"Hollywood" Hogan helped bring wrestling to the mainstream in the 1980s

From Dennis Michael
CNN Entertainment News Correspondent

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Professional wrestling has been a television staple since the earliest days of the medium. Now, as pro wrestling approaches the new millennium, it is in transition: Formerly the domain of cable and pay-per-view, wrestling goes broadcast with UPN tries to bodyslam TBS with its new prime-time wrestling show, "WWF Smackdown." It debuts on Thursday against "WCW Thunder."

Despite the subject matter, neither organization considers wrestling to be about sports.

"We are Hollywood," says Shane McMahon, president of WWF New Media. "We're entertainment, and that's what the World Wrestling Federation is all about."

In recent years, ratings is what the World Wrestling Federation and its archrival, World Championship Wrestling, have been all about. Combined, they command an average Monday night audience approaching 8 million viewers. That number will probably grow as the battle moves to Thursday nights.

Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura made a recent re-entry into the ring as a referee

Broadcast networks and network advertisers once thought the pro wrestling audience unappealing; the perception has changed.

"This is a mainstream, middle-class, oftentimes college-educated audience," says UPN Entertainment President Tom Nunam, "that sees it (wrestling) as sort of the cartoon, comic-book adventure, soap opera that it is."

Call it what you will, pro television wrestling has never had a higher profile. Former wrestler Jesse Ventura, now governor of Minnesota, returned to the ring on Sunday to act as a referee and performer on a WWF pay-per-view show. His appearance made television wrestling the subject of earnest discussion in high government circles.

Forget the image of bad actors in underwear, wrestling has arrived -- at least to a degree.

"I think they're taking it more seriously as an entertainment source," says Goldberg, a WCW wrestler. "I don't think they're taking it more seriously in that they believe what's going on."

The WWF and the WCW, a division of Time Warner, the company that operates CNN, long ago deemphasized the word "sport" in describing pro wrestling. It's showbiz, pure and simple.

"I think we look at all forms of entertainment and steal, if you would, from all of them," says WWF chairman Vince McMahon.

With elements of "All My Children," Marvel Comics, and a KISS concert, the television pro wrestling business can only be accurately described with one word: profitable.