Mickey Rourke and the WWE

[Shocky]

Mickey Rourke is taking this wrestling thing way too seriously.

Hollywood's comeback kid du jour, who just notched an Oscar nomination for playing a washed-up pro grappler in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, is eyeing the ring for real, announcing on the red carpet at last night's SAG Awards that he plans to participate in the WWE's Wrestlemania 25 in Houston April 5.

"The nicest thing has been the whole wrestling community embracing us," Rourke tells E! News. "The movie was about their world and so I think maybe I'm gonna do Wrestlemania in Houston.

"I had some dialogue with Vince McMahon and Rick Flair, Roddy Piper and all the rest of them and they've been really supportive."
To prepare for his Golden Globe-winning, SAG-nominated role, Rourke bulked up his 56-year-old frame and trained for months to master the complex ring moves.

Which begs the question: Is Rourke (a) taking Method acting to a new level, (b) still punch-drunk from that ill-fated boxing career, or (c) just playing by his own rules?

For now, we're going with (c).

While Rourke didn't say he was actually going to grapple with the pros, he does have his trash talk down pat.

"Chris Jericho, you better get in shape," said Rourke, "because I'm coming after your ass."

Guess we'll have to wait about 9 1/2 weeks to see how this plays out.

How do you feel about this. Apparantely it looks like Mickey Rourke might have jumped the gun as there hasn't been anything hinted at about a Wrestlemania appearance, yet alone a possible program with Chris Jericho. Th eWWE began to run vignettes about the Wrestler last week, but this, who knew?

My original thought is, don't count on Rourke being involved in a match at Mania. The man has trimmed down considerably since shooting for the film ended. Simply put, he's not the same physically as he was in the movie.

Then I got to thinking, why the hell not. Look at Floyd Mayweather last year, and what he managed to do with the freaking Big Show. Floyd Mayweather and Show managed to pull off, in my opinion, the second best match of the night behind Edge and the Undertaker. My gerbil spins the wheel in that little thing i call a head, and I think, Chris Jericho, Chris Freaking Jericho, can get a great match out of Mickey Rourke.

Why do I think this? Chris Jericho maybe the best "pure" wrestler the business has today He had an incredible year, and has worked well with everyone. You take a guy like Rourke, someone that has more experience in working a worked match then someone like Mayweather, and you have the potential for gold.

All around, I think this is a great idea. Instead of the usual D-List celebrity bullshit the WWE usually goes to, you're going after a legit A-Lister. The WWE is going after a guy that will be no more then six weeks removed from nothing less then an Oscar nomination, let alone a very realistic shot of an Oscar Win. The amount of hype and carry over effect that could have could drive buyrates through the roof.

The WWE is at a turning point. They are desperate to re-establish their image from the tarnishent that the Attitude Era brought from it. At Wrestlemania they may have a chance to showcase what they are all about with potential bouts of Orton vs. Cena, Taker vs. Michaels, and Edge vs. Triple H. If you can get an outside audience to tune in with a potential Rourke vs. Jericho match, and then get hooked by everything else they see, what could the WWE possibly have to lose from this?

 

[andymcg]

Watchin raw just now , just had the Jericho segment .... by the looks of it they may actually be going ahead with the Jericho Vs Rourke match afterall. I think this is a very good idea indeed , pendin that Rourke can train to put on a half decent match.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

They'll do exactly the same with the match as they did with the Mayweather one. It'll be rehersed several times and it'll be a hell of a lot better than people expect.

It's a good deal for everyone involved. Rourke will get paid more for this match and a couple of Raw's than he did for working on the movie. I want to say QUADRUPLING, and in this economic climate. But I suspect he'll be doing more than QUADRUPLING his pay from that film.

But they'd be better off pairing him with somebody like HBK. He's boring as fuck, but he has, at the very least, good matches with everybody (except Flair). Jericho doesn't, he couldn't even carry that Kofi fellow that everyone seems to rate so highly.

 

[klunderbunker]

This should be at least ok. As an actor he has the talking aspect that many celebrities don't when they come to Mania. He also should know the basics at least after 8 weeks with the Samoans plus auxillary training given to him by WWE to lead up to the match. Jericho is ok for this but kind of random. Why Jericho and Rourke? i don't remember anything being said between the two of them, so why those two? I guess because he has nothing to do and is a cocky heel. Should be at least ok though, and very well rehearsed.

 

[pyrusane]

Wow...I can't believe people are seriously treating this like a good idea.

I mean, the sole benefit I see to this is the mainstream media will have a field day with it, which should spike buy rates. But the people that would be attracted by this, the ones that wouldn't already be buying WM anyway, well, if this is what it takes to get them to buy, how can you expect them to appreciate Cena/Orton, or HHH/Edge? Hell, they're watching the show to see Mickey freakin' Rourke.

And who did Jericho piss off to end up in this predicament? He goes from a feud of the year (or decade) candidate feud with HBK into a feud with Batista over the title into a feud with Cena over the title into a feud with...a 56 year old actor in his first real wrestling match. And how much do you wanna bet the actor goes over?

You know, I could see this match at Judgement Day, or Armegeddon, or maybe even a SummerSlam...but WrestleMania 25??? Excuse me, but the ghost of David Arquette (C) just threw up in my brain...

 

[pyrusane]

Wow...I can't believe people are seriously treating this like a good idea.

I mean, the sole benefit I see to this is the mainstream media will have a field day with it, which should spike buy rates. But the people that would be attracted by this, the ones that wouldn't already be buying WM anyway, well, if this is what it takes to get them to buy, how can you expect them to appreciate Cena/Orton, or HHH/Edge? Hell, they're watching the show to see Mickey freakin' Rourke.

And who did Jericho piss off to end up in this predicament? He goes from a feud of the year (or decade) candidate feud with HBK into a feud with Batista over the title into a feud with Cena over the title into a feud with...a 56 year old actor in his first real wrestling match. And how much do you wanna bet the actor goes over?

You know, I could see this match at Judgement Day, or Armegeddon, or maybe even a SummerSlam...but WrestleMania 25??? Excuse me, but the ghost of David Arquette (C) just threw up in my brain...

 

[TheOneBigWill]

I haven't yet seen the movie, but it's definately on my list of movies to watch within the next couple of days. As far as the storyline, it seems that the groundwork and unofficial signing of the whole thing has been complete as of tonight on Raw.

It seems that Ric Flair and Roddy Piper may be tagging along for the free photo-opts as well, as Rourke mentioned being trained by them.

I for one am greatly looking forward to this, a lot more than the Big Show/Mayweather fight. Why? Because Chris Jericho is one of the best pure wrestlers (as Shocky mentioned) in the business today. He can make anyone look good, regardless if they have talent or not.

Meanwhile, while this might not be anything great or special, it's something that'll do exactly what the company wants and that's get them into the Main stream spotlight (again) in time for WrestleMania 25. It seems this is the new thing for World Wrestling Entertainment to do each year. Go out, grab a celeb, and allow him to go over one of your top Superstars.

This is no different than L.T./Bigelow, or Mayweather/Big Show, with the exception that this contest might actually be more evenly matched at least through the size of each individual.

Again, I'm greatly looking forward to this showdown. I think it'll be better than what many would expect. Then again, I can't imagine people will expect much of anything, so surely it can out do that.

 

[pyrusane]

Meanwhile, while this might not be anything great or special, it's something that'll do exactly what the company wants and that's get them into the Main stream spotlight (again) in time for WrestleMania 25. It seems this is the new thing for World Wrestling Entertainment to do each year. Go out, grab a celeb, and allow him to go over one of your top Superstars.

Just because its something they are doing a lot doesn't make it a good thing.

This is no different than L.T./Bigelow, or Mayweather/Big Show, with the exception that this contest might actually be more evenly matched at least through the size of each individual.

Actually, I think it's quite a bit different. LT and Mayweather had something in common; they were both dominant athletes in mainstream sports. Rourke, on the other hand, is an actor who played a wrestler in a movie. I have seen the movie, he did an awesome job. Doesn't mean I want to see him in a match at WM25. Just like I don't want to see Sly Stallone try to get into a boxing ring with Mike Tyson.

Ok, maybe that would be awesome...

 

[justinsayne]

Wow...I can't believe people are seriously treating this like a good idea.

because it is a good idea

I mean, the sole benefit I see to this is the mainstream media will have a field day with it, which should spike buy rates.

Well yeah, that's pretty much the whole fucking idea

But the people that would be attracted by this, the ones that wouldn't already be buying WM anyway, well, if this is what it takes to get them to buy, how can you expect them to appreciate Cena/Orton, or HHH/Edge? Hell, they're watching the show to see Mickey freakin' Rourke.

Wow, you really just do not get this do you, Once WWE has their money they don't give a fuck if you are just watching for Rourke or Edge, or Cena, or even fucking Hornswaggle, they don't give a damn they just want you to order the PPV

And who did Jericho piss off to end up in this predicament?

Yeah really, who did the "superstar of the year" piss off to get put in a high profile match at the biggest PPV of the past 25 years, that poor unlucky bastard

He goes from a feud of the year (or decade) candidate feud with HBK into a feud with Batista over the title into a feud with Cena over the title into a feud with...a 56 year old actor in his first real wrestling match. And how much do you wanna bet the actor goes over?

Well yeah, the celberty useally does in these type of matches, LT did against Bam Bam, Maywether did last year, even K-Fed did over Cena, why wouldn't you put the Celeb over, christ dude they're giving a guy who has had legit training, and will likely continue to get legit training until WM a match, you're making it sound as if they putting Paris fucking Hilton in the damn ring or some shit

You know, I could see this match at Judgement Day, or Armegeddon, or maybe even a SummerSlam...but WrestleMania 25??? Excuse me, but the ghost of David Arquette (C) just threw up in my brain...

Dude, they are trying to draw buys for the biggest show of the fucking year, it makes perfect sense to do this match here, any other PPV would be just dumb

 

[pyrusane]

Wow, you really just do not get this do you, Once WWE has their money they don't give a fuck if you are just watching for Rourke or Edge, or Cena, or even fucking Hornswaggle, they don't give a damn they just want you to order the PPV

Someone doesn't get it, that's for sure, but I think it's you. I'm not denying that they are trying to spike the buyrate, but they most definitely do "give a damn." Making the money off of WM is such a small part of why they do this. The ultimate goal is to try to grab the attention of people who don't normally watch the show, not just so that they will buy one PPV, but hopefully so that they will continue to watch afterwards.

Last year, with Mayweather, they attempted to draw in fans that would be attracted by the idea of a boxer going against a huge (physically speaking) wrestler. They had a guy that, while he was physically waaay smaller than his opponent, had a legitimate shot at beating him due to his background. Mayweather beating Big Show doesn't hurt anything because Mayweather has established himself as a boxer, and a damn good one.

When LT fought Bam Bam, there really wasn't a whole lot of damage to be done there either. If Bam Bam wins, well, its his job, he's supposed to. If LT wins, hey, he's a legitimate bad ass, and it translates from the football field to the wrestling ring. Not to mention that this was in the age of kayfabe, and before the internet.

KFed going over Cena was risky, but at least it was done to further the storyline with Edge. If he goes over clean, then you have just killed any credibility Cena has. But KFed wasn't the focus of the storyline, he was just a prop for Edge.

In this case, you're talking about a guy that a couple of months ago had the WHC, and now he's going to job to a 56 year old actor at WM25. Just because that actor played a wrestler (and a past-his-prime wrestler at that) in a ver good movie about wrestling.

While we're at it, let's book HBK to win the EC at NWO, then at WM25 put him in a match with HHH (lots of initials there...) Trips pokes Shawn in the chest with one finger, Shawn drops like a rock, Trips covers for the title. That worked so well in WCW, just like this idea...

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I mean, the sole benefit I see to this is the mainstream media will have a field day with it, which should spike buy rates.

Which is why WWE are doing this. Mayweather & trump were a success. If WWE want to do a similar number at this year's event, and ones in the future, they'll have to get some sort of celebrity involvement.

But the people that would be attracted by this, the ones that wouldn't already be buying WM anyway, well, if this is what it takes to get them to buy, how can you expect them to appreciate Cena/Orton, or HHH/Edge? Hell, they're watching the show to see Mickey freakin' Rourke.

People like us are going to buy the show anyway. To get big numbers WWE needs to attract casual fans into buying the show, and try to get some new ones.

More people will buy the show for Mickey Rourke than they will for the wrestlers they see for free each week on TV.

And who did Jericho piss off to end up in this predicament? He goes from a feud of the year (or decade) candidate feud with HBK into a feud with Batista over the title into a feud with Cena over the title into a feud with...a 56 year old actor in his first real wrestling match. And how much do you wanna bet the actor goes over?

Big Show losing to Mayweather didn't harm him. Mostly because they did a flawless job of booking the match.

Jericho is probably in the most enviable spot on the card. He's in the match that'll draw, and he's in a match where he needs to be on top of his game. He hasn't got a talented performer to work along side, if it fails then it's all on his head. He should thrive off the situation.

You know, I could see this match at Judgement Day, or Armegeddon, or maybe even a SummerSlam...but WrestleMania 25??? Excuse me, but the ghost of David Arquette (C) just threw up in my brain...

People still talk about David Arquette 8 year's later, and that was a bad angle. What if this is a good one?

Bare in mind that he's up for an Oscar. If he wins you can expect the finish to involve Rourke cheating by hitting him with the award. That could be one of the most enduring images in WrestleMania history.

 

[McClure]

My first impression was "oh dear god, Chris Jericho is going to job to Mickey Rourke."

I really hope I'm wrong. I wouldn't mind the match, but for the love of god have Jericho win.

 

[Papa Shango]

Why would they have Jericho win? What does a win against an actor mean to him? Nothing. What effect does it have on the fans? Nothing. To have Mickey Rourke beat Chris Jericho would be an enduring memory and an all time Wrestlemania moment. Especially, if like Jake said, Rourke wins the Oscar and uses it in the match. Not the real Oscar though, that would be irresponsible.

 

[McClure]

Why would they have Jericho win? What does a win against an actor mean to him? Nothing. What effect does it have on the fans? Nothing. To have Mickey Rourke beat Chris Jericho would be an enduring memory and an all time Wrestlemania moment. Especially, if like Jake said, Rourke wins the Oscar and uses it in the match. Not the real Oscar though, that would be irresponsible.

He may have nothing to win, but to take your top heel (and not to mention top wrestler of 2008) and have him lose to a 56 year old actor would kill all of his credibility. Screw this "enduring memory" crap, as a WWE fan, I really don't a damn about Mickey Rourke and I could care less if having him win gives us a "Wrestlemania moment." If he was facing Flair or hell, Jake Roberts, then I might care.

And don't say "oh, it didn't kill The Big Show". There's a huge difference as he was facing a professional boxer who was in his prime and considered the best in the world. It's also important to note that Jericho could realistically be in a main event title match at WM25, Big Show had no chance of doing that at WM24.

 

[My$terio_Fan]

This is going to be a big angle. They have already got press from this, Rourke made the announcement on Acess Hollywood at the Sags. I have seen it be replayed on AH aswell as Entertainment Tonight. Then you have Rourke and Jericho on Larry King. Right now there is so much attention on Rourke and all of this is free promotion for the WWE.

Rourke will be making more appearances on Talkshows and entertainment shows which will only give the WWE more publicity. Then if Rourke can win the Oscar he will have so much buzz and publicity it will just give the WWE even more promotion. I think this is a smart move for the WWE to get Rourke and if the Oscar goes to him(which it might)just imagine if he mentions Jericho or the WWE in his speech! And even if he doesn't win the WWE is already receiving tons of free promotion which in turn will only help Wrestlemania even more

As for the match, I think it could be good. I don't think anybody thought the BigShow vs. Mayweather match would be as good as it was and with Jericho(Who can give it like no other)this could be a very decent match(entertaining at the very least). Also with mention of Flair and Piper it just adds more depth to the angle.

 

[Papa Shango]

He may have nothing to win, but to take your top heel (and not to mention top wrestler of 2008) and have him lose to a 56 year old actor would kill all of his credibility.

How? Mickey Rourke is bigger than Chris Jericho, and is a former boxer and legit bad ass. In fact, in a fight, Rourke would be the favorite over Jericho. And given that Rourke DOES have SOME wrestling training, and he and Jericho are pretty evenly matched if you were to pretend that this were a real match.

Screw this "enduring memory" crap, as a WWE fan, I really don't a damn about Mickey Rourke and I could care less if having him win gives us a "Wrestlemania moment." If he was facing Flair or hell, Jake Roberts, then I might care.

So this is only a big deal because he's facing a wrestler you like. Were Rourke facing someone you didn't like, say, The Great Khali, you would have no problem with Rourke getting the win?

And don't say "oh, it didn't kill The Big Show". There's a huge difference as he was facing a professional boxer who was in his prime and considered the best in the world.

A boxer who couldn't even reach Big Show's head without the help of a step ladder, against the biggest athlete in the world, who had ALSO trained in boxing. There was a HUGE difference in size between the two, so much so that, were it not for the best booking to be seen out of the WWE in the last five years, Big Show WOULD have lost credibility.

It's also important to note that Jericho could realistically be in a main event title match at WM25

But he's not going to. Instead, he'll be getting a different honor; carrying Mickey Rourke in what is going to be the most highly publicized match on the card. As a Chris Jericho fan, you should appreciate the honor being bestowed on him. There's a reason he's being put in this position, and that's because he's so damn good.

Big Show had no chance of doing that at WM24.

Because he had JUST returned and was immediately put into the Mayweather feud.

 

[NSL]

I like what they're doing with this, because WrestleMania has always had it's share of celebrity appearances. But, I agree with almost everyone that Jericho is the wrong guy for it.

As Jake said, it'll be heavily rehearsed, so it comes off well, and so Rourke doesn't get legitimately hurt. The match will probably be mostly Jericho kicking his ass, and showing him how "real" wrestling is, and schooling him in every aspect of wrestling. Then, he'll get arrogant, miss the Lionsault, and Rourke will probably win with an elbow drop (his finisher from the movie from what I've seen), and a figure four (hey, he is being trained by Flair and Piper).

Rourke will almost definitely go over, but it should be enetertaining to watch...

Instead of Jericho, I'd let it be someone like JBL, who has the bully gimmick down, and would be a good heel for Rourke, since he will almost instantly be over with the crowd. Jericho can work a match 10,000 times better than JBL, but he could do something better here...

 

[Fratelli]

bad idea. yes by all means bring rouke into wrestlemania good publicity and will get more people intresting but him wrestling could turn into a total abortion. no disrespect to y2j or rourke but i dont believe they can pull off a decent match, why not just have rourke and a legit wrestler face jericho in a handicapt match after y2j vs rourke on raw, rourke gets "injured" and jericho lets him manage a wrestler of his choice but rourke wants to fight and y2j accepts a handicapt challange match. i personally dnt want 2 c y2j wasted fighting a man with no wrestling experience at a landmark wrestlemania event

 

[McClure]

How? Mickey Rourke is bigger than Chris Jericho, and is a former boxer and legit bad ass. In fact, in a fight, Rourke would be the favorite over Jericho. And given that Rourke DOES have SOME wrestling training, and he and Jericho are pretty evenly matched if you were to pretend that this were a real match.

Maybe you're right, but you have to remember that this is wrestling and having a current main eventer lose to a celebrity would be as bad as having a current champion lose to a celebrity... Oh wait, that already happened.

So this is only a big deal because he's facing a wrestler you like. Were Rourke facing someone you didn't like, say, The Great Khali, you would have no problem with Rourke getting the win?

Oh no, I would still have a problem with that. What I meant was that if Jericho (not Rourke) was facing Flair or Piper or Roberts, then I might care about having the old guy get the win.

But he's not going to. Instead, he'll be getting a different honor; carrying Mickey Rourke in what is going to be the most highly publicized match on the card. As a Chris Jericho fan, you should appreciate the honor being bestowed on him. There's a reason he's being put in this position, and that's because he's so damn good.

I do appreciate it, I just don't want him to lose.

 

[OIL]

Why Jericho and Rourke? i don't remember anything being said between the two of them, so why those two?

But you could say that about anyone on the WWE roster. I mean, if Rourke called out HBK instead of Jericho then everyone would still be just as confused. WWE will probably get Rourke to say that he's been following Jericho for a long time, and doesn't like him or something. Bing bang bosh, you have your match. But if Jericho loses this match, I may just cry. I know the celebs usually come into 'Mania and win, but in this case, it would do more for Jericho by him defeating Rourke than it would do for Rourke defeating Jericho. I said the same about Big Show & Mayweather last year. It did barely anything for Mayweather, but a win for Big Show would have been more effective.

 

[justinsayne]

This is were our smarkness tends to ruin things for us, if we were all just casual fans and and saw this coming we would be interested and look forward to see what happens, but because we 'know the business" or think we know the business, we tend to criticize the angle more, especially since the wrestler involved in the angle this year happens to be Jericho, one of the IWCs favorite sons, if it were someone like say JBL most of the people who are throwing a shit fit over the angle would likely not give a shit, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this angle so far, not a damn thing

 

[CCS]

Ahhhhh dammnit. I was actually looking foward to a wrestling match between Jericho and Rourke. But after last night when they was both on Larry King it doesnt look like we'll get to see that. Rourke has impressed me with his willingness to learn about the pro wrestling industry.So I think he would be able to work a pretty good entertaining match with Y2J at wrestlemania. I know it wouldnt be a 5 star classic but it would be pretty damn entertaining.

 

[Shocky]

That's just a sampling of the last two wrestlemanias where the Celebrity has been involved heavily with the show. The last two wrestlemanis, Mcmahon and Trump were the feature above the title matches, and last year Big Show and Mayweather were the feature above the championship matches. Yes, we all know the title matches go last, but make no mistake about it, outside of our realm as wrestling fans, the biggest match of those respective nights were the ones involving celebrities.

When you add in a guy like Chris Jericho, how is this not going to work. Rewing yourself two years ago and the situation immediately following the Benoit Murder/Suicide. Who was the most vocal person that made the best impression for the business. Chris Jericho. Chris Jericho is a name that was out there, all while not with the WWE by the way, and he was making his name to everyone. He came across as the best, and most well reserved ambassador for the business during that time. Chris Jericho is a familiar name with those that aren't familiar with the business. Chris Jericho has a good look, and doesn't sound like an idiot. Chris Jericho comes across well educated and isn't over the top. Exactly the type of person you want for this role.

The Celebrity factor of Wrestlemania isn't going away. It's something that the WWE has once again tapped into. A guy like Mickey Rourke, who is no Johnny Knoxville or whatever D'List celebrity the WWE may have once gone after, is going to give 100% to this. You're dealing with a solid A List Celebrity that wants to participate in Wrestlemania. This guy is being offered roles, including the lead foe in Iron Man 2, and he wants to be a part of Wrestlemania.

Why Jericho was chosen and Not someone like JBL, simple. The almight Lord himself could come down and bless JBL with wrestling ability, and he still wouldn't be able to have a good match. Chris Jericho can have a great match with almost anyone, and that's why he was chosen. It started last night with the Larry King segment, Jericho is a media darling, and he can come across as very believable. The WWE knows who there best guy is to deal with the Media, and someone that can handle the hype, and that is Chris Jericho. Chris Jericho, single handedly, is going to be asked to go out and sell wrestlemania 25 to the non wrestling fans out there. What bigger honor is ther then that? How is that being disrespectul to Chris Jericho? If anything, the WWE is giving him the top honor.

 

[Harthan]

I'm actually pretty excited about this, as it was a given we'd get a celebrity involvement and they picked the absolutely best celebrity for WrestleMania. I just really, really hope Rourke gets Best Actor at the Awards now (though it's probably unlikely), because that would make this all the more better. I honestly can't think of a better celebrity to get involved here outside of tapping into the UFC, and we all know that won't be happening.

It seems like maybe they're going for a No DQ match again, as Rourke has talked about brass knuckles and such, but I think what they might be heading for it Rourke appearing in character, as Randy "The Ram" Robinson, and wrestling Jericho straight up. Rourke has already had some small wrestling training from doing the movie, and he'll get a hell of a lot more for WrestleMania, as well as several rehearsals of the match. If Mayweather/Show turned out to be good, as it did last year, then Rourke/Jericho has huge potential. Rourke will have more training than Mayweather, and will be wrestling a far superior guy than Show in Jericho, so this match could wind up to be really good. The worst that can happen from this match is that it's merely decent, but any way you slice it it'll get the WWE more mainstream attention than Mayweather did. Anything that makes more buyrates for WrestleMania and more viewers for TV is a plus for me.

It's an angle with loads of potential for the match and for promos as well, as we all know Jericho is great on the mic and Rourke is, after all, a Best Actor nominee, so he should be able to pull it off. The only thing that worries me is Rourke's age limiting his time in the ring, but hopefully with a lot of work he'll be able to get out a strong showing at WrestleMania.

All in all, I'm excited for it and it's easily the best celebrity choice that could have been made for WrestleMania.

 

[D-Man]

Actually, I think it's quite a bit different. LT and Mayweather had something in common; they were both dominant athletes in mainstream sports. Rourke, on the other hand, is an actor who played a wrestler in a movie.

Does everyone forget that Rourke is a former boxer? He left the business of acting for years in pursuit of a competitive boxing career. He is a legitimate athlete.