The Wrestler

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!

I have been a fan of pro wrestling for well over 15 years and have seen other wrestling movies like "Body Slam" and "Grunt-The Wrestling Movie". I had always heard of "The Wrestler" starring Ed Asner and of course I could never find a copy to rent. Imagine my surprise when I found several copies of it in a $3 bin at a local Wal-Mart! Well, needless to say I bought it, even though I had never seen the flick. It is a great movie for all wrestling fans!

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

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.

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.