11 Wrestling Movies You’ve Never Heard Of

If you€™re a proper wrestling fan, you€™ll have watched at least two of the Big Four wrestling movies. No Holds Barred (1989) is a diabolically bad McMahon-produced Hulk Hogan vehicle, clumsily spun into a dreary angle on WWF television. Ready To Rumble (2000) is a WCW-inspired €˜comedy€™, partially responsible for one of the defining worst moments in professional wrestling history when one of its stars was made WCW world champion as a publicity stunt. Meanwhile, Beyond The Mat is a well crafted, critically acclaimed documentary from 1999 focusing on the lives and careers of Terry Funk, Mick Foley and Jake €˜The Snake€™ Roberts, and The Wrestler is a brilliant 2008 drama starring Mickey Rourke and directed by Darren Aronofsky, the winner of 36 awards, nominated for a further 27. The Big Four are actually pretty representative. Wrestling movies tend to fall into two categories: lumpen, garish follies you can€™t believe were actually greenlit, never mind released; and serious, respectful efforts that treat the subject as if it was a respectable way to make a living. There€™s no common ground between the two: you could argue that€™s a metaphor for professional wrestling itself, constantly teetering between clownish slapstick and genuine art. To broaden your palettes, we€™ve delved deep into the folds and creases of a niche world, prying free the crusty, long-forgotten residue of a much maligned genre of film: a dozen wrestling movies that you€™ve probably never heard of. There are spoilers involved, and a degree of urine-removal. Trust us, you can€™t unsee some of these flicks€