Acting Wrestlers

Firstly, I would like to thank Jordan and everyone at Powerbomb for publishing my article last week, and for letting me use it as a form of therapy. And I'd like to thank those who supported what I had to say.

And now, some sad news. The Wrasslin Analysis, the other email newsletter I wrote for, has sadly closed it's doors. I am very saddened by this news, because, although I only worked on it for a short time, TWA was the first email newsletter I wrote for. Luckily, the editor, Mr. TWA (or Michael to us who know him) is in the process of becoming the editor of another email newsletter. More news when I have it.

I hope that many of you recent subscribers came to Powerbomb because of the hype I provided in my TWA column. If this is the case, then I say - welcome, enjoy. Please spread the word.

And now down to business. You may recall that a few weeks ago, here, and in TWA, I started a poll - who do you think has made the easiest transition from wrestling to acting? Sadly, I received very few votes. But with the news that we have had so many new subscribers, I would like to pose this question to you again, and I hope I can inspire you to vote with the following words.

Many would think that the transition from wrestling to acting would be quite easy, given the training in mic skills that almost all current wrestlers undergo. Many, such as Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Triple H and The Rock seem natural talkers, well acustomed to public speaking. Indeed, these four are fine examples of how they have carried these talents into the acting world, and have received good reviews for doing this.

But this was not always the case. In years gone by, mic skills were not needed. An early example of this would be Swedish grappler Tor Johnson, who appeared in such "classics" as Plan 9 From Outer Space. From what I gather, Tor was a fine wrestler, but not much good at talking. Other wrestlers of note who ventured into the acting ranks included Toru Tanaka, as the legendary Bond villian OddJob. Another is Pat Roach, the legendary British grappler who received much acclaim for his role in Auf Widersein Pet (please excuse the spelling, I never took German).

But some have not found it so easy. Take Hulk Hogan for instance. His wrestling character mainly consisted of him shouting and bellowing during his interviews, yet, when acting, when speaking in his normal, softer voice, his delivery of lines seemed somewhat strained. Even now, after all of these years, and all of those films, he just doesn't seem able to cut it. In my opinion, there have been two wrestlers who were able to make it, although in a somewhat limited capacity, in the acting world. Jesse Ventura is now probably best known for his foray into politics, for which he has earned much respect. But his acting also earned him some respect as well. In Predator, starring with Arnold Schwarzaneggar (again please excuse the spelling) he was a cold, brooding mercanary who sadly met his end against the lethal alien warrior. His most memorable scene - probably the one where he got his guts blown open. In The Running Man, again with Arnold, he was the retired Stalker, harking back to the days of old when stalkers didn't use fancy weapons and gadgets to catch their prey. His fitness show was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

But for me, the best acting stint from a wrestler came from Roddy Piper, in the John Carpenter classic They Live. Piper played an average everyday bloke, wandering around America, just looking for a break, who finds a pair of sunglasses and accidentally discovers an alien plot to take over the world through subliminal advertising. I know this sounds corny to those who haven't seen the film, but as a big sci-fi fan, to me, this is a classic, and his line "I have come here to chew bubble gum and to kick ass - and I'm all out of bubble gum" is one of my all time favourites. Piper went on to film such "classics" as Hell Comes to Frogtown, and starred in a number of TV series, such as Highlander. A little know fact in Britain is that Piper and Ventura actually had a series together - called Tag-Team - about a pair of retired
wrestlers who become private eyes. Sadly, this has never been seen in Britain, and was cancelled early on. If anyone can get me a copy of the pilot I'd be grateful!

So there you have it. Some of you may be annoyed that I haven't chosen Austin or The Rock. The reason for this is simple. I have never seen Austin act, not even on Nash Bridges, and I've only seen The Rock act briefly on Star Trek:Voyager, whereas I have seen Piper's and Ventura's acting talents many times over, so it wouldn't have been fair to rave about Austin or The Rock here. I strongly recommend either buying or renting Predator, The Running Man or They Live. These are three great films, and not just because of Piper or Ventura. So please, cast your vote in the Two Sheds Poll - who do you think has made the easiest transition from wrestling to acting? If enough of you vote, I will publish the results in a few weeks.

Until next time.....