It’s over. I got too close to the black hole called the World Wrestling Federation and now I’m increasingly being sucked in.

At first, its soap opera-filled plot kept me at bay, but yet something still kept my interest. I kept asking friends who are into it about what was going on with the plot. Who had the belt? Did “Stone Cold” Steve Austin kick WWF owner Vince McMahon’s butt? Why do I even care?

This continually surfacing addiction didn’t even stop when I heard the other night the news everybody’s been talking about. No, not the XFL or the crazy guy who shot at the White House. It was the apocalyptic sign of former WWF all-American wrestler “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan turning his back on the good ol’ United States of America.

Hacksaw betrayed the country he wove a flag and 2 x 4 wooden board for. The wrestler known for “Hey-hoooo’s” and three-point stance clothesliners denounced the United States and joined WCW’s Team Canada wrestling gang.

Easy, wrestling fanatics, I know it’s last year’s news. Like I said, I’m slowly being drawn in again. I watched the entire Monday night WWF program “Raw is War” last week for the second consecutive time. Last year, it was only bits of segments of the show. Now it’s an entire two hours that I’ll never be able to replace.

My dad always flipped through the TV channels and stopped to check out a WCW or WWF program (and probably still does). It was always a given he’d say something to the effect that the people who “watch this crap” have the brains the size of peas or an IQ of 5.

Then he’d continue watching, flip away a little later in disgust and then eventually come back again to watch.

Dad’s IQ theory is true, to a degree. It works for those grown adults who decide to make a sign for the event with their coloring Crayons stating “Cause Stone Cold Said So!” or “The Rock is Hot,” or “Whazzup!!”

It’s hard to put a finger on what exactly is drawing me into this world of “sports entertainment” or “the man’s version of a soap opera.” Is it all those really close 1-2 counts by the ref? I mean, it looks like The Rock is going to lose and all of sudden he shakes off his opponent with ease, right before the ref slaps down count number three. Oh, the insanity of it all.

But taking a serious look at why so many are drawn to it, let’s list the reasons: there’s ridiculously gorgeous women who could kick my butt, fireworks and fire, loud heavy-metal music, amazing acrobatic stunt work in the ring, worshipped wrestling personas and, yes, an interesting enough plot.

The WWF has as much backstabbing as “Survivor,” sex and cheating as “Temptation Island,” bleeped out words as “Cops,” and probably less violence than the average nightly news broadcast.

Yet, unlike its “reality” TV comparisons, pro wrestling is not reality. Sure, the WWF is not quality family entertainment or the best source of idols for kids, but it’s totally made up and fake. It’s action theater. The thing for me, knowing that the WWF is not reality, it’s a lot more sobering than having to watch real society expose its negative traits through “reality” TV or the increasing number of criminal professional athletes – the idols kids are supposed to look up to.

Then again, it’s probably just the left over Hulkamania left in me from when I was kid and now it’s running wild.