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... When Donald Trump swapped God Bless the USA " the patriotic ballad he had championed for years at his campaign rallies -- for the somber theme song of The Undertaker -- the legendary wrestler known for his morbid person " one question loomed: what was the candidate trying to convey with this eerie music and the increasingly dark, vengeful tone of his speeches?

As is often the case with Trump, the reason was deeply personal. He has long been enthralled with the extravagant world of professional wrestling, where The Undertaker is a revered as a legend.

This love story is also one of the unexpected factors behind Trump's return to the White House four years later. Among his campaign's key objectives was to woo young men, a decisive demographic in the Republican victory. To reach them, his team targeted the rings and cages -- both real and virtual -- of the two most popular wrestling franchises: the venerable WWE, and its modern, more brutal counterpart, UFC, a mixed martial arts discipline. These two brands merged last year to form TKO, a $21.4 billion entertainment powerhouse.

Trump's connection to this blend of sport, theater, and testosterone is nothing new, but last week it reached a new peak with the surprising appointment of Linda McMahon, a former WWE executive, as Secretary of Education. ...