Bright lights paint the stage with streaks of red and blue, sparks from pyrotechnics drift to the ground like electrified snow, and the ring – prominently situated in the middle of the chaos – provides a battlefield for favorite heroes and fiendish villains to clash.World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) live events are, in the simplest definition, a larger-than-life exhibition. Those unfamiliar with WWE and the business of sports entertainment may look at those live events, such as the performance of Monday Night Raw on March 21 at the Consol Energy Center, as an excuse for overly-chiseled men and scantily-clad women to parade in front of large audiences and pretend to fight one another, and in some ways, they would be right.However, when the bright lights, fancy costumes and flashy entrances are stripped away, what truly makes WWE successful, according to its fans – the WWE Universe – is the emotional response to the show and the connection fans find with each WWE Superstar.The beauty of any large sporting event is every individual who attends has the opportunity to be a part of a larger group of like-minded people. Michael Karnes, a relatively new fan of the company and first-time live show attendee, found the community feeling of the March 21 show was the most striking thing about the entire experience.”I started watching Monday Night Raw over the summer because my girlfriend is obsessed with it, and I was surprised when I started to enjoy it,” said Karnes, 19, of the North Hills. “It was really cool to be here and feel like I was involved in the show. The people around me were just as excited as I was to see the show live.”Courtney Carpenter, 32, of Hampton, brought her three children to the performance not only so they could see WWE Superstars John Cena and Triple H compete in a 6-Man Tag Team match, but also so they could see they are not alone in being WWE fans.”Sometimes the younger two [Sean, 6, and Abby, 4] get teased at school for liking wrestling as much as they do,” Carpenter said. “They love John Cena, and I thought bringing them to the show and having them see other people who love Cena too would show them that they should be proud to like what they do, and that there will always be people who feel the same.”The strong emotional connection many fans feel toward Superstars like Cena and their characters – people who most fans have never met and probably never will – adds depth and meaning to what would otherwise be just a series of wrestling matches. On Monday night, purple and orange shirts dedicated to Cena added traces of color to the 16,102-strong crowd, and sounds of cheering and jeering reverberated throughout the Consol Energy Center.Screams that included “Come on, Cena! Lay him flat,” “CM Punk [Phillip Jack Brooks] sucks! Get him off the stage” and “Triple H! Win for me, man” not only provided the soundtrack of the evening, but also testified to the importance of each Superstar’s actions and personas to members of the WWE Universe.From the opening monologue of Paul “Triple H” Levesque to the revenge match that pitted WWE darlings Orton and Rey Mysterio against each other, Monday Night Raw provided every fan in the arena and watching at home the opportunity to escape the drudgery of life and fully immerse themselves in the drama of the show. For some fans, Raw allows them to address their own frustrations exhibited by the Superstars and carried out against villains and other opponents.Michelle Campbell, 19, of Bellevue, uses the over-dramatic plotlines and exaggerated fighting as an outlet for the stresses of everyday life. “Working as a waitress sucks, and when customers are rude to me or I have a stressful night, I like to watch wrestling,” Campbell said. “Putting myself in the ring with the Divas while they beat the hell out of each other makes me feel better.”