Exploitation film suggestion request...

[the Rev. J. Darkside]

Can anyone suggest films (explotation, tasteless or just plain bad) that feature wrestling as a main plot point? I have 'Wrestlemaniac' with Rey Misterio.

[sideorderofninjas]

Backyard Dogs
The 1950s Santo (aka Samson) movies have wrestling matches pop up pretty randomly in them...

[JaseSF]

The following feature wrestling as the main focus:

Grunt! The Wrestling Movie (Love this cheapie, it's often hilarious and does feature Dick Murdoch and Exotic Adrian Street)
The Wrestler (1973) (Probably the best movie about pro wrestling ever made, any fan of 1970s AWA should see it as it features most of that era's best stars in interviews and in the ring) (the new film in the works of the same name sounds good too)
...All the Marbles (1981) (surprisingly engaging film about a ladies wrestling tag team)
American Angels: Baptism of Blood: features several of the GLOW/POWW girls
Bad Guys (1986): wrestling plays a part in this one although it isn't the only focus.
Below the Belt (1980): another quality film that actually fairly accurately portrays  some of the major challenges facing lady wrestlers.
Body Slam (1986): Pretty bad but does have Rowdy Roddy Piper and other wrestlers from the 80s
Ferocious Female Freedom Fighters: Troma edited together footage from some obscure foreign film about the perils of lady wrestling. Funny although I actually prefer the wrestling.
Man on the Moon (1999): this film about the life of Andy Kaufman deals with his ill-fated foray into the entertainment spectacle that is pro wrestling.
Nacho Libre: naturally, this was in fact based loosely on a true story.
No Holds Barred (1989): awful movie starring Hulk Hogan who gets involved with violent underground wrestling promotion.
I Like To Hurt People: documentary style film focusing on the career of legendary wrestling madman: The Sheik. Was actually originally intended as a murder mystery film but was changed mid-stream.
Blood & Guts (1978) Stars William Smith as an aging wrestler trying to hold onto his spot while a new young punk upstart tries to steal everything away from him.

Also look for the names Mil Mascaras, El Santo and Blue Demon and you'll find plenty of Mexican wrestling/horror/sci-fi flicks.

[JaseSF]

Of course there's also this:

[Andrew]

To add three lucha libre flicks to the wrestling list:

The Champions of Justice

Santo & Blue Demon vs. Doctor Frankenstein (with the underground bunker set from Chosen Survivors!

Santo vs. the Martian Invasion

[the Rev. J. Darkside]

Thanks so much! I gotta see the Hogan and Piper films. Calamari? That looks awesome! What're your opinions on 'Ready to Rumble'? Maybe I should have specified that I wasn't looking for documentaries, but the ones suggested looked worthwhile, so no time was wasted. Speaking of Mexican films, does anyone know where I can aquire 'Satánico Pandemonium'?

[Yaddo 42]

Don't know if you can find a copy since it was supposedly lost for years (think I read it may have been found recently), but there is the 80s cheapie Blood Circus. A wrestlers vs. aliens flick that was supposed to promote a line of cheap jewelry. There was a truly bizarre infomermical promoting the jewlery line and film that made the rounds of TV years ago. Try checking Google or Youtube for "Santo Gold" and "Blood Circus".The infomercial had clips from the film, which looked incredibly awful (in the good way for fans of bad movies) but also had some familiar faces from 80s wrestling.

And I second any Santo/Mexican wrestling film you can get your hands on. Pure bad movie pleasure is sure to be had from watching them.

Not a bad movie or exploitive at all, but the film noir classic Night and the City features wrestling as a major plot point. Not what the OP was looking for but, still an awesome movie.

[the Rev. J. Darkside]

On the contrary. I'll check it out.

[Jack]

All The Marbles was a pretty good movie, wish they'd come out with it on DVD.  Amazon's only got old ex-rental VHS copies for twenty bucks.

About all I can add is the movie Slashdance (no, not the Fulci one).  It's available on the Night Chills 10 movie DVD pack.  It's an '80s slasher about murders at a dance studio.  Although there's no wrestling, it does feature several of the girls who were in GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling).  Acting is...about what you might expect    Video quality is poor, but it's an enjoyably goofy little film.

There's also the "Doctor of Doom / Wrestling Women vs. the Aztec Mummy" double feature.  Lots of women's wrestling, in black and white.  Unfortunately non-exploitive.  These are goofy crime dramas, and really boring.  Even with the wrestling.  But still worth a watch.

[lester1/2jr]

Jase-  they showed mid 80's AWA wrestling on espn classic the other day.  it was awesome

[WilliamWeird1313]

Enter... Zombie King!

[WilliamWeird1313]

, does anyone know where I can aquire 'Satánico Pandemonium'?

http://www.google.com/products?q=satanico+pandemonium&oe=utf-8&scoring=p

[peter johnson]

Since you're open to good films as well as bad here, have you seen "Barton Fink" by the Cohen Brothers?  The central plot line is that this Hollywood playwright has been given the task of writing a wrestling script for Wallace Beery & he doesn't understand the first thing about wrestling.  The shots of the titular hero as he watches the same wrestling footage over and over again (John Tuturro), getting more and more confused, is pricelessly funny.
peter johnson/denny crane

[JaseSF]

Yes lester, I watch the classic 80s AWA every Wednesday evening on ESPN Classic Canada. Greatly prefer the wrestling of the 70s and 80s to today's stuff.

[the Rev. J. Darkside]

Good movies weren't what I was looking for, but I'll take what I can get. I agree the retro wrestlers and their trade were vastly superior to the erotic hugging they do today. Who was more entertaining that Jake Roberts?