WWE's response to "The Wrestler"

I can't say I'm surprised at WWE's response to a film called the Wrestler. They've constantly try to distance themselves from the wrestling part of pro wrestling and focus on the entertainment aspect. I have read that WWE announcers are told not to call their wrestlers well...wrestlers. They're entertainers/superstars.

Was there any official reaction from TNA Wrestling?

TNA said "We can not afford a ticket to see a movie, therefore we reserve comment"

TNA said: "This movie is two hours greater than all of WWE programming."

Try as much as they want, they were nothing more than an independent promotion for quite a long time before Hogan. Until the marks outnumber the smarks once again, they'll probably be reminded as such.

what is wwe saying?? they were once a indy wrestling company....

the movie looks good and shows you what it is in a life of a "wrestler".. not a superstar...

see there is a difference.. s/stars don't work as hard as wrestlers

WWE really shouldn't even bother to make a comment. This movie is about a 'wrestler'. They haven't had 'wrestlers' since the 80s. In the 90s they were 'superstars', now they are 'entertainers'.

BS.

Yo Dawgs! Ya'll gor me straight trippin, Boo!

Well it is true. Any old wrestler in WWE experiences nothing like they do in the Indy's. That's whats so sad about it, the fact that they have to keep wrestling to just afford to eat, despite the fact that every time they wrestle they could end up being paralyzed.

TNA said: "This movie have a heart and soul, unlike the wwe programming, book a 50$ PPV that we forget 2 hours later."

tna blows

catsa | December 31, 2008 2:41 AM |
what is wwe saying?? they were once a indy wrestling company....

False. WWE was never an independent company, the WWWF was back when McMahon Sr. ran the show primarily out of MSG.

furthermore, i think the point of that statement, (if WWE even said that. is there a source?) is that the working conditions and the drama depicted in the movie is not a reflection on their company, but possibly others.

It seems the WWE missed a major point of the movie. The character Randy "The Ram" was once a superstar in the "Big Leagues" of wrestling. 20 Years Later he's been used and abused and forgotten, now working bingo halls and high-school gyms for little money.

This is exactly what the WWE does, they chew the wrestlers up and spit them out. No union, no pension. There is a reason guy like Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, Terry Funk and Mick Foley had such a strong reaction to the movie...it's very real. Just count the number of pro-wrestler's that have died before their 40th b-day.

Of course, Vince McMahon will never have to work a high-school gym, but he'll make sure there are plenty of pro-wrestlers who have to.

FHLusk hit that right on the money.

I don't see nothing wrong with the WWE comments. The movie is more about the independent circuit than the big leagues. I don't see this as a diss to the movie at all. Some of you guys are just nuts and need to bash WWE for anything.

All they said was this movie portrayed wrestling in the independent circuits and not the mainstream wrestling that WWE is. Really? Is that so horrible? I mean, it is true right? Show me wear the WWE said this movie sucks, or you shouldn't see this.

"This is exactly what the WWE does, they chew the wrestlers up and spit them out. "

Umm the WWE has gave many wrestlers the financial opportunities they would never get anywhere else. It's not Vince's fault that some of those wrestlers blow their money after their WWE days and choose to stay on drugs, ect. What is TNA or any other indy promotion doing to help former wrestlers? At least WWE offers free rehab to any former employee.

Bash WWE for their programming all you want but don't make them out as devils who ruin wrestlers. Ask any wrestler out there, if they had to choice to stay indy or sign with WWE because the money is good enough to support their families, 99% would sign the WWE contract. WWE has done more for wrestlers than any other organization ever will.

I wouldn't necessarily say that indie wrestlers work harder than superstars. Sure, the indie scene needs a more straight-forward work ethic because the process is "do it yourself"... but the gigs are infrequent. Superstars may just have to show up and do the show, whereas indie wrestlers might have to assemble everything, but superstars are on the road like 300 days out of the year.

Very true that the WWE gives them a great opportunity. However the WWE gets profits even greater from the one sided contracts they give out.

Every other sports/entertainment league has a union. The WWE "superstars" aren't even employees...they are considered independent contractors. Which means they do as they are told or they go, they have zero say. Their contracts are also not guaranteed, so don't think for a second "sim snuka" is gonna be set for like.

They have no health insurance and must pay for everything...hotels, rental cars, medical bills...etc. Please name another billion dollar sports/entertainment organization that does this?

Meanwhile, Vince collects the profits, PPV revenue and a bigger percentage of sales revenue then the wrestlers themselves.

Vince offers free rehab...how kind. Amazing for a guy who was accused of dulling out painkillers and steriods in the 1980's to his wrestlers. Maybe he has a guilty conscience.

How about education programs to help "superstars" before they encounter these problems. Such as the NFL and NBA give to rookies, not saying they will stop drug use but it shows an effort.

alimmt said "WWE has done more for wrestlers than any other organization ever will."

more harm or good? It's a toss up.

you right alimmt for example christian cage he left tna cause of money wise and he wanna help his family

WWE has done a nice job with the recent shawn michaels angle in stealing it from the wrestler in how a man must wrestler to make money...and its very interesting how wwe will turn a blind eye to the practices that have taken place in WWE locker room in the past decade at least meanwhile they come full circle in the wrestler..great movie

WWE does not need a union. A union would do the same thing for wrestling as it's done in every other unionized industry. Prices will go up for the consumer and quality will go down. Guys like Bob Holly will be employed forever and new Superstars simply won't get a shot. The argument about no healthcare is laughable considering we're talking about guys making on the bottom of the card making $275,000 a year. But even if a guy is making $80,000 a year (Still above the average american income) he would be in a great position to purchase his own insurance. No, there is no job security, but in an industry that exists only to entertain others you can't afford to employ people who don't draw. These guys are lucky to have even gotten a shot in the big leagues in the first place.

awesome comment. I love the way you worded that. You couldnt be anymore right!

Expect TNA to steal "The Wrestle Gimmick" adding him to their roster along with:

- Stone Cold Shark Boy
- Black Macho-man
- Mini Scott-Steiner
- African King Booker
- Abyss the Mankind / Kane hybrid
- Davari now playing the role of Muhammad Hassan

Although I have not yet seen the movie, my understanding is that it's focus is on one wrestler and his personal life- he is an athlete and he just happens to be a wrestler. I don't think it is trying to say anything about the business of professional wrestling. I am a fan of WWE, but I know that this statement goes along with everything WWE does in regards to their past talent. The WWE tends to ignore the physical toll that affects the wrestlers and highlights the positive impact wrestler's have on the organization. While they honor a wrestler's achievements that earn him/her a seat in their Hall of Fame, they turn a blind eye to that wrestler's struggle to walk up to the podium and deliver an acceptance speech.

I don't know where you are getting those figures from, but there is no way a Kofi Kingston type is making anything close to $275K a year.

I'm not surprised by the WWE's self-centered, holier than thou response. I used to love the WWE but I've gotten to where I can't stand their politics, the way they run things and how they haven't evolved. I was a fan in the 80's and 90's as a kid, but as I got older I realized what I was watching was a slap in the face to my integrity. I feel about the WWE like I do about my idiot ex-wife. Vince McMahon has lost his touch on reality and is a terrible person. I've been waiting on that tard to die of a heart attack for years, with the hope that the company will take a new direction once the cancer is gone.

I like all this feedback. I am a pro-wrestler and a hip hop recording artist. I have personally seen "The Wrestler" twice, and though I have never worked for WWE, and I am only 26 years old, I have been in the indy circuit for 9 years and have personally worked with a lot of guys who have been in WWE and/or WCW. Guys like The Iron Sheik whose knees are completely gone, guys like "Wildfire" Tommy Rich who limps to the ring because his hip gave out on him, and guys like Buff Bagwell, who broke his neck for the business, and has to resort to using drugs to keep getting in the ring to feed his family.
I have proof of this...just go to my myspace page at www.myspace.com/onemankru and look at the videos of me working with these guys. Better yet, go to www.youtube.com and type in "One Man Kru" in the search box. You'll see that the movie "The Wrestler" is a accurate depiction of what a wrestler's life is really like. It explains what WWE doesn't want you to know about he business and it's dedicated workers who break their bodies for the business and the marks.

I like all this feedback. I am a pro-wrestler and a hip hop recording artist. I have personally seen "The Wrestler" twice, and though I have never worked for WWE, and I am only 26 years old, I have been in the indy circuit for 9 years and have personally worked with a lot of guys who have been in WWE and/or WCW. Guys like The Iron Sheik whose knees are completely gone, guys like "Wildfire" Tommy Rich who limps to the ring because his hip gave out on him, and guys like Buff Bagwell, who broke his neck for the business, and has to resort to using drugs to keep getting in the ring to feed his family.
I have proof of this...just go to my myspace page at www.myspace.com/onemankru and look at the videos of me working with these guys. Better yet, go to www.youtube.com and type in "One Man Kru" in the search box. You'll see that the movie "The Wrestler" is a accurate depiction of what a wrestler's life is really like. It explains what WWE doesn't want you to know about he business and it's dedicated workers who break their bodies for the business and the marks.

This is Wrestling, right? A sport? NOT A SOAP OPRAH!!!!!!!!! Geez!!!!!!

Shame Vince didn't like it because I loved it and thought it was one of the best films of 2008. But what more can I say this statement is coming from a company that produced such crap as The Condemned, The Marine and See No Evil.

HI, my name is Caio and I am from Brazil. I've just seen the movie "the Wrestler" and it really touched me. I saw the movie and I was wondering: How much money a Indy Wrestler like Necro Butcher make? I mean... those guys on CZW wrestle with fire, nails, barbed wire and stuff. A great hug to y'all from Brazil and sorry 'bout my english.

P.S.: Is it true that some wrestlers died wrestling for CZW at the beggining of the promotion?

well caio i dont know how much money make wrestler in poor indys but i guess its not big numbers

but the men that go 2 wrestle in czw its sick poeples that dont do it 4 money they do it coz they are sick in their heads .

and i dont understand what all that wrote here against wwe what u want ah ?

every wrestler dream 2 wrestle in the wwe wwe is the bigest wrestling company in the world and vince didnt said this movie sucks he said this movie shows how poor is the wrestling in the indys and its the damn true

I beg to differ...I am an indy wrestler, and my dream is not to work for WWE...but to work overseas (Japan, Puerto Rico). I would also like to work in Mexico one day. To me, WWE is what's killing the business...they have over-saturated the airwaves and over-exposed the product to the point where the average viewer wants nothing to do with pro-wrestling in general. I'm not a WWE basher, and if the money was right, and the opportunity presented itself, I would work for them, but I just think it's wrong of them to negatively criticize a film the could potentially establish a newfound respect for professional wrestlers and pro-wrestling in general. They act like they are the only cock walking the block, and they're not. There are many talents in the independent circuit who deserve the exposure, money, and respect that WWE "offers", but will never get it. And I think "The Wrestler" may very well be the start of a new support system for independent professional wrestling.