THE OPENING LINE

Monday, July 2, 2007 | 7:08 a.m.

THE REAL PAINS OF PRO WRESTLING

As a child I spent countless hours beating the stuffing out of an Ultimate Warrior wrestling dummy and even more time glued to the screen for WWF matches on Saturday mornings.

Soon the illusion that the over-the-top action on the screen had any basis in reality was shattered.

But I remained a fan, drawn to the soap opera-like drama and bloodied skulls that had been struck by steel chairs. I even dragged my uninterested father to SummerSlam '96 in Cleveland.

Later, in high school, I attended more ECW events than I care to admit.

At some point I lost interest.

But I'd see the headlines every so often. The not-so-old heroes of yesteryear were slowly dying.

Flyin' Brian Pillman, Ravishing Rick Rude, Yokozuna, The British Bulldog, Road Warrior Hawk, Big Bossman and Bad News Brown had heart problems that took their lives.

Mr. Perfect and Miss Elizabeth overdosed. Eddie Guerrero was the victim of a lifetime of drug abuse.

Hercules died in his sleep. The World's Strongest Man Dino Bravo was murdered. Owen Hart died in the ring. Junk Yard Dog had a car wreck. Sensational Sherri's death remains a mystery.

The Texas Tornado, Mike Awesome and now, apparently, Chris Benoit killed his family and committed suicide.

In 2004 I interviewed a broken-down Hacksaw Jim Duggan at a summer fair in Central Pennsylvania. Before his match he signed two-by-fours for $20. Few people seemed interested.

"It's a hard business ," he said quietly.

Today, I seldom watch. But about a year ago I attended a live event. A whole new set of stars, guys I didn't recognize, dominated the show.

Now, after hearing about Benoit, any illusions I ever had about wrestling have been destroyed.

And I can't help but wonder about the real cost of all those Saturday mornings.

THIS WEEK'S BEST BET

Annual Night of Fire, 5 p.m. Tuesday, The Bullring at Las Vegas Motorspeedway

If you only head to Bullring once this summer, catch this one. NASCAR star Kyle Busch returns to his short-track roots in a 75-lap Super Late Model main event. Stock cars, monster trucks, midgets, a jet car-burn and fireworks. It doesn't get any more American than this.

ADMISSION: $15

ON THE WEB: www.lvms.com, www.ticketmaster.com.

ALSO WORTH A LOOK

NBA Summer League, Friday through July 15, Cox Pavilion and Thomas & Mack Center

Vegas becomes the center of the hoops universe each summer, and the action starts heating up with future NBA stars. There are 55 games featuring 21 NBA teams, plus a Chinese national team.

ADMISSION: $25-$75

ON THE WEB: www.nba.com/summerleague2007, www.unlvtickets.com