- 8 minutes ago
Ranging in quality from "Hulkamania" to "Gobbledegooker", which portrayals are worth a watch?
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:00At times, wrestling is used as a bit of a poorly developed afterthought on the big and
00:05small screen.
00:05It may look like it and it may sound like it, but it ain't wrestling.
00:09But when taking-
00:10seriously, films and shows about professional wrestling illustrate the grit and toughness
00:15of that lifestyle, we see the toll the business takes on the human body and human relationship
00:20tips.
00:21So we've taken the time to separate the gold from the gunk so to speak.
00:24Half of this list-
00:25Warrants a This Is Awesome chant, while the others most definitely deserve a what?
00:30Gareth here from WhatCultureWrestling and here are the 5 best and 5 worst portrayals of-
00:35pro wrestling in movies and television.
00:375.
00:38Worst Body Slam
00:40One critic stated that Body Slam was a mediocre comedy that will appeal to wrestling fans
00:44fi-
00:45far more than anyone else.
00:46Bad news, it doesn't appeal to wrestling fans either.
00:49As an actor, Rowdy-
00:50Roddy Piper elevated films like Hell Comes to Frogtown and cult classic They Live.
00:552.
00:562.
00:573.
00:584.
00:595.
01:005.
01:016.
01:026.
01:037.
01:047.
01:058.
01:068.
01:079.
01:089.
01:0910.
01:1010.
01:1110.
01:1210.
01:1310.
01:1410.
01:1511.
01:1611.
01:1711.
01:1811.
01:1912.
01:2012.
01:2113.
01:2215.
01:2318.
01:2420.
01:2522.
01:2622.
01:2743.
01:2822.
01:2917.
01:3028.
01:3131.
01:3218.
01:3321.
01:4622.
01:4722.
01:4822.
01:24hacky script, however. The beats and story arc are all very predictable for a 1986 comic.
01:29The one upside of Body Slam is that the in-ring wrestling is pretty damn good.
01:34Due to actual pro wrestlers, you know, being cast.
01:36WWE alums Barbarian, Tonga Kid and-
01:39Samoans all appear in the film. The juice, though, is not worth this 92-minute squeeze.
01:445. The Best Glow
01:45Netflix took one of the silliest wrestling programs of all time-
01:49and made it a legitimately interesting dramedy about the 1980s ladies' promotion, Glow-
01:54gorgeous ladies of wrestling. Glow earns its accolades because ultimately it's still
01:58presented the wrestling business in a serious light. Yes, the women had corny gimmicks and iffy-
02:03ring skills, but Glow takes the Dewars on a journey. As the ladies and manager Sam Sylvia-
02:08played flawlessly by comic Marc Merrin, begrudgingly fall in love with the industry, the audience-
02:13takes that emotional voyage with them. Stars Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin present a great-
02:18example of how personalities and relationships on camera can be a stark contrast from reality.
02:23Watch-
02:23Watch in the wrestlers develop their gimmicks, brainstorm ideas, and navigate the mood swings
02:27of the often grumpy-
02:28keep the audience engaged in between moments of ring action. Sadly, however, Glow-
02:33wasn't renewed by Netflix after three seasons, despite winning three Primetime Emmy Awards.
02:38Number 4 of the worst, Young Rock. Where to begin with this Young Rock, eh? In concept, a-
02:43semi-autobiographical show about the journey of young Dwayne Johnson seems bulletproof. In execution-
02:48viewers are given a ham-fisted retelling of Rock's life as a child, high school student-
02:53college football player before becoming the great one. This is set against a backdrop of a near-
02:58future where The Rock is running for president, and Randall Park is a bootlicking awkward interviewer.
03:03The problem with this idea is that a lot of history has to be glowed up to fit the narrative of the show.
03:08Many-
03:08Many of the wrestlers portrayed in the show did not work for the Maivia family during that time, or at all for that matter.
03:13And several other historical accounts were erased or changed in order to better present Rocky-
03:18and the family's image in the show. Number 4 of the best, no holds barred. To fully appreciate-
03:23no holds barred, it helps to be a fan of 1980s WWE. Full of all the la-
03:28larger-than-life action and cheesy dialogue one would expect, Hulk Hogan leads this flick past being-
03:33bad and loops around to the point of being so bad that it's actually pretty good. Flexing is acting-
03:38large-than-life.
03:39Larger-than-life wrestling champion Hulk Hogan plays the lead role of Rip, the seemingly unbeaten-
03:43unbeatable Rip faces his biggest challenge and opponent, Zeus. As the film was produced by WWE, Hulk Hogan
03:48and WWE chairman Vince McMahon had creative control of the script. Released in 1989-
03:53No Holds Barred fully embraces Kayfabe and gives us only what we are supposed to see. Legendary-
03:58character actor Kurt Fuller is the one who steals the show as the wonderfully smarmy TV executive-
04:03Brell though. Brell plans on starting his own wrestling show, but when Rip refuses to work for Brell-
04:08he enacts an evil plan to have Rip dethroned by the monstrous Zeus. Zeus is played by the late-
04:13tiny Tom Lister, who then went on to appear as the character in WWE for about a year before being
04:18released.
04:18Number 3 of the worst, Fighting With My Family. Fighting With My Family is a quasi-bio-
04:23biographical movie about former WWE superstar Paige and her rise to stardom. The movie was-
04:28produced by WWE studios, so we knew we wouldn't get too honest of a peek behind the curtain.
04:33Fighting With My Family feels like a light, humorous feel-good origin story of a lifelong wrestling-
04:38fan. It hits the notes it intends to hit. Florence Pugh is undeniably charming as Paige, and the-
04:43Rock is always gonna be an asset, isn't he? Like at Cadbury's Cream Egg, the movie is shiny and goes down-
04:48but you somewhat regret the choice immediately afterwards. In the assets column, Fighting With My Family-
04:53took the actual wrestling pretty seriously. Being a WWE product, the movie shone in the areas that-
04:58WWE does well. The ring work was good, even for the non-wrestler actors. The production quality was-
05:03top notch, and it clearly had a decent budget. The movie suffered in the areas where WWE-
05:08typically suffers. To quote Jim Cornette, Vince McMahon sells the sizzle, not the steak.
05:13It wraps up in a neat package that would make any studio executive grin like a Cheshire Cat.
05:18For many true wrestling fans, though, it lacks any of the real grit of a good wrestling story.
05:23Number 3 of-
05:23One of the best, Paradise Alley. Sylvester Stallone directed this 1978 drama about the-
05:28One of the best, Paradise Alley. Sylvester Stallone directed this 1978 drama about the-
05:28crossover world of professional wrestling and organized crime. While wrestling is a mafia-
05:33may be a bit of a stretch, the seedy underbelly of the industry is exposed without completely-
05:38exposing the business. In 1978, if Martin Scorsese had been inspired to make a wrestling-
05:43movie, he would have shared a few similarities with Paradise Alley, no doubt.
05:47Sylvester Stallone plays one of three-
05:48orphaned brothers living in 1940s New York City. The brothers always looking for the next way to get
05:53rich-
05:53quick, devise a plan to turn one of them into a wrestler. The film's tone evokes the grit and struggle
05:58of new-
05:58New York in the 1940s, and its climax is a 12-minute wrestling match in a leaky, shoddy-
06:03arena during a thunderstorm, cinematic. Paradise Alley's wrestling scenes aren't exactly-
06:08barnburners, but the script, performances, and cinematography elevate the mediocre ringwork.
06:13The movie stands on its dramatic legs more than its action, and it works in this case. The same way-
06:18quality storylines connect fans with the wrestlers, this tale of blue-collar desperation and loss
06:23gives the-
06:23audience something on which to hang their hats.
06:26Number two of the worst, ready to rumble. Have you ever-
06:28wondered how one can elevate the wrestling career of David Arquette and try to kill the wrestling
06:33business in under-
06:33two hours?
06:34I humbly present Ready to Rumble. To its credit, Ready to Rumble brought in a-
06:38tonne of legitimate wrestling talent. The problem lies in the fact that the movie is akin to a 90-minute
06:43Saturday Night Live sketch about pro wrestling, but with the team writers. David Arquette is predicting-
06:48possibly campy, his character Gordy would also fit right in on the set of Reno 911. He-
06:53and his friends are outraged that an unscrupulous wrestling promoter ousted their favourite wrestler.
06:58The two-
06:58set upon a Bill and Ted meets Beavis and Butt-head adventure to see their hero restore to his former-
07:03glory. Sure, we get to see Goldberg spearing Jackhammer some guys, and the babyfaces go over in the end-
07:08but telling us that Oliver Platt could compete in a ring with Sting or Diamond Alice Page is-
07:13asking a bit much from our collective disbelief.
07:15Number 2 of the best- Heels
07:17Heels finish-
07:18published its first season and has been renewed for a second on premium network stars. This is as-
07:23as close as one can come to the independent wrestling scene without having to personally
07:26lay up a pair of boots and get-
07:28super kicked in the face.
07:29The dramatic elements of the show provide crossover appeal to viewers who may not be-
07:33walking in the door as wrestling fans. Stephen Amell, a self-professed wrestling fan, leads a-
07:38stellar ensemble cast. Amell plays Jack Spade, a pro wrestler who is the eldest son of local-
07:43legendary wrestler slash promoter Tom King Spade. Jack takes over the promotion after Tom commits-
07:48suicide. From there, we see Tom spin proverbial plates to keep the Duffy wrestling league afloat,
07:53managing-
07:53a day job, handle his egotistical brother Ace, and take care of his family. He'll spend no ex-
07:58expense in ensuring the in-ring action and backstage politics felt real. The looks, emotions, and-
08:03motivations of each character gives depth and investment into their stories. Most importantly, it's-
08:08apparent to any smart wrestling fan that the writers know wrestling. The communication between wrestlers-
08:13feels organic, and the actual wrestling makes sense. All in all, Heels qualifies as a must-see-
08:18for not just fans, but for wrestlers, some of whom could stand to learn a few things about the business.
08:23Number one of the worst, The Wrestler 1974. This 1974 Ed Asner-
08:28The movie bears almost no resemblance to the 2008 film of the same name. One watch-
08:33and you'll know why nobody would remake this particular entry. The biggest redeeming quality
08:38the film has-
08:38as its many cameos by classic wrestling legends like Danny Hodge, Dusty Rhodes and Verne Ga-
08:43Ga-nya. Ga-nya, who produced the film, was able to easily cast talent from his promotion.
08:47But while the-
08:48When Ben was able to make sure the filmmakers got the wrestling right, he didn't do much
08:51for the rest of it.
08:52The plot revolves around-
08:53Wrestling promoter Frank, an idealist who makes a stand against the mobsters, gamblers,
08:58scoundrels, and-
08:58Near the Wells that threaten to corrupt the industry he loves.
09:01Once you get past that unlikely scenario-
09:03Things creep downhill at a glacial pace.
09:05Being that the movie was made back in 1974 by-
09:08A wrestling promoter, Kayfabe was still very much intact.
09:11Kudos to Ed Asner for delivering his-
09:13With some gravitas, despite the content.
09:15In particular, he delivers a great speech to two snob-
09:18Bobby's stuffed suits about the fringe benefits of wrestling, and the toll it takes on those
09:22in the ring.
09:23Number one of the best-
09:24The Wrestler 2008.
09:26Highly acclaimed and nominated for two Academy Awards-
09:28Darren Aronofsky directed a masterful portrayal of ageing wrestler Randy the Ram Robinson-
09:33Mickey Rourke stars as Robinson, and his story is so close to the bone that many thought
09:38the-
09:39Five tales of wrestlers like Jake the Snake Roberts.
09:41Like so many actual legends of the business, Robinson-
09:44Struggles to leave the spotlight behind.
09:46Decades past his prime, the veteran lives in a camper-
09:49He has a strained relationship with his estranged daughter, and fights to keep his legend alive
09:54on the indie circuit.
09:54It's heartbreaking to watch as a once-great wrestler is delegated to outlaw Mudshow Haku-
09:59While fighting a losing battle with Father Time.
10:02Unlike Young Rock and fighting with my-
10:04Family for example, the wrestler captures the non-glossy side of the wrestling world.
10:08It may be fun to-
10:09Watch the meteoric rise of young talent.
10:11But we rarely get to bear witness to the final act of a wrestler-
10:14The Kleenex grabber is when Robinson tells his daughter, you're my little girl, and now-
10:19I'm an old, broken down piece of meat, and I'm alone, and I deserve to be all alone.
10:23I just need a moment-
10:24Just one moment, okay?
10:25Just one moment, right?
10:26Oh God.
10:27And that's our list of any other great and not so-
10:29Are there also great portrayals of pro wrestling in movies and TV?
10:32Then let us know all about them in the comments section right down below.
10:34And do not forget to like, share, and click on that subscribe button while you're at it.
10:38Also, if you like this kind of-
10:39If you like anything, then please head on over to whatculture.com and find some more fantastic articles just like the one this video you watched.
10:44I've been Gareth portraying a presenter on WhatCultureWrestling, thank you very much-
10:49For watching this video today, and hopefully I'll see your faces very, very soon.
10:52Bye-bye!
10:53Bye-bye!
10:54Bye-bye!
10:55Bye-bye!
10:56Bye-bye!
10:57Bye-bye!
10:58Bye-bye!
10:59Bye-bye!
11:00Bye-bye!
11:01Bye-bye!
11:02Bye-bye!
11:03Bye-bye!
11:04Bye-bye!
11:05Bye-bye!
11:06Bye-bye!
11:07Bye-bye!
11:08Bye-bye!
11:09Bye-bye!
11:10Bye-bye!
11:11Bye-bye!
11:12Bye-bye!
11:13Bye-bye!
11:14Bye-bye!
11:15Bye-bye!
11:16Bye-bye!
11:17Bye-bye!
11:18Bye-bye!
11:19Bye-bye!
11:20Bye-bye!
11:21Bye-bye!
11:22Bye-bye!
Comments