Steel chairs, sharpshooters, and 3 counts are mainstays in professional wrestling.

Its an business that generates billions of dollars annually and has a legion of dedicated fans... especially here in South Central Kentucky.

Ryan Dearbone found out why this world is so popular in his special assignment... "Beyond The Ropes."

Inside the wrestling ring there's nothing but ropes and your opponent.

On the outside is an industry as ingrained in the American culture as the people that watch it.

You don't have to be a "jabroni" to understand that pro wrestling is more than meets the eye.

Every Sunday night, pro wrestling takes center stage on the radio airwaves of Warren County.

Life-long wrestling fan Chris Kelly co-hosts "The Beatdown" on sports station WBGN 1340 "The Ticket".

"Fans want an outlet. For fans like me, its not enough to just sit there and watch it. I want to talk about it as well, so fans call in, fans go on the website and check out news and information," says Kelly.

Wrestling means a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

But for "The Beatdown's" producer, Seth Burchett, its sentimental.

"A lot of guys watch it because they like watching other guys get beat up. For me ,it was sentimental for a while because I didn't grow up with a father and wrestling was always consistent to me," recalls Burchett.

Burchett says it was because of watching wrestling, he was able to have something to identify with and eventually fell in love with sports-entertainment.

Superstars like C.M. Punk, The Undertaker, and John Cena are currently the biggest draws in the business.

From shirts, to video games, to live events... pro wrestling has a massive following.

In all, World Wrestling Entertainment, which is the grand-daddy of pro wrestling brings in millions of dollars annually from television shows and merchandising.

For example, wrestling shows on pay-per-view draw a huge number of viewers.

So much so, that restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings show WWE events monthly.

"Basically it started off, it was semi successful and as its been going on as we've been showing pay-per-views, its been more and more successful," says Assistant General Manager, Dave Mertz.

Even on a smaller level, local independent wrestling promotions bring in large streams of fans wanting to get close to the action.

However, there is a perception that all wrestling fans are part of an "unflattering" mold.

But that couldn't be farther from the truth.

"It really does run the gamut, from the youngest to the oldest... the richest to the poorest. There's something there for everybody in the stories and the action," says Kelly.

"For a while even people in their 40s and 50s can become a kid again," agrees Burchett.

"I've know guys that work in media, I've known guys that work at western, I've known guys that work in the health care field that are wrestling fans," continues Kelly.

Even politicians like the physical jousting of pro wrestling, just ask Bowling Green City Commissioner Joe Denning.

"I hear it all the time. I can't believe you look at that stuff." Well I look at it every Monday night and any other chance I get," quips Denning.

Denning's love for the squared circle began as a kid, when he would go watch wrestling with his grandfather.

"Back when I was growing up and went to wrestling matches, it was not as popular as it is today," recalls Denning.

He says even though the wrestling industry has changed completely since his youth, Denning still has a field day following the exploits of today's wrestling world.

"I love John Cena and I hate Randy Orton."

While the outcomes of matches and story lines are pre-determined, the physicality is real.

"Its truly difficult. These guys are truly well trained athletes," notes Burchett.

He should know.

He's stepping from behind the mic and heading into the wrestling ring.

"You hear many kids say their dream is to be a football player. My dream was always to be a wrestler," recounts Burchett.

Its that passion that links millions of wrestling fans together all over the world.

"Its entertainment," says Denning, with a smile.

In the past five years, the WWE has made several appearances here for live events at Western's E.A. Diddle arena.

www.wbgnbeatdown.com

www.infoplease.com/spot/prowrestling1.html

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_wrestling

www.prowrestling.com/