I got to see archrivals Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin team up against Undertaker and Kane in the Boston Garden. I watched from the first-row balcony at the old Worcester Centrum as the 7-foot, 500-pound Big Show heaved 5-foot-6, 175-pound Rey Mysterio into the ring post - oh yeah, I forgot to mention Mysterio was strapped to a stretcher board. And I also sat ringside at the Verizon Wireless Arena in ManchVegas to witness Hulk Hogan come out of retirement (for the umpteenth time) and team with the legendary "Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels.

I'm not afraid to admit I've been an avid viewer and spectator of professional wrestling, specifically the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), since the late 90s. No, not because I think it's real; quite the contrary, in fact. I watch because I know I'm going to get the best bang for my buck. I watch because the athleticism never ceases to amaze me. I watch because it's entertaining.

Tomorrow night at the Verizon Wireless Arena, the WWE will put on what it calls a live show. In other words the event will not be shown on television. These shows can sometimes be more exciting than those prepared for TV because the wrestlers engage with the audience more, and rivals become collaborators, like in 1999 when The Rock and Stone Cold put aside their on-camera hatred for one of the most surreal segments I've ever seen.

Not sold yet? No problem. You will be.

Bang for your buck

Whether you're from the days of Bruno Sanmartino, Harley Race, Stone Cold or John Cena, there's no denying professional wrestling has withstood the test of time. Why, you ask? Because while the "Big Four" - MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL - can't guarantee you're going to see a competitive contest, it's pretty much an ankle lock that you're going to leave the WWE arena, or couch, fully satisfied.

Whether you're at a live event or a taped show, you're certain to see at least six to seven matches. Everything from featherweights to middleweights to heavyweights, the WWE features title matches nearly every week - not once every six months like boxing. Anything from the United States Championship to the World Heavyweight title can be up for grabs on any given night.

Now, I realize your skepticism always returns to the fact that everything is choreographed (i.e. staged). Well, if you ask me that's what makes it great; especially when it comes to pay-per-views where you're spending 30, 40, sometimes 50 bucks a pop.

Ever bought a boxing match on PPV and waited through all the undercard matches only to see the main event end in a matter of minutes? Moreover, the boxers treat the match like a pillow fight, barely engaging one another and acting more like they're in it for the paycheck than the competition or prestige.

I'm not going to tell you I've never seen a blowout or that I haven't seen my fair share of dud matches. Believe me, I have. But when it comes to delivering the best bang for your buck, WWE delivers consistent, high-drama intensity week in and week out.

Athleticism

All professional sports have spent at least some period of time in the not-so-favorable limelight of steroids use. Professional wrestling hasn't gone unblemished either. The WWE has gone through its steroid scandals, but it's developed a substance abuse and steroid policy that's called the best in the business today. No one is immune.

The result has been a better product. And while some of the hulking guys you see on TV today look like product placement ads for steroids, nothing could be further from the truth. What you're seeing are athletes, plain and simple; guys who put their bodies on the line two to three times per week to entertain us.

Take for instance John Cena, the most charismatic, popular character - and that's what they are, characters - in the WWE today. A native of West Newbury, Mass., Cena wears headbands around his biceps and has picked up and tossed the aforementioned superhuman-sized Big Show on more than one occasion. But despite his enormous physique, Cena prides himself on his clean-cut image, which is probably why he's become so popular among women and children.

Then again, you have a guy like Jeff Hardy, whose tattoos and rainbow-colored hair would make him stick out like a sore thumb at . . . well, pretty much anywhere except a wrestling ring. One of the most popular wrestlers in the WWE, Hardy makes the company fistfuls in merchandising alone. But that didn't make him impervious to a drug suspension in March of 2008. Instead of succumbing to his bad habit and riding into pro wrestling oblivion, Hardy came back stronger and healthier, returning to dazzle crowds with a top-rope aerial assault that often sees him crashing through tables, ladders and chairs, oh my!

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