wwe.com Iraq article

[Guest DeputyHawk]

Quite the odd tone they've gone for with this piece...

 

SMACKDOWN! CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS IN IRAQ

By Keith Elliot Greenberg

 

NEAR TIKRIT, Iraq – On Thursday, when Kurt Angle, Undertaker, Eddie Guerrero and other SmackDown! Superstars step into the ring on the show’s special "Holiday Tribute to the Troops" broadcast from this war-ravaged nation, they’ll be battling in a location that conjures up disturbing memories of the country’s brutal past.

 

It is said that this is the site where Saddam Hussein’s sadistic son, Uday – onetime head of both Iraq’s Olympic committee and soccer federation -- had his players tortured for failing to win in international competition. Since the war began, the soccer stadium has been damaged by U.S. bomb blasts. The bleachers are littered with rubble. Exposed steel peeks through concrete. To some of the troops, it seems like an odd place to stage a show.

 

“Looks pretty combat zonish, don’t it?” asked Army Specialist Al Smith.

 

But WWE did not have time to do a site survey. The company was adamant about doing this telecast from Iraq. The production team would make do with whatever it found there.

 

At one time, this was Al-Shakur Air Base, a training ground for Saddam’s Air Force.  Now, it’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) Speicher, named for Scott Speicher, a U.S. Navy pilot shot down during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

 

Although the facility is home to the U.S. Army’s 1st Infantry Division – a.k.a. “The Big Red One” – remnants of the old regime are found above ground – in the form of the soccer stadium and former Iraqi government buildings – and the labyrinth of bunkers and tunnels that stretch underground.

 

We are just miles from Saddam’s hometown, Tikrit – the deposed Iraqi leader’s full name, in fact, is Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti. His mother and uncles are buried at a small, blue mosque close to the grounds.

 

Soldiers I’ve met here talk about invading Saddam’s palaces as the former dictator fled advancing forces. Despite their ornate facades, the insides of these buildings were often haphazardly slapped together – a metaphor, troops say, for the regime of the despot who showed a defiant face to the outside world, only to found hiding in a “rat hole” nearby.

 

Despite the excitement over the SmackDown! telecasts, we are constantly reminded that this is a country at war. Every member of the WWE team must carry a helmet and Kevlar flak jacket everywhere – and be prepared to take cover in the concrete shelters all over the facility.

 

In the event of a rocket attack, the Superstars have been instructed to retreat to a SCUD bunker. As soon as the assault ends, we’ve been assured, the show will go on.

 

As an ornamental touch, parts of the former soccer field are being decked in camouflage for the broadcast. Two tanks, a surface to air missile, heavy equipment truck and a pair of hemmets – imposing cargo carriers – have been placed within camera range.

 

Before their matches, the Superstars will alight from a large, military tent.

 

WWE’s production coordinator Jason Robinson had less than 48 hours to transform the stadium into a SmackDown!-calibre venue, bringing along a handful of assistants, and relying on military volunteers to do the rest.

 

The day before the show, the bespectacled, soft-spoken Robinson stood in the midst of the makeover effort like a conductor, observing a collection of people slicing wood with a chain saw, and building the SmackDown! entrance ramp.

 

“Everything you see was made on the spot,” he pointed out.

 

The hardware might look decorative, but it’s fully operational. And while the troops may appear to be relaxing at the show, they remain in combat mode.

 

Several days ago, Army Specialist Steven Garn caught on insurgent trying to sneak onto the compound.  “It’s just like WWE,” he said. “You always have the bad guys. We’re just doing our best to take them out.”

 

The WWE production crew has draped a huge American flag across the damaged coliseum – covering the podium where Uday Hussein allegedly sat, while his athletes screamed for their lives.

 

“It’s a little poetic justice,” noted Army National Guard Specialist Paul Helton, 40, of Eldon, Mo.

[Guest Brian]

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