Get your grappling gear on, WWE's coming to town

The Big Red Machine, as Kane is known, is making his second trip to NZ. Photo / World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.

He's been called a renegade, an entrepreneur, the modern-day PT Barnum - and this week the superstars of Vince McMahon's World Wrestling Entertainment return to New Zealand for two nights of high-flying, hard-hitting pro wrestling action.

WWE operates three signature brands, each with its own weekly TV broadcast. This week, the stars of Smackdown and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) will perform in Auckland and Christchurch as part of the Smackdown & ECW tour of Australasia.

One of the headlining performers on the tour is Edge, a lanky Canadian who is equal parts rock star and sociopath. The self-proclaimed "Rated R Superstar" is the current World Heavyweight Champion and a staple of WWE's programming, being a ten-year veteran with numerous championships - and juicy scandals - to his name.

Edge's latest claim to fame? Just last week, he retired the legendary Undertaker, breaking the hearts of thousands of Kiwi fans who were hoping to see the "Dead Man" travel to New Zealand again. Hasty calls were placed to WWE on behalf of the fans, and the confirmation came quickly: the Undertaker has been granted a special dispensation to appear in New Zealand on a farewell tour.

Also making the trip down under is ECW Heavyweight Champion, Kane. Also known as the "Big Red Machine", Kane is the Undertaker's little brother, or he isn't, depending on which backstory WWE adheres to at any given time. However "little" does not describe the man well, as he stands over two metres tall and weighs in excess of 130 kilograms.

Kane will team up with the Undertaker in Auckland to face MVP (Montel Vontavious Porter to his mum) and Mark Henry, a former Olympian with a list of strongman credentials longer than his massive arms.

Fans can also expect to see WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and the Miz, WWE United States Champion Matt Hardy, CM Punk, Chavo Guerrero, Natalya Neidhart (daughter of 80s icon Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart) and more.

The WWE Smackdown/ECW Tour takes place in Auckland tomorrow night at the Vector Arena, and Thursday night at Christchurch's Westpac Centre.

* Click here for tickets to the Auckland show,
or call Ticketmaster at (09) 970 9700.
* Click here for tickets to the Christchurch show,
or call Ticketek at 0800 842 538.

Five reasons not to miss the WWE Smackdown/ECW tour:

- Like Santa Claus, WWE only comes to New Zealand once a year. Also like Santa Claus, people know wrestling's a fantasy but they play along anyway.

- It's a good opportunity to snap up WWE merchandise without paying those exorbitant international shipping fees.

- The WWE Divas. Jaw-droppingly beautiful, jaw-breakingly tough.

- Leading a 15,000-strong chant calling an athlete a wanker might get you ejected from the Beijing Olympics. At a wrestling show, it's likely to get you featured on TV. Keep an eye out for you and your mates when WWE shows off their tour highlights package next week.

- With the cost of living continuing to rise, punters can satisfy their sports and entertainment whims for the price of one ticket.