There was a time in professional wrestling when superstars and divas showed more skin than attitude. The decade was the '90s, and whether it was lingerie matches or violent displays of chair-throwing, wrestling executives realized it was time for a change.

"It was edgier in the attitude era. There was a little more blood, and then we realized this was not the way to go," said Donna Goldsmith, chief operating officer of World Wrestling Entertainment. "Today we are PG — definitely family friendly. Our writing teams know the boundaries, and they tell really good stories."

The language is softer, the stories tamer. In the ring, the emphasis is on athleticism with superstars who appeal to the younger set — CM Punk and Rey Mysterio — getting more of the spotlight. Above all, parental guidance ratings have been changed from TV-14 to PG.

On Monday, when WWE Monday Night Raw rolls into HSBC Arena for an 8 p.m. show, it will bring two special guest hosts — NASCAR drivers Kyle Busch and Joey Lagano — another image-polishing tactic, explained Goldsmith, during a phone interview from WWE headquarters in Stamford, Conn.

"We bring in a host that is outside the world of wrestling, so we've had Shaquille O'Neal, Rev. Al Sharpton, Bob Barker, Snoop Dogg. In Buffalo, Kyle Busch and Joey Lagano will be bringing some of their cars with them. It's a really cool way of bringing in new fans."

World Wrestling Entertainment — under the leadership of Vince McMahon, chairman and chief executive officer — is a pop culture phenomenon, watched in 145 countries by an audience that spans generations. Each week, 16 million fans watch WWE, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Locally, viewers may watch ECW on SciFi network Tuesdays, WWE Monday Night Raw on USA Channel and Friday Night Smackdown on MyNetwork.

"Our show is almost like a soap opera," said Goldsmith, as the story lines go in and out every week. "'Monday Night Raw' may leave you hanging with the good vs. evil, compelling story line that is family fare."

Fun again

Another sign the WWE is in the family way is the list of new sponsors, including toy maker Mattel and 7-Eleven. With sponsors including Army National Guard and Pepsi, who better to watch wrestling than the 21st century family?

"It's fun to watch again," said John Kindelan, 38, of Depew. "There's the adult characters that parents love. Chris Jericho is my favorite, whether he's a good guy or a bad guy. He's cocky and arrogant, but he's a great wrestler with excellent microphone skills.

"My wife loves Batista, probably because he's a big muscular guy and good-looking," Kindelan continued. "My oldest son, he's 17 and loves CM Punk, which is cool because his motto is straight edge. He doesn't drink, do drugs, doesn't smoke and he's an athlete. My 9-year-old loves Rey Mysterio because he jumps all over the ring."

The Kindelans are a wrestling family who make family night every night that wrestling is aired on television. They watch it together on Mondays, Fridays, some Tuesdays and every pay-per-view Sunday, when best friends and more family gather for the sake of wrestling.

"Wrestling is good entertainment," said Kindelan. "It teaches kids good guys and bad guys. They boo the bad guys, and they know not to behave like a bad guy. If you're watching it with them, it's a family event. I might not always want to sit and watch SpongeBob with them. This has got entertainment for me as well."

Story lines

Unlike professional sports, professional wrestling has no off-season. Scripted and predetermined, its story lines are played out on cable television stations in the States and abroad by a roster of about 80 athlete/actors. It is left to the parents, watching at home with their children, to distinguish fact from fantasy.

"We don't want them trying this at home," said Goldsmith, called the second-most powerful woman in sports by Forbes. "We will tell kids: 'Do not do this at home. These men and women are trained athletes.' That's why we call it family programming, so Mom and Dad can explain it to the younger kids and they can grow up together watching it.

"Our target audience is 8 to 80. We have a kids magazine. We have a kids Web site. We also have a parents Web site to help parents explain it to their children," Goldsmith added. "It transcends all age groups."

Mark Henry is a strength athlete. His rise to fame began in 1992 at the Olympics in Barcelona, where he competed in weightlifting in the super-heavyweight division. Three years later at the Pan-American Games, Henry captured gold, silver and bronze medals.

Named the "Second Strongest Man That Ever Lived" by Flex magazine, Henry is the epitome of an athlete-wrestler. More important, Henry is a husband and father of 4-year-old Jacob.

"I'm more of a brawler," said Henry during a phone call from a Florida arena, where he would perform that night. "I try to overwhelm guys with my strength. I tell my son that his dad is an entertainer, and that I wrestle. Wrestling for families is a lot more palatable now than in years past. I'm more comfortable with my son watching, as long as I am there to explain what's going on."

No more steroids

In professional wrestling, the ring is a stage with people jumping from the tops of cages and off the top rope, turning flips and corkscrews. You also have a guy like Henry whose feet are planted firmly on the ground. As of Oct. 17, Henry was ranked 15 on WWE's list of top superstars.

"What we do out there is very difficult, because every time we go out there, that other person's life is in your hands. Just as yours is in his," Henry said. "Wrestling is where art and entertainment meet. It's like the sky and the ocean."

One element no longer a part of wrestling is the anabolic steroid. The suicide in 2007 of pro wrestler Chris Benoit after he killed his wife and 7-year-old son in their Georgia home shone the spotlight on the use of anabolic steroids. It also prompted McMahon to clean house, suspending wrestlers for violations of the WWE Wellness Program, which prohibits the use of performance enhancing drugs.

"You never knew who was going to be there next week," said Kindelan. "You watched a lot of guys go from being really big and muscular to a lot smaller. There was a huge difference."

How serious is McMahon? In September, crowd favorite Mysterio was suspended for 30 days.

"In the modern era of family oriented wrestling, talent has gotten a lot better," said Henry. "We have 85 wrestlers working rosters at three shows. Twenty percent of them have college degrees."

"We're not the stereotypical big guys wearing tight clothes," Henry said. "We're involved in the most entertaining form of action entertainment in the world."