GETTING A GRIP WRESTLEMANIA TAKES HOLD AT STAPLES.

Byline: Rachel Uranga Staff Writer

With fists pumping, thousands of die-hard wrestling fans, grunting, cheering and jeering, packed the Staples Center for WrestleMania 21 on Sunday.

Dubbed the Super Bowl of Wrestling and the ultimate soap opera for boys, the annual faux fight extravaganza arrived in Los Angeles with a bang.

For four action-packed, body-slamming, smack-talking hours, a parade of wild characters - from the heavily tattooed, eyeliner-wearing The Undertaker to the masked Rey Misterio - battled each other for titles, revenge and money - and for sheer sport.

``This is crazy,'' exclaimed Michele Brigham, 22, as she chanted in support of Olympic Gold medalist turned-World Wrestling Entertainment celebrity Kurt Angle, as he took down his longhaired opponent, Shawn Michaels. ``It's the top guns wrestling. I love it.''

Brigham, like dozens of other foreign tourists, came to Los Angeles to experience the rough-and-tumble event, presented by World Wrestling Entertainment.

While some like Brigham were drawn in by the theatrics of wild-eyed men with long-simmering rivalries, others had more simple things in mind.

``We like the muscles,'' said Mariko Kajiyama, a Japanese tourist who came wearing a WWE shirt.

The event has only been staged in Los Angeles twice, and, when tickets went on sale several months ago, the show sold out in 60 seconds.

Fanatical followers ate up the action. Boys, men and more than a few women sat at the edge of their seats as a booming theme song introduced each wrestler.

``It is a soap opera,'' said John Godfrey, a 29-year-old loan officer. ``It's about good vs. evil, about revenge. I grew up on it.''

Many in the crowd carried signs for their favorite performers.

One said ``What would Hogan do?'' - referring to Hulk Hogan, a legendary wrestler who sports a long, yellow mustache and helped establish wrestling as a cultural phenomenon for the then-titled World Wrestling Federation.

Jett Guerra, 9, of Woodland Hills wore his WWE hat and shirt and carried a specially made cardboard sign to cheer on John Cena, aka Chain Gang Soldier, who on Sunday won the WWE Championship belt.

``Oh, yeah!'' Jett said, clenching his fist as he watched one wrestler body slam another in prematch.

``It's good for him to have heroes; I support whatever he likes,'' said his father, John Guerra, 42.

Elliot Marsh, 26, a tourist from England, said he was so inspired by all the bulging muscles and snarling characters that he had to play the part. Dressed in red briefs and a yellow cutoff shirt, in the spirit of Hogan, he flexed for one fan.

``Six-inch biceps,'' he bragged with a half smile.

In the end, it was the hulking, 275-pound Batista who beat Triple H out of his WWE heavyweight title.

Rachel Uranga, [phone]

rachel.uranga(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) WWE wrestler Kane, center, is slammed by Christian, left, and Edge during WrestleMania 21 Sunday at Staples Center.

(2) Christy Hemme, left, is trapped in a choke hold by Trish Stratus during their match in WrestleMania 21 in Staples Center.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer