Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler: In Context
Could Mickey Rourke's New Role Effect World Wrestling Entertainment?
The Wrestler
The Wrestler, as the film is titled, follows an ex pro-wrestling superstar, whose time in the limelight has since come to an end, showing the sleazy and wholly less glamorous side of the independent scene. The Wrestler is described as stripped back and sparse, following central character Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson as he struggles to scrape together a living, performing in low level bouts in grimy halls and living a wholly empty existence of strip joints and below standard, cockroach infested apartments, estranged from his wife and daughter. While there is the dangling hope for Robinson, brilliantly portrayed by Mickey Rourke, in the form of possible reconciliation with his daughter (Evan Rachael Wood), a true life story portrayed in an earlier documentary film, Beyond the Mat (1999) which explored the multi-million dollar entertainment industry looks to be more dismal than what is portrayed in Aronofsky’s work of fiction.
Beyond The Mat
Beyond the Mat follows three performers in the pro-wrestling industry at different stages of their professional careers. The film brilliantly captures the sacrifices that these entertainers make for their art, both during and after their time in the spotlight. One of the central character’s followed by the film is ex-WWE superstar, Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts, who could easily be a mirror for Rourke’s character. Extremely popular in the 80’s, he is shown to have become a crack-cocaine addict, estranged from both his father and daughter, eerily similar to The Wrestler’s central character.
Drugs and Pro-Wrestling
The troubled relationship between pro-wrestling and drug addiction has been no secret in the past and has recently come to a head with critics and the Sports Commission. After the death of Eddie Guerrero, one of pro-wrestling’s biggest stars, World Wrestling Entertainment, the company announced the introduction of the Wellness Policy, which would require employees to submit to random drugs testing. While this has proved to be unpopular with some of the performers themselves, it is a necessary step to protect the reputation of a multi-million dollar enterprise that pulls in millions viewers each week to their flagship show, WWE Raw, worldwide. The WWE has broadcasting rights in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia and even had genuine appearances by Presidential candidate John McCaine and now-Presidential Electorate Barack Obama.
Care From The Company
The pro-wrestling industry has suffered several tragedies over the previous few years, including the horrific incident involving then-current performer for WWE, Chris Benoit, who murdered both his wife and child before committing suicide. Information on what had transpired was not available until a memorial show had been aired in his honour, a blunder that the World Wrestling Entertainment have tried to distance themselves from since. While the Wellness Policy can protect against abuses of performance enhancing drugs, it does not seem to address the issues that can be seen brought to light by both Aronofsky’s The Wrestler, and its documentary predecessor, Beyond The Mat. Perhaps this film could spark the debate that it isn’t just how the promotions handle their employees during their term of employment, but also after their time in the limelight is up. The Wrestler is set for release on December 17th.
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