When Things Get Raw

Society has gotten much more humane. Instead of watching gladiators fight to the death, we witness World Wrestling Entertainment performers pretend to spar. Sure, there’s some excitement lost because the wrestlers aren’t condemned criminals fighting live animals. But they make the same faces as gladiators midslew. And because dying a glorious death is not at stake, the wrestlers can whine, throw hissy fits, and do other dishonorable things. Hey, it’s fun to watch greased-up musclemen whimper in their underwear. So, yeah, we’ve totally come a long way since the First Century B.C. Actually, perhaps WWE owes everything to the birth of Christianity, because that’s when battles to the death didn’t seem so appealing and cheering didn’t seem so right. But you can shamelessly hoot and holler this Saturday when the WWE World Raw Tour lands at South Florida’s Coliseum — the BankAtlantic Center.
Sat., Dec. 3, 7:30 p.m., 2011