By Cathal Dervan

Ever wondered what the worst sport in the world is? Ever considered sitting through two and a bit hours of the most overrated and over-acted sport in the history of the world?

Well, those of us who had to endure the WWE’s “Raw Survivor” tour to Dublin at the Point Theatre last Saturday night now know exactly what pain feels like.

Watching the so-called legends of world wrestling strut their stuff in front of almost 5,000 fans was an eye opener.

For a start I never knew that acting passed as sport as one missed punch after another, one stunt after another, drew gasps of astonishment from the enthralled crowd.

For a second thing I never realized the cash cow that professional wrestling currently is as those same fans paid almost $100 a ticket to watch this nonsense.

And no, I had no idea who the late and apparently great Eddie Guerrero was until my 8-year-old son Ciaran insisted I stand for a minute’s silence and a 10 bell salute in his honour last Saturday night.

I also didn’t realize, until this weekend, just how old I have become. Watching my youngest child obsess on every move from John Cena, Triple H — who lost his pants — the Big Show and their likes, I suddenly felt old, very old.

Wrestling in my youth was something you watched on a Saturday afternoon when you had nothing better to do and men like Giants Haystacks strutted their stuff on a black and white screen from far off places like Hull and Doncaster.

The sport has obviously aged better than I have judging by the pomp and ceremony that surrounded last Saturday night’s colourful entertainment so maybe I just accept it for what it is – entertainment for kids.

That said, I am praying that Ciaran’s infatuation with the likes of “Raw” and “Smackdown” dies down by the time they come back to Ireland next year.

I’m really not sure I could sit through all that again. Not without at least a half a dozen sleeping tablets or as many pints of Guinness inside me.