When it comes to movies about the professional wrestling business, there aren't many great ones for fans to enjoy in the same way audiences for other sports can. However, The Wrestler, which starred Mickey Rourke as the lead character changed all of that, bringing together an amazing story and some breathtaking performances.

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People know a lot about the overall story of the movie itself due to how popular it has become with wrestling fans, however, there are further details that a lot of people may not know. Whether it is about the movie directly, or other aspects coming out of that, there are plenty of interesting facts from this iconic story that showed the tough underbelly of the business, not the glitz and glamor of a major promotion like WWE.

10 Mickey Rourke's First Oscar Nomination

Mickey Rourke Cropped

Mickey Rourke is an iconic actor that has been in plenty of great movies throughout his career, but it wasn't until he got the lead role in The Wrestler that he was nominated for an Oscar. The Academy saw something in his performance as Randy The Ram that connected, earning him great plaudits.

While he ultimately didn't win Best Actor at the Oscars, but he did take the award in that category Best Actor for the Drama category at the Golden Globes, which was a major success for him as an actor.

9 Pulled WrestleMania Match

Mickey Rourke Vs Chris Jericho

The Oscar nomination was a big moment for Mickey Rourke as an actor, but it did negatively impact some WrestleMania plans that Vince McMahon had put together. Originally to promote the movie, Rourke was going to compete in a singles match against Chris Jericho at WrestleMania 25, but the Oscars brought an end to that.

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Rourke's team felt that being involved in professional wrestling would have taken away from the serious performance that he had put on, and the decision was made to pull him from the contest, which led to Jericho facing legends with Rourke at ringside.

8 In-Ring Training

Mickey Rourke In The Wrestler

Had the planned match between Mickey Rourke and Chris Jericho taken place, the chances are that the actor would have been able to put on an impressive outing. That's because he did have some legitimate wrestling training as part of the process for being involved in The Wrestler.

He got the chance to work with Afa Anoa'i of the Wild Samoans, Jon Trosky (aka Supreme Lee Great), and Tom Farra, which helped him develop the skills needed for the in-ring work that took place during the movie.

7 ROH Connection

The Wrestler

The Wrestler was never connected to a major promotion such as WWE or TNA, but there was a small link to Ring Of Honor at that time, which made sense considering the level that Mickey Rourke's character was working at during that point in the movie.

Some of the movie scenes were taped during an ROH show, and that is why the branding for the promotion can be seen at points. Rourke's character holds an ROH microphone, and banners can be seen around the building, which did get them a little plug.

6 Cameo Appearances

Claudio Castagnoli in The Wrestler Movie

Any movie that is called The Wrestler is bound to have expectations from fans regarding cameo appearances from those in the business, and this didn't disappoint. Some are obvious as they get to have a couple of lines, and others are less clear as they're just shown in the background.

However, many legitimate wrestlers end up being part of this movie, from R-Truth and Claudio Castagnoli to Jay Lethal and Nigel McGuinness, there are many cameos for fans to keep their eyes peeled for.

5 Blading

Mickey Rourke bleeding

At one point in The Wrestler, Mickey Rourke's character ends up being busted open, which is done to add drama to the movie and show another aspect of the wrestling business. With this being a Hollywood movie, it would have been easy to use makeup to help enhance this situation.

However, that wasn't the case as Rourke wanted things to be more realistic and gritty. Because of that, he took the old-school wrestling approach and ended up blading himself during the scene to get some color on his own that was legitimate.

4 Hulk Hogan's Claims

Hulk Hogan

Because many wrestlers are now involved in the movie business, if this movie was created nowadays there is a good chance someone with a legitimate background in the business would take on the lead role. However, at that time, wrestlers hadn't burst out into the world of Hollywood.

However, Hulk Hogan has claimed before that he was offered the lead role in this movie, and he ended up turning it down. The director of the project has disputed these statements, but Hogan himself does state that he was offered it.

3 Rourke's Original Feelings

Mickey Rourke Blading

Taking on this role is something that ended up being a great decision for Mickey Rourke, but at first, he was a little cautious about getting involved with this movie. Initially, he didn't connect with the script, and felt that it wasn't truly grounded within the wrestling world.

Because of that, he got to work alongside the director and ended up re-working many aspects of the script overall, mainly for those scenes that involved him, as he sorted things out to make them work better for himself.

2 Plaudits From Wrestlers

Bret Hart Now

While fans have certain views of the wrestling industry, and they are knowledgeable about the product, nobody knows the business more than those who have been involved in it themselves. That is why hearing their thoughts on the movie was an important aspect that fans should understand.

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Many greats loved this story, with Vince McMahon, Bret Hart, Roddy Piper, Ric Flair, and Mick Foley being just a few legends of the industry who loved the movie.

1 Original Plans

Nic Cage actor

Mickey Rourke is best associated with The Wrestler at this point in his life, with the movie being considered to be his greatest work as an actor. However, while he was always the number one person the director wanted to play the role, at that time the studio was pushing for another man.

That was Nicolas Cage, who is another highly esteemed actor that has put together an incredible career in his own right was considered, as the studio wanted him to take on the lead role, but that didn't end up happening.