"Body Slam" (1987)
 

"Body Slam" was released in 1987, and starred Dirk Benedict ("The A-Team", "Battlestar Galactica") and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper ("They Live".)

Back in the 80's when I was a HUGE wrestling fan, I stumbled across this movie and rented it in a second (me as a teen: "A movie ABOUT wrestling? I'm so gonna watch that!")

Benedict plays a down on his luck manager who, desperatly looking for a way back into the limelight, takes on a pro wrestler (Piper) as his new charge, but fails to realize how cut throat the business is.

Ok sure, "Body Slam" is no landmark cinematic achievement, but certainly it qualifies as a guilty pleasure. For an former (or current) wrestling fans, the film features quite a few appearances by some legends, including Bruno Sammartino, Capt. Lou Albano and Ric Flair.

I don't believe the film got a theatrical release (it just looks direct-to-video) and for years, I had no idea which studio owned the rights. Well, it was broadcast on Encore today and wouldn't ya know it, the MGM logo appeared at the end, so I think it's safe to assume it's an MGM title.

So if anyone from MGM ever reads this, maybe you guys can find a slot in 2004's schedule for a "Body Slam" DVD. Widescreen please

If anyone would like to write MGM and ask for a release, here's their address;

MGM Home Entertainment
2500 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90404-3061

I saw this on TV as well and thought it was hilarious. MGM is pretty good about catalog releases, as we all know, so it shouldn't be long until we see something like this (especially if pro wrestling once again becomes as popular as it was a few years back).

I've definitely seen bits and pieces of that flick a few years back...definitely enteraining nostalgia....

What other wrestling movies are there?

I'd love to see a DVD release of "I Like to Hurt People" which if I remember correctly was more of a documentary than anything else, which included tons of footage of The Original Sheik, Dusty Rhodes, Andre the Giant and others. Some pretty bloody stuff, but that's a given with The Sheik (RIP) around!

Beyond the Mat was excellent, never seen a movie that revealing about any sport, let alone wrestling, showing how hard it is on everyone.

What was that flop of a flick with Oliver Platt as a wrestler with David Arquette in it? Is that flick the reason why he ended up being a WCW champion at one point? Talk about putting the final nail in the coffin for WCW......

Anything else? Oh, another flick, but not wrestling related, but with a wrestler in it that was pretty damn good was "They Live!" with Rowdy Roddy Piper. Good old fashion sci-fi aliens are takin over sort of flick.

I could name two more that I would KILL to have on DVD. "No Holds Barred" and "Bret Hart: Wrestling With Shadows".

It was also sad. Half of the wrestlers that were role models to so many people in the 80's are all drug addicts or dead now. Jake Robert's story is unbelievable.

Ready to Rumble was a horrible insult by WCW to wrestling fans. What was even worse was when they gave the world belt to David A. on nitro ....

What about No Holds Barred?

Hal Needham's best work sans Reynolds

"Smilack!!!!!!!"

No doubt...the Bret Hart: Wrestling With Shadows would be great to have on DVD...securely holding on to my VHS until that sucker shows up....

Nature Boy, what's the "Smilack" reference all about?

And what came first, the chicken or the egg? Actually, no, that's not what I meant to ask. What I meant was, which disgrace came first: Arquette wearing the world title, or that disgrace of a movie?

Well now that Sony owns MGM, I doubt we'll be seeing "Body Slam" on DVD in...our lifetime.

The Backyard is pretty cool.

There's also a DVD of Smashing Machine out (which I'm told is great).

I would kill HHH's career for a MGM Double Feature of Body Slam & Grunt: The Wrestling Movie (if they own it), Hell i'll kill HHH's career for free. :)