Before WWE started their own film division with WWE Studios, the company made a wrestling-themed film in 1989, the so-bad-it's-good No Holds Barred. The film, made as a vehicle for top star Hulk Hogan, was savaged by critics and barely made a penny at the box-office. But that didn't stop the WWF from trying to exploit the film for whatever they could. They decided to draft in actor Tiny Lister Jr. Hogan's arch-nemesis in the film, to feud with the Hulkster. 'The Human Wrecking Machine' would no-sell opponents offense as the WWF built him up with a showdown with Hogan. Yes, the jacked-up Hollywood star was getting a run with Hogan ahead of a laundry list of wrestlers who would have been better suited to the position. In the summer of 1989 Zeus formed a tandem with fellow Hogan rival Randy Savage as the two heels teamed to face Hogan and his real-life buddy Brutus 'The Barber' Beefcake. That match actually headlined SummerSlam. Lister was predictably awful, although Savage did most of the work. The two had a cage rematch in December at the No Holds Barred: The Match/The Movie pay-per-view. Zeus and Macho again came out on the losing end. This was Zeus' last match in the company. Which was a good thing. Now they could focus on elevating the deserving, talented wrestlers and not some Z-list action star. Lister resurfaced in WCW in 1996. His run there was just as short as it was in the WWF but, amazingly, he was pushed just as hard.
