'Wrestler' director calls for a wrestling union

January 6, 3:10 PMPro Wrestling ExaminerMark Satrang

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It really seems as if Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” is a passion project for the director. But then again this only Aronofsky’s fourth feature film in ten years so it seems obvious that all of his projects are passion projects.

“The Wrestler,” however, has really picked up a lot of buzz in Hollywood recently with a lot of Academy Award talk being floated around. So it’s no surprise that Aronofsky himself has been doing a lot of promotion of the film through various media outlets. However one thing that the director has been doing well is going to the built-in professional wrestling fan base to do promotion for the film as well. He’s smart enough to realize the film has a base of people that has been ready and waiting for a “wrestling movie” that actually treats the industry with some respect.

Apparently through working on this film, Aronofsky has also gained a newfound respect for the men and women who perform in the pro wrestling industry. In an interview he recently did with Alfonso Castillo, who writes as part of “The Steel Cage” on Newsday.com, he calls for wrestlers to be able to join the Screen Actors Guild, which is the union that serves actors in Hollywood. Aronofsky was quoted as saying:

"You make choices in life to do certain things. I just believe you’ve got to be responsible for your choices. I don’t think it’s worth blaming anyone. But I think the problem starts with the fact that they’re not organized and they’re not unionized. That’s the main problem. I mean, there’s really no reason why these guys are not in SAG. They’re as much screen actors as stuntmen. If not more. They’re in front of a camera performing and doing stunts, and they should have that protection. That’s the only thing that for me came out of it. Why doesn’t SAG help get these guys organized? They’re on TV performing. Or, if they’re not even on TV, the ring is a theater. So they’re not just screen actors, they’re theater actors. They’re performers. They should have insurance and they should have health insurance and they should be protected.”

He goes onto say later on in the interview:

“I think it’s 50/50. I think it’s as much sport as it is theater, and vice versa. If you are a 250-pound man, it’s athletic. It’s a reality. These guys are working out there. They’re sweating out there. They’re risking their health out there. But they’re also selling the moves as much as they can. So I think it’s 50/50. Sports-entertainment. I think they go together well.”

This is what I brought up a few days ago in when I talked about Congress’ investigation of steroids in pro wrestling how there are many things lacking in wrestling that would ensure the performers’ health and safety. A union for the wrestlers is just one problem facing the industry. Former wrestler and Minnesota governor Jesse “The Body” Ventura started talk of a wrestlers’ union in the ‘80s, but promoters and higher-ups shut down the talk almost immediately.

Perhaps something like “The Wrestler” is the spark that is needed to further change.

As an added tidbit, in its three weeks in limited release “The Wrestler” has earned $1,756,000. The film was shown in 18 theaters, for an average of $24,000 per theater. The film will expand into many more cities this coming Friday, January 9, including Minneapolis, and will continue to expand across the country throughout the month of January.