The modern day gladiators of World Wrestling Entertainment will smash their way into State College at 7:45 p.m. Monday in the Bryce Jordan Center for the live broadcast of WWE Raw.

Spike TV will air the more than two-hour event as it happens live from Penn State. Raw is viewed by millions every Monday night and has endured as one of cable television's highest-rated programs for nearly a decade running.

This particular edition of the event will feature a wide range of WWE superstars, including World Champion Triple H, Rob Van Dam and the ever-popular Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Many of the lesser-known stars on the roster also possess a large fan base.

Pat Hanlon, a 2002 Penn State graduate who has been a wrestling fan for 20 years, enjoys the comedic antics of lower card wrestler The Hurricane.

"I've followed The Hurricane for a long time and finally saw him catch his break in WWE," he said. "He really has a huge underground cult following."

In addition to getting to see their favorite Raw superstars, fans can expect all the glitz and glamour of a typical WWE production, which often includes pyrotechnics, loud music and gimmickry galore.

The event will likely include as many as 10 to 15 matches. This is because the live show will include more than just the live broadcast of Raw.

Two or three "dark," or non-televised, matches will kick off the show, said Joe Villa, Live Events Media Coordinator for WWE.

"Then we'll move on to the taping of Sunday Night Heat, a program that airs every Sunday night on Spike TV," he said. "After that, Raw will begin."

The opening dark matches will provide fans with the unique opportunity to see more WWE superstars in one night than they would otherwise. In addition, dark matches often include independent talents who have yet to earn WWE contracts.

Since these dark matches often act as tryouts for potential WWE superstars, they often include more high-risk and innovative maneuvers than would normally be seen at a WWE event.

Dark matches also act as a large incentive for fans to get to the show as early as possible.

Regardless of when the fans get to the show, they will get to experience all the aspects of a live event such as Raw.

"Anything can happen," Villa said. "Fans at the BJC will get to play a large part in the action, with everyone in the world seeing it at the very same time."

The live aspect of Raw will add greatly to the crowd's excitement and the effort that the wrestlers put into their work, but it will also carry with it a certain risk, Villa said.

"There is no safety net, no retakes, no do-overs," he said. "Everything you see will happen straight ahead on live TV."

Joe Notaro (freshman-pre-law) has attended a live WWE event in the past, and describes it as a larger-than-life experience.

"All of the wrestlers I'd seen on TV, we got to see up close and in person," he said. "It was a lot of fun."

Although it has been more than three years since WWE last came to State College, Villa notes that it remains a favorite location for live events.

"The crowd is great, and we have a great fan base here in State College," he said. "Superstars especially look forward to coming out and performing in front of a State College crowd."

That fan base includes Notaro, who enjoys the WWE product for more than just the athleticism of its stars.

"I watch it because of the drama," he said. "It's pretty much a male soap opera."