Ram Jam!

Looking back at the past fourteen years, I’m really surprised that I’ve never done an entry on “The Wrestler.” I did do one on the very different 1974 version, which we’ll talk about a little here. I’m sure that, considering it was a very hot movie the year that this blog started, the Mickey Rourke version was mentioned somewhere along the line. There isn’t too much merchandise for the film itself, but it does have connections to other bits of wrestling memorabilia. It also happens to be one of my favorite movies of all-time.

I tell people who haven’t seen it that it really isn’t a wrestling movie at all. Wrestling is a theme and major backdrop, for sure, but really it’s a human interest story. I hate to admit it, but if it didn’t have the wrestling connection I probably never would have seen it. Also admittedly, I’d be greatly missing out. It’s a tragic, but very familiar, story interlaced with a lot of humor. Humor? Yes, humor. And I’m sure that I’m not the only one who sees a lot of the humorous bits. I find that it’s good to laugh, even when confronted with less than great prospects in life. If you truly sit down and take the film in, you’ll see it.

If you haven’t seen it, the film follows Randy “The Ram” Robinson played to perfection by Mickey Rourke. The character is an amalgamation of several wrestlers, notably Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Lex Luger with a dash of Hulk Hogan thrown in. The Robinson character seems to have reached the heights that Hogan did in the ‘80s, so his name has to be included. It also could viewed as somewhat autobiographical for Rourke himself. It takes place in a fictional world where “WrestleJam” replaces WrestleMania and the big wrestling group is referred to as “The Show” rather than “The Fed.” These details aren’t totally fleshed out and we don’t need them to be. This story is about the rise and fall of Randy the Ram from the ‘80s until the then-present day of the late ‘00s. Like many real life wrestlers, Randy struggles with the fall from grace, personal relationships, finances and the inability to give up the glory.

The show opens with a montage of pictures and magazine covers from Randy’s glory days. Rourke’s head is placed onto Luger’s body for photos of the wrestler in his prime. Per the producers, permission was granted from the magazine publishers to use many of the old titles and designs. You’ll even notice some of the old back page ads. The montage features voiceovers of Larry Zbyszko and, more notably, Chris Cruise “calling” some of Randy’s old matches. In the opening moments of the film a magazine is signed by Randy. The “fan” getting the magazine autographed is actually the writer of the film, Robert Siegel.

Throughout the film Randy drives a very worn old van to various shows and other places of interest. Early on, we see the outline of a figure mounted on his dashboard. It’s supposed to be Randy himself but anyone reading this blog would know that it’s actually an LJN Wrestling Superstars Randy “Macho Man” Savage figure. As the story goes, the Savage figure, which was likely customized to resemble The Ram, was lost during production. Later, in a very well-lit outdoor scene in Elizabeth, NJ, the figure was needed again. This time it’s a Jakks WWF Bonecrunching Edge figure. We also see a child playing with this figure later on. The Japanese magazine "Cinema Rise" features a great still showing the LJN in their issue covering the film.

That’s not the only figure which we see make a big screen appearance. One scene with a mix of humor and tragedy has Randy at a wrestling legends signing at a VFW hall somewhere in Jersey. While the majority of the other “legends” are unknown extras, the one parked next to Randy who actually gets a scene hugging our star is known to all of us: the late “Luscious” Johnny Valiant. It’s never clarified if he’s playing himself or not, but he has a boxed Figures Inc. Legends of Professional Wrestling figure on his table. Could it be “brother” Jimmy? There are other tables filled with merchandise at this mock show including magazines, shirts and Coliseum Videos. This is one scene that I often had to clarify for folks back then. The scene is meant to be a letdown for Randy in that the event is poorly attended. While situations like that did occur, I can tell you that the era in which this movie was filmed is what I call the “golden age” of the wrestling convention. In real life, conventions were packing fans in and overselling tickets to the point that you weren’t sure if you’d even get what you came for. That, however, is a story for another book…

It should also be pointed out that a working NES game was created for the movie. A mix of the real-life “Pro Wrestling” and “WrestleMania” games, Randy and his neighbor are shown playing “WrestleJam ’89,” a game created in story to reflect the biggest match of The Ram’s career. The producers took pride in that the game was made specifically for the and scene and was actually playable!

I still remember word going out as to where they would be filming. Heck, I even remember when Nicholas Cage was still attached to the movie. Due to plenty of other things going on at the time, there was no traveling for me to appear in any of the show scenes, though I do recognize plenty of faces. The truth also is that up until this movie, I’d never been too enamored with wrestling on film. I had no reason to think that this one would be any different. The original 1974 version of The Wrestler, a completely different film, is a fun watch but is by no means a great movie. It stars Edward Asner and Verne Gagne with memorable scenes with other wrestlers such as Dusty Rhodes and Dick Murdoch. It also contains a rare appearance by Vincent J. McMahon. It’s worth a viewing, but this is one time when something more modern is better than something from decades ago.

While I didn’t get to attend any of the filming, my jaw did drop several years later on a visit to Jersey. It’s become a personal tradition that the night before a trip out to The Garden State, always for a wrestling convention, I watch the film. It’s relaxing for me and has that gritty Jersey flavor. Not a flavor you want in your mouth, but it’ll pump you up for a road trip. In 2012, the Friday night before a convention, we attended an indy show with a mini-convention attached. I knew that we were going to Rahway, NJ and that some of the movie had been set around there, but I guess I never put it together just how much. As we entered the doorway/vestibule of the building I felt a feeling of déjà vu. I’d never been to Rahway before. How could this be? It was because Randy the Ram walks through the same door and into the same building for an indy show at the same venue, The Rahway Rec Center. Wow. Considering that both The Great Muta and Mil Mascaras were on the card that I was seeing that night? Triple wow.

I’m sure that this movie is streaming somewhere. A physical copy (always best!) is probably available for under $10. I don’t like when people give me viewing recommendations because I never end up getting around to them and I disappoint that person, but I’ll be a hypocrite: watch this movie. My favorite scene? The deli scenes. (‘A little moaaaaar…”) See, I told you this wasn’t a full “wrestling movie.” A word of warning: there’s enough adult content in it that I wouldn’t recommend it for kids, but that’s your decision. I will also say that, while this blog has always been family friendly, I must stray from my normal standards so that I can leave you with my favorite quote from the film…and then go and pop it in the Blu-Ray player…

“The ‘90s fuckin’ sucked!”