The Wrestler

I saw a DVD copy of this movie in the cheap bin for $3 so I decided to buy a copy. I heard about it many years ago in wrestling magazines, and the general consensus was that it's considered to be a poor movie.

If the point of movies is to keep the audience entertained, then I think it succeeds. It is certainly better than the other kayfabe movies "No Holds Barred" and "Ready to Rumble" who seem to treat the subject matter with disrespect. I also liked it better than the other movies that break kayfabe, "Beyond the Mat" and "Wrestling with Shadows".

A lot of 1970s wrestling stars make appearances and cut pretty good promos, even though they are from well before my time: Dusty Rhodes and Superstar Billy Graham are the ones that stood out the most for me. I wish Ric Flair had a more prominent role, but in fairness, he was just a rookie then.

This is a really strange movie. As an old-school pro wrestling fan who grew up in AWA territory, I'd heard of this movie, but never seen it. Now there's a poor copy at http://www.matineeclassics.com/movies/1974/the_wrestler/.

Imagine you're Verne Gagne:

It's 1974. It's the height of the pro wrestling territories. It's all kayfabe: everyone pretends that the match outcomes aren't worked.

You're part owner of the AWA, one of the largest, most successful territories. You're the heavyweight champion basically any time you want to be.

There's some back story here, too: Gagne's split from the NWA and formation of the AWA was because the NWA didn't want Gagne as their champion. The NWA champion went all over the US, defending the title against the most popular local wrestler in a given territory. The NWA thought Gagne wasn't appropriate as that kind of champion. Gagne disagreed and formed the AWA, with himself as champion.

Now it's 1974 and you make a movie in which you co-star as a pro wrestler. It's the story of how one might imagine a promoter operating in 1974 -- if pro wrestling was really a sport.

You get Ed Asner to star. He was doing Mary Tyler Moore at the time, and was a good pick for the role. He's entirely believable as sort of a Wally Karbo-style promoter. But it's very strange seeing a guy with Asner's credentials in a movie like this.

So it's weird on that level. Then there are all the cameos from famous pro wrestlers: the Crusher, the Bruiser, Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdock, even Ric Flair, albeit briefly. I was a bit surprised that Verne's son Greg wasn't in the film.

Beyond that weirdness, there's the soundtrack. It's really ... 1970s. I can't figure out what was going through the composer's mind during the big bar fight. It's almost like watching a fight while listening to the Benny Hill theme.

Unfortunately, it's also an unsatisfying movie. Rather astonishingly, they build up to a match between Gagne and Billy Robinson -- and then end the film mid-kick, before the match even ends. There's no payoff whatsoever: did Billy or Verne win? Which of them gets to go to the super bowl of wrestling? Did Verne win, forcing the other promoters to allow him? Did Billy, and Verne learns that it's time to ride off into the sunset?

I have no idea what they were trying to do, but the result is very surreal.

The unfortunate thing is that with a little better script, it could have been a decent movie. Gagne is entirely believable as an aging champion, and there would've been a neat story if the writers had simply chosen a direction. Either Gagne learns that it's time to hang up his hat or that Robinson beats the "unbeatable" champion. The gangsters looking for a win by betting on the matches seems out of place -- particularly now that we know that the matches were worked.

It should have been a character piece. It tried to be, but just never got there.

Definitely worth a watch, but don't expect Rocky.

Mike Bullard the Champ is still on top and beating all contenders but is getting on in years. The promoter/lead character in this film is looking for a replacement and hopes he has found him a young talent named Billy Taylor.

Interesting curio from the 70s...a kayfabe pro wrestling film! As a lifelong wrestling fan I was quite amused to see real wrestlers were used in this film in their well-known wrestling personas. Billy Robinson appears as Billy Taylor and legendary AWA wrestling champ Verne Gagne appears as Mike Bullard. To an oldtime/old school wrestling fan, the film is fun to watch just to spot all the grapplers and to these fans the story will resonate. However, most everyone else will notice that the majority of the wrestlers involved here really cannot act and will probably find the wrestling scenes a bore and lose interest.

What does my summary say -- the best wrestling movie ever period. I tried for thirteen years to finally see the ending (you can't find it anywhere), and it was extrodinary. I must admit, this seems like what they got Ready To Rumble from, but I have to give this a beautiful

10/10

Quite simply, this movie should be remembered as a pure piece of Americana at its finest. In 1973 wrestling promoter Verne Gagne took some of the best wrestlers in the pro wrestling world and got them to make a movie about pro wrestling. The movie, 30 years in retrospect, looks more like a cheeky documentary produced in the classic "kayfabe" style (the traditional promotion of wrestling as a sport, cloaked in mystique and tradition).

The wrestling talent is pure, raw and unadulterated - featuring stars such as Dick the Bruiser, the Crusher, Nick Bockwinkle, Ric Flair, Dory Funk Jr, and "Dirty" Dick Murdoch, Dusty Rhodes and many others - all young and in just starting to hit their peaks. And in a rare appearance, Vincent J. McMahon, the progenitor of the now popular WWF/WWE - promoting pro wrestling in the old style, before the glitz, glamor and entertainment hoopla surrounding it. Verne Gagne himself also appears in this movie as one of its main stars, putting himself over the competition in his typical egotistical, yet entertaining, style.

But this movie isn't all wrestling. There's a good story to be told here, essentially giving the viewer the feel as if they've cut right into the middle of a traditional wrestling program. There is no real start or ending to this story, but it is another chapter in the daily struggle of faces and heels.

Ed Asner is the main star here, his acting ability along with his middle-age looks are a perfect fit for the character, he really does look like a wrestling promoter trying to keep his business together and defending it from the outside corrupting influences of a local mobster (played by legendary wrestler & commentator "Slammin'" Sam Menacker).

There is no comparison to any other wrestling movie made, this one is definitely the undisputed heavyweight champion!