Fresh Loaf

ATLANTANS LOVE THE CRACK: Of baseball bats in the spring

With all the buzz over Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler and Mickey Rourke’s bleak portrayal of an aging fighter grappling with a lot more than in-ring opponents, professional wrestling’s enjoying some newfound popularity. The World Wrestling Entertainment universe is still reeling from WrestleMania’s 25th anniversary last Sunday, where Rourke decked Chris Jericho after Jericho’s tasteless victory over some real-life aging wrestlers. The spotlight comes to Atlanta Mon., April 13 when Raw broadcasts live from Philips Arena.

This special three-hour edition of Raw will feature superstars from all three WWE shows (Raw, ECW and SmackDown) — everyone from champions to announcers is eligible for that night’s WWE Draft. The draft always creates new feuds and rivalries, keeping things fresh in the testosterone-fueled drama. But regardless of who ends up where, the real treat for fans is the potential to see pay-per-view quality matches between combatants who might not normally cross paths.

Mon., April 13, 7 p.m. $20-$70. Philips Arena, 1 Philips Drive. 404-878-3000. www.wwe.com.

Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals After a successful spring training, the Braves won their season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies last Sunday. Atlanta takes on National League East rival Washington for its home opener this Friday to start a three-game series. Opening day festivities include post-game fireworks and free magnetic schedules for the first 45,000 fans.

Fri., April 10, 7:30 p.m. $6-$80. Turner Field, 755 Hank Aaron Drive. 404-577-9100. www.braves.com.

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FEUD FOR THOUGHT: GOP infighting led to major bills such as transportation funding sine dying on the vine Friday. But don’t worry; at least now you can bring your guns on MARTA. Click here to read Thomas’ sine die live blog.

BOB BARR: Forms presidential exploratory committee, indicating he’s seriously considering running against Ralph Nader for general-election spoiler.

WWE AND HGH: Homeowner discovers HGH in his Locust Grove house, which once belonged to a pro wrestler, FOX 5 reports. I’m also amused to see a pro wrestling newsletter covering HGH abuse, which is like a soap opera magazine covering cosmetic surgery.

IMMIGRATION: Gwinnett prisons begin screening inmates for immigration violations, and AccessNorthGa is on the case with an adrenaline-pumping news graphic.

CLAYTON SCHOOLS: Things have been better.

BMW CARAVAN: Two hundred seventy-one bored, rich people drive from Chateau Elan to Atlanta Raceway in Braselton in not only the Guinness world-record longest caravan of BMWs, but cars in general.

CROSS-DRESSING THE LINE? Wisconsin elementary school holds dress-up day for kids to either dress as senior citizens or members of the opposite sex, an idea the kids came up with. Christian talk radio hears about the tiny trannies, though, and goes on an angry mission of talking.

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I grew up a fan of professional wrestling. As a kid, I lived and died with the Saturday night exploits of Mr. Wrestling II, Terry Funk, Dusty Rhodes, the Assassins and the other stars who were on TBS.

That was before pro rasslin’ changed and morphed into a comic book parody. But I always appreciated the modern-day throwbacks. And Chris Benoit was a throwback, someone who was actually schooled in the art of wrestling and knew the psychology of a pro wrestling match, how to ebb and flow and build suspense and drama. Not surprising, considering he trained in Stu Hart’s infamous “Dungeon,” the same place where Bret Hart and Owen Hart and dozens of others learned their craft.

Benoit, 40, who lived in Fayetteville, apparently killed his wife, Nancy, and their son, Daniel, over the weekend, then killed himself Monday. The district attorney told the AJC: “The details, when they come out, are going to prove a little bizarre.”

UPDATE: The AP just reported that Benoit strangled his wife, smothered his son and hung himself in his weight room. They also are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor.

A few years ago, I used to work out at a Gold’s Gym near the airport where a lot of professional wrestlers also worked out. I was on the treadmill when Benoit walked in with fellow wrestler Eddie Guerrero. Even though they were involved in an ongoing “feud” with one another, they spent two hours working out together. I felt like walking up to them and saying, “Hey, you’re fighting each other; you’re not supposed to be working out together in public!” The two wrestlers, who were good friends, had carried their wrestling feud from Japan to Ted Turner’s WCW to Vince McMahon’s WWE, and it resulted in some of the greatest pro wrestling matches ever.

Both Benoit and Guerrero would go on to hold the WWE’s heavyweight championship belt.

And both are now dead long before their time.

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