10 Movies That Gave Actors The Idea To Do Something REALLY STUPID
1. David Arquette Became An Actual Wrestler (And Almost Died) - Ready To Rumble
David Arquette starred in the 2000 comedy Ready to Rumble, where he played an obsessive wrestling fan in a movie primarily conceived as promotion for wrestling company World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
But Arquette, a wrestling fan for real, was then persuaded to take part in WCW TV storylines, leading to him eventually wrestling and winning the WCW World Heavyweight Title.
Arquette, a respectful fan of the industry, knew that fans wouldn't buy him, a "non-wrestler," winning the title, and so was extremely reluctant to do so, yet was ultimately persuaded that it would be good publicity for both Ready to Rumble and WCW.
But Arquette's title win was met with immediate scorn from fans, and over 20 years later remains one of the most infamous moments in the history of professional wrestling.
Yet in 2018, Arquette decided that he wanted to redeem himself in the eyes of wrestling fans and so, at the age of 46, began training to become a "real" wrestler.
Though Arquette admittedly acquitted himself well in a number of matches, his stint as a wrestler is best remembered for a 2018 deathmatch against Nick Gage, where he suffered a severe cut in his neck and was subsequently hospitalised.
Arquette later remarked that his injuries were extensive enough to be life-threatening, causing him to immediately swear off deathmatches for the rest of his in-ring career.
Arquette wrestled sporadically for the next year before officially retiring in 2021, and his fans are certainly grateful that he won't be endangering himself anymore.