This Ring Isn't Rosy -- Bam Bam Bigelow: He's Bad - And Proud Of It

------------------------------- Wrestling preview

World Championship Wrestling presents Spring Stampede, 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Tacoma Dome, Tacoma ($15-$50; 206-628-0888). -------------------------------

The appeal of professional wrestling may be a mystery to the uninitiated, but to fans, the draw is obvious. Wrestling has it all: Athletics, showmanship, music and buff stars of both sexes, all engaged in the classic battle of good against evil.

If you're up for the testosterone fest, you can catch the World Championship Wrestling lineup of wrestlers as well as the Nitro Girls (the WCW's version of cheerleaders) on Sunday at the Tacoma Dome.

Among the wrestlers included on the event's ticket is Bam Bam Bigelow, a 15-year veteran of the WCW. Bam Bam is the "heel" in most matches: the big hairy bad guy who pokes the "babyface" (the good guy) in the eye and slams his head in the post.

But hey, heel or not, every wrestler deserves a little attention. So here is Bam Bam. Go on, get to know him. . . .

Name: Bam Bam Bigelow.

No, no. Real name: Scott Bigelow.

Weight and height: 390 pounds, carried menacingly on a 6-foot-4-inch frame.

Place of birth: Asbury Park, N.J.

Astrological sign: Virgo

Origin of wrestling name: "You know when you're born and the doctor turns you upside down and slaps you on the butt? Well, he slapped me, I slapped him back and they call me `Bam Bam.' "

What drove him to wrestling large, greased men: "I was a high-school athlete . . . but I didn't pursue college and I got tired of hanging out in bars. So I went to wrestling school . . . a place called the Monster Factory in New Jersey."

Favorite wrestling move: "Greetings From Asbury Park" - a sit-down pile-driver that Bam Bam favors because "it just blows a guy's head right off his shoulders." He named it after a Bruce Springsteen album.

How he summons the rage to kick the stuffin' out of someone: "I do it by just sucking it up and going out there. . . . I hear the people yelling and screaming and to me, that's the ultimate high and fires me up. . . . I'll just grab the babyface and stick my fingers in his eyes, I'll choke him on the ropes and they'll boo me for it."

Worst injury sustained in line of duty: He tore both of his anterior cruciate ligaments (part of the mechanism that stops your knees from buckling).

Type of health insurance: "Being that I'm an actor, I'm in the Screen Actors Guild, so I pick up SAG insurance, and the company (the WCW) covers us if we get hurt. We have our own workman's comp program. . . . "

What the heck is he doing in SAG: He played a large (duh) biker in "Major Payne" and the part of Goose in "Snake Eater III: His Law." He's also done a commercial for Slim Jim beef jerky.

Boxers or briefs: "I prefer boxers, even though I wear briefs."

Favorite painting: "I like the Vincent Van Gogh painting with the onions . . . I almost bought it . . . it was $13 million and my friend Matt, who is a multibillionaire from Mitsubishi, had it in his office and was selling it, and I used to take it off the wall and spin it around."

Why?: "I like it because I was able to hold it and really look at it - it kind of freaked him (Matt) out, but he had it insured."

Number of tattoos: 19

Strangest tattoo: "The one on my skull. It's a big ball of fire. . . . I'm sort of like Jerry Lee Lewis."

Why?: "Well, I didn't pick the one on my head, actually . . . it came from bingeing in Asbury Park . . . one thing led to another, and my friend just happened to own a tattoo parlor, and I woke up with a tattooed head."

Preferred depilatory technique: "I got that new Mach III . . . that Gillette razor is cool . . . and no gels or foam, just water."

Time spent on hair removal: "I can shave my head in 25 seconds. . . . I don't do my chest and back - I'm not one of the pretty-boy types."

Political aspirations: "Sure . . . when I . . . settle back, I might want to spend the time to help the town (Asbury Park) . . . out. I know everyone would vote for me. . . . I'd fire everyone who's there now. I hate them all. Revenge would be sweet."

If all his WCW colleagues ran for president, he'd vote for: " `Hollywood' Hulk Hogan, because when I started in this business, Hogan took me under his wing and made me his partner . . . the guy is a dynamite dude, man. I've never seen him turn a kid down for an autograph. Hogan's my hero, man."

Beef with Seattle: "I got this thing about Seattle. I just can't stand it. I'm gonna make all the wrong ends right. So Ken Griffey Jr. and all you boys out there, you shoulda never traded Tino Martinez out. . . . Anyway, I'm coming out to Seattle, I'm settin' the record straight."

Big, bad closing rant: "Bam Bam Bigelow, the Beast in the East, is the baddest dude in professional wrestling today!"