Rookies and pros alike can appreciate just how lasting the sport of wrestling is. Bare chested men grappling for the perfect hold to pin their opponent down for the count are reminiscent of Gladiators from centuries ago. Crowds root and scream for their hero as they yell words of encouragement to their chosen contender. This program, from World Wrestling Entertainment (the WWE) takes us behind the scenes of professional wrestling and combines reality television with scripts taken from live events. Watch to see who will emerge as the next super star of the sport and who will fade away into obscurity if they can't stand the heat of battle in the ring. Weekly matches and challenges test the skills and physical ability of rookies. Like other reality style shows they have to win contests and perhaps earn immunity from elimination in the next round. Contestants move up through the ranks much as they would in real competition but much faster through the magic of reality television. Winning contestants are usually rewarded with a career boost into stardom.

Ever wonder how Las Vegas Nevada came to be? How did this little desert town become the crown jewel of the gambling world and earn the nickname Sin City? Vegas On Demand is not a documentary program that shows the dirty little secrets behind all those bright neon lights but rather a showcase for all the excess and glitter that is found behind the scenes of each of Vegas' bright attractions and hot sexy shows. Gambling is not the only attraction in this brightly lit town. It's the place where even Elvis Presley came to make a comeback while others who are new at the game attempt to make a lasting impression. Vegas On Demand takes viewers to get a "fly on the wall" experience through observing how games like Blackjack are controlled by the eye in the sky and extensive security measures. It is a guilt free trip to Vegas where you don't have to worry about throwing away your next house payment when Lady Luck fails to shine on you at the roulette tables or cause you to crap out when rolling the dice.

Those who are football fans and those who only live with one can enjoy a sports related reality show called Hard Knocks. The documentary style program covers the sport from the insider's perspective as we watch (and learn) about prepping teams for the next season of play, battling for top positions, family issues, pranks, and insider jokes. Moving from one team to another, paying particular attention to the rookie and how he adjusts to life in the NFL. College football heroes become top draft picks and that makes for plenty of pressure even for those who don't make it to the draft. Follow along for an insider view of high profile teams like the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, or the New York Jets and have a free ride on the information fast track of playing professional football. This could well be any other sport but football is as American as that proverbial Apple Pie and the sports reality program could not be scripted better if anyone tried.

"Poker After Dark" invites questions about chickens and eggs: Did the show create the American poker craze, or did pokermania create the show? Filling the insomniac hours after NBC's languishing late-night line-up, "Poker After Dark" now is the drug-of-choice for let-the-cards-fly fanatics all over North America. For viewers immune to the thrilling contagion of Texas Hold "˜Em, "Poker After Dark" certainly must seem like snooze-fest supreme, because the show's drama and suspense live and flourish in the nuances, and they develop behind the hardest of hardcore poker faces. Unless the viewer knows the game, game theory, the identities and playing styles of the super-stars at the table, and the razor-thin line between skill and luck, "Poker After Dark" looks like nothing but six grizzled characters brooding over scraps of paper. For anyone with a working knowledge of "the flop," "the river," and "all-in," the subtle-but-intense drama is absolutely compelling, and "Poker After Dark" totally dominates its time-slot. In the show's fourth season, once it clearly had established a devoted following among poker addicts, "Poker After Dark's" producers began diversifying the program's format and content, pitting table players against online gamers, showing no-limit cash games, and scheduling head-to-head playoffs between seasoned professionals and dedicated amateurs. Texas Hold "˜Em, however, still has greatest hold on viewers' attention.

In the TV show Game Theory with Bomani Jones on HBO, Bomani Jones discusses current issues in the world of sports. He covers a range of topics, including news, interviews, and his own opinions.

We all love to witness a successful comeback and when it involves the sport of boxing that usually means a punch drunk older fighter attempting to make it back into the ring and winning. The expression lights out generally infers someone has been punched out or unconscious, followed by a ten count, and then the match is over. Patrick Leary has the nickname "Lights" for a reason and even though he wants to make a comeback the odds may be stacked against him. With mounting bills and a family to support he needs to make up his mind if he should make a living as an intimidating debt collector or make good on his dream of the comeback in boxing. Either way his brain has been dulled by too many punches to the head and he suffers from pugilistic dementia. In other words Leary is punch drunk. Holt McCallany stars as "Lights" Leary and to prepare for the role he trained with Freddie Roach in an attempt to imitate some successful pugilists they know. It will be interesting to find how successfully he can make that comeback.