The Iron Claw Review: 6 Ups & 3 Downs

4. Kevin’s Explainer Of Wrestling

The Iron Claw Zac Efron
A24

Wrestling fans have long tried to explain professional wrestling adequately to their non-fan friends, describing it as an athletic soap opera, physical ballet, or choreographed fighting.

But Kevin Von Erich’s description of wrestling – and being a champion – in the movie is almost perfect. On a date with future wife Pam, Kevin compared wrestling to any other job, where success is based on performance and crowd reaction, and you’re promoted – read: moved up the card and made a champion – as a result of that success. Winning a world title, in Kevin’s telling, was a signal that you are trusted, reliable, over and deserving of leading your promotion.

Equating traditional job performance with in-ring acumen was a fantastic way of relating things for moviegoers who were non-fans, and it didn’t insult wrestling fans’ intelligence by dumbing it down to a level that made the industry look foolish.

Advertisement
Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.