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Pimpstress' Post: - What "The Wrestler" Means to Wrestling Today
Date Added: January 15, 2009
Story By: Lana Cooper
Whenever Vince McMahon disappears from television for a long period of time, his eventual resurfacing can usually be anticipated when some sort of controversy surrounding the world of wrestling emerges. Vinnie Mac's big return slated for next week is no surprise considering that recent events could very well be the WWE owner's worst nightmare coming true.
The recent Waxman report on steroid and drug use findings hovers like a spectre over the world of sports entertainment, but perhaps there is a greater shadow inspiring fear in the industry: Darren Aronofsky's film The Wrestler.
With the film slated for wide-release this month and actor Mickey Rourke garnering a Golden Globe and generating Oscar buzz for his portrayal of a faded, professional wrestler attempting to make a comeback at all costs, The Wrestler positions the world of professional wrestling into an even greater spotlight in the mainstream media.
Whether that light is favorable or unfavorable is yet to be determined. Although the film doesn't directly address business practices in the world of professional wrestling in a derogatory manner, McMahon himself was no fan of the flick. He had even gone so far as to attempt to block Fox/Searchlight's attempts to advertising during blocks of WWE programming. The Chairman's ire, however, may stem from the fact that Aronofsky has been lobbying for wrestlers to be included as members of the Screen Actors Guild. Vinnie Mac has fought unionization tooth and nail for years, going so far as to break the veil of kayfabe and create a new category called "sports entertainment" to evade unionization within the worlds of either sports or the performing arts. Unionization would be great for wrestlers… but disastrous for a mega-corp's bottom line.
Aronofsky maintains additional cred in the wrestling world by employing real wrestlers in prominent roles in the production of the film. The movie was filmed in part during live indie-fed events with CZW and Ring of Honor, feeding off a live crowd atmosphere. CZW alum Necro Butcher figures into the film in a big way during a brutal hardcore match with the main character. Former WCW and WWE superstar, Ernest "The Cat" Miller plays an even bigger role as "The Ayatollah," an Iron Sheik-eque character resurrecting a 20-year feud with "The Ram." Additionally, Armond Cesere, a former wrestler and protégé of Johnny Rodz who wrestled under the name Kid U.S.A., performed Mickey Rourke's stunts and more complicated wrestling maneuvers in the film and is currently doing further stunt work in Hollywood.
As a film, The Wrestler, tells the story of middle-aged wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson who goes from the heights of fame in a WWE-like atmosphere (told in a montage of clippings during the film's opening credits) to playing sparsely populated bingo halls on weekends with smaller, indie-federations. Carrying on with the show, he juggles personal drama with his estranged daughter, scarfing pain medication to cope with the resulting wear and tear on his body, and taking an unfulfilling job to support himself during the week -- basically, living for the weekends when he gets an opportunity to ply his trade.
The subject of steroids, drugs, and painkillers are only touched upon briefly within the film. It's not even a blip on the radar against the character's years of personal trials and his separation from genuine human contact and emotion outside of a locker room.
Perhaps that's one of the most poignant aspects of The Wrestler that just may have ol' Vinnie Mac so infuriated. In light of recent events with so many veteran wrestlers -- and even referees -- getting the axe all in the name of economic cutbacks, The Wrestler just may underscore a sad facet of the industry. Even the most loyal or hardest worker is not indispensable.
Long-time workers and a few newer guys were let go in the past week including one-time Intercontinental Champion, Val Venis and the recently rehired D-Lo Brown. Referees like Tim White and Jimmy Korderas who had been a part of the organization for over 20 years also found themselves on the chopping block. Most shocking of all, however, was the release of legends like Ron Simmons and Sgt. Slaughter.
As far as D-Lo and Val Venis go, they should be alright adjusting to a civilian lifestyle as Brown is a CPA and Sean Morley (Venis) is rather politically active outside the ring. Referee Tim White (best known for his role in the "Lunchtime Suicide" series of WWE vignettes) may go back to running his Rhode Island bar, the Friendly Tap.
Lingering in uncertainty is what Jimmy Korderas will do in his post-WWE career. Korderas bears the burden of being the referee who was slated to call what would have been Owen Hart's final match and sadly, his father passed away the day after his release from the company.
You wonder what people do and how they adjust after having been a "lifer" in a gig that requires you to tour with a company 300 days out of the year. For guys like Sgt. Slaughter, Ron Simmons, and Korderas -- guys who it was assumed would probably have a job with the company for life, even if it was an office or road job -- where does that leave them? Hopefully with some sort of recourse or sound investment plan to fall back upon, at least.
Does loyalty really count for anything in an industry as cannibalistic as professional wrestling? Does such a thing as "growing old gracefully" truly exist? While 30 may be the new 18 in today's culture of arrested development and eternal youth, 30 is almost over-the-hill in wrestling. Any wrestler over the age of 40 is practically retirement-bound. It's easy to understand why, with the considerable amount of wear and tear on these athletes' bodies from taking hardcore bumps and an intense performing and travel schedule.
Ric Flair's retirement this past year at the age of 59 was a rare, milestone moment where a wrestler over the age of 50 was given an opportunity to go out on a high note. Perhaps due to the tremendous contributions to the world of wrestling that Flair had made, it would be impossible to give him anything less than a grand send-off. However, if the waning days of WCW were an indicator, Flair's legacy would have been diminished with the humiliation he endured in that promotion's final hours.
With that in mind, what may have Vince McMahon so incensed about The Wrestler may have more to do with what it doesn't say rather than what it explicitly states. The viewer doesn't know exactly how Mickey Rourke's character wound up in poverty, living a sub-Joe Average existence. All they know is that's where he landed. A telling line in the film, "the '90s sucked," may speak volumes. It could imply that although the middle-aged Ram wasn't ready to move on from the world of wrestling, the large-scale wrestling promotion was ready to calmly dispose of him and move onto what they considered to be the next big thing -- until they tired of that guy, too. And so the vicious cycle perpetuates.
It's funny. The fans don't seem to forget about some of the "old timers." Many a seasoned veteran gone from the public eye can still manage a good pop from the crowd. Obviously, these guys can't wrestle forever and new talent does need to emerge and be put over in order for professional wrestling to thrive. But there has to be a more dignified way of treating people than just dismissing them in the blink of an eye or using them solely as cannon fodder to job to a new generation.
In a shoot interview, Bruno Sammartino (himself a big proponent of unionization in professional wrestling) expounded on how a federation is willing to shell out thousands of dollars for a one-shot appearance (that doesn't necessarily yield buyrate returns) from a figure outside of the world of wrestling (see: Mayweather, Floyd), but will only toss a hundred or two in the direction of a retired wrestler for a cameo appearance. "Hey, thanks for all those years of blood, sweat, and tears! Go buy yourself a pack of Tic Tacs!" Doesn't seem fair, does it?
In spite of Vince's disdain for the film, WWE offers an eerie parallel with Shawn Michaels' "riches to rags" storyline involving JBL to The Wrestler's theme of survival vs. dignity vs. happiness. Furthermore, The Wrestler attempts to gift professional wrestling with a much more emotional and human face rather than just as a company commodity, exploring what happens to the man behind the character when the lights dim. Life goes on, but the quality of that life is somewhat dubious.
With that said, it's not like The Wrestler portrays the world of wrestling in an unfavorable light, but merely a truthful one. We'll see what this Monday's RAW brings with the re-emergence of Vince McMahon and what the future brings to the world of wrestling. Perhaps this could be the start of a new era.
