The Wrestler

About The Wrestler

Wrestling is a unique business of sports and showbusiness. It is unlike any other form of sports or entertainment. Working in the industry brings with it a host of issues including a lack of medical care, no retirement fund, and the dangers of fighting in the ring. The Wrestler displays all of these issues during its 109-minute runtime. Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who once main evented Madison Square Garden against The Ayatollah, is now forced to work in the deli section of a supermarket. He has an on-again, off-again relationship with a stripper and attempts to make a buck off of his faded career. Played by Mickey Rourke, Robinson is a perfect reflection of wrestlers who continue to hang onto careers in a business that passed them by. The likes of Ric Flair and Hulk Hogan are two real-life professional wrestlers that appear very much like the character Rourke portrays. Any wrestling fan from the 1980s and 1990s, when the WWE and WCW achieved ratings and financial windfalls like never before, will certainly see just how accurate the film is.

According to reports, Nicolas Cage was another option to play Robinson before settling on Rourke. Had Cage been selected, the film wouldn’t have had the power it did. Hulk Hogan even said in an interview on the Howard Stern Show that he had been offered the job but turned it down. Director Darren Aronofsky denied that Hogan was ever offered a part in The Wrestler.

The Wrestler's Relation To Sport Business

Famed Canadian wrestler Ian Hodgkinson, better known by his ring name Vampiro, once said in an interview that he broke down and cried after watching The Wrestler. In his opinion, the film portrayed the world of wrestling so accurately, that it hit a chord and made him think of many of the people he knew and worked with. Many people who work in and around wrestling, didn’t care for the way in which The Wrestler portrayed the business. Yet, there were so many scenes that got the business right from the broken-down main character Randy “The Ram” Robinson seeking one last chance at the limelight to the relationship he has with his estranged daughter Stephanie Ramzinski.

One scene that is very true of the wrestling business occurs about midway through the film when a host of retired wrestlers arrive at an autograph signing. It was as if director Darren Aronofsky had attended his fair share of wrestler reunions in which a handful of fans show up and the number of beaten-down ex-performers outnumbers the paying guests.

Released in 2008, The Wrestler came at a time when the wrestling industry was entering a down period from the incredible highs of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was a time in which fewer wrestling companies were in business offering a limited number of people jobs. Although The Wrestler is about wrestling, it isn’t at the same time, making it a film for fans of movies in general. Robinson’s relationship with his daughter Stephanie is a key part of the film. Like many real-life wrestlers, Robinson wasn’t there for his daughter growing up. He was always off in another city wrestling to earn money and enjoying the rock-star status it brought. He attempts to patch up their relationship but again chooses to live the wrestler lifestyle when the opportunity presents itself.

Why watch The Wrestler?

One of the aspects that makes The Wrestler so enjoyable is that it gets wrestling from the 1980s correct. From the hair metal bands to the grappler still trying to rekindle the fame he once had, Aronofsky did a fantastic job of tapping into the ex-wrestlers that Robinson resembles. Although a variety of wrestlers main evented Madison Square Garden and didn’t turn out like the character Rourke plays (Bret Hart), there are others who did. There are plenty of times in the film that it is easy to compare Robinson to a real-life wrestler such as Jake “The Snake” Roberts, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, or Ric Flair.

The Wrestler belongs on The Shelf for its accurate portrayal of wrestling and, in particular, the men and women of the 1980s still trying to rekindle the fame they once enjoyed. At times, The Wrestler is heartbreaking as Robinson struggles to come to terms with it being 2008 and not 1988. It was as if time passed him by. It is an aspect seen in a lot of athletes and entertainers, who struggle to cope with life after being out of the limelight.

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