With the upcoming release of The Marine — the latest offering from WWE Films starring WWE Champion John Cena, Robert Patrick (Terminator 2), and Kelly Carlson (Nip/Tuck) — I thought it would apropos to take a look at professional wrestling’s impact on the pop culture lexicon.
I have pondered so many different angles while formulating this piece, but although we can certainly talk at length about the numerous failures that professional wrestlers have had at crossing over into the annals of pop culture lore — most recently Chris Jericho’s horrendous display on Celebrity Duets (click here if you are a glutton for punishment) — there have been some genuinely striking moments where some wrestlers have truly stepped out of the ring and shined, thereby securing their respective places inside movie collections and trivia questions along the way “¦
Counterfeit Pennies Presents “¦ Five Memorable Crossover Moments
05. The Big Show Appears as Captain Insano in Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy: The Big Show had a bit part in this comedy about a floundering yet infectiously heartwarming waterboy who becomes an unlikely and unflappable football star. But whenever you have any role in a movie that grosses approximately 190 million dollars worldwide at the box office (and that excludes home video sales), then you definitely leave your mark on moviegoers everywhere. Oh, and I do believe that Big Show’s little stint in The Waterboy paved the way for Adam Sandler to go back to the wrestling well for The Longest Yard, which also grossed 190 million dollars worldwide. (Credit: www.the-numbers.com)
04. Captain Lou Albano Appears in Cyndi Lauper’s Music Video for “Girls Just Want To Have Fun”: In the 1980s, there was a very memorable cooperative effort between music and wrestling that came to be known as the “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection”. The two key players here were rubber-banded wrestler/manager Captain Lou Albano and rising pop sensation Cyndi Lauper, who banded together (no pun intended) to become a formidable duo. The pinnacle moment for this tandem came in the form of a music video, as Albano played the role of Lauper’s father for the visual representation of the mega-hit pop song, “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.” According to www.songfacts.com, “The video, which ran constantly on MTV, featured wrestler Captain Lou Albano as Lauper’s father. It won the first ever award for Best Female Video at the 1984 Video Music Awards“¦”
While Albano and Lauper soon faded from the mainstream spotlight in music and wrestling, both remain pop culture icons that energized the mid-1980s with life and color.
03. Stacy Keibler Dances Her Way into Mainstream America’s Living Rooms: No doubt about it, Stacy Keibler had always been a breath of fresh air in the wild world of professional wrestling. She stormed onto the scene in WCW as a Nitro Girl contest winner at the tender age of 19, made her way to the WWE, and become one of the most likeable “WWE Divas” due to her incredible attitude in and outside the ring. Yes, Stacy was beautiful, but she also refused to compromise (she refused three offers to appear in Playboy and never listened to the idea that she needed breast implants) and always respected the WWE fans. Personally, that’s why I was so happy to see Stacy Keibler truly break out on the ABC TV Series Dancing with the Stars. With 15 to 18 million viewers per week at her disposal, Stacy proved that along with being athletic in the ring, she was truly talented on the dance floor and always gracious with fans, just like she was with WWE crowds across the country. The potential for Stacy Keibler is limitless, and I truly feel she will have the chance to become one of the most marketable and revered crossover stars in pro wrestling history.
02. Andre the Giant in The Princess Bride: The great, late Andre the Giant will be remembered for two things that truly embodied him as a person and as a character: 1) Getting body slammed and pinned by Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania III, which we all know as wrestling fans was Andre’s way of passing the proverbial torch to Hogan. (I still think Hogan would have never been as popular had this moment never occurred.); and 2) Being a gigantic charismatic and charming presence on the big screen as the loveable Fezzik in the 1987 comedic action-adventure film The Princess Bride. People who never watched one day of wrestling remember Andre the Giant because of this film, which featured an ensemble cast that included the likes of Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Robin Wright-Penn, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Christopher Guest, Chris Sarandon, Fred Savage, Wallace Shawn, and even Peter Falk as the grandfather/narrator/storyteller. No matter who else was in this film, however, Andre the Giant proved he could infuse his larger-than-life personality into the Fezzik character, and for that he deserves part of the credit for making this movie what it has become: a true, unbridled favorite for anyone of any age to this day.
01. Hulkamania and its Immortality: Then AND Now: Hulk Hogan is obviously the biggest crossover star in pro wrestling history, as he has proven time and again that he can play off and parlay his wrestling career into bankable, marketable ventures that keep him in the pop culture spotlight. In the 1980s, there was Hogan’s unforgettable appearance as Thunderlips in Rocky III, which grossed a staggering 125 million dollars in the U.S. in 1982. There were also other less memorable movies for Hogan, such as Suburban Commando, Mr. Nanny, and my personal favorite bomb, Santa With Muscles, but no matter how many busts Hogan has had over the years, people will always remember Thunderlips.
Nowadays, Hogan has again been thrust into the spotlight — this time with his family on the VH1 reality series, Hogan Knows Best. Not only has the show garnered high ratings, but it has also shown the softer side of Hogan and made him even more recognizable with a new generation of fans. As a direct result of the show, Hogan’s daughter Brooke has launched a music career that includes the hit single “About Us”, and Hulkamania is running wild all over again. Hogan has even taken a page out of the George Foreman playbook by introducing us to the Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill.
Okay, so maybe the bombs are not completely behind him, but more often than not — and moreso than any other professional wrestler — Hulk Hogan has become a prominent figure to be reckoned with in the popular culture lexicon”¦
Introducing Counterfeit Pennies Reader Feedback “¦ What do YOU think?
Feel free to drop me a few lines of feedback email and let me know what you think about any and all things in the worlds of pro wrestling and popular culture. What stands out to you as special crossover moments? Let me know and we can start an email chain for the entire world to behold! (Or I can simply post your comments here next week.)
“Please call my name”¦” —Reverend D-Von Dudley
-CB
