The Wrestler – A Different Perspective

The Wrestler, written by Robert D. Siegel and directed by Darren Aronofski, is a wildly bold, daring, and entertaining movie based on the real lives of real people. If this movie had come out 5 or 6 years ago, I wouldn’t have appreciated or liked it as much as I do now. It was very well written, and brilliantly directed. I would usually expect something very different from a movie like this…but somehow, they overcame the stereotyped “sports hero” movies, and turned it into something that actually means something.
I’m speaking from the heart, and to be honest, it did make me cry. I didn’t cry in a “Marley and Me” kinda way, I cried tears of amazement, shock, pride, sadness, and anger. Let me explain…

People these days view professional wrestling as a joke, a “fake” sport, the pariah of testosterone competition. I’ll tell you first hand that wrestling is NOT fake. Some of it is choreographed …and there’s a difference.
I was introduced to the world of wrestling not long before meeting my fiance. Coincidentally or not, he’s a trained free-lance professional wrestler himself. Now, it’s hard to explain the business to people who have never personally experienced it. Think of it as one giant family where some family members get more recognition, or play a bigger role to the outside world, than the others do. In my years and experiences with Curt, I’ve learned a lot about the world and people around me in general. It may sound crazy, but wrestling can teach you a lot about human psychology and sociology. They’re not just there to play a game for fans and money, they put their lives on the line to entertain people! The best of the best can completely control their crowd and it’s emotions…all while telling a story.
The world of Professional Wrestling is an underground carnival of personalities and talents. Most people in the business like to keep things about it very quiet and personal. It’s just like theater… if the crowd knows too much about what happens back stage, the performance is ruined. Thus the idea of costumes and masks, rivalries and allies. It’s a world where things are rarely what they seem to be. The people that we watch on TV, who put their physical, emotional, and mental well being at risk on a regular basis… most of them have “real jobs”, families that they go home to after all the lights and cameras are gone.
Anyway…
So, the main character in the movie is Randy “The Ram” Robinson, played by Mickey Rourke…who by the way did a fantastic job! He was better than I would have ever expected, and I think he was definitely a much better fit for the role than Nick Cage would have been. The whole idea for his character was a brilliant idea…an older “has-been” who barely makes ends meat, and still works small time “indy” shows on the weekends for some extra cash. He has a bunch of “outsiders” telling him he’s done and that he can’t wrestle anymore… on the other hand he has the other wrestlers trying to help him make something of what’s left of his career.
Sure, “in the know” wrestling fans, or smart-marks, or smarkies (my fav.) know a bit more about the wrestling business than your average fan… but those are the people who think that this movie was based on the life of a very good friend of mine…which it’s not.
I can only begin to explain to you how real this movie is… but it would be unfair to those that have devoted their lives to pro-wrestling for even longer than I’ve been alive.
People make their jokes and poke their fun. When they ask if wrestling is really fake, I tell them,
“If you want to see how ‘fake’ it is, get in the ring with one of these guys and let them show you. When you get out, or have to be carried out, you’ll know.”
I may be a chick, but I’ve gotten in the ring with some big-ass mofo’s that other guys look at and cower away from. It’s not easy… and yes, it does hurt…a lot.
I really have to commend the people who did the casting for the movie. Typical Hollywood would have hired actors and taught them how to pretend to be a wrestler… these extras however, were real-life independent wrestlers with real talent. Imagine watching a movie that told a story that was very real-to-life for you and thinking “wow…it’s like watching my friend’s lives play out before me.”
That’s how I felt.
While the story of Randy “The Ram” is a coaster ride of emotions, the real life stories of the people depicted are even more enthralling. Hollywood has only touched on what it’s like in the real world of professional wrestling.
People wonder why wrestlers put themselves through all this, but there is one one true answer… they do it for the love of the sport and entertaining their fans.  Why do you do what you do? Why do actors spend their lives in the spotlight? Why do pro sports players risk injury for just one game? Every individual wrestler may tell you something different, but it all comes down to loving what they do and belonging to a huge dysfunctional family.
I guess all I’m trying to say is… if you haven’t seen the movie already, watch it… if you have, watch it again. This time however, know that eventhough the story is fictional, the emotions, the comraderie, the stunts, the people… are all real.

The next time you meet a professional wrestler face to face, do not ask them if wrestling is fake… just show your appreciation for what they risk their lives to do.

This…has been a shoot.

~ by wyldefyre723 on June 10, 2009.