Topic: A movie that really hit home

[Robin-Graves]

 I um,,dnt dont usualy post in this section. But concidering I just watched a movie that realy hit ome,I feelcompelled to post here.

I just watched a movie called " the Wrestler".
Now,,there have been alot said about this film,and I have to say Mickey Rourk did a hell of a job.
The scripting was fantastic,,and I do believe this isone of those movies that will stand the test of time

On a personal note though.
Pretty much all of you here know what I do for a living. Many of you may concider it a joke,,but oh well.
This movie hit what I do like ahammer hits a nail.
It was dead on balls accurate.I watched this movie and shivered. I saw nothing that was imbelished ( other than matches being shortened for obvious reasons).
Everything from fans reactions in public places,,the hardcorematch ( Gods,,Ive  been in too many of those), the broken and destroyed relationships ( Ive had my share because of the business), and the damage your body goes through.
This movie was the most realistic movie I have ever seen,,and Ive seen ALOT of so called "realistic" movies.
 
 When you see this movie,,and your a wrestling fan or not,,remeber the people that give thier odies,personal lives, and pretty much anything and everything they have to entertain you.
 Its never been for the money,,but for the love of the sport,,and mainly, thelove of the fans.
 Without the fans,,we are nothing.

[JackFrost]

Without the fans,,we are nothing.

There are many entertainment companies and entertainers who forget this simple rule.

Good to know you're not one of them RG...

I've really been wanting to see that flick, too.

[dweez]

Just to let you know, I don't think many people here consider what you do a joke.  I respect the hell out of athletes that do this level of exertion on a week by week basis.

[JackFrost]

I respect the hell out of athletes that do this level of exertion on a week by week basis.

True. I mean, I only run when chased, if you catch my drift.

[dweez]

BTW, what is the going rate for poo shoveler's?

[frankcapri]

Many of you may concider it a joke,,but oh well.

I hope you don't think that I think this 

I really liked The Wrestler.  I seemed liked much of this movie
was plausible, and it's nice to hear from someone with experience that
it was basically spot on. (Nice as in aesthetically nice, not life nice). 

It actually made me a bit angry that this movie wasn't nominated for best
picture.  By and large I thought it was a better film than The Reader,
and Marisa Tomei gets naked a lot 

[Robin-Graves]

I mean no offense about the joke statement,,just a safety net for those that concider it fake.
 That was real barbed wire ive been tangled in,real chairs ive been hit with,and real flloors ive fallen on.
And um,,personaly,,I have alot of respect for poo shovelers lol

Actualy,,if you havent seen this movie,,,please do so.
Mickey's character had the right attitude that it takes to make it in this sport.

There are many entertainment companies and entertainers who forget this simple rule.

Good to know you're not one of them RG...

I've really been wanting to see that flick, too.

Hulk Hogan is one that forgot the fans.
Even Vince Mcmahon thinks he invented pro wrestling.
Ive got freinds that are still in the higher feds like WWEand TNA. Once the fat pay checks and endorsement deals roll in, they forget that they came fromparking lot shows like everyone else did.
  It was the fans that made this sport what in is today,,not Vince or Jarrett.
And the fans can take it all back at any time.

[CMF]

As a fan of pro-wrestling and fan of movies, the movie was awesome!
And, in the end, it is the small promotions that make the business.
For me, WWE and TNA have only money as a goal and not to entertain people, which is the first and most important thing in this business, and the reason it existed, still exists and will exist.

[Robin-Graves]

Brotha man,,,you got the right attitude!

We dont do this for the money,,we do this for the fans.
Ive bled for the fans,,lost freinds,my home,mu family and alot more because of this sport,,and after hearing the fans reactions to what Imdoing,,I have NO regrets.
 Aslong as they let me come out to the ring,,Ill be there.
I look at every fan as family,,andbrother,,I got one BIG family

[goldshirt*9]

may i ask a question  RG
how much of wrestling is arranged ? i mean it cannot all be real.
how can a person carry on after some of those hits and being hit with certain objects
what i have seen makes me cringe.
a human body just cannot take some of that abuse and still carry on.
i'm not dissing your sport what so ever and i wish i could state i love my job as much as you do your's.
just wondering.

[Robin-Graves]

Want to know the truth?
Ok,,let me go through a list of SOME of the injuries I have had first.
In 1990, I got abroken rib ( this has happened a few times) . 1991 a permanent injury to my left knee, 1991 my right hand was broken, wrist sprained ( bad fall to the floor), in 1995 a severe concusion, I dont remember what happened there. Um,,1997 a fractured clavacle,,1998 more concusions,,and severe whiplash down my spine. In 2000 while in ECW I had blunt trauma and several lacerations while in a match with The Sandman. 2001 was an interesting year, my right hand was broken,,,,again after being stomped on by Terry Funk.
2003 my neck was efectively broken in the ring by a rookie trying to impress his stretchmark covered troll of a girlfreind.
2005 I was treated for bloodloss in San Angelo Texas when I took on Mace for the Southern Extreme Title ( and I won).
And last year a torn rotater cuff in my rightshoulder when I was thrown overthetop  rope and hit the ring apron with my shoulder on theway down.
All real injuries.
 Now,,most people say this sport is fake,,the athletisism is 100% real,as are the chairs,,tables,barbed wire,,thumbtacks are definitely real( they dont hurt as bad as youd think), kendo sticks,trash cans ( they have givin me concusions in the past) , and that is a  real floor we land on.
The conditioning of your body is amazing. My pain tollorance and stamina increased tenfold just during training when I first started.
 I guess if youve watched Beyond The Mat or The Wrestler,,you all knowwe arefreinds behind the scenes.
 And yes,,sometimes thematches are pre aranged.
BUT,,,get the adrenalin going,,the sound of the crowd,and the justplain enjoyment of what you are doing,,and sometimes it gets pretty real. Especialy when the egos get going.
Ive been in quite a few matchesthat turned real for one reason or the other.
All these people tht talk about how we are"just actors " andhow we ware all fakes need to get into the ring with me for five minutes.
 If they can walk out under their own power,,then maybe I will sit down and listen to their point of view.

[CMF]

All these people tht talk about how we are"just actors " andhow we ware all fakes need to get into the ring with me for five minutes.

The thing is they know only WWE na dTNA as wrestling which is definitely more theater than wrestling.

In 2000 while in ECW I had blunt trauma and several lacerations while in a match with The Sandman. 2001 was an interesting year, my right hand was broken,,,,again after being stomped on by Terry Funk.

You played in the Original ECW 
Matches used to get pretty sick sometimes.
And you fought against Sandman and Terry Funk  Man, these are two sick bastards!!!!!

[Robin-Graves]

I trained under Terry Funk too for a period of time. Great man,great sense of humor, and very good freind.
 Sandman was an interesting person, no wrestling ability whatsoever,,but he could play the crowd like nobodys business.
 I still cringe when I hear Motorheads virsion of Enter Sandman.
Yeah , I was in the original ECW for a period of time, Paul Heyman still owes me and alot of others money.
 Back then, it was a very well paying indie production. Now it is but a pale shadow of what its former glory was.
 It still pisses meoff to know it is just a developmental program for WWE.
I hate Vince,,I wish he would curl up and disapear.
 
 Back in 2003 ,, me and a freind from ECW,,Terry Pantera started BCW in Poteau Oklahoma. BCW was based on the priciples of what Paul Heyman used to create ECW.
Bare bones productions with generous portions of violence. The fans were amazing.
 That place and ECW are badges of honor as far as Im concerned.
If you could survive either of those two places,you could survive anywhere.
 I have such fond memories of those places.
 Unfortunately, due to bad businessdecisions by Pantera,,BCW closed its doors officialy in 2005.
 To this day,,its still mentioned with reverance by the former core tallent as thestart of such names in the indies as Eric Raiden, The Sexecutioners ( I was a member), Wildfire Sean Rich , and a few others of note in the circuit.
 Eric Raiden has SRV now,and is officialy retired ( Chris Benoit had SRV,,God rest his soul).
 The hardcore match in The Wrestler brought back memoriesof BCW. The movie itself was so true to life,I was shaking when itwas over.

[goldshirt*9]

no offense was intended here. 
i just wanted to ask a question about the sport 
some serious injuries you've had.
yes i agree you are fit and have to be.

i can believe  " once the adrenaline gets going " part.
i could never play a game of rugby against my own teammates, nor play a "friendly" game.

i didn't mean to imply they are fixed but as an outsider looking in, it looks as if it would be easy to kill someone.

i once watched a documentary about English wrestling
a reporter criticised a wrestler ( Mick McManus) and then went in the ring with him for a little training.
well you can imagine the result. .

[Robin-Graves]

I never meant to imply you were criticizing me lol.
Im just very impasioned about the subject. Ive had people come toshows and say " I can do that,thats so phony", and when you offer them a waver to come into the ring with you,,they find some reason to decline. lol
 A close friend, The Enforcer Steve Anderson ( yes,,one of the Anderson Family) Actualy got one of these winners to take up his offer.
 Well, after kicking Steve in the balls, Steve proceeded to dismantle this idiot.
Needless to say this guy never said howfake it was again.
 Ive been in alot of matches that have turned pretty damned real.
And anytime someone says the moves are fake, the real truth is,Every move wedo in that ring is potentialy debilitating or fatal.
We have to know what we are doing 100% of the time without fail.
The guy we are going against is more than likely a friend.