Wrestling fever on Solar

Here’s good news for wrestlemaniacs. Solar TV’s USA (Ultimate in Suspense and Action) cable channel is allocating 12 hours of airtime for World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) action every week starting today in response to reverberating public clamor to bring back sports’ enduring version of the telenovela in a big way on the tube.

That’s not all. Solar’s top brass says in April, WWE’s high-rating "Smackdown" show–entertaining seven million viewers in the US alone each week–will be aired on IBC-13.

Fans hooked on ultimate fighting are also in for a treat. Solar USA is putting on four of the fightingest mixed martial arts programs five hours a week starting this Friday. "Thunderbox," a one-hour extravaganza featuring the excitement of boxing and the drama of wrestling, leads off at 8 p.m. on Fridays. This unusual competition awards points to a warrior’s grand entrance and interviewing skills plus gets fans involved via on-line voting.

Then, the weekend mayhem begins. UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) action hits the tube at 10 p.m., Saturdays. It’s wrestling, boxing, martial arts, and street-fighting rolled into one–a full-contact, no-holds-barred battleground where the ultimate objective is to force a submission. Then, at 11 p.m., also on Saturdays, Solar presents Pride Fighting Championship, the hottest combat event in Japan today. This assembles the top fighters from the martial arts disciplines of boxing, muay-thai, wrestling, judo, karate, taekwondo and kickboxing. Everyone competes under the same rules, in the same ring. The result is the most thrilling form of fighting entertainment on earth, "pride" style.

On Sundays, the two-hour K-1 program reels off at 10 p.m. K-1 is the competition that determines the best of the best in the "k" contact martial arts of karate, kickboxing, kungfu, kempo, and kapoera. This is where the world’s heavyweight martial arts specialists congregate to decide who’s who in their bloody business.

But the WWE–a blend of sports and entertainment–takes center stage in Solar USA’s new-age programming.

The WWE is the consolidated entity that Vince McMahon created in late 2001 by fusing the resources of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). "In today’s world, no one tells a story with more drama and excitement than the WWE," boasts McMahon’s drumbeaters. And they’re right. The WWE uses the telenovela approach to keep viewers tuned in week after week, day after day.

WWE programs are shown in seven continents and translated into 13 languages with a global audience of millions. In the US, it generates more than 24 million impressions each week with nine hours of original programming produced weekly, 52 weeks a year. The WWE backs up its TV shows with live events, licensed merchandise, remote broadcasts, home videos, CDs, books and publications. McMahon offers a complete multi-media package that caters to viewers of all ages, ethnic backgrounds, and persuasions.

On Solar, the one-hour WWE "Heat" is shown at 9 p.m., Wednesdays, with a 3 p.m. replay, Saturdays. The two-hour WWE "Raw" blasts off at 10 p.m, Wednesdays, with a 4 p.m. replay, Saturdays. The one-hour WWE "Velocity" cracks the tube at 9 p.m., Fridays, with a 3 p.m. replay, Sundays, and the two-hour WWE "Smackdown" checks in at 10 p.m., Fridays, with a 4 p.m. replay, Sundays.

The four shows are different from each other. "Heat" is built on the teen and young-adult market. It’s hosted by Coach and a guest superstar and broadcast live from the site of a pay-per-view event with lots of behind-the-scenes drama."Raw" is described as a "live-action telenovela (that) is the most exciting and unpredictable action-packed show on TV." Aside from matches, "Raw" features celebrity appearances, talent vignettes and interviews. Some of the "Raw" mainstays are the Undertaker and Rob Van Dam.

"Velocity" is hosted by Marc Loyd and Al Snow. It showcases "Smackdown" superstars like The Rock, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Edge, and Chris Jericho. "Velocity" puts on original matches with entertaining storylines. Finally, "Smackdown" brings the action all together on one stage. A recent US survey revealed that more teens tune in to "Smackdown" than any other program on TV.

Pro wrestling has evolved into a class of its own through the years. It isn’t categorized as a sport like boxing or taekwondo. You won’t find pro wrestling results in the sports pages. It borders on showbiz entertainment as wrestlers are often considered more actors than athletes although there’s no doubting their athleticism.

Wrestlers are often described as "cartoon characters" with personalities or images that vary, depending on the script. Hulk Hogan, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Shawn ("The Heartbreak Kid") Michaels, and The Rock are classic examples of this genre. Femme fatales make the storylines more interesting.

Detractors accuse wrestlers of faking their act. But who can deny their athleticism? In pro wrestling, the ring is to wrestlers as the silver screen is to Hollywood actors. They’re all entertainers only in pro wrestling, there is no second take–it’s live all the way–and a mistake could be costly.

Pro wrestlers work on their craft for years before they’re cleared to perform. It’s a dangerous business and if a wrestler isn’t careful, he could be badly injured. Some wrestlers have died in the squared circle–by accident, of course. Hazards of the trade, as they say.

McMahon has been on top of the pro wrestling industry for over 20 years, evolving from a small, regional live-event promoter to the king of a multi-million dollar conglomerate. The phenomenal popularity of pro wrestling all over the world is a tribute to McMahon’s creative genius and uninhibited imagination. And starting today on Solar USA, local fans will find out why the WWE is such an enduring sports entertainment act.

Solar’s commitment to sports is incredible. It signed a four-year package to air more National Basketball Association (NBA) games on a daily basis than any other country in the world. On the Solar Sports channel, there is 24-hour coverage of hoops, tennis, golf, table tennis, beach volleyball, volleyball, and lots, lots more. Solar has also bought air time on free TV to put on NBA games, blockbuster world title fights, and other big events.

Making it all possible are Solar’s key executives–chairman Wilson Tieng, president William Tieng, executive vice president Peter Chanliong, vice president for finance Ronald Tieng, vice president for network development and programming Monet Silerio and vice president for business development and operations Ralph Roy. Also credited for the Solar boom are operations manager for channel programming Chum Cornejo, Edel Pepito of Solar USA programming, Gidget Policarpio who is in charge of Solar Entertainment marketing, and publicist Arnold Arandilla.