Under the ring name Giant Singh, he became a professional wrestler for All Pro Wrestling in the United States of America, making his first appearance in 1996.

He won the WWE world heavyweight championship one time and appeared in the film “The Longest Yard” in 2005.

Matt Hardy has been known as High Voltage, Surge, the Wolverine and the Angelic Diablo.

From 1998 to 2001, he wrestled tag team with his brother, Jeff, as the Hardy Boyz.

Hardy has won a cruiserweight championship and tag-team championship with WWE and a European championship and hardcore championship with WWF.

He became the second-longest reigning European champion in history and the longest-reigning American-born European champion.

Hardy also won the WWF/E world tag-team championship six times with his brother, Jeff.

CM Punk, who was born Phil Brooks, made his debut with WWE in 2005 and his debut with Extreme Championship Wrestling in 2006.

His first venture into wrestling in the 1990s was with a backyard grappling group called the Lunatic Wrestling Federation.

He first started using the ring name CM Punk when he was put into a tag team called the Chick Magnets.

His many tattoos include a Pepsi logo on his left shoulder and the COBRA logo on his right shoulder.

Brooks also has “DRUG FREE” spelled out on his knuckles.

John Randall Hennigan, better known as John Morrison, also has been given the names Johnny Blaze, Johnny Spade and Johnny Nitro.

Before becoming a professional wrestler, Hennigan studied film and geology in college.

He began his wrestling training at the Supreme Pro Wrestling professional wrestling school and was accepted as a cast member for the third season of the WWE/MTV reality show “WWE Tough Enough” in 2002.

After winning the competition, he was awarded a WWE developmental contract and assigned to WWE’s Ohio Valley Wrestling to continue his training.

He has won an ECW championship, a WWE Intercontinental championship twice and the WWE tag-team championship four times.



Wrestling

What: WWE presents Smackdown/ECW Live.

When: 5 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Cambria County War Memorial Arena, 326 Napoleon St., Johnstown.

Tickets: $64 and $44 for floor seating, $44 for reserved center stands, $34 and $29 for reserved stands and $24 for general admission.

Information: 536-5156 or (800) 243-8499.