Search - Wrestler, The on DVD

Fond memories of the AWA from early 70s

D. F. Utz | Daly City, CA USA | 03/07/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This movie is for the TRUE, DIEHARD pro-wrestling fan. It is also for the fan of RAZZIEs (movies so bad they are good). As a kid in the early 1970s I watched the American Wrestling Association (AWA) on Channel 26 in Chicago. And, i can remember the wrestlers talking about their involvement in making this movie. But, the movie had very limited release in 1973 and i never had a chance to see it. But, I never forgot about this movie and I recently saw a review of it on the Wrestle Crap website (www.wrestlecrap.com). And, thank Goodness for Amazon.com, which allowed me to purchase a copy of the movie right away!

The movie itself is crap. It's a fairly boring story (and ridiculous as it presents pro-wrestling as legitimate sport). But, it's fabulous as a snapshot of the pro-wrestling biz in the 1970s. It's great to see the former greats like Dick the Bruiser, The Crusher, Verne Gagne, Dusty Rhodes, Superstar Billy Graham, Billy Robinson and many others. It's also a wrestling fan's mark out moment to see the scene featuring a cameo by Vincent McMahon Sr (Vincent K McMahon's dad & founder of the WWF).

It would be interesting to find out how the actor Ed Asner (Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant shows) got involved in this movie project. He's the only legitimate actor in this small budget film. None of the performances by the wrestlers are that bad as they are basically playing themselves. (For some reason, Verne Gagne plays a character named "Mike Bullard" but all the other wrestlers are themselves: Crusher is Crusher, Dusty is Dusty and so on. Odd....) I have to give some credit to Sam Mennaker who plays the bad guy trying to pressure the wrestling promoter to fix a match. Sam Mennaker was the color commentator for AWA television matches. And, he does a good job playing the heavy.

The sound quality on the DVD is not good. (I had to crank up the volume on my TV to hear the dialog. And, in crowd scenes it is very hard to hear the dialog.) Also, the lighting in most scenes is very dark. This is partly done to cover for the cheap sets and to hide the fact that crowd scenes are not so crowded.

But, if you are a fan of pro-wrestling and want a taste of the old days, you will want this DVD!

"

A great remembrance

D. F. Utz | 06/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie brings back so many memories. If, like me, you grew up as a pro wrestling fan in the Midwest in the 60's & 70's, you'll love this movie. All of the greats in the old AWA are here. Vern Gagne, Billy Robinson, Wahoo McDaniel, Superstar Graham..., I could go on. Of course, I would be totally remiss if I didn't mention my two all time favorites, Dick the Bruiser and the Crusher.
If you're looking for an Academy Award winning performance, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a great remembrance of what old school pro wrestling was all about, this is the movie for you. If you're only familiar with the current WWE pro wrestling, you will still probably enjoy this movie. If for no other reason than to see what us old-timers are talking about when we say that this is what pro wrestling is all about!!"