Sunday, February 22, 2009

Mickey Rourke countdown -- one day left

Mickey Rourke is up for Best Actor at Sunday's Academy Awards for his powerful portrayal of Randy the Ram Robinson in "The Wrestler." Win or lose, we know Rourke can act like a wrestler. But how many wrestlers can really act?

Well, there's Duane Johnson, better known as The Rock. He's has significant roles in "The Scorpion King," "The Mummy Returns," "Walking Tall," "Gridiron Gang" and "Get Smart," among other films and TV shows. And while he's not bad as an actor, neither his performances nor the films in which he's worked are awards-worthy.

And there's Hulk Hogan, who's been in "Rocky III," "Mr. Nanny," and "Suburban Commando," among others. But again, while highly entertaining, no one has taken the Hulkster's acting or his movies all that seriously, and for good reason.

Rowdy Roddy Piper may have given the best serious dramatic performance by a current or former professional wrestler when he starred in John Carpenter's "They Live" (1988).

Piper plays a construction worker trying to find work in tough economic times who gradually comes to understand the society is being controlled by non-human aliens. Piper's performance isn't quite on the level of Mickey Rourke's and "They Live" isn't in "The Wrestler's" class but Piper is believable, in a serious role, and the film, despite having an aura of intentional camp, has a well-deserved cult following because its underlying themes about threats to our humanity are as compelling today as they were 21 years ago.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Bret Hart rips "The Wrestler," thanks Vince McMahon for his wrestling career - Pro Wrestling Torch - 16th February 2009

Former WWE champion Bret Hart had only heard about "The Wrestler" from colleagues and friends before recently watching Darren Aronofsky's critically-acclaimed film. Now, Hart believes the movie is a "dark misinterpretation" of the wrestling business.

Hart is most concerned about audiences walking away from the movie thinking every story in wrestling has a tragic ending.

"The film isn't so much an exposé of the wrestling business as it really is; rather, it shows us what a lot of people outside the business think it is," Bret wrote in a column published Macleans Magazine in Canada. "I'm uncomfortable that audiences will unconsciously assume every wrestling has-been comes to a tragic end."

Hart, as a former World champ and not a sad former wrestler, says wrestlers will feel embarrassed "by the film's unbalanced portrayal in which there's no respect for our art or our dignity."

In a surprising gesture, Hart also thanked Vince McMahon for creating a mainstream platform for wrestlers to thrive.

"Wrestling has given me a great life and for that I thank Vince McMahon," Hart said. "Vince and I have had major differences, but... it's only fair I give the devil his due, because it's Vince who succeeded in taking pro wrestling out of back alleys and dingy halls like those in the movie and made it marketable, mainstream and just plain fun to watch."

Hart said many wrestlers "swerve off the road" after their careers because they don't know how to live off the road, but not every story goes so far off the given path, such as "The Wrestler" depicts.

"Although the film speaks superbly to the speed bumps all pro wrestlers navigate, I'm happy to report most of us don't swerve off the road quite so severely," he said.

Greg Tingle comment...

Bret Hart makes some very good points here regarding 'The Wrestler'. The film shows one of the worst case scenarios imaginable. One may may choose to make comparisons of Randy "The Ram" Robinson to that of Jake "The Snake" Roberts, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper or whomever, but not all the original WWE and WWF cast is dead. Obviously Owen Hart's untimely death comes to mind, however that was stunt related. Was Owen "forced" or cornered to do the stunt, or not, is something that has been well documented in the past. When boundaries and pushed to extremes that is when people can get seriously hurt or die. I recall world renowned businessman, Sir Richard Branson, taking a stunt fall down a high rise building to launch a Virgin brand product a few years ago. Richard Branson is the ultimate boss at Virgin, so he would have had to agree to pushing the boundaries to the extreme, and he did get bruises up in the progress. How far from death he was, we will never know, just as we don't know how far pro wrestlers travel to the line. Bret Hart is more than qualified to speak and document his thoughts on 'The Wrestler'. It's refreshing to see Hart and McMahon agree on something...The WWE is not 'The Wrestler', however the pro wrestling business does carry one of the highest early mortality rates of any business. John "Bradshaw" Layfield has also made some very valid points in his commentary about "The Wrestler". Some pro wrestlers may have had it even worse that Randy, but thankfully the vast majority have it much better than "The Ram". Bret Hart, Vince McMahon and Mickey Rourke are all champions who have survived very different roads to be in the position they assume today. They are all successful, whatever "successful" is these days. They are all alive and appear happy, and largely enjoy the respect of the masses. Here's to Bret speaking out and defending the professional which made him a legend.

(Credit: Pro Wrestling Torch)

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The Hitman versus ‘The Wrestler’ - Maclean's - 16th February 2009

This former champion finds the Mickey Rourke movie disturbing and disrespectful

The Wrestler is being lauded as the definitive portrayal of pro wrestling, but I submit that’s only because no one has asked a real wrestling champion about it—until now. In the movie, Randy “The Ram” Robinson was a main-eventer who sold out Madison Square Garden. So was I. The movie opens with a montage of clippings and event posters eerily similar to the ones in my personal collection. I lived that life for real. I liked the movie, and I’m disturbed by it.

In director Darren Aronofsky’s astutely layered vision there are glimpses into a shrouded world considered fake by all but those who live in it—for them, it’s the only reality they know. Nuggets of truth make the story believable. Mickey Rourke’s clairvoyant performance makes it compelling.

The film isn’t so much an exposé of the wrestling business as it really is; rather, it shows us what a lot of people outside the business think it is. With this dark misinterpretation presented in such a plausible and dramatic way, many wrestlers who’ve sacrificed so much to entertain their fans—their bodies, their families—now feel embarrassed by the film’s unbalanced portrayal in which there’s no respect for our art or our dignity. I’m uncomfortable that audiences will unconsciously assume every wrestling has-been comes to a tragic end.

Traditional sports have an off-season but me and the boys were on the road 300 days a year. As a former WWF (now WWE) champion I travelled the world for 23 years straight, 1978 to 2000, wrestling every night, sometimes more than once, plus promotional appearances and working out. It takes over your life 24/7 and, especially before cellphones and email, no matter how hard I tried, it was impossible not to become distant from my family, my kids. Most, maybe all, the boys suffered the same isolation, and soon strangers became family and family became strangers. Almost all who escaped came back, having no clue how to make it on the outside.

Pro wrestlers don’t have medical benefits, a pension plan, or a union. I’m not complaining. Wrestling has been very good to me, despite heart-wrenching disappointments, betrayals, and too many deaths to want to count any more—including my youngest brother, Owen, who fell to his demise from the rafters of an arena on a WWF pay-per- view during an ill-conceived stunt.

I was retired from the ring by an errant kick to the head, on live pay-per-view, which resulted in a concussion so brutal my doctor used the word hamburger to describe the back of my brain. That was followed by a stroke that paralyzed the entire left side of my body. Battling back was the toughest fight of my life by far, and, although I’m left with permanent effects, I’m grateful that when people meet me I can still measure up to their memory of the hero I’d long pretended to be. I still sign autographs all over the world and my fans still come out in droves. I’m humbled when they tell me, time and again, that my wrestling character inspired them in some way to make positive changes in their lives.

Wrestling has given me a great life and for that I thank Vince McMahon. Vince and I have had major differences, but I’ve not minced words and my autobiography (Hitman) is a testament to that. When evaluating the impact of The Wrestler on the wrestling business it’s only fair I give the devil his due, because it’s Vince who succeeded in taking pro wrestling out of back alleys and dingy halls like those in the movie and made it marketable, mainstream and just plain fun to watch. He couldn’t have done it without a talented roster of wrestlers. To go out there and tell a credible and dramatic story with no retakes, in front of a live audience, with nothing but your body, your opponent, and a 20- by 20-foot ring, is an art form that takes dedicated training, physical and mental stamina, athletic agility, charisma and ring psychology to create what I always thought of as mini-movies. Those who perform this art old-school take pride in creating the illusion of realism without actually hurting our opponents.

We don’t know what wrong turn brought Randy the Ram to subsist in desperation on the lowest fringes of some perverted putrefaction that barely resembles the wrestling business I know. Although the film speaks superbly to the speed bumps all pro wrestlers navigate, I’m happy to report most of us don’t swerve off the road quite so severely.

Bret Hart is the author of Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling (Credit: Maclean's)

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Sunday, February 01, 2009

WWE News: JBL describes his biggest fear of ending up broke, like in "The Wrestler", By James Caldwell, PWTorch.com assistant editor

In the current U.S. economic situation, diversifying where the money is coming from and where investment money is going is very important to maintain a healthy financial position.

Eventually we'll see how WWE's incoming revenue and outgoing investments fared in the fourth quarter 2008 and overall year, as the company is delayed in announcing revenue results for last quarter, but WWE Raw star JBL is taking the "diversification" route very seriously.

He reveals in his latest WWE Universe blog that it's partly out of fear for ending up broke, with real-life imitating art through the Shawn Michaels employment storyline.

JBL has diversified his income sources through the creation of Layfield Energy to distribute energy-related products in case the WWE career and financial analyst positions fall through. Yet, he remains haunted by a fear in the wrestling aspect of his job aspirations.

"My biggest fear is to end up broke," JBL said on WWE Universe. "I once saw an old wrestler who had made a lot of money working as the ground keeper at a Red Roof in Charlotte - that has haunted me to this day."

JBL points to his age as one reason why recently watching "The Wrestler" movie "scares me." Motivated partially by fear, JBL doesn't want end up like some of his peers.

"It's one reason I work so hard to not be him," JBL said. "Because there are a lot of guys who have made a lot of money who have ended up broke, and that is very sad."

Link: JBL blog on WWE Universe.

Caldwell's Analysis: It's tough to thrive in the current economic environment because it's easy to live in a state of fear about job security, not only in WWE, but in real-world jobs where valued workers are actually called employees, not bogus independent contractors. Every day, I hear about a friend who's living in fear of losing his or her job, or recently was laid off. I'm sure many of you Torch readers have experienced someone close being in that situation.

It's certainly not a WWE-only thing, but many wrestlers are considered to be paranoid by nature because they're competing for TV spots and PPV headlining-matches in a very subjective environment of deciding who gets those spots. So, when you see a wrestler protect his body in the ring or wrestle a soft match, don't think it's because the wrestler is trying to cheat the fans, but because he has to protect his investment on a constant basis, especially with WWE releasing talent left and right.

Which brings me to another point on the ultimate oxymoron in the world of an "independent contractor being released." How does someone who's considered "independent" of a company become released? WWE doesn't have any right to "release" someone, when the contractor - in the spirit of the law - should control the work he or she is to perform. It's completely ludicrous. End Rant.

Greg Tingle comment...


All respect to JBL for speaking on these things. My late father, who was mates (and workmates) with a few of the Australian pro wrestlers in the 1980s, thanks to the truck driving profession (where a few of the pro wrestlers got their real pay days) told me.. "balance is the key". I'm not certain the term had been coined back then, but he meant Mind, Body and Spirit. We said along the lines of "work on the body and work on the mind, and work hard".

It's in the best interests of the wrestlers (and their loved ones) that they do prepare for rainy day. As we know, the WWE business model can only allow for a certain amount of workers to be on the books at any one time. It's great the pro wrestling can offer huge exposure via the audience and to network big wigs and the like. Standing out from the pack and being very good or excellent at something else has proven to be a largely successful formula. The best wrestlers are usually very good actors, and they take that mainstream, sometimes with assistance from WWE Studios, sometimes in non WWE productions.

Wrestlers doing MMA, indy productions and "shoot interviews" has mixed results for their career path.

The bottom line is that the pro wrestler needs to do their best, in and out of the ring, to help ensure their livelihood for the day that they hang up their tights and are no longer wanted or needed by the world's top and highest paying pro wrestling promotions. The worker needs to protect their best interests, and that includes taking calculated risks and putting on the best show possible, that both promoter and fans will be happy with, but not killing themselves by getting banged up too badly in the progress.

Next time you think about giving a star rating to a pro wrestling match, think outside the square and take into consideration that the wrestler may be pacing themselves or be in the middle of a hectic travel schedule, or even be in great pain.

JBL's holistic approach - wrestling, financials, private business, commentating and the spot of writing, and intelligent choice of life and business partners, appears to be very sound, and would appear to be a good model for other pro wrestlers to follow. Of course, most pro wrestlers haven't got their pro wrestling to JBL's stage, but it sure the hell is something to aspire to.

I witnessed JBL wrestle in person at a roughhouse wrestling venue in Germany approx 15 years ago, and I had no idea he would make it as big as he has. Nothing stays the same forever... careers go in cycles - up and down. JBL was putting the work in way back then, and I had no idea that he was heading for greatness, but he sure worked hard in the match. JBL must have had a plan and a vision, and he knew where was heading - to the top of one of the the professions in the world.

Disclaimer: I joined JBL's Layfield Energy b2b program as a both a mark of respect and support for wrestlers who can see beyond the flashy lights and body slamming. Our website already has WWE, MBS and JBL content, and attracts over 1 million hits per month, so it was a perfect fit. If it makes some good money for me, that's a bonus, but I did as respect and to support JBL's smarts, guts and leadership. It's great to see that more pro wrestlers and starting to "get it", and much like (some) Australian NRL (National Rugby League) players and clubs, are taking steps to plan for the future, for when their bodies or desire won't be up to being just that "slice of meat" that the promoters hired them to be. The business needs more JBL's, and I would think the McMahon and other top promoters would be supportive. It also helps protect their investment and reputations. Here's to success on all levels.

(Credit: Pro Wrestling Torch)

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