Best wrestlers to star in films:
Hulk Hogan (Rocky III)
Jesse Ventura (Predator & Running Man)
Roddy Piper (The One and Only & They Live)
Terry Funk (Paradise Alley)
Professor Tanaka (James Bond)
Primo Carera (Mighty Joe Young)
Tor Johnson (Plan 9 from Outer Space, Night of the Gouls, Bride of the Monster, and Beast of Yucca Flats)
Georgeous George (The Champ)
Verne Gagne (The Wrestler)
Adrian Street (Quest for Fire)
I think Gene LeBell also did some films.
And a whole bunch of wrestlers starred in "I LIKE TO HURT PEOPLE" from the 70's. I won't even list some of the ultra cheapies of the past 10 years.
Here are a couple more pro wrest;lers who were in films,
Andre the Giant: "Princess Bride"
Mike Mazurki: who was in more films then I can remember. And if one wants to see a good wrestling match in a film, then watch him and another pro wrestler Stanislaus Zybsko go at it in "Night and the City." Enjoy!
"Night in the City" sounds good. Maybe TCM or AMC will play it.
What I don't understand is why there are not MORE pro wrestlers in movies. I mean, they can do some of their own stunts, are used to acting and speaking in public (without re-takes), are already in pretty good shape and some can project a genuine bad-ass feel. Also they have a built -in fanbase. I'm not saying you'll find the next Kevin Spacey or Russell Crowe in the ring, but still...
Roddy Piper was great in They Live, he made that move in my opinion.
What I don't understand is why there are not MORE pro wrestlers in movies. I mean, they can do some of their own stunts, are used to acting and speaking in public (without re-takes), are already in pretty good shape and some can project a genuine bad-ass feel. Also they have a built -in fanbase. I'm not saying you'll find the next Kevin Spacey or Russell Crowe in the ring, but still...think what a fun movie you could make with, say, the Big Show? And on a side note, why are most slasher villians usually big muscle guys? Is it to make them seem scarier?
Roddy Piper was great in They Live, he made that move in my opinion.
I think the reason that you don't see more pro wrestlers in movies because most people in the audience won't even bother watching the movie. Which is to bad. Roddy Piper was awesome in They Live. I think Mick Foley would be awesome in a movie. Who knows maybe even Terry Funk would show up!
I honestly believe Mick Foley is a gifted actor. I mean look at his early stuff up to 96, some of it was genuinly disturbing.
Foley needs to turn his first book, Have A Nice Day!, into a movie. In Foley Is Good, he talks about trying to write a script for it, and having the script suck horribly, but there's still a chance...
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was in both The Mummy Returns and the upcoming Scorpion King.
DDP, Goldberg, Sting, and a number of other WCW'ers (ah, how I miss ACTUAL WCW wrestling) were in Ready To Rumble...although that movie doesn't deserve mention.
Goldberg was also in Universal Soldier: The Return. Although THAT also doesn't deserve mentioning...
Hmm...GOOD movies with actual wrestlers in them? Umm...hmm...aside from the ones mentioned in the first post...er...
Terry Funk was in Road House. Road House was okay. Or...not...
Ex-wrestler Tyler Mane is in a whole bunch of movies...X-Men (Sabretooth), How To Make A Monster, and others.
Aw s**t...I'm out of ideas. Umm...oh yeah!
ROB VAN DAM was in Blood Moon, Superfights, and the upcoming Black Mask 2. RVD: THE WHOLE f**kIN' SHOW!
Hmm...this gave me an idea...
Mick Foley is truely great. I think your all right about him making a good movie. Especially his life story.
I hate Rob Van Damm!
Why do you not like RVD Lee?
He p**ses me off! He thinks the whole world revovles around him and thinks he's the best thing about this planet. He talks about how he's bigger than other wrestlers because he's done movies. The only movie he is in that I like is Blood Moon and I don't even remember him being in it. Everybody thinks he has the greatest moves around, but he doesn't. I've seen people do more in 5-10 minutes of action than this Carson Daly-look-alike does in a handful of matches. Who do I pay to have him hit by a car?
Mick Foley was in a short film titled deadbeats. It's on the Troma best of Tromadance dvd as one of the main short. It about 30 minutes long and Foley plays teh main role.
What about Freddie Blassie in the Troma movie When Nature Calls (not the ace ventura junk), but he doesn't play a major role in it.
Did he say that in a "real" interview or a wrestling promo? I know his character is pretty cocky, but are you sure that he's really like that? If he was, you think that someone would have straightened him out pretty quick...
I didn't know about Freddie Blassie Brian. I know he was in some called BREAFAST WITH BLASSIE. (or something like that)
I forgot to mention LOU ALBANO.
Easy Lee your wrapped alittle to tight. That is his character. Future Blob is right he would last long if he really acted that way in the wrestling business. Were stars are made and not born.
I still think the Big Show would be great in a movie...imagine having the traditional "Psycho-killer locked up" intro, then cutting to a scene and having the bad guy have to DUCK to get through a doorway, looming over all of the other people, ect? I dunno, maybe I'm just too much in love with the giant unstoppable killer idea...
Remember Doink the evil clown years ago in the WWF? With the music and facial expressions that were pre Mick Foley's character, but Mick Foley could do a better interview and that music from Ode to Freud was great. It would make a great movie above KILLER CLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE.
I'm not a big wrestling fan, but I do have a bit of a soft spot for Blassie, mainly thanks to his song, Pencil Neck Geek. A couple of years ago I got my dad a vinyl copy of his album, "I Bite the Songs"-- definitely one of the more unique gifts that Christmas. "My Breakfast With Blassie" is a takeoff of "My Dinner with Andre"-- basically a 45-minute conversation between Blassie and Andy Kaufman (who was also sort of a wrestler, come to think of it) at a greasy-spoon diner. I haven't seen the whole thing, but one of these days when I'm in the right mindset I'll sit down and watch it.
Check out one of those Critters movies, you can find a young (and much slimmer) Undertaker as one of those bounty hunters.
One other thing, I remember Doink the Clown too. What I want to know from you wrestling enthusists, who was Doink? I was thinking it was an existing wrestler we already know (like Ax from Demolition). They took the show off regular tv before I got to find out.
And how about this: Big Poppa Pump and The Godfather in, "Pimpin ain't Easy" (a comedy) playing rival pimps. With Scotty 2 Hotty and Grandmaster Sex-ay of 2CooL, and Albert.
And one more question: Where is the other guy from the Rockers?
"Night and the City" This is the 1950 version. Not the 1992 version w/ Robert DeNiro. Call the earlier version London film noire. A great cast of older starts. Some Brits like Francis L. Sullivan and Herbert Lom. Some Americans like Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, and Hugh Marlowe. Enjoy!
You mean Marty Janety(sp?)? I heard he has a tendancy to get himself in trouble and then get fired for it.
As for Rob Van Damm, I read an interview he did with a magazine. That cocky bastard said that the perfect match would be him against himself. I already didn't like the guy and this was the straw that broke the camels back! Maybe if he would just shut up every now and then I might beable to tolerate him(and maybe Albert Pyun ia just a film away from winning the Oscar.).
Captain Lou's performance as Frank the Fixer in Wise Guys is hilarious. One of my favourite comedies.
kevin nash was in one of the ninja turtles flicks as Super Shredder. The big Japanese guy in the Running Man was a wrestler as well. No Holds Barred is my favorite movie starring a wrestler (Hogan). Everytime they show a close up of Zeus's face, with his lazy eye and unibrow, I crack up. Kurt Fuller gives his best performance in that movie.
Ready to Rumble with that dude from Scream & all the wcw wrestlers
Marty Jannety's partner was Shawn Micheals who later became world champion and is out of t he sport now due to a back injury.
I'd love to see Freddie Blassie in that film with Andy Kaufman. Also the songs you mentioned above. I have a large album of JESSE VENTURA singing "The Body Rules" and "Showdown with Mr. V" from is AWA days in 1982.
The original Doink the Clown was "Maniac" Matt Borne who was a second generation wrestler.
The old pro wrestling shows from the 70's would fit in good with a 24 hour B-Movie Channel format. Along with the old versions of Roller Derby.
The best acts in wrestling history are:
Georgeous George
Superstar Graham
The Valient Brothers
Hulk Hogan
Ric Flair
Mankind
Terry Funk
Dusty Rhodes
Doink the Clown
The Fabulous Freebirds
Kevin Sullivan
Undertaker
Steve Austin
The Shiek
Abdullah the Butcher
Andre the Giant
Yeah, ready to rumble is the film with David Arquette and the WCW guys in it.
Lou Albano was also in this film called 'Body Slam' as Captain Lou Marano, basically playing himself. Roddy Piper and the Tonga Kid were also in it