With "The Iron Claw," "Cassandro," and "Queen of the Ring" all being released in the past few years, films about professional wrestling have been having a moment. And yet, for many, the gold standard of wrestling movies remains "The Wrestler." Now approaching 18 years since its release, Darren Aronofsky's classic starred Mickey Rourke as former 1980s wrestling icon Randy "The Ram" Robinson, who despite health issues and being years past his prime continues to try and hold onto his wrestling career on the independent circuit.
Well received at the time of its release, to the point that Rourke secured an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, "The Wrestler" continues to strike a chord with not just fans, but the wrestlers as well. In particular, former WWE star Hornswoggle continues to hold the film on a high pedestal. In an interview with "WrestlingNewsCo," Hornswoggle and SoCalVal were discussing jobs outside of wrestling and how it scares him and other wrestlers. This led to Swoggle discussing "The Wrestler," and why he believes the film resonates so much to this day.
"'The Wrestler' is the greatest epitome of our business that's ever been told," Hornswoggle said. "I don't care what you say, it is the top to bottom best explanation, best showcase of everything we do. Being at the top, and working at a deli and being recognized at a deli...I watch that movie still at least once a year, and I go 'Man, this is just...this is insane how close to home it hits at times.'"
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