Arnold Schwarzenegger calls it the "Super Bowl" of debates leading up to California's recall election and the only one worthy of his participation.

Other top candidates charge it's the easy way out for the Republican actor and first-time candidate. It's the only debate of the race that gives participants the questions in advance and lets them rehearse their responses.

In any case, the debate Wednesday night at California State University, Sacramento, sponsored by the California Broadcasters Association, is the only one leading up to the Oct. 7 election -- which may be postponed by a federal appeals court -- in which all of the major candidates seeking to replace Gov. Gray Davis have agreed to appear on stage at one time.

Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante, GOP state Sen. Tom McClintock, independent Arianna Huffington and the Green Party's Peter Camejo are scheduled to spar along with Schwarzenegger in a 90-minute, televised format that begins at 6 p.m.

Schwarzenegger's four rivals this week threatened to drop out, citing concerns that the format was too staged.

Event organizers refused to scrap the prepared questions, saying candidates knew the arrangement weeks ago when they agreed to participate and were making an issue of it now as a way to attack the Republican front-runner.

"Let's not be naive," CBA President Stan Statham said. "Mr. Schwarzenegger is going to be there, and everyone wants a piece of him, whether it's viewers or the other candidates."

On Friday, Statham promised candidates in writing that a one-minute time limit would be imposed on prepared responses so as to set aside as much time as possible for an "interactive cross-fire" among the participants.

With that assurance, McClintock issued a news release saying he would participate.

Camejo and Huffington said they also would come. As of Friday, only Bustamante was holding out.

"We are taking it one day and one step at a time," Bustamante said.

The wrangling over format is the latest in a series of adjustments to what is expected to be the most-watched of at least a half-dozen debates. Initially, the CBA had scheduled the event for Wednesday.

Critics said the date was postponed to give Schwarzenegger more time to prepare. Organizers denied the charge and said they made the change to give themselves enough time to put the event together.

Just who would be invited also evolved. With 135 names on the ballot, organizers planned to limit invitations to those who drew at least 5 percent support in independent polls -- but that left only a trio: Bustamante, McClintock and Schwarzenegger.

And although Huffington and Camejo drew only 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively, in the last statewide Field Poll, they made up a bloc that could represent a swing vote in a tight contest and offered an ideological balance so they were included.

A CBA spokesman characterized Friday's agreement on a time limit as a clarification of the existing format. McClintock campaign director John Feliz saw it as a new promise that made a significant difference.

"This is like the WWF now," Feliz said, comparing the upcoming debate to a professional wrestling match. "It's gone from being a gentlemanly afternoon tea to 'Let's get ready to rumble!' "

Under the debate format, the CBA provided candidates 12 questions from California voters. The topics range from budget cuts to senior citizens' needs to what candidates hope to accomplish that Davis could not. As many of the questions will be asked as time permits.

After each candidate offers his or her initial response, competitors will be encouraged to ask follow-up questions or counter with their own views.

"That may actually prove difficult for Arnold," Camejo spokesman Tyler Snortum-Phelps said. "He can say the answer he's got prepared for the questions, but when the going back and forth starts, I wonder what he's going to do."

A Schwarzenegger spokesman said his candidate is better prepared than competitors think.

"We've always been clear on the format," Rob Stutzman said. "There's obviously going to be good give and take. The other candidates should just shut up and show up Wednesday night."

The program will be made available to 962 television and radio stations statewide. It will be broadcast live nationally on cable's C-SPAN and in the Sacramento area on Channel 3 (KCRA) and Channel 10 (KXTV).

Statham said providing questions in advance raises expectations that answers will be detailed and makes it harder for candidates to change the subject.

With most of the crowded ballot left out of the CBA debate, at least one of the extras hoped to capitalize on the media interest by staging a sideshow debate on the same night.

Venture capitalist Garrett Gruener encouraged the major candidates to boycott the debate after all and join him in a forum where the questions are not provided in advance.

His campaign manager, John Gurrola, said as many as 10 of the lesser-known candidates also will be invited, although Gruener's team had yet to decide where to hold such an event or just which candidates to invite.

"Obviously, we can't have 130 of them out there," Gurrola said.

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Wednesday's debate questions
These are the 12 voter questions provided in advance to candidates participating in Wednesday's recall debate sponsored by the California Broadcasters Association:
1. How would you propose enhancing revenue, and/or what specific cuts would you propose to achieve a balanced budget?

2. Leaders in the business community are convinced that this state is losing jobs and unable to attract new businesses. If you agree, what are two things you would change to make this a more business-friendly state? If you disagree, what are the misconceptions you would like to correct?

3. How are you going to ensure that all Californians have adequate health care?

4. Everybody talks about wanting a colorblind society, but what does that actually mean to you? In other words, how do we know when we have succeeded?

5. What should be the top priority for California right now?

6. If elected governor, will you support the expansion of charter schools in California?

7. What do you expect to accomplish in the time remaining on Gray Davis' term that he could not?

8. What is the single most important piece of legislation either signed or vetoed during this past legislative session?

9. Do you support reducing the vehicle license fee (car tax); if so, where would you find the revenue to replace the loss to the budget?

10. What services will your administration expect local governments to provide, and what stable source of revenue will you give them to do it?

11. Under Govs. Pat Brown and Ronald Reagan, California spent up to 20 percent of its general fund on infrastructure such as roads, bridges, colleges, hospitals and water systems. Now we spend closer to 1 percent. Proposition 53 on the ballot raises that figure to 3 percent. What is your position on Proposition 53 and what will you do to invest more in California's aging infrastructure?

12. As our population continues to age, the demand for government services to seniors will increase dramatically during the next decade. What do you intend to do to proactively manage this demand?