I just watched this film last night. I liked the movie but hated the ending. A little too much left to the imagination. What I did like is that this movie tells a pretty much non-fictitious story that parallels many Pro Wrestlers lives.

Yeah a bunch of it is scripted or planned but the pain and injuries are for real. I recently found a website that listed all the wrestlers who have died and was blown away by some of the ages and causes of death.

Just like the Ram, first comes the injuries, then comes the pain pills. Next if not earlier are the steroids. Then the vicious cycle begins and continues a violent downward spiral such as what happened to Eddie Garrero and Chris Benoit in the last few years.

Anyway, I thought the acting was superb by most characters including Rourke.

I guess you can tell I am a fan. I have been watching since the 60s when I used to go to the Philadelphia Arena on Thursday nights where they did the TV taping for the Saturday morning UHF TV shows. Lots have changed since then.

The movie was set in my general location and involved the CZW which is sorta out of Philly area and took over doing shows at 8th and Samsom street in Philly which was the former home of ECW until WWE and Vince neutered the ECW.

ECW started the wild hardcore matches such as the Staple Gun match shown in the movie. CZW continued where ECW left off. Search for some Youtube vids of ECW and CZW. Watch the Barbed Wire match between Sabu and Teri Funk where it took about 5 minutes to cut them apart and dislodge the wire from them when the match was over. Also, Nate Hatred played the part of Suga in the movie. Look for some Light Bulb matches between him and the Wifebeater.

As crazy as this seems, and maybe you thought it was a bit far fetched in the movie, these kinds of matches actually take place and the results are sometimes pretty gruesome.

Fake? Call it what you will but fake is not the word.