The Wrestler DVD Review

The Wrestler (2008)

"The Wrestler" was recently released on DVD and it provides a great glimpse for fans at exactly how pro-wrestling takes its toll both inside and outside the ring. It's a true appreciation for what wrestlers have gone through and may continue to go through in their careers which sometimes span decades (Ric Flair). While this film is not for the timid in terms of violence, it's definitely eye opening with respect to a pro-wrestler's life. In this movie, actor Mickey Rourke dives off the top rope right into the ring for the role of a legendary, aging wrestler which he does amazingly with. You'll feel pain from the hard-hitting action in the squared circle as well as the pain felt when Rourke's real world self tries to patch things up in his real life.

Randy "The Ram" Robinson is a well-aged wrestler past his prime, still trying to keep his fame going in the pro-wrestling business. Actor Mickey Rourke handles the role exceptionally well and many critics have commented that The Ram's revival in the movie is a bit like Rourke's own revival as an actor. WWE fans who haven't seen the movie definitely have seen Rourke's work in terms of punching down Chris Jericho after the Wrestlemania 25 Legends match, but you'll see much more of his arsenal of wrestling moves in this film. According to a piece of trivia, Rourke was trained by one of the Wild Samoans for the role. While the story captures the trials and tribulations of a wrestler in the ring, it also tells a compelling story on the outside "real world" beyond the ring. Randy also tries to kindle a relationship with a stripper played by Marisa Tomei, while he finds himself lonely outside of the wrestling world. Throughout the flick you'll root for Randy as he struggles to pay rent with an additional part time job, tries to get his relationship with his daughter going again, and deals with the grueling physical toll wrestling takes on his body. Wrestling fans will really get a sense for what their favorite wrestlers go through year round in terms of the pain that comes with the business, as well as what they do to try to stay in shape, and keep their pain levels down. You'll also get more of an idea what Chris Jericho was alluding to in his taunting of the legends, saying they're trying to stay relevant and in the spotlight.

If you're a pro wrestling fan, then The Wrestler is a must-see movie for you. Backed by a hard rock 80's soundtrack and using gritty cinematography, the film covers many aspects of wrestling including the wrestlers discussing how their matches will play out before they enter the ring, as well as the use of "blades" for drawing blood during matches. Also included is a look at what sorts of physical pains and recoveries wrestlers have gone through, including the illegal use of performance enhancing drugs as well as painkillers. There's a riveting hardcore match which features everything imaginable used as a weapon from chairs to glass, tacks, and a clever use of a crowd member's prosthetic leg (which is based on a real wrestling event involving ECW's Tommy Dreamer). Fans will also want to keep an eye out for current Smackdown star, Ron "R-Truth" Killings in a brief cameo appearance (fans may also recognize The Ram's rival "Ayatollah" played by Ernest "The Cat" Miller).

Many people may have compared this film to Rocky in terms of its gritty look and the whole fighter making a comeback storyline, and that may be a logical comparison. But "The Wrestler" is definitely a movie which will give wrestling fans even better insight into how the business works and just what these amazing athlete-entertainers put themselves through to entertain the crowd as well as how they deal with everyday life on the outside.

The Wrestler (111 minutes) starring Mickey Rourke & Marisa Tomei is Rated R for violence, nudity and language andis currently available on DVD and Blu-ray at Amazon.com.

The Wrestler DVD arrives 4/21

In less than a week the critically-acclaimed movie The Wrestler will finally make its way onto DVD and Blu-ray. The intended release date is Tuesday April 21st and you can currently pre-order The Wrestler at Amazon.com. Coincidentally its highly praised star, actor Mickey Rourke, just recently was a part of Wrestlemania 25, where he KO'd wrestler Chris Jericho in the ring. This all happened months after Rourke had noted on the Red carpet that he'd actually be wrestling Jericho at Wrestlemania 25. Wrestling fans can now check out this movie which takes a look at the wrestling career of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a wrestler still attempting to earn money by wrestling even though he's said to be 20 years past his prime. The movie also looks at his attempt to find a more normal life outside the ring and is said by critics to not only chronicle a "has been wrestler" trying to reclaim pride and glory, but also an actor doing the same.

The Amazon.com synopsis/review for "The Wrestler":

The mystery of Mickey Rourke's career comes to a grungy apotheosis in The Wrestler the much-battered actor's triumphant return to the top rope. He plays Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a heavily scarred and medicated battler who's twenty years past his best moment in the ring. But he still schleps to every second-rate fight card he can get to, stringing out the paychecks (more likely a fistful of cash) and nursing what's left of his pride. His attempts to adjust to a more normal kind of life form the most absorbing sections in the movie, whether it's flirting with a stripper (Marisa Tomei is in good form, in every sense), establishing a bond with his understandably angry daughter (Evan Rachel Wood), or working behind the deli counter at a nondescript megastore. Rourke is commanding in the role; he obviously spent hours in the gym and the tanning salon, and his ease with the semi-documentary style adopted by director Darren Aronofsky allows him to naturalistically interact with the colorful real-life wrestlers who crowd the movie's ultra-believable locations. All of which helps distract from the film's overall adherence to ancient formula. You might find yourself waiting for the scene where the risk-taking Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream) pulls the switch and reveals his true motives for pursuing this otherwise sentimental story, but there's no switch. The Wrestler is an old-fashioned hoke machine, given grit by an actor who doesn't seem to be so much performing the role of ravaged survivor as embodying it. --Robert Horton

Pre-order The Wrestler DVD at Amazon.com!

Thoughts on Wrestlemania 25

Results from Wrestlemania 25 were definitely by the book this year. The event saw a few title changes, and several surprise winners, but no major surprises. The tag titles were unified but only for those in attendance as it was changed to a dark match. The Miss Wrestlemania wasn't really a "Miss" although maybe you can call the match one. Three legends couldn't drop Jericho, but one revived actor could. Triple H avenged the heinous acts that Randy Orton committed against the McMahon family. Punk won his second straight Money in the Bank. Undertaker's streak survived another Mania. The brothers Hardy battled to an interesting conclusion to continue their feud. JBL made history, we think, and John Cena reclaimed his World Heavyweight Title as many expected. Were any of these truly surprising? Maybe not, but they will lead us to some interesting stories with WWE in the coming weeks and months.

You usually expect some sort of big surprise at most Pay-Per-Views that WWE puts on, with examples being the Triple H having to fight three title matches in one night, or Edge entering the Raw Elimination Chamber, Matt betraying Jeff, or Chris Jericho entering the Scramble and becoming World Champion. That said, after seeing the results of all matches up through John Cena's title victory, it only left the Orton-Triple H match to be the big shocker. Would Orton win his second straight Wrestlemania main event? Maybe Orton would win, then CM Punk would quickly cash in his briefcase and gain some revenge on Orton? Would Vince or Shane turn against Triple H? Nope, none of that. Triple H with a "clean" win after the ref was knocked out, allowing Hunter to use the Sledgehammer. That probably gives Orton some reason for a rematch, but who knows if WWE Will continue this feud. Overall thougnone of the results could really be called earth shattering, although some were a bit strange.

One example was Matt Hardy defeating Jeff in the Extreme Rules match. Neither Hardy was in a match at last year's Wrestlemania, with Jeff suspended and Matt rushing in to knock MVP off the ladder for MITB last year. A Jeff Hardy win would have been big for Jeff who hasn't had a top notch Wrestlemania moment yet, although his daredevil stunts put on quite a show. Matt Hardy took the win after Jeff missed him on a huge legdrop off a ladder. Matt's win signals that the feud definitely isn't over yet, which is strange. They may be setting Jeff up for a satisfying pay off by him beating Matt in a tournament to become #1 contender for WWE title, or something along those lines.

With CM Punk's Ladder Match win, he could quite possibly do several things. I wouldn't be surprised if Punk makes a heel turn and cashes in to steal a title from someone. Or CM Punk could return back to his old stomping ground on ECW and take back that title from Jack Swagger. I think WWE could have made better use of the match, having Christian win the briefcase and cash it in for Swagger's ECW belt, but now the speculations can begin as to what Punk's gonna do this time. Maybe he cashes in if and when Randy Orton wins a major title again. A little payback for Randy Orton wouldn't be too surprising, seeing as Orton took Punk out of the World Heavyweight Title "Scramble" match, leaving Punk unable to retain at the PPV.

The Miss Wrestlemania Divas Battle Royal was one of those slapstick "jokes on the fans" (and commentators) type moments that may have been better on Raw. Seems like a wasted opportunity with no diva honored with the title and Santino ("Santina") hamming it up in the ring. WWE could have had a Melina vs. Maryse match with diva lumberjacks instead of this one, or commemorated an all-time diva legend with the crown. Instead they tried to one-up last year's comedy moment involving Maria, Santino and Snoop Dogg.

It was also disappointing to see 3 WWE Hall of Famers get eliminated one by one by Chris Jericho, especially just one night after Ricky Steamboat's induction into the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame. Steamboat definitely put on an excellent show, but I'm not sure a loss was the way to cap off his Hall of Fame induction. Then again, Ric Flair lost to Shawn Michaels one night after his entry into the Hall. Having actor Mickey Rourke get one punch in to knock Jericho down was probably satisfying to many and a great way to boost interest and sales of "The Wrestler" DVD. Most likely the match was created this way so that Jericho would still be a top heel, while Rourke got to shut him up in the end, and WWE could be added into the extras on "The Wrestler" DVD special features.

JBL made history as he claimed he would, in more ways than one. He dropped the Intercontinental Title in 21 seconds (probably not the record as Ultimate Warrior defeated Honky Tonk Man pretty quick for the IC title before), and then made a big announcement about his career. After Rey's celebration, JBL promptly announced "I Quit", most likely signaling his retirement as a pro-wrestler. He may still function in some capacity such as a commentator on Smackdown, now that Tazz has left. Again, Rey's win was nice but unexpected as many thought JBL would retire as the Intercontinental Champion.

John Cena reclaiming the World Heavyweight title was what most expected and predicted. Prior to the match, I was considering that match might create a new Big Show-Vickie alliance, with Big Show winning the title. But now with Cena's victory, you wonder if he will be drafted over to Smackdown next week, and HHH to Raw? That sets up some interesting possibilities.

A bright spot For Wrestlemania 25 was one many people predicted with Undertaker's "Streak" on the line. Shawn Michaels and Undertaker easily added another great match to their illustrious wrestling & Wrestlemania careers. In the match, Michaels and Taker gave each other 110%, with Michaels looking like he really was about to end the streak. They both had nasty falls on the outside showing their fearless competitive spirit and showmanship. In the end, The Deadman prevailed once again and now holds a 17-0 record for the event. WWE Shop apparently had the 17-0 shirt up a little early but then yanked it down, so some fans saw it prior to the match. Anyways, it'd be great to see that streak live forever and possibly extend to 20-0, but hard to say if Undertaker can continue 3 more years.

See full results from Wrestlemania 25

Raw Preview 03.23.09

Last week on Raw, the Legend Killer Randy Orton saw one of his own Legacy members brutally assaulted and defeated by Triple H in the ring. Originally, the match was set as Triple H and Cody Rhodes to face off in the ring, but to the horror of Ted Dibiase and Randy Orton, a steel cage lowered down around the ring, trapping their Legacy member inside with The Game. From there, Triple H taunted Orton, showed his power and vengeance with a sledgehammer, and eventually Pedigreed Rhodes to collect an easy pinfall victory. With Orton and Dibiase only able to watch, you have to wonder what sort of revenge they will now have in store for Triple H. Will Orton and Legacy find a way to gain the upperhand on Triple H? Or will The Game once again use the power of being married to GM Stephanie McMahon to his advantage?

Raw also several new matches added to the Wrestlemania 25 card. The WWE Universe finally learned just who Chris Jericho will be facing in the ring at the big event. Jericho had called Ric Flair to come to the ring, and return from retirement to wrestle him. Flair was diplomatic in telling Jericho he knows he'd defeat him any day, but his retirement is official. Flair then brought out 3 legends who wanted to settle the score with Jericho. These wrestlers were of course the 3 legends that Jericho had insulted and attacked in the weeks prior, Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, and Superfly Jimmy Snuka. The 3 men along with Flair headed straight down to the ring, all business, as they entered and surrounded Jericho. Steamboat, Snuka and Piper managed to trip down Jericho, but he quickly escaped the ring. However, waiting on the outside was Ric Flair who promptly delivered a punch to level Jericho. Jericho stumbled back up the ramp fuming from the attack, and later backstage said he was challenging Piper, Snuka and Steamboat to a 3 on 1 Handicap match at Wrestlemania 25. Fans learned that not only will Ric Flair be ringside for that match, but actor Mickey Rourke will be in attendance as well. What will the legends or Jericho have to say next with regards to their matchup? Will WWE fans hear any more from Mickey Rourke leading up to this match?

Two other Raw competitors who will be facing off at Wrestlemania are the recent Intercontinental Champion, JBL, and little big man, Rey Mysterio. These two have done battle in the past on Smackdown, but never for a prize such as the Intercontinental Title. Rey Mysterio was close to achieving the title for the first time in his career during Raw's IC tournament, but ended up losing. Now as of last week, Mysterio has challenged the self-proclaimed "Wrestling God" to a match for the gold at the historic 25th Wrestlemania. JBL has stated he plans to make history at the event. How will these two superstars prepare for their upcoming title match? Will one superstar have the upperhand heading into the event?

With Wrestlemania 25 just 2 weeks away, the WWE divas and superstars will be preparing themselves on Raw. Catch all the action tonight at 9PM EST on USA!

Jericho's Legends & Tag Title Unifiication

Between the Raw and ECW shows this past week, three new matches were added in to the Wrestlemania 25 card which may have received mixed criticism. First off, WWE Raw saw Jericho call out Hall of Famer Ric Flair to come out of retirement and return to the ring. Flair made a honorable speech defending his career and the send-off he received from the WWE Universe last year. Flair announced he had replacements lined up, and we then learned it takes 3 Hall of Fame caliber superstars to do the job of the Nature Boy. The three legends Jericho had previously bashed in the ring, Roddy Piper, Jimmy Snuka and Ricky the Dragon Steamboat. From there, the three wrestlers managed to take Jericho down in the ring, and Flair caught him with a solid punch outside the ring. Later, a fuming Jericho said it was intention to embarass these hall of famers in one single match, at Wrestlemania 25. It fits the storyline, but t was a bit surprising to see this outcome rather than a one-on-one situation. Flair announced that he'll be ringside along with Mickey Rourke who will also be in attendance. So now everyone in the Jericho storyline gets some sort of involvement and most likely, a satisfying finish to Jericho's big-mouth antics about the legends. Unfortunate that WWE couldn't reel in either Hulk Hogan or Stone Cold Steve Austin for this huge Wrestlemania 25, but there's still that possibility of either or both showing up at some point.

Alfonso Castillo and Seth Mates have more discussion of these WM25 happenings over at Newsday.com. Read Thoughts on Wrestlemania Developments at Newsday.com

Rey Mysterio issued an open challenge to JBL for the Intercontinental Title. JBL most likely will accept against the smaller opponent who he's faced before back in his Smackdown days. After all, Mysterio had no other plans for Wrestlemania 25, and the powers that be allow guys like Mysterio to make their own title matches for Wrestlemania. Strangely, CM Punk must have given up wanting that title back since he's in the MITB match.

Another title match we learned about came on ECW this past Tuesday. Carlito and Primo Colon challenged The Miz and John Morrison to a match to unify the tag team titles. It's winner takes all, and after Mania we'll see just one set of tag team titles in the WWE. My early prediction here is The Miz and Morrison win it to further solidify all their bold claims as the best tag team of all time. As for their arm candy divas, it seems as if the Bella Twins are divided on which team to back. The Bellas started out with Miz and Morrison in the ring, with Nikki claiming they like to be with "winners". Her sister Brie wasn't on board from the looks of things. After The Miz and Morrison tried to taunt the Colons, we saw some good ol' fashioned Carlito apple spitting. Unfortunately for Brie Bella, Miz and Morrison ducked and the apple was spit onto her accidentally. The two twins then got into a catfight in the ring after Nikki laughed at her sister. The tag teams seperated them and Nikki left with Miz and Morrison, while Brie remained in the ring with the Colons. These two can most likely settle things in the ring at the WWE Divas Battle Royal.

The card seems almost complete, with many names still having no involvement in the event. WWE can likely work them in via skits or a huge battle royal for a change at Jack Swagger's ECW title, just like last year. Now the only titles not being defended on the Wrestlemania 25 card are the ECW Title, WWE Divas Championship, the Womens Championship and the United States Championship. With Wrestlemania 25 just a few weeks away, there's still time for business to pick up.

Penn defeats Rourke for Oscar

Chris Jericho may have even more reason to badmouth and trash talk actor Mickey Rourke on Monday Night Raw. The actor failed to win the Oscar award for "The Wrestler" despite his impressive performance in a movie and role that has been praised by critics and pro wrestlers, including Rowdy Roddy Piper and Ric Flair. Sean Penn collected the statue, his second Oscar actor win, for his role in the movie "Milk" as Harvey Milk, the first gay elected official who was later assasinated.

During his speech Penn gave a nod to his fellow nominees including Rourke saying "despite a sensitivity that brings enormous challenges, Mickey Rourke rises again, and he is my brother". Rourke's fellow movie nominee Marisa Tomei also failed in her quest to win an Oscar for Best Supporting actress in "The Wrestler" as the award went to Penelope Cruz for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" earlier in the night.

Complete list of winners and nominees for Oscars.

Will Ric Flair be at WM25?

On the February 9th edition of Monday Night Raw, the legendary Nature Boy Ric Flair made his proud return to the ring in front of over 15,000 in Oakland. The appearance had Flair in the ring discussing his pride over being associated with the WWE and pro-wrestling, as well as his career ending loss to Shawn Michaels. Flair said he had no regrets over it all and as he continued speaking he was abruptly interrupted by Chris Jericho. It seems Jericho wasn't truly humbled by being forced to get down on his knees and apologize to Stephanie and the WWE Universe.

Jericho continued his tirade over how Flair is just a has been who the people will forget about. Jericho insisted that Flair needs to stop trying to find ways to be in the spotlight, then demanded Flair to tell the fans off for being hypocrites. Flair was having no part of this and the bit ended with a Flair punch to Jericho's jaw. This seems ironic considered just days ago Jericho was on the opposite side of things punching a fan who spit on him. Jericho of course rolled out of the ring and backed up the ramp angrily as Flair strutted his stuff in the ring. If the incident was any indication of what's to come, it looks more and more likely Flair might un-retire to wrestle at the grandest pro-wrestling event of the year, Wrestlemania 25. It's unlikely Jericho will just shut up after being punched by Flair and if Jericho calls Flair out to wrestle again next week, we'll have our answer over Flair's retirement. After all, it was Vince McMahon who ordered the stipulation on Flair's career to end with a loss, yet we all know Vince is layed up in a hospital bed thanks to Randy Orton.

Wrestlemania 25 should have the makings of a grand event. After all it's the silver Anniversary of the spectacular sports entertainment Pay-Per-View. We're on track for Orton vs. Cena, HHH vs. Edge, Hardy vs. Hardy and maybe Ric Flair vs. Chris Jericho. Many wrestling analysts say they want Flair to stay retired after the great three day celebration of his career, but let's face it in pro sports or even senior citizen's lives staying retired isn't a reality these days. Several wrestlers should be retired but simply haven't. Flair on the card would further add to the status of the event and likely would allow Mickey Rourke to serve as ringside cornerman, probably causing distraction to help Flair win. There you have it, Flair and Rourke both part of Wrestlemania 25 together, promoting pro-wrestling all around. Fans who have purchased Mania tickets certainly won't mind seeing the Nature Boy throw chest chops and apply a Figure Four Leg lock once again. So let's have Flair return for one more "Woooo!"

And while the WWE is at it, maybe consider tossing whatever money is left over from trying to "woo" Mickey Rourke into the ring and give it to The Rock for another Wrestlemania appearance...

Raw Revelations: Flair Returning?

One of the big surprise revelations on the February 2, 2009 edition of WWE Raw was that the Nature Boy Ric Flair will grace fans with his presence on next week's WWE Raw. The Hall of Famer was seen a few times in the past during McMahon's Million Dollar Mania, and has acted as an ambassador/spokesman for WWE. Recently, Chris Jericho chastised Ric Flair for praising the movie "The Wrestler" and said Flair is only trying to continue to get the spotlight any way he possibly can. Apparently, Flair was not pleased with Jericho's words, called in to Raw and let Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler know he's coming to confront Jericho next week.

So Flair's making a return to the ring, but will it be for wrestling or hype? The Mickey Rourke stunt seems to have panned out, with Rourke first calling out Jericho, then saying he would only be attending Wrestlemania 25. On Larry King Live, Rourke backed down even more by saying he respected Jericho and that wrestling just isn't Rourke's world. Jericho cockily said he didn't respect Rourke, or the portrayal of a has-been type wrestler in the movie Rourke has been praised for, "The Wrestler". With the Rourke-Jericho match no longer being considered on the WM25 card, will it become a Ric Flair "return from retirement" match to face Jericho? One last WOOO for the Nature Boy? It's a definite possibility. The comparisons already can be made between a return from Michael Jordan to the Bulls/Wizards, and Flair returning to wrestle once again.

Going out with a loss is never the way to end a career and Ric Flair's last match saw Shawn Michaels defeat him to officially end a legendary career. With Mr. McMahon currently out of commission, the business seems to rest squarely in the hands of Stephanie and Shane McMahon, who just might reinstate Flair for the match. Rourke could become the ringside corner man for Flair, and probably find a way to involve himself in the outcome, distracting Jericho, rather than throwing any punches. And most fans would agree, a Wrestlemania with Jericho facing Flair is definitely more compelling than a real pro-wrestler squaring off against a "made for the movies" pro-wrestler.

Rourke not Wrestling at Wrestlemania 25

It seems that "The Wrestler" won't be stepping into the ring at Wrestlemania 25. News had quickly spread like wildfire that actor Mickey Rourke from "The Wrestler" would be going up against Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania 25, based on comments Rourke made on the red carpet during the SAG Awards. Now it's being reported that Rourke will merely be in attendance, possibly participating in Wrestlemania 25, but will not be wrestling. Rourke's spokeswoman revealed the insight in an email message.

According to artistdirect.com:

Rourke's spokeswoman, Paula Woods, has revealed via e-mail that her client will not be engaging in a royal rumble because "he is focusing entirely on his acting career." Rumors that Rourke would be donning tights in real life began to fly after the actor himself made a statement on the red carpet before the Screen Actor's Guild Awards in Los Angeles last week. Rourke claimed he was going to throw Jericho around the ring "like a tossed salad."

Rourke, age 52 will be focusing on acting as he will be starring in Broken Horses, a movie set to be shot in New Mexico and New York, directed by Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Chopra said he was "blown away by Rourke's performance in The Wrestler" making Rourke an easy choice for the movie role.

Rourke Wrestlemania News Spreads

Last night on Raw, Chris Jericho cut a promo when he came to the ramp to talk about Mickey Rourke's "The Wrestler" movie and how it's received critical acclaim, including praise from The Nature Boy, Ric Flair. Footage was shown on the red carpet for the 15th Annual SAG Awards on Sunday night where Rourke told Access Hollywood he'll be getting into the WWE's wrestling ring at the Wrestlemania 25 Pay-Per-View. He dropped several legend's names including Roddy Piper and Ric Flair, then Chris Jericho's name. Rourke told the entertainment reporter he's serious about wrestling at the event and Jericho needs to "get in shape" since Rourke is coming for him. Jericho was not pleased by the comments and stated that Rourke should watch out because "Jericho is the last person he wants to offend".

Just as WWE anticipated, major news sources are now picking up and reporting on the Mickey Rourke versus Chris Jericho Wrestlemania 25 story. The LA Times blog has even posed the question of whether or not the move could cost Rourke his Oscar? According to the blog, Rourke said WWE has contacted him and he's been talking to Roddy Piper about getting into the ring. The blog author suggests that Rourke could hurt his Oscar chances because people would see he wasn't really acting in the movie role, rather being his crazy self.

Read the full blog story here.

MSNBC has also reported on the story, confirming Rourke's participation in Wrestlemania 25. Newsday also discussed the news saying that Vince McMahon proves everyone has a price. Read their story here

More coverage by various sources:

Mickey Rourke from Wrestler to Wrestlemania - E! Online

Mickey Rourke is Going to Wrestlemania - Wired Blog

Mickey Rourke not too big for WrestleMania - Boston Herald

Looking at Mickey Rourke and WrestleMania - Baltimore Sun Ring Posts

Mickey Rourke heads to Wrestlemania, calls out Chris Jericho - National Post"

So with a Chris Jericho-Mickey Rourke Wrestlemania 25 contest we have WWE's Slammy Award winner for 2008 Superstar of the Year versus a potential Oscar winner for Best Actor in 2009. The questions are how much extra work will Rourke put in as far as appearances on WWE TV prior to Wrestlemania 25. And even more pressing, will he and Jericho be putting their golden statues on the line or just their professional careers?

Also see: Wrestlemania 25 Card Unfolding

Raw Recap 01.26.09