While most of Hollywood’s attention was focused on the Oscars, “Fighting with My Family” opened in theaters and may have told us more about our cultural moment than any awards show.
You may not have heard of it, but you’ll likely be seeing more of its kind.
Based on the documentary “The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family,” the movie is a biographical comedy-drama about the life of professional wrestler Saraya-Jade Bevis, known to wrestling fans as “Paige.” This fact alone makes the movie unique. What other movies are there telling the life and times of a professional wrestler who is still active in the business?
Paige was incredibly popular as a wrestler before suspensions from World Wrestling Entertainment for substance-abuse, and neck surgery, forced her off television for a long stretch of time. Upon her return, she was active until a sudden injury forced her into retirement from the violence of the ring. Instead she became general manager of WWE’s “SmackDown” television brand.
Her debut on big-time TV in 2014 is considered by many to mark the beginning of the transformation of the WWE’s “Diva” division into a true women’s division, focusing more on competition between women than on pageantry and on sexist acts the women had to go through to remain relevant. There had been champions like Trish Stratus, Lita, and others, who were real wrestlers, but their looks were always the prime focus.
The larger significance to “Fighting with My Family” is that it pumps the stories behind wrestling into our cultural mainstreaming. The film’s executive producer is Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, himself a former professional wrestler and now a massive money generator in Hollywood. It features cameos from many wrestlers in the business. It tells a fascinating story.
And it’s only the beginning.
Chris Hemsworth has signed on to play Terry Bollea, better known as Hulk Hogan, in a forthcoming movie about the superstar’s life. Ric Flair has apparently said he wants Bradley Cooper to play him in the movie.
What drove these movies into the mainstream at a time when comic book movies reign supreme, and everyone is becoming more and more focused on Tinseltown’s scandals and subsequent apologies? Give credit to Vince McMahon, who has made WWE one of the biggest names in the sports world.
The Rock is just one of wrestling-to-Hollywood’s successful crossovers; John Cena is on the rise in Hollywood, and several current and former wrestlers have appeared in big-budget movies over the years.
There is an entire corner of the Internet devoted to wrestling journalism, building sources, listening to insiders, reporting on show results, breaking news about injuries and retirements, etc. It includes ESPN, which now regularly covers wrestling events and news.
WWE has become a global presence with shows in the UK, Saudi Arabia, India, and elsewhere. Its main brands, “Raw” on Monday nights and “SmackDown” on Tuesday nights, are among the longest-running shows in TV history. WWE launched a paid network filled with exclusive content, including interviews with legends, comedy shows and cartoons, and behind-the-scenes specials.
Starting in the ’90s, producers of the main shows for WWE and its biggest rival, World Championship Wrestling, realized that “kayfabe,” the portrayal of scripted events, rivalries, etc. as real events, wasn’t the only thing fans wanted to see. They wanted behind-the-scenes stuff. The actual on-air rivalry between the two companies, in which they one-upped each other, was wildly popular. Eric Bischoff, who was running WCW at the time, constantly named-dropped Vince McMahon and WWE on television, stunning the audience at first but whetting their appetites for more drama. In response, the group of wrestlers known as DX in WWE drove a jeep right up to the front door of an arena in Norfolk, Va., where WCW was holding an event, and WWE aired the entire, crazy segment.
Even now, much of the behind-the-scenes material on the WWE Network ranks as the best non-pay-per-view material it produces. Shows such as “WWE 24” look at the hours leading up to Wrestlemania, the story of a fan-favorite who wins a title only for a real injury to force him to give it up, and other such programming, giving fans access inside the world they used to only see from arena seats or on TV. These are some of the most exciting, emotional, or intense days in the wrestling world.
The growing audience, the demand for the real story behind their favorite wrestlers and matches, and the desire for a non-politicized sports event to entertain them have helped propel wrestling to its breakthrough into the mainstream. WWE being a part of our culture isn’t new, but its growth into more segments of pop culture than ever before has created a bigger and more diverse market with more diverse needs.
Expect it to continue. The third “brand” of WWE, NXT, is a show seen only on WWE’s streaming network but there is near-constant speculation that it will become a television brand like “Raw” and “SmackDown” in the future. At times, it receives better reviews than the television brand’s shows.
There’s no denying professional wrestling is going to be around for a long time. Now, though, it seems like you’ll be seeing more of it in unexpected places.
Joe Cunningham is senior contributing editor at RedState.
