The roar of the crowd, the glare of the spotlights, men beating each other up -- these are just a few of the things you will experience at a professional wrestling match.

Professional wrestling, one of the longest-lasting fads in this country, is catching on with younger viewers, too. WWF SmackDown! is UPN's second-highest-rated series and a consistent leader among male teens in its time period (8 p.m. Thursdays).

In addition, wrestling video games are available in every format -- from WWF SmackDown! for Sony PlayStation to WWF Wrestlemania 2000 for Nintendo 64 to ECW: Hardcore Revolution for Game Boy -- and www.wwf.com is the No. 1 sports Web site among 12- to 17-year-olds.

During the summer, Y-Press interviewed a group of wrestling fans at the Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville: Casey Leonard, 10; Nathan Leonard, 14; Shad Markwell, 11; Chris Zdenek , 11; and John, 14, who didn't want his last name used. Here's what they had to say about professional wrestling.

Why they watch

JOHN: When I was little, I thought it was real and so I just liked it. Then I ended up figuring out that it was staged. But there's still action, adventure and comedy all wrapped in one.

CASEY: I like it because of the cool guys. It's good entertainment.

NATHAN: It just grabs hold of my attention. It's like a soap opera, except more entertaining and not so boring.

CHRIS: It's pretty funny to watch, and you feel more energized by it.

SHAD: I think it is cool and sometimes funny. I like it just because of the fighting and entertainment.

How they started

NATHAN: My brother got me to sit down and watch it one day and I enjoyed it.

SHAD: My friends told me when it was on, so I turned to that channel, just sat down and watched it, and liked it.

CHRIS: I got started watching it 'cause people at school were talking about it, and I felt left out 'cause I was totally clueless.

JOHN: I kind of grew up with it. My family watched it. It's kind of a good family show to watch.

The wrestlers

SHAD: I like The Rock because he's cool.

CHRIS: Turbo Edge is one of the better wrestlers. I feel he gets knocked down because of all the bigger, money-making people, like Stone Cold and The Rock.

JOHN: I'd probably have to say Triple H -- just his attitude. My second favorite is Steve Austin. If you cut through all the cussing, the {lbra}middle{rbra} fingers and the beer, he is a heck of a role model.

I just respect all of them for just going out there and trying to make it entertaining.

The moves

CHRIS: I think some of them are real and some of them are fake. I don't see how people could get up from some of those things, so you have to wonder.

JOHN: I've seen moves to where a guy gets his neck broken, and I've seen stuff that's completely fake.

NATHAN: I try to catch them in a mistake.

SHAD: Even though it's not real, sometimes I just imagine in my mind that it is real.

Wrestling's influence

CASEY: It's addictive, but I can live without it.

SHAD: Even though I really want to watch it, sometimes I just totally forget about it.

CHRIS: I think it is pretty addictive. My stepbrother started watching it, and it seems like he can't walk into a room without trying to "choke slam'' someone.

JOHN: Like Chris, my brother will try to hit me with a "rock bottom'' every time I see him. He thinks he's cool.

We like to have fun. We've never hurt anybody 'cause we don't take it seriously. I watch it any time I can.

Parents' attitudes

NATHAN: My mom will sometimes come over and sit with us. {lbra}We've{rbra} discussed cursing and fighting, so I know that it's wrong.

CASEY: My mom has talked to me about violence and how it's not right to fight. I know there's other ways of solving your problems.

CHRIS: My parents think it is really fake and staged and phony, pretty much a waste of my time.

JOHN: My dad thinks it's pretty dumb . . . but he'll watch it if I'm watching it.

My mom doesn't really get into it, but she likes a couple of wrestlers.

REPORTERS: Stephen Miller, 11, and Raeann Potasnik, 12.