The groundbreaking success of The Rock, Batista and John Cena in Hollywood has dispelled many old misconceptions about wrestlers, actors and the wrestling industry. For decades, many unflattering stereotypes have been brought to light whenever wrestling and wrestlers have been portrayed in movies or television shows.
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But over the years, perceptions have shifted from time to time as avid wrestling fans have taken the lead and made some great media for themselves. These are fans who know a little more about the business and refuse to stick to Hollywood’s silly stereotypes. When they do, movies and TV shows get a lot of things right about the pro wrestling business.
That 70s Show predicted rock’s glory
As predicted by the Brahma bull who plays the soul man
- That 70s Show is a film that depicts life in the disco era over a period of eight years.
- The series launched the careers of Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis.
- Ken Shamrock and the Hardys also guest starred in this episode.
In the late ’90s, both the Attitude Era and That ’70s Show were starting to become popular. These two forces collided in Season 1, Episode 15, “That Wrestling Show,” which sees the cast heading to a WWWF show to watch superstars like The Soul Man, Rocky Johnson, in action. Ken Shamrock and The Hardys make cameo appearances wearing ’70s wigs, while The Rock also dons a wig as his father, accurately predicting how exciting his son would become in the future.
The wrestler depicted the lives of struggling elderly people.
Mickey Rourke’s performance brings fans and wrestlers to tears
- The Wrestler was released in 2008.
- The film featured numerous cameos from Ring of Honor.
- Mickey Rourke’s career was revitalized by the role.
Many films have been made about the glamour of the wrestling industry, but very few have depicted the downfall of a wrestler. Mickey Rourke’s powerful performance as Randy “The Ram” Robinson is simply phenomenal.
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Darren Aronofsky’s Rourke-directed film was deeply personal for a wrestler like Rowdy Piper, who has seen many of his friends fall like Randy in the movies.
Heels revitalized the family-run Indy league
Stephen Amell channeled his inner Cody for the role
- Heels has aired for two seasons and is expected to have at least a third season on Netflix.
- Stephen Amell is a huge wrestling fan.
- The former Green Arrow has competed at SummerSlam and All In.
The show, which recently premiered on Netflix, is a struggling, fledgling show about a struggling, up-and-coming promotion that is expected to get a third season. Wrestling fan Stephen Amell plays Jack Spade on the show, trying to balance raising a family, keeping a difficult brother in line, and protecting his father’s legacy and the promotion. While the storyline isn’t exactly like that of an American Nightmare, Amell was inspired by a friend’s story.
The man who created superheroes
- Spider-Man figured he could make some quick money by surviving a wrestling match.
- Raven wrote a short story about that wrestler, Crusher Hogan.
- Randy Savage played Bonesaw McGraw in the original Spider-Man Adventures.
From the moment Spider-Man was first bitten by a radioactive spider, he tried to use his powers to become a professional wrestler rather than a popular New York superhero. In the first 2002 film, Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man had to survive an onslaught by Bonesaw McGraw.
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The promoter was going to give him enough money to buy a car and impress Mary Jane, but after knocking out Bonesaw in record time, the promoter never paid him.
The Goldbergs showed their fandom in the ’80s
“Are you saying the Iron Sheik isn’t fighting to protect his oil interests?”
- The Goldbergs is loosely based on author Adam F. Goldberg’s childhood.
- Yes, Bill Goldberg will eventually join the cast for a few episodes.
- Barry, the middle child in the family, tried out for the wrestling team.
For many wrestling fans born in the 80s, the sport of kings still had a unique purity about it. Fans believed that the human chess games were 100% real. They could relive a little bit of that magic with The Goldbergs. The show is similar to The Wonder Years, set in a decade of decadence. In one episode, the younger son, Barry, tries out for a wrestling team, but, unaware that it’s amateur style, he starts practicing his moves on his old wrestling buddies. It was the first time the series showcased the 80s craze, but it wouldn’t be the last.
Big Van Vader was Frankie’s father in Boy Meets World
Wrestlers are normal people with families and problems.
- Vader’s appearance on Boy Meets World was a major crossover event.
- Bruce Pritchard has spoken about the experience on his show and others.
- Over the past few years, Ethan Suplee (who played Vader’s son) has lost weight and gained weight.
As an imposing giant, Vader was one of the most fierce competitors in the ring. But behind the scenes, the Mastodon was no different from any other working-class hero: He went to work and returned home to his wife and son. Life imitated art for the big man when he guest-starred on the iconic ’90s sitcom Boy Meets World, playing Francis Stecchino Sr., the father of Cory’s bullies.
GLOW puts women’s wrestling in the spotlight
This series showed how far women’s wrestling has come.
- Fans got to know Ivory, and then Tina Ferrari, through the original GLOW promos.
- Both Mando and Chavo Guerrero helped train the GLOW girls.
- Awesome Kong was part of the cast of the Netflix series.
As the wrestling boom began to take shape in the late ’80s, women also jumped into the ring. The GLOW promotion was born. This memorable series launched superstars such as Farmer’s Daughter, Big Bag Mama and Mountain Fiji. Though the women weren’t as well-trained as today’s superstars, it showed that there was definitely a market for attractive women who wanted to wrestle. Over 30 years later, as the Women’s Evolution continues in WWE, GLOW has resurfaced as a popular Netflix series.
Monster Factory proved the rigor of training.
Anyone can step into the ring, but not everyone can stay there
- Monster Factory opened in 1983.
- The school’s first student was Bam Bam Bigelow.
- The school is currently owned by Danny Cage.
Being around before most wrestling fans even knew they could go to wrestling school, Monster Factory has been going strong since 1983.
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The latest incarnation of this was recently featured in an Apple TV documentary series that offers a good look at what life is like for struggling wrestlers honing their craft in less-than-state-of-the-art facilities like WWE’s PC.
There’s a bit of kayfabe in Rocky III.
Thunderlips slipped in and out of character.
- Sylvester Stallone personally handpicked the Hulk to play Thunderlips.
- Hulk got fired by Vince Sr. for making the movie.
- Apparently, Vince Jr. rehired him to begin a national expansion.
Years before Rocky, Sylvester Stallone showed off his wrestling fandom in the film Paradise Alley. After creating the iconic boxer, he did something even more special: cast up-and-coming Hulk Hogan as Thunderlips in Rocky III. The future megastar played the heel role, thoroughly beating Rocky for a few minutes, then broke kayfabe for a promotional photoshoot — all in one scene.
