GRRRRRRRRRRR! L.A. GOES WILD FOR WRESTLEMANIA.

Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer

After a 14-year wait, fans across Los Angeles will swarm Staples Center this weekend for the knee-to-the-groin Super Bowl of TV wrestling - all but Claudia Harris.

The Glendale fan didn't have a chance - as 20,000 tickets to this Sunday's WrestleMania 21 vanished in 60 maddening seconds.

``The show ... the entertainment, all the affairs and bickering'' said Harris, 56, who three months ago called a ticket agency and frantically punched redial, only to be blocked by a busy tone.

``It's like hard-core soap opera - you start believing it after a while.''

Snarling muscle. Leering blubber. Tons of manly men - and women - tumbling to the mat in a romp 'em, stomp 'em sinister bout of choreographed wrestling.

Fans of fake fights got a bout of muscle mania this week as the hulks of World Wrestling Entertainment began a promotional tour across Southern California on Tuesday - giving autographs, touring schools and performing a wrestling exhibition on Hollywood Boulevard. On Saturday, a Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held at the Universal Amphitheatre.

Even City Hall got into the act with a proclamation Wednesday welcoming such meaty TV wrestling champions as Triple H and JBL, a J.R. Ewing-type who penned a book on getting rich quick.

Never mind that the WWE's ``WrestleMania Goes Hollywood'' won't be staged in Hollywood - but in Los Angeles.

Or that the WWE ``Get R.E.A.L.'' appearances at eight middle schools to stress respect, education, achievement and leadership are made by TV ape men infamous for violent dirty tricks.

Fans eat it up.

The story lines. The characters. The back-stabbing. The high-risk body slams known as ``the F-U,'' ``the Clothesline from Hell,'' ``the Angle Slam'' and ``Sweet Chin Music.''

Sunday's event will be the third city show in 22 years. The previous WrestleMania held in Los Angeles was in 1991.

Nine years ago, Eric Marquardt joined Harris, his co-worker, on a pilgrimage to Anaheim to see the WrestleMania extravaganza.

Only, like Harris, he'd struck out for WrestleMania L.A. after an hour wait for tickets.

``We wanted to go soooo bad, but it's sold out,'' said Marquardt, 32, of Glendale, who on his lunch break Wednesday did the next best thing and snared two wrestling T-shirts from Team LA at Universal CityWalk. ``We'll have to Pay-Per-View.''

Ricardo Guzman said he has watched TV wrestling ever since he can remember.

``It's fun to watch,'' said Guzman, 18, of Van Nuys, who dropped into Team LA to eyeball such WrestleMania Tees, as ``Looking Into the Eyes: The Deadman,'' which Marquardt purchased.

``Love the hard-core matches, the hitting. I like the girls, too.''

On Saturday, ``Rocky'' star Sylvester Stallone will induct such WWE tough guys as Hulk Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame.

On Sunday, WrestleMania 21 will be seen live at Staples by fans from 48 states and 14 countries. Around the world, its thuds will rattle TV screens in 90 nations.

``It is a global phenomenon and a global brand,'' said Gary Davis, spokesman for the Stamford, Conn.-based WWE. ``I've been in Kuwait, walking down the street by an outdoor cafe (and) saw people drinking Turkish coffee and watching wrestling.

``Over in the U.K., you'll see WWE stars on cereal boxes. People just can't get enough of it.''

Nonetheless, the manager of Team LA, the exclusive franchise this week for WrestleMania jerseys in the San Fernando Valley, said sales were flat.

Nobody seemed to mind the theatrics of the ring.

``I know it's fake, that's all it is,'' said Dylan Jock, 10, visiting CityWalk from Vancouver, B.C. ``But I like it 'cause it's entertaining - romp 'em and stomp 'em.''

``I love The Rock, big time, who is now a movie star,'' added Harris. ``I love his twitchy eye that only he can do - Jay Leno tried it, but he couldn't do it.''

Dana Bartholomew, [phone]

dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Eric Marquardt of Glendale shops for WrestleMania shirts at Team LA at Universal CityWalk.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer

(2 -- color) Hulk Hogan will be among those inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Saturday at Universal Amphitheatre.