Does Rourke Being at WM Cheapen "The Wrestler"?

[Scroby 0]

Honestly, is it any different from Zeus coming to wrestle Hogan after filming No Holds Barred?

 

No offence, but if this is your counter arguement to "it's stupid"... I think general consensus is that Zeus coming in from a movie was stupid and that he stunk in the ring, so I think it's more of an arguement for the 'con' side to adopt.

Hey! Leave Debo alone!

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Rourke is still in for the Wrestlemania thing but everyone is just going to keep it hushed until the Oscars are over. I wouldn't be surprised to see Jericho come out on Raw on the 23rd and start talking shit again about the movie and Rourke.

[Thanks for the Fish 0]

Honestly, is it any different from Zeus coming to wrestle Hogan after filming No Holds Barred? This kind of over-thinking of wrestling (of all things) really bothers me. It's like complaints about when the cameraman doesn't intervene. It's ficticious TV (hence the cameraman) show!

 

Way different. Because in NHB Zeus and Hogan(whatever his character name was) didn't let it be known Wrestling was fake as part of the movie. They were two actors in a movie about NHB fighting who were then storylined to have a real beef that needed to be settled in a WWF ring. If Rourke was in a football movie and then came to fight Jericho it wouldn't bother me. It's the fact that "The Wrestler" is all about the real life lives of wrestlers and exposes wrestling in all of it's fake glory being part of a wwe storyline that is the...wait for it...

 

...PARADOX.

 

Was "Ready to Rumble" a behind the scenes look at Wrestling or did the Oliver Platt character exist in a kaybafe world where wrestling was real outside the ring, away from the crowds in his every day life?

 

And it's the wwe's fault regarding the camera man issue because sometimes they acknowledge them (talk to the camera or kick the camera man out or whatever) and sometimes they're supposed to be the hidden eye. Hell the wwe even tried to film from the perspective of talent sometimes(with is utterly ridiculous). They want to have it all ways and expects the fan to accept it.

 

 

[cabbageboy 0]

I have to wonder if this Rourke deal is a way for him to cover his bases and still try for the Oscar. Once the Oscars are over then they'll probably pick this up again. If Rourke wins the award then he can go to WM and Vince can hype his show around having an Oscar winner wrestling on his show.

 

That said, it's a bad use of Jericho. He's likely jobbing in the match and like it or not but people do remember a loss to an actor.

[cd213 0]

I think that Jericho being in the match isn't that horrible when it comes to a possible job. I'm wondering if Piper, Afa and Flair will all be with Rourke. That way if Jericho is laying to Rourke too badly, the the face wrestlers can jump in and interfere to help Rourke pull out the win. Jericho wins, but doesn't lose too much heat since it too 4 men to beat him. Plus a heel like Jericho is easier to keep over in a loss than a face.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Some people are reading way too much into Rourke's 'backing away'. He's the face non-wrestler being goaded into wrestling the heel, they're not going to have him come out the very first day after being called out and say "oh yeah I'ma kick his BUTT!" Rourke has to show reluctance at first for the storyline to work.

[Frosty 0]

If they do play this out I think the best thing for both parties would be for Jericho to win, with Rourke giving him a good run for his money.

 

That way it can play out with Jericho not looking like a fool for getting beat by the movie star, and Rourke can get some "respect" from Jericho by going toe to toe with him for a match and taking it to him.

[Beto Chavez 0]

I don't mind Rourke being involved (I loved him in Sin City), but I wouldn't like it being one on one with Chris Jericho. They should rehash Wrestlemania I and have a tag team match. You could have Rourke, I don't know if he can legally do it though, show up as "The Ram" and be partners with R-Truth and have them go against Y2J and a rehired Ernest Miller to continue the movie storyline like they did with No Holds Barred.

[Obi Chris Kenobi 0]

Why didn't Ernest Miller get a bigger chance in WWE?

[TheFranchise 0]

Why didn't Ernest Miller get a bigger chance in WWE?

He's the greatest!

[Silence 0]

Why didn't Ernest Miller get a bigger chance in WWE?

He's the greatest!

 

He forgot to call his momma.

[Promoter 0]

I don't know about this the more I look at it.

 

$50 to see Mickey Rourke in a match with Jericho? The paradox thing is true though and not over-thinking. Okay, taking the belief that fans all know it's worked. Let's just NOT look at this as knowledgeable wrestling fans here in building heat and all that other stuff. Let's keep it simple. Is the masses really going to plunk down money in buy-rate buckets for this? I don't think so. Rourke is not exactly Will Smith at the moment in terms of being consistently hot at the box office in blockbusters. I could see them thinking that for Will Smith in that he may transfer the box office appeal to ppv buys and selling out Mania in Texas. However, it's Rourke and no the general public won't know he's been trained. They will just see him as an actor who just resurrected himself in a movie doing a match. Mayweather as been stated was a completely different scenario.

 

Yeah, bringing up Zeus only points to how ridiculous this whole thing can become. The angle BOMBED back in 1989. It was the planned WrestleMania VI main event and Vince quickly scrapped it for a side ppv where Hogan met Zeus in a tag situation in a cage match. Vince realized it probably just a one shot deal in retrospect to push his movie.

 

If they do have to do this at least make it a rehash of WM 1 to tie it into the 25th anniversary.

 

*I hope Mania turns out more entertaining than this crappy SuperBowl which is ending and has me here typing about Mania*

edit:the ending had a twist

[Promoter 0]

Sometimes it's best to leave good enough alone.

 

Remember what company we're talking about here.

 

Point well taken.

 

LT vs. Bam Bam did GREAT for his career

 

However, this scenario can actually be more in the David Arquette realm. THAT did wonders for business too.

[The Niggardly King 0]

It's not going to do anything. Mickey Rourke could make a run-in as The Ram during money in the bank, win the match, and then cash it in and win the World Title in the main event of Wrestlemania, go on to have a 5 month title reign, and the ratings wouldn't drop below a 2.9. Vince could do pretty much whatever he wants and still keep his core audience.

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

I think that this is a victory for WrestleMania spectators with small bladders.

[Promoter 0]

It's not going to do anything. Mickey Rourke could make a run-in as The Ram during money in the bank, win the match, and then cash it in and win the World Title in the main event of Wrestlemania, go on to have a 5 month title reign, and the ratings wouldn't drop below a 2.9. Vince could do pretty much whatever he wants and still keep his core audience.

 

I'm sure the once mighty wcw also thought they were invincible to the channel surfing habits of pro wrestling fans too. They learned the hard way

 

Testing the patience of your audience is not a good idea especially when half the audience has stopped watching from earlier in the decade.

 

I get what your saying though, but today's audience is not as loyal as in the past.

[Twisted Intestine 0]

Why doesn't the audience want to see Rourke in a match? For all we know he could be a good worker! I think there's no way the match will suck, and Jericho will carry him to a good match. That's why I'm happy it will be against Jericho, I wouldn't want to see him against someone who wouldn't be able to get a good match out of him.

 

It will probably end up being some sort of no DQ match, and Rourke will take a couple of nice bumps.

[Boner Kawanger 0]

The match is gonna be laid out step-by-step by Jericho, Flair, Piper, and maybe even HHH (he did help book the Mayweather/Show match). Besides, if you saw The Wrestler, you know Mickey's got some workrate. The Necro match was at least ***1/4.

[King Cucaracha 0]

Why doesn't the audience want to see Rourke in a match? For all we know he could be a good worker! I think there's no way the match will suck, and Jericho will carry him to a good match. That's why I'm happy it will be against Jericho, I wouldn't want to see him against someone who wouldn't be able to get a good match out of him.

 

It will probably end up being some sort of no DQ match, and Rourke will take a couple of nice bumps.

 

1) Jericho's had his fair share of not so great matches with trained wrestlers, let alone actors. I don't think you can guarantee him carrying Rourke.

 

2) A 'good match' doesn't do anything for either guy. Rourke's going to go away afterwards and Jericho's career going onwards depends on a lot of things besides teh workrate. If he were making a one-shot ROH (re)appearance, workrate'd be all he's judged on. This is completely different.

[Promoter 0]

Why doesn't the audience want to see Rourke in a match? For all we know he could be a good worker! I think there's no way the match will suck, and Jericho will carry him to a good match. That's why I'm happy it will be against Jericho, I wouldn't want to see him against someone who wouldn't be able to get a good match out of him.

 

It will probably end up being some sort of no DQ match, and Rourke will take a couple of nice bumps.

 

Why would they WANT to see Rourke in a match from a storyline and reality perspective? Rourke's movie was not a blockbuster like a Spider Man movie or something. I just think having Rourke in an underground movie that got critical acclaim doesn't quite equal blockbuster ppv buy-rates and tv ratings.

 

It made complete sense last year doing it with Mayweather. Also, having a "good match" doesn't look good on your last world champion with an actor approaching 60 years old. I know people may think it won't have an impact, but I really believe Jericho's drawing power and appeal to the masses got killed during his Undisputed Champion reign especially with that horrible storyline with Stephanie heading into Mania. I don't think this will help Jericho that much to be honest and may re-enforce in some of the casual fans eyes that he is not really a main eventer(people I talk to always say he's really IC title level if the wwe was at its best).

 

 

 

 

[BruteSquad_BRODY 0]

The match is gonna be laid out step-by-step by Jericho, Flair, Piper, and maybe even HHH (he did help book the Mayweather/Show match). Besides, if you saw The Wrestler, you know Mickey's got some workrate. The Necro match was at least ***1/4.

 

Where did you pull any of that from?

[Boner Kawanger 0]

The match is gonna be laid out step-by-step by Jericho, Flair, Piper, and maybe even HHH (he did help book the Mayweather/Show match). Besides, if you saw The Wrestler, you know Mickey's got some workrate. The Necro match was at least ***1/4.

 

Where did you pull any of that from?

Speculation on the first part, I'll admit. Since Piper and Flair are training with Rourke, I figure they'll teach him some things and figure they'll give him an order of sequences since he's not a wrester. I remember reading last year that the Mayweather/Show match was falling apart behind the scenes until HHH stepped in and booked it step by step, so it just seems to me that if that's true, he could do it again if needed. I think Jericho could handle most of it. The rest was a joke.

[Promoter 0]

I like the idea of Rourke being an inspiration and cornerman of a legend returning to shut Jericho up. This I can see having some appeal with it being the 25th anniversary. I hope it wasn't just an off remark. Flair isn't bad, but I just don't want his retirement match last year to be cheapened.

[zappafrank 0]

The announcement that Rourke - as Randy the Ram - will actually be wrestling Jericho at WM to come in 3...2...

[The Buzz 0]

time for the ram jam

[Lt. Al Giardello 0]

Fuckin' Spicolli...

[PILLS! PILLS! PILLS! 0]

At least Brad 'The Pitts' didn't win amirite?

[CBright7831 0]

I'm actually quite surprised that a lot of people are up in arms about Penn winning. Seems like a lot of people didnt see it coming.

[Jobber of the Week 0]

Is pro wrestling so cheap that it can cheapen a movie about pro wrestling?

 

Rourke makes more sense than any other celebrity fight they've had at WM. At least they can point to what he did in the movie and say he has some experience. It's better than Jay Leno or whoever the hell else WCW had step in for the first time and pummel guys over the years.

[dubq 0]

Why doesn't the audience want to see Rourke in a match? For all we know he could be a good worker! I think there's no way the match will suck, and Jericho will carry him to a good match. That's why I'm happy it will be against Jericho, I wouldn't want to see him against someone who wouldn't be able to get a good match out of him.

 

It will probably end up being some sort of no DQ match, and Rourke will take a couple of nice bumps.

 

Why would they WANT to see Rourke in a match from a storyline and reality perspective? Rourke's movie was not a blockbuster like a Spider Man movie or something. I just think having Rourke in an underground movie that got critical acclaim doesn't quite equal blockbuster ppv buy-rates and tv ratings.

 

It made complete sense last year doing it with Mayweather.

 

The movie is just a catalyst. It doesn't mater if it was indy or blockbuster or if half the audience hasn't seen it due to limited release. Who Rourke was prior to the Wrestler and his much publicised comeback are what they're hoping to sell people on.

 

As for last year.. I had no idea who Mayweather was until his match with Big Show. After the fact, I still don't care who he is/was. I've known who Mickey Rourke is for almost my entire life so I'd be more inclined to be interested in seeing this match over the Mayweather one. That is, if I were into paying the ridiculous price that WWE charges for their PPVs...

[Perfection 0]

I'm actually quite surprised that a lot of people are up in arms about Penn winning. Seems like a lot of people didnt see it coming.

 

 

I'm not surprised as hollywood is really a joke most of the time and the oscars are often used to promote hollywood's far left ideology than actual performances in films. Penn playing a homosexual, especially after that marriage admendment thing went down in california, screamed loudly that he would be given the award to show their protest and to allow penn to go on another one of his political rants that no one gives damn about because a piece of shit talking shit isn't very appealing. The good news is, it seems a lot of people at least recognize that penn was given the award simply because of political motives.

 

That said, I don't really care that much but I do find it somewhat comical.