Medium: Film
Title: Nacho Libre
Bio: Simply known as Nacho, this pudgy luchador went on to great singles success after breaking away from his long-time tag team partner, Esqueleto. In the biggest win of his career, Nacho upset Mexican champion, Ramses, then returned to his humble beginnings as a cook for a local Oaxacan orphanage.
Signature Move: La Casita.
Tag: Movie
The Lover
Medium: Film
Title: The One and Only
Bio: A wrestler who had gone through more gimmick changes than Ed Leslie, Andy Schmidt finally found his calling as The Lover. Even though he wasn’t built like a wrestler, or even knew how to actually wrestle, he embodied the true essence of professional wrestling: the spectacle of excess.
Signature Move: Making a grand entrance.
Frankie the Thumper
Medium: Film
Title: Paradise Alley
Bio: A mobster’s hired muscle by day and a grappler by night, Frankie the Thumper almost picked up his biggest win against Kid Salami had he not been disqualified for continually attacking Salami after the round was over. In his defense, it was the 22nd round and he was probably getting tired of waiting for Salami to finally go down.
Signature Move: Thumping.
Thunderlips
Medium: Film
Title: Rocky III
Bio: “The Ultimate Male” is also the ultimate performer. Despite being a world champion wrestler, he was all for boxer vs. wrestler charity events. He also didn’t mind breaking kayfabe immediately after a match and posing for a photo with his opponent.
Signature Move: Exposing the business.
Booking WrestleMania (The Movie)
The last installment of the fictional WrestleMania cards. I was only able to come up with nine matches and that’s probably a good thing, or else the terrier from Russell Madness versus Zeus would’ve been a match booked on this card.
The Naked Man
Medium: Film
Title: The Naked Man
Bio: The Naked Man will go down in cinematic wrestling history for going off-script and legitimately hurting the entire locker room of wrestlers before cutting one of the most heartfelt, confusing promos. Was rumored to be Slim Goodbody’s evil twin brother.
Signature Move:Â Cracking backs.
Meet Me There (2014)
Brandon Stroud, writer and editor of the two-time RSPW award winning With Spandex blog, on the Uproxx site, wrote the film Meet Me There. Yes, when he’s not busy updating The Best & Worst of Raw posts, or borrowing this site’s Ringside Cinema feature or What the World is Watching, Stroud works on non-pro wrestling endeavors. In case you were hoping this was another entry in the growing wrestling horror film subgenre, I’m sorry to disappoint you.
Bonesaw McGraw
Medium: Film
Title: Spider-Man
Bio:Â Bonesaw is a ruthless wrestler who usually sends his opponents home in a stretcher. A throwback of sorts, Bonesaw also issues $3,000 challenges to anybody who can last in the ring with him for three minutes. He isn’t above using a steel chair or a lead pipe as a weapon. Probably has a fear of spiders.
Signature Move: Flying elbow drop.
Revolting Blob
Medium:Â Film
Title:Â Billy Madison
Bio: The Revolting Blob was one of the most vile wrestlers. He would hit senior citizens and sit on his opponents’ heads. In 1983 he completely disappeared from the wrestling scene after killing one of his opponents. Eventually, he became the principal of an elementary school that allowed guys in their late-twenties to enroll.
Signature Move: Sitting on opponents’ heads and making passes at Billy Madison.
2015: The Year of Wrestling in Pop Culture
2015 wasn’t the greatest year for wrestling legends in terms of breaking news stories. Two of the greatest entertainers, Dusty Rhodes and Roddy Piper, passed away. Jimmy Snuka was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter of his then-girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, 32 years after the fact. And, even though former Hulkmaniacs thought it impossible, Hulk Hogan was able to further desecrate his legacy and contribution to professional wrestling by adding to his already long list of personal failures and embarrassments his dropping of the n-word. Multiple times. Seriously, you would’ve thought it was one of the Hulkamania commandments after “take your vitamins.”
Thankfully, this site focuses on wrestling in pop culture. So even when it’s bad, it’s not going to leave you depressed and questioning everything you kayfabe believed in. And luckily, 2015 was a good year for pro wrestling within the canon of pop culture.
Continue reading “2015: The Year of Wrestling in Pop Culture”
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