Mickey Rourke Signs with WWE To Wrestle At WrestleMania

[HammerValentine]

So it was mentioned by Rourke last night, and it's been confirmed by pro wrestling news outlet PWInsider.com today ...

http://www.pwinsider.com/ViewArticle.php?id=36100&p=1

Mickey Rourke has signed with the WWE to wrestle Chris Jericho at WrestleMania.

I'm not kidding.

For those not familiar with wrestling, this is Chris Jericho ...

http://img.thesun.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00458/Chris_Jericho_458338a.jpg

Thoughts?

[fooknasty]

Rourke is weird as hell

[echo_bravo]

I HATE wrestling but this is so damn cool of Rourke!

I hope its on youtube shortly after WrestleMania cause I am sure as not paying to see that shit.

[Rawlin67]

sweet. Wrestlemania just got five times better. Jericho is a great showman and even if they cant give a great quality-wrestling match, it will still be entertaining as hell.

[Monotreme]

I hope this is a one-time thing and that Rourke isn't going to milk his The Wrestler role for all it's worth... sort of like how John C. Reilly, although putting on a series of concerts in-character as Dewey Cox last year, didn't become a musician full-time. He had some fun with it, and moved on, and I hope Rourke does the same. I couldn't care less for wrestling, anyway, I'd much rather just watch The Wrestler again.

[Frank the Tank]

I still don't know what to think, although, Jericho is one of the best talkers in the company and I'm sure the feud will be entertaining.

[sbunn10]

I hate wrestling. I agree with Monotreme, if he makes this a regular thing, it'll be dumb, but if it's a one time thing, its no biggie.

[fooknasty]

When is Wrestlemania?

Because wouldn't all the buzz and hoopla be gone from the movie and his role by the time it comes along?

[Cosimo]

halhakjhs worth the watch. doubt very much it will be a regular thing

when arnold gave a beat down on triple h it was freakin funny

[JJFlamingo]

Wicked cool...:cool:

Reminds me of when Jim Carrey was scheduled (as Andy Kaufman) to face Jerry Lawler at Mania a few years ago, but unfortunately he pussed out...:D

[FilmJunkie1114]

Mickey Rourke was a pro boxer, so the match may actually be better than people might expect; my only concern is that this might be looked down upon by the Academy and cause him to lose the Oscar as a result.

[APzombie]

the only time i've ever ordered pay-per-view before was when Jay Leno and his guitarist fought Hulk Hogan in some WCW event. My grandparents ordered it for me. I was in sixth grade. It was amazing.

Wouldn't see this but i think it shows how much the wrestling community respects Rourke's work in the film.

Have to say it though, its not a bad idea for him considering he'll likely make more money from this than he did for the The Wrestler and Iron Man 2 combined. Studio's aren't giving him his worth.

[Smiert Spionam]

Let me get this straight, Mickey: you act like you're too good to sign on for a sequel to Sin City, which was, in actuality, the real film that revived your career, but you're not too good to go play fight with Y2J in two months?

Get-the-fuck-outta-here....

P.S. Shouldn't this belong in the Celeb forum?

[FireCaptain4]

I, too, hate wrestling and won't be watching it unless it finds its way on Youtube. However, this is an interesting move by Rourke and, in a way, makes him a little cooler. However, after Wrestlemania I hope he gets outta the ring and looking for more film roles.

[Cosimo]

Let me get this straight, Mickey: you act like you're too good to sign on for a sequel to Sin City, which was, in actuality, the real film that revived your career, but you're not too good to go play fight with Y2J in two months?


i think it was more a case of him not wanting to sit in make up for hour after hour, being that his face is almost deformed he might have issues with the whole make up thing who knows

i agree sin city 2 > lame wwe any day of the week though

[DaMovieMan]

Sin City was not the film that revived him, it only made a little more cooler.

I agree with those that say i hope this is a one-time thing for him although he's always had that kind of personality and wouldn't be surprised if he did like a hobby now and again. Either way, he's definitely gonna be doing movies so it's all good.

[Smiert Spionam]

Sin City was not the film that revived him, it only made a little more cooler.

Bullshit. Nobody was fuckin' with Rourke foreal until Robert Rodriguez was. What was he doing before Sin City came along, huh? Fucking Spun.....Get Carter......?

Nigga, please.

[MoovEDude]

Hate wrestling and cant stand the people who get all worked up over scripted soap opera bullshit set in a ring.

Seems everytime Rourke takes one step forward, he cant wait to take 2 steps back. :rolleyes:

[Mr. Creasy]

A lot of news on those web-sites are fake...

[DaMovieMan]

Bullshit. Nobody was fuckin' with Rourke foreal until Robert Rodriguez was. What was he doing before Sin City came along, huh? Fucking Spun.....Get Carter......?

Nigga, please.

If Sin City was such a great revival for him why is it such a big problem to fund a film where he's the main star? It wouldn't be. What did he do after Sin City? Killshot or some bullshit, please. The Wrestler truly revived him and showed that he can act just as well as any of the big guys, it reminded the world that this guy is a good actor. Sin City is pure fun and reminded the world that he's a cool guy.

[the clever guy]

If Sin City was such a great revival for him why is it such a big problem to fund a film where he's the main star? It wouldn't be. What did he do after Sin City? Killshot or some bullshit, please. The Wrestler truly revived him and showed that he can act just as well as any of the big guys, it reminded the world that this guy is a good actor. Sin City is pure fun and reminded the world that he's a cool guy.

Sin City brought him back out from obscurity. Before that, and Man on Fire, you never really heard from Mickey Rourke. He played Harley Davidson for fuck's sakes (which began his downfall). Sin City brought him up as a major player in movies once again.


Anyways, this WWE thing, to me, feels like a cheap cash-in due to his role. That's just me. I'm not calling Mickey Rourke a sell-out, it just seems...I dno't know....weird.

It would be like Fred Savage starting a video game tournament after wrapping filming 'The Wizard.' It's not the same exact thing, I know, but it's the same concept.

[Cosimo]

if anything his performance in spun got film power pigs interested in him again

he was great in that flick

[jaw2929]

Love wrestling, and think this could work.... But I wouldn't wanna see Y2J do the JOB to Rourke.

[The Postmaster General]

He's probably going to fight as Rourke, and not The Ram, right? I mean, the wrestling dealo probably wants to maintain it's mystique. For some reasons, this seems hard to buy. Is this the same company McMahon oversees, because I thought he wanted nothing to do with The Wrestler... must be something different.


I hope this is a one-time thing and that Rourke isn't going to milk his The Wrestler role for all it's worth... sort of like how John C. Reilly, although putting on a series of concerts in-character as Dewey Cox last year, didn't become a musician full-time. He had some fun with it, and moved on, and I hope Rourke does the same. I couldn't care less for wrestling, anyway, I'd much rather just watch The Wrestler again.


I too thought about Dewey Cox when reading the original post. It's cool when this kind of stuff passes from just a role in a movie to something of performance art. I'm not much of a wrestling fan either, but I say this is pretty neat if it turns out to be true.



Bullshit. Nobody was fuckin' with Rourke foreal until Robert Rodriguez was. What was he doing before Sin City came along, huh? Fucking Spun.....Get Carter......?

Nigga, please.

if anything his performance in spun got film power pigs interested in him again

he was great in that flick


Yeah, apparently Spun got him a lot of attention. I'm thinking that people's love for Sin City might be warping the way they are seeing this. I don't know of many people who watched Sin City and make a big deal out of Rourke, who was almost unrecognizable in the roles. The people who loved Sin City for the most part were comic and movie geeks who knew Rourke was in it because they knew he was in it. Let's not forget that before that, he was also in Once Upon a Time in Mexico, something else of a geek film that didn't make that much less money than Sin City, and I have a feeling a lot more "outsiders" saw that than saw Sin City, based on the fact that it wasn't a movie filmed in front of a green screen, and based on a comic book.

That said, I can't believe anyone, no matter how much of a hard on they have for Sin City, can't get why The Wrestler is being referred to as his breakout role. He has won every single award put in front of him, he's all over the ads, all the critics are saying he was made this movie, he was on The Fucking View promoting the movie for fuck's sake!

Rourke has always been cool. As much as I like Angel Heart, I can't really saw that it was that movie which made him to be the star he is right now. The fact of the matter is that he's been in a shit load of awesome movies, but for some reason or another, he never captured people like he did in The Wrestler, and I think it's because it's probably in many ways his first "leading man" role in a long time. Every other kick ass movie he's either played the role of a character or supporting actor, but here he was dead center in the spotlight. Sure, he had a big role in Sin City, the same way Bruce Willis had a big role in Sin City. The fact of the matter is that no one has ever been asked if they saw Sin City and got the immediate response, "Yeah, Bruce Willis was awesome!" But when it comes to Rourke and The Wrestler, very few people fail to mention that he was awesome if not the first thing they mention.

[Frank the Tank]

He's probably going to fight as Rourke, and not The Ram, right? I mean, the wrestling dealo probably wants to maintain it's mystique. For some reasons, this seems hard to buy. Is this the same company McMahon oversees, because I thought he wanted nothing to do with The Wrestler... must be something different.




I'm guessing he still hates the film, but Vince is a leech and wants to use all the critical acclaim and attention the movie is getting to score some extra buys for Mania and get media attention for his company.

[SkyNet]

halhakjhs worth the watch. doubt very much it will be a regular thing

when arnold gave a beat down on triple h it was freakin funny

i was at that!!

he was promoting End of Days... it was a Smackdown filmed in Baltimore!

as for Rourke.. im sure it is a one time thing... let us not forget that once upon a time Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks were a tag team at some WCW event!

i have since stopped watching wrestling.. but back in the day.. it was fucking amazing!

[Mr. Creasy]

Apparently is all true... Jericho was trash-talking Rourke on WWE Raw.

[the clever guy]

I haven't watched wrestling since Goldberg was destroying everything in his path many moons ago. Before that, Jack "The Snake," Andre the Giant, Macho Man, and Hulkamania were in full effect when I watched it. Now it's like a Goddamn soap opera with "fighting."

[bigred760]

It's a great way to promote the movie, that's for sure.

[The Postmaster General]

That makes sense Frank, good call!

Mr Creasy - So he is definitely wrestling as Rourke and not The Ram?

[jdparker]

I'm guessing he still hates the film, but Vince is a leech and wants to use all the critical acclaim and attention the movie is getting to score some extra buys for Mania and get media attention for his company.

I had my doubts about whether or not this was true just because I'd heard that Vince hated the film. After reading that though I realize that you are precisely right. This is actually gonna happen!

I cannot be happier about this news.

[Frank the Tank]

This is still really surreal since the film admits wrestling is fake and shows how the profession can lead to addiction, money loss, and lifelong injury and it's getting promoted by ''Mr. Revisionist'', himself. Plus, the film completely goes against the more family orientated program WWE's going for lately. And, Rourke's a bit of a loose cannon and will probably piss off Vince on air. if there are any disagreements. Either way, The Ram in the WWE should be fun just for promos and unpredictibility.

[XCoRyX]

It'll be fun and intriguing, but its on the fence...

[WeX 11788]

I loved The Wrestler & Rourke's role. That being said, I'm disgusted that Rourke is milking the role like this. What a joke. It's a slap in the face to the film itself. If I was Aronofsky, I would be pissed. peace.

[unspoken]

This is still really surreal since the film admits wrestling is fake

That hurdle has long been passed, people have known it forever and like the product not because they think it's real, but because they find it entertaining. And if anything "exposed" wrestling being fake, it was the Tough Enough reality show from a few years back, which was done by WWE.

[KingofKings2525]

This is the last thing I expected after seeing the film since it really show's the business in a bad light at times but I've got to admit this has me really fucking excited for Wrestlemania this year.

[electriclite]

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/2013/1196879698148iv1.jpg

[Brendan M.]

Rourke is definitely the kind of guy who would do something like this. He does whatever he feels like doing, he just doesn't give a fuck. Its obviously going to be a one time thing. He knows from past experience that turning something like this into a full time thing could screw things up.

Now if only I could walk into a strip club and see Marissa Tomei up on the stage, I'd be down for that too.

If I was Aronofsky, I would be pissed

I doubt Darren himself would feel that way. I know he doesn't paint a very pretty picture of pro-wrestling, but him and Rourke have again and again said how much respect they have for the guys who do this sort of thing.

[Frank the Tank]

That hurdle has long been passed, people have known it forever and like the product not because they think it's real, but because they find it entertaining. And if anything "exposed" wrestling being fake, it was the Tough Enough reality show from a few years back, which was done by WWE.

Yeah, but the WWE's core and most wanted audience right now seems to be in the 6-14 age bracket and well, they might think it's real.

[ilovemovies]

Isn't this a little late? This would have been a great publicity stunt for the movie but the movie is already out and has been for a while. Usually something like this should be done right before the movie's release to boost it's chaces of making money. It's probably a tad late now.

[The Postmaster General]

I think it's surreal too, very performance art. I'm just wanting to know if he'll be Rourke or if he'll be in character as "The Ram"

The only way I can make sense out of this so far, is if they do some kind of storyline like they are pissed of how The Wrestler portrayed the industry and Rourke needs to prove himself or something along those lines. There's too many things at odds for this to make sense.

I still am very intrigued. Like has been brought up, this is along the lines of Dewey Cox

[Frank the Tank]

I think it's surreal too, very performance art. I'm just wanting to know if he'll be Rourke or if he'll be in character as "The Ram"

The only way I can make sense out of this so far, is if they do some kind of storyline like they are pissed of how The Wrestler portrayed the industry and Rourke needs to prove himself or something along those lines. There's too many things at odds for this to make sense.

I still am very intrigued. Like has been brought up, this is along the lines of Dewey Cox


It looks like they are going that way based on Jericho's promo tonight.

[Muta]

How can people "hate wrestling"? That doesn't even make sense.

[Strider]

I don't know if this is a good idea. Sure, it might be entertaining and hilarious (especially when Rourke and Jericho confront each other, and Jericho starts running his mouth off; if Jericho acts like an uber-heel, instead of the smart-ass, quick-witted heel he used to be, then it won't be very fun at all), but I'm on the fence at the moment. Last year, the WWE had a "celebrity" match, and it was fucking dreadful. I'm definitely interested, but if it turns out pretty bad, I'll be the first one to say "I told you so."

Strider

[Brendan M.]

Isn't this a little late? This would have been a great publicity stunt for the movie but the movie is already out and has been for a while. Usually something like this should be done right before the movie's release to boost it's chaces of making money. It's probably a tad late now.

Because it was a movie that came out only in a limited number of theaters (I had a bit of a hard time finding a place screening it in Massachusetts), there will be a lot of people who are not going to see this movie until the DVD comes out.

[The Postmaster General]

It looks like they are going that way based on Jericho's promo tonight.

That's awesome! I would totally love a job writing for the WWE!

Isn't this a little late? This would have been a great publicity stunt for the movie but the movie is already out and has been for a while. Usually something like this should be done right before the movie's release to boost it's chaces of making money. It's probably a tad late now.

The movie isn't that old, and with the Oscars it will probably get a rerelease. I don't really think it's that late at all, and with the storyline being the way it looks like it's going to be, it makes more sense.

And I'm not so sure how much of this is drumming up publicity for the movie and how much is actually just because Rourke is into these sorts of things.

[therealjohng]

So....supposedly McMahon hated The Wrestler and is now having Mickey Rourke at Wrestlemania?


Also, moving this to celeb news.

[Frank the Tank]

I don't know if this is a good idea. Sure, it might be entertaining and hilarious (especially when Rourke and Jericho confront each other, and Jericho starts running his mouth off; if Jericho acts like an uber-heel, instead of the smart-ass, quick-wit ated heel he used to be, then it won't be very fun at all), but I'm on the fence at the moment. Last year, the WWE had a "celebrity" match, and it was fucking dreadful. I'm definitely interested, but if it turns out pretty bad, I'll be the first one to say "I told you so."

Strider

Hell, Show/Floyd was really good. Unless you were biased against the match, I don't see why it gets all this hate. It was a perfect spectacle and Floyd selled great, and he played the perfect cocky prick. Show came out looking like a megastar and it took 3 chairshots and a brass knuckled punch from a great puncher. Floyd's entourage was great (I loved the one guy yelling, ''You can't do that!'', as Show beats up Floyd), the pimp cup was awesome as was the simple buildup to the stepping on the hand. This whole thing was a great old school WWE spectacle and I don't understand what anyone expected otherwise. I mean no one expected him to be flying around doing 450 splashes and taking sick bumps. All he had to do was bring his charisma and get heat for the match and he excelled at that. Simple and effective match.

[razgriz21]

I HATE wrestling but this is so damn cool of Rourke!

I hope its on youtube shortly after WrestleMania cause I am sure as not paying to see that shit.

Same here.

If they had more woman on woman fights in mud or chocolate, I would watch.:D

[RustyRazor]

Probably synchronized with the release of "The Wrestler" debuting on DVD and Blu Ray.
Considering the rumor was that Vince McMahon wasn't too happy with the movie itself, I'm surprised to see this, but then again with the Oscar nods I'm beginning to understand.

[nayland]

Love wrestling, and think this could work.... But I wouldn't wanna see Y2J do the JOB to Rourke.

I'll admit i am a wrestling geek! I've been watching and going to matches since the 70's. They have always done the celebrity thing. Like the last one. Floydd Maywhether thing. He weighed what!?!145? Against The Big Show.. over 400+ pounds. And it totally sucked. I read alot of online wrestling stuff and one of the big stories of late was how much Vince HATED the movie. And now he is going to give Mickey a gob of money to be at wrestlemania!!!!!! In my opinion they are both whores! Whores with big bank accounts! But i will end up watching it.

[Reigh Kaufman]

SPOILERS for 'The Wrestler'.






So presumably this means that Randy survived his last match? What next? Butch and Sundance appear in an advert praising the Bolivian Army's reamarkable gift of aiming for non-vital body parts and inflicting minor flesh wounds with surgical precision? Samsonite reveal that their briefcases come with a beatific gold light as standard in every model custom-made for Marsellus Wallace?

:)

[NuclearMisfit]

Either have the Jackass guys on again or Mickey Rourke? Id love to see Rourke and plus Its a Wrestlemania gimmick match, hes not signing a contract to wrestle year round.

[KingofKings2525]

Isn't Rourke playing himself in real life at Wrestlemania? I'm pretty sure he's not going as Randy 'The Ram' Robinson so I don't see why fans of the film and not the WWE are upset.

[Brendan M.]

SPOILERS for 'The Wrestler'.
So presumably this means that Randy survived his last match?

Um... I don't think they want us to think of this as a sequel to the movie. Also, that ending is really left open for interpretation.

[Reigh Kaufman]

Um... I don't think they want us to think of this as a sequel to the movie. Also, that ending is really left open for interpretation.

'Twas a joke.

Hence the hyperbolic references to the Bolivian Army and Samso...
You know what? Somebody once told me that if you have to explain your own joke, chances are it wasn't funny in the first place.

;)

[unspoken]

Also, apparently the first reports of McMahon's reaction to the film were incorrect. Aronofsky recently said in an interview that McMahon called both him and Rourke after he watched it to tell them of his approval.

Not as much of a wrestling fan as I used to be (ever since I got more into MMA), and I just can't see myself ordering Mania just for this. I will always watch Royal Rumble no matter what though, and have to admit I completely marked out on Sunday when RVD came back (too bad it's only a one-time thing apparently, that would've got me to watch Mania). I can see myself getting back in though as apparently ROH just got a deal with HDNet to run shows.

[Criminal Rock]

Why is Jericho angry at Rourke? I ask because I finished watching Larry King about an hour ago and he seemed pretty upset, but I don't know exactly what was said that offended him so much.

[Strider]

Hell, Show/Floyd was really good.

Unless you were biased against the match, I don't see why it gets all this hate.

It was a perfect spectacle....

This whole thing was a great old school WWE spectacle....

Simple and effective match.

Are you serious, Frank?

Show/Mayweather is one of the worst "matches" I've ever seen in my life. Even that sumo match Show had against Akebono at WM 21 was better than this. Unless you were biased for the "match," I don't see why you're going out of your way to overpraise it. Frank, for the most part, I agree with your thoughts on WWE-related stories, news, issues, etc., but I think you're dead wrong on this one.

So we'll have to agree to strongly disagree.

Strider

[Strider]

'Twas a joke.

Somebody once told me that if you have to explain your own joke, chances are it wasn't funny in the first place.

;)

For what it's worth, I thought it was pretty amusing, Kaufman. And I knew it was joke when I first read your above post.

***SPOILERS (I guess)***



If I were Aronofsky, I'd be mad as hell, because now that Mickey Rourke has signed on for a WrestleMania match against Chris Jericho as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, The Wrestler is devoid of its somber, depressing ending. I knew there was a reason why Randy smiles at the end. So you're absolutely right -- he survived his last (correction: penultimate) match indeed and is very much alive. Give yourself a pat on the back for figuring this out before anyone else here. Well done, man, well done. :D ;) :D

Strider

[Cosimo]

i got to side with strider, the show v mayweather match was a joke much like most wwe matches these days

whats happened to sabu? he was ace

shame this rourke v jericho match didn't happen in the 90's when the wwf was atleast entertaining

[The Postmaster General]

I don't think he's fighting as The Ram. From what Frank had said earlier, it seems that the idea is something to the effect that Mickey is defending the movie.

[Frank the Tank]

Are you serious, Frank?

Show/Mayweather is one of the worst "matches" I've ever seen in my life. Even that sumo match Show had against Akebono at WM 21 was better than this. Unless you were biased for the "match," I don't see why you're going out of your way to overpraise it. Frank, for the most part, I agree with your thoughts on WWE-related stories, news, issues, etc., but I think you're dead wrong on this one.

So we'll have to agree to strongly disagree.

Strider


Wow, you really hated it. Unlike The Sumo match, the crowd was hugely into it and Floyd got more genuine heel heat than anyone on the show.

Show/Floyd has to be one of the most divisive wrestling matches ever. I'm on many wrestling boards and while some agree with you, their only reasons why they hate it is Floyd is small or Floyd isn't a wrestler, or they just can't stand Floyd. Many boards I frequent also happened to greatly enjoy it and find it entertaining. My 10 year old nephew, my dad who's not a wrestling fan and all my friends that I watched Maia 24 with loved it, loved Floyd's antics, the oversellinf rom his entourage etc... Sometimes in wrestling, you just get a fun match that takes yu back to when your a young mark who doesn't care about movez or workrate and Show/Floyd did that for me. Whereas, my brother and everyone here hated it. I'll agree that the program was messed up after the awesome No Way Out segment. I think a lot depends on what style of wrestling people like as I've been digging the Memphis style of late (built more around stalling, getting crowd heat, great punches, ringside shenanigans, and simplicity) and Show/Floyd delivered most of that for me and was the closest thing to a Memphis Jerry Lawler vs Jimmy Hart or Andy Kaufman match that the WWE has had.
Phil Schneider from the Death Valley Driver boards explains why the match is considered enjoyable by some much better than me:

1. Floyd Mayweather v. Big Show WWE 3/30

The angle to set this up was pretty FUBAR'ed, although they did a nice job making it look good in the video package. I wasn't sure how you were going to work a tiny heel against a giant face, but this was put together perfectly. Floyd was so great dancing around the ring and landing shots, the initial body shot combo was so fast and impressive, and he was tagging Show with those jabs. I also loved the Pimp Cup. He came off as such a little prick, that when Show got his hands on him you wanted to see him step on his chest. You also have to love Floyd going over basically clean, but still coming off like he stole a victory. Brass knucks on the bling was pretty spectacular, and you wanted Floyd to get his so badly as he left. Too bad Vince doesn't have points in the De La Hoya rematch. A total spectacle, which I enjoyed more then anything else I saw this year.


But the whole agree to disagree statement will suffice. I really do want to know why you hated it so much since Floyd got his ass whooped throughout most of it and used a ton of cheap tricks to win. It's not like he was standing toe to toe with Show and trading moves ala Shane McMahon making Angle look stupid at KOTR 01 by doing sloppy technical wrestling. We can keep it on Rourke/Jericho after this.

Jericho seemed like he was in character with the whole disrespectful comment since he said it on Raw and is one of the better actors in wrestling when it comes to making you believe what he's saying.

[Strider]

But the whole agree to disagree statement will suffice. I really do want to know why you hated it so much since Floyd got his ass whooped throughout most of it and used a ton of cheap tricks to win. It's not like he was standing toe to toe with Show and trading moves ala Shane McMahon making Angle look stupid at KOTR 01 by doing sloppy technical wrestling. We can keep it on Rourke/Jericho after this.

Why did I hate the "match" so much? Simply put, I was bored to death. Unlike you, I was never pulled into the Show/Mayweather feud -- I wasn't captivated, I wasn't intrigued, I wasn't entertained. You may call it a "spectacle," but I call it a joke, a waste of time. There were some really good matches and one excellent match at last year's WM, but Show/Mayweather was neither the former nor the latter. As far as I'm concerned, that "match" should've been left off the card. Hell, Kane's blink-and-you'll-miss-it squash of Chavo Guerrero for the ECW title was a better, more enjoyable match than Show/Mayweather.

Remember that RAW episode prior to WM 14 where Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mike Tyson were in the ring together and confronted each other? Well, that one single moment was not only vastly superior than the Show/Mayweather "match," but it was far more exciting and entertaining. That's still one of my favorite RAW moments of all time. The WWE could have very well scheduled an Austin/Tyson match at WM 14 instead of the Austin/HBK main event, and if they had done so, I have a strong gut feeling it would've turned out much better than Show/Mayweather at WM 24.

Strider

[anakinsrise]

HOUSTON – A spokeswoman for actor Mickey Rourke says he won't be taking his role as a professional wrestler into a real-life ring after all.

Paula Woods told The Associated Press on Wednesday night that Rourke will not wrestle WWE superstar Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25 in April at Houston's Reliant Stadium.

Woods wrote in an e-mail that the Oscar-nominated actor "will not be participating in Wrestlemania. He is focusing entirely on his acting career."

Rourke portrays professional wrestler Randy the Ram in the acclaimed movie "The Wrestler." He made a surprise announcement about the wrestling event Sunday night on the red carpet before the Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles.

Rourke had said he was going to toss Jericho "around the ring like tossed salad."

[echo_bravo]

Welll that puts an end to that then.

[Cosimo]

disappointing. bet vince aint too happy considering jericho has started the ball rolling already

[MoovEDude]

Good - about time someone talked sense into the dummy

[daddiefatsacks]

wouldn't taking part in a WWE event actually be apart of his acting career, since it is not real?

[KingofKings2525]

Boo!

[Rawlin67]

doesnt really make a lot of sense as it gets pushed all over the place and everyone gets pumped and throws the info out, and now its not happening.

guess theyre going to have to change Jerichos feud up a bit, wonder what hell be doing for Mania.

[Scarface98.9]

I heard one reason was because the fear that if he took it, it could cost him the Oscar. Similar to all that good will Eddie Murphy got from Dreamgirls, then lost the Oscar because he had the gall to inflict Norbit onto the world

[Dr. Herb West]

First off, Fuck Vince MacMahon, he is a leech, a vulture, a bloodsucker, a real scumbag lowlife, who likes little boys to real woman. All things aside he's real bad news. I'm very glad that Mickey Rourke got out of that fiasco, and didn't feed into all that MacMahon hype bullshit. Mickey Rourke is a tremendous actor, no doubt about that, not one. He's in the same class as Deniro, Mitchum, Cagney and a few others. So he made a few bad moves, who of us hasn't? He without sin, may cast the first stone. I had the privledge of bumping into Mr. Rourke and got a chance to talk to him for a few minutes last year on 14th street, Union Square, West Village of New York. Great man, awesome individual, we actually hugged when we said our goodbyes. I don't know many or any other actors out there that would of actually brought in a fan for a hug, sounds menial to people, but that's how cool this dude is to his fans, and this was way before Hollywood "Rediscovered" him. And enough with the plastic surgery knocks, I seen him up close, and all that stuff is overblown stupidity. The man still and always looked badass! IU'm just real glad that Rourke's handlers watched his back and nixed that Wrestlemania insanity. Like the saying goes, "Nothing good can come from this". Mickey keep with the acting, great parts always find great actors to fill them! God Bless You Mickey Rourke, way to keep us New Yorkers proud and proud of ya!

[DaMovieMan]

Hehe that Larry King interview was something else. Chris Jericho sounds like a well-educated dude with lots of confidence who knows what he's talking about but he came off as a douche especially towards the end...'i have no respect for you' lol, he was just trying to get a rise out of Rourke, looking all mean and shit Rourke's final was great 'have a good night son' hahahaha, it was pretty awesome.

I'm glad he isn't doing this though as he should concentrate on his acting career now and would of probably get a beating in the wrestling ring. I don't even know if a bare-knuckle fist fight would go in his favor either considering the age and lack of training but it would be something to see and he would definitely have more chances. Jericho hahaha, what a douche. "I'll be waiting Mr. Rourke, be careful what you wish for" getthefuckouttahere

[xseanymacx]

That interview looked like shite. It might have had an ounce of believability of Larry King wasn't laughing his ass off like a little kid.

Wrestling is such a joke now, IMO.

[electriclite]

wouldn't taking part in a WWE event actually be apart of his acting career, since it is not real?


Ahhhaaaaa!
http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/images/reviews/177/1180303315_5.gif

[Weapon X]

I really don't see how participating at Wrestlemania would affect his Oscar chances one way or another. I know the popular joke a few years back was that Norbit killed Eddie Murphy's chances at Best Supporting Actor, but that shouldn't have been a factor either. They've nominated him for one acclaimed performance, not his overall career choices.

If Rourke went and did something REALLY stupid, like get coked up and wrap his car around a tree, that would logically jeapordize his chances at the Oscar. Accepting an offer to compete at Wrestlemania, thereby paying the ultimate tribute to a profession he got a nomination for portraying, is hardly grounds to rob him of the award, if in fact the votes are in his favor.

In any case, he could just as well be waiting until after the Oscars to get back in on Wrestlemania. They don't take the awards away for whatever you do after the statue is yours. Just ask Ben Kingsley.