The Wrestler Body Slam's Its Way Into My Heart

I recently saw the movie The Wrestler, and I must say it was fantastic! Everything about the movie got to me. I grew up in the 80's watching some of the all-time great wrestlers. I saw the likes of Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant, Brett Hart, Ultimate Warrior, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Macho Man, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Mr. Perfect, Demolition, Ricky Steamboat, Junk Yard Dog, etc. etc. So this movie allowed me to relive my youth.

It reminded me of all the paperviews I used to make my dad order. The Survivor Series', Wrestlmania's, Royal Rumble's, Summerslam's and Battle Royal's. It reminded me of the action figure's, bed sheets, T-shirt's and poster's I had. It reminded me of when I was at The Palace of Auburn Hills for a big time match in the first row and Macho Man threw his bandanna to me as he entered the ring. I wish I could say I still have it. It reminded me of the arguments I had. Was Hogan better than The Giant? Would Virgil turn on The Million Dollar Man? Was Elizabeth sleeping with all the wrestler's? Well, maybe that didn't climb into my head until years later, but it's still an interesting question. During the opening credits (they really get you into the spirit) these were all the thoughts I had running threw my head.

However, these thoughts went away as soon as the movie truly began. Because the opening credits were about the bright lights, loud stadiums, great memories and wrestler theme songs. Once the movie began we were no longer the audience watching from the stands but the wrestler himself, feeling the effects. And Mickey Rourke did an exceptional job of just that. Making us as the audience feel every wince, every cough and all the pain he goes through day after day. Watching him no longer made me excited about wrestling again, but sympathetic.

We as an audience generally look down on professional wrestling. We see it as a fake sport. Something scripted where the ending is decided before the match even begins. We don't see the concussions, back spasms, separated shoulders and broken bones. We don't see the consumption of pain killers just to get out of bed. We don't see the shots of adrenalin and testosterone to try to get through the show. And we don't see the pain and consequences of doing these types of things to your body on a daily basis just for a paycheck. We only see the glamour of the one's who make it to the top. We don't know that if you are injured and can't wrestle, there is no players union or injured reserve list to fight for you. We don't know that if you think you're too hurt to wrestle, you don't get paid and someone else will take your spot.

These men break themselves night after night, week after week, year after year. No off season like other sports for your body to heal. And when it's gone, it's gone. For every Hulk Hogan or Macho Man, the ones who will live on forever, there are a thousand no names still wrestling at 45 in some small time gym for 100 people just to pay the heating bill. We don't know that there are about 100 wrestlers in the past 30 years who have died before their 50th birthday. And we don't know about the 1,000 others who are in their 40's that can barely tie their shoes.

This movie lets us in. It shows us all the dirty secrets we never knew. Mickey Rourke brings us into the mind of one of these men. Rarely does a performance make you forget you are the audience. Rarely does a performance make you feel like the character yourself. In Forrest Gump, Tom Hanks makes you feel all of his emotions. And Rourke does the same here. We begin seeing things through his eyes. And when the movie ended, and I got up to walk out, I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach. I could not believe what I just saw. It was that good.....and that powerful.

While the beginning of the movie made me relive my favorite memories and begin to fall back in love with the sport, the ending did the just the opposite.

I can't say that you will feel the same way about the film as I did, but I will guarantee you will never look at the athletes making up this "fake" sport the same ever again. And that's a good thing, because they deserve better.