There are many things that spring to mind when thinking about WWE, or World Wrestling Entertainment as it is very rarely called. As well as the fighting that takes place in the ring, featuring two or more bodybuilder-types using moves like spinning wheel kicks or one-handed bulldogs, there is also a soap opera element, with these characters playing out their various feuds and grudges with one another. Is it real? Can it be classed as a sport? These questions and more will hopefully be answered when WWE takes place in Doha later this month.

The origins of WWE are rooted firmly in the 1980s, when it was run by the WWF (World Wrestling Federation) and had stars like Hulk Hogan and André the Giant in its ranks, and later on Steve ‘Stone Cold’ Austin and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. These days the names to follow include John Cena, Randy Orton and CM Punk – and, surprisingly, The Undertaker, who is still active after first joining the WWF back in 1990. Some of these names will be among the 32 or so wrestlers dropping into Qatar on April 23, all from the WWE Raw roster – one of the two divisions the WWE split into in 2002, along with Smackdown, to cater to its growing list of talent.

The man responsible for bringing the WWE Raw experience to Qatar in partnership with Qtel’s Virgin Mobile Service (QVMS) is Bilal Taha CEO of Golden Relations. He was able to tell us more about what to expect. ‘It’s everything you would want from a WWE Raw show,’ he says. ‘We have 32 wrestlers coming over, a crew of 55, and it will be big – we will cater for 10,000 spectators. Qatar has never seen anything like this before, and it will be the first time a WWE Raw event has taken place in the Middle East.’

Something that always plays an important part in WWE is the setting. There are long walkways and pumping soundtracks, allowing each wrestler to make an entrance, as well as great-looking scenery that may or may not find itself being part of the action. ‘We have been given a strict technical write-up – it’s 60 pages – and we have to fulfil that,’ says Bilal of the WWE’s requirements, meaning that we are going to get a show to rival any other on the planet. ‘It will be a big production,’ he confirms. ‘Big screens, lights and sound. And the entrance area measures 12 x 12 metres – really wide and really big.’

It will certainly make Qatar Sports Club, where the event is to be held, look a little different. But we were curious: how will an event taking place on just one night manage to squeeze in appearances from all 32 wrestlers? ‘I asked the same thing,’ Bilal laughs. ‘But that’s how they always do it; they have their script and their schedule, and we’ll see how it all plays out over the three hours. I have seen a preliminary script, not the final one, but there is definitely a lot of matches in there.’

So far it sounds like a very high-end production. Is that why this is viewed as entertainment rather than sport? ‘Sure, you can say that,’ says Bilal. ‘It’s a show, it’s entertainment, that’s what we say. But these guys still train like sportsmen, and they prepare and develop over a period of years to do what they do.’

Something that has always been apparent is the popularity of WWE in the region – DVDs are in plentiful supply in the malls, and T-shirts featuring the top wrestlers can even be found in the souks. Bilal believes there will be no problem selling tickets. ‘It’s very popular here, and one of the reasons is because it doesn’t come with any cultural or religious conflict,’ he says. ‘We want to keep it that way, so we aren’t bringing out the female wrestlers, for example. This is a family event, and people really get into it too and come along knowing all the back stories and about who is angry at whom. It will offer plenty of drama.’

In addition, Bilal believes that holding an event of this kind could be the start of something entirely new for Qatar. ‘I think it could change the face of entertainment here,’ he says. ‘With an event of this nature, something so different, it shows what can be done. It can really open the gates.’

And we hear that opening the gates to WWE will happen a little earlier on the day itself. ‘There will be a meet-and-greet with some of the big-name wrestlers at Virgin Megastore in Villaggio Mall earlier in the afternoon,’ Bilal confirms. ‘So people can come down for autographs and photos.’

It definitely sounds like an event to look forward to, with WWE wrestling set to take over Doha that weekend. If we happen to bump into one of the wrestlers, we’ll try to make sure it isn’t in a ring-like setting.
WWE Raw takes place at Qatar Sports Club, April 23, doors open 5.30pm, 7.30pm start. Tickets QR250-1,000 (VIP) from selected Qtel stores, Virgin Megastore and www.spotsbyme.com.