Two sets of modern gladiators battle for fans this weekend

Ladies and gentlemen! In this corner of Norfolk, we have Ring of Honor Wrestling charging into Scope tonight with its "Nightmare in Norfolk," promising an evening of no-holds-barred mayhem!

And in this corner - well, across town at The Ted - we have the mixed martial arts Spartyka Fight League presenting "Proving Grounds," an epic combination of wrestling, boxing and jujitsu at its most extreme!

Intensity is what these events bill, and that's what fans of wrasslin' and MMA crave, a desire that goes back to the days of bloodletting in ancient Rome and Greece.

Today's contests are much more civilized, but contestants work hard to match the showmanship of the battles of yore and some people still like to watch a good scuffle.

Joe Koff, chief operating officer for Ring of Honor, which is owned by the Sinclair Broadcast Group outside of Baltimore, said fans are drawn to fighting spectacles because "it takes everybody back to their childhoods."

And, of course, wrestling offers classic story lines of good guys versus bad.

"I think people like to follow that story," he said.

Jimi Partyka, a Virginia Beach Navy chief who started the Spartyka fight league in 2010, said the rise in popularity of mixed martial arts appeals to those who know good athleticism when they see it.

"It's such an amazing sport," he said.

One event is truly an athletic competition and the other aims more for entertainment, but it isn't often that Hampton Roads has a double bill on the same night. So here's a look at what the two events have to offer:

WHAT FANS CAN EXPECT

Ring of Honor Wrestling

This is ROH's local debut after it was bought by Sinclair last year, and Koff says fans are in for something special. Koff says his wrestlers have created a style that's much more dynamic and athletic than the bigger professional-wrestling names, the WWE and TNA Wrestling. And ROH officials this week ruled that the winner of tonight's tag-team grudge match pitting World Champion Davey Richards and Kyle O'Reilly against Roderick Strong and Michael Elgin will receive a world tag-team title shot in Cincinnati next month.

"We're not talkers, we're doers," Koff says. "We'd rather show who we are than being the guy on the mic who talks for 20 minutes."

Spartyka Martial Arts

Tonight's program has several bouts scheduled, including title fights. The evening will begin, as all Spartyka League events do, with a patriotic tribute. Partyka has spent 17 years in the service and owns other companies that benefit and promote active-duty military and veterans. The group will give flags to the widows of two Navy SEALs who were killed when their helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan last August. The event will include the national anthem and color guard, and many of the guys on the fight card are military. In describing the MMA bouts, Partyka notes that, unlike the other competition in Norfolk, "This is real."

THE SCENES OF THE ACTION

ROH

A square wrestling area that resembles a boxing ring - with ropes around it - at Scope exhibition hall.

Spartyka

A six-sided caged ring at Ted Constant Convocation Center.

FIGHTERS' APPAREL

ROH

Expect the usual wrestling fare: trunks, boots, kneepads - and plenty of attitude. There's also room for other, shall we say, accoutrements. Check out the looks on www.rohwrestling.com.

Spartyka

Participants are required to wear hand wraps, which provide padding and protection; a protective groin cup; and a mouthpiece. Tape is permitted on wrists and hands but not the knuckles. Shoes are not allowed.

DOS + DON'TS

ROH

Wrestlers are asked to abide by "The Code of Honor," which asks them to shake hands before and after each match. But ROH has its heroes and villains, and not everyone likes to play nice. It does have rules, though: no attacking the groin or grabbing tights or biting, for example. Contests can end with pinfalls, knockouts, or count outs - 20 seconds if the wrestler is out of the ring.

Spartyka

The league resembles boxing in many respects, with weight classes and judges. The group is sanctioned through the Global Combat Alliance out of Richmond for fighters who want the bouts to count and eventually work up to the professional ranks. The sport has its list of don'ts, including groin assaults, downward or spiking elbow strikes and head butting. Bouts can be won with knockouts, technical knockouts or submission. If that doesn't occur, the judges score each round, and that determines the winner. The action is monitored closely by a referee because participants can get hurt, and this is an amateur league. "The refs make sure a guy isn't going to get destroyed," Partyka says.

AWARDS FOR CHAMPIONS

Both events give nifty looking belts.

TYPICAL FANS

ROH

Males 18 to 34, though wrestling is starting to see more women. Koff says that has a lot to do with the "cute factor" of the wrestlers. The economic demographic is even more broad, he says. "We have from blue collar to surgeons."

Spartyka

"We're getting females to young people; it's a big mix," Partyka says. "No certain demographic."

WANT MORE?

ROH

Visit www.rohwrestling.com.

Spartyka

Visit www.spartykafightleague.com.