WWE’s first ever movie, No Holds Barred, is also the very first starring role that Hulk Hogan ever had. Hogan plays WWE Champion Rip Thomas, the most popular wrestler in the WWE (a real stretch). A nefarious television network executive (no, not Eric Bischoff) attempts to lure Rip away but when he can’t, the executive brings in his own champion, Zeus.

Related: Hulk Hogan Vs. Sgt. Slaughter: 10 Things Most Fans Don't Realize About Their Rivalry

The big monster wants Rip in the worst way and targets his brother Brut… err Randy (not Savage), and anyone else just to get Rip in the big match. Depending on when you grew up or how you feel about Hogan, No Holds Barred is either one of the quintessential eighties movies, a complete dumpster fire, or somewhere in between. Here are some things you might not know about No Holds Barred.

8 It’s Not The First Wrestling Movie

Hulk Hogan As Rip

While there have been plenty of wrestlers (The Swedish Angel, Ox Baker, and Hogan himself) that have been part of other movies, No Holds Barred isn’t the first movie that covered the wrestling business. In fact, there was once a comedy called No Holds Barred from 1952, about a guy who gets super powers and joined the business. But for a more nuanced take on the business check out Verne Gagne’s film, The Wrestler and Stallone’s Paradise Alley, each predating No Holds Barred by about a decade.

7 The Axe Bomber

Hulk Hogan Posing As Rip

Big Boot - Legdrop, Hogan must pose. This is the formula that worked for the WWE for nearly a decade and for Hulkamania throughout his entire career.

Related: 10 Weirdest Direct To DVD Movies Wrestlers Acted InBut when the Hulkster ventured to New Japan, he utilized a devastating running axe handle appropriately named the Axe Bomber. Rather than deliver the big move American fans were used to in the film, Rip Thomas used the big Axe Bomber to finish off opponents.

6 Creative Control

Zeus The Eye Of The Madness

Being the first-ever film starring Hogan, and the first produced by Vince McMahon, you can bet that the Chairman wanted as much control as Hollywood would cede to him. The script was initially written by Denis Hackin, who wrote a few movies before and after. But Hulk And Vince for whatever reason didn’t like Hackin’s original treatment and spent about three days in a hotel room rewriting it. When it came to the finale, according to Hogan, he wound up daydreaming the entire battle while using the restroom.

5 Turning Down Starrcast

Brell Introduces Zeus

Kurt Fuller has made a career of playing executive scumbags. But one of his earliest is also his least liked. He once told The AV Club as much in an interview, even told a story about how Hogan actually shoved a check down his throat - “I won’t be here when this clears!” He even joked about wanting to remove the movie from his IMDb profile. When The Podfather himself, Conrad Thompson tried to book Fuller for one of his Starrcast conventions, the actor turned down the payday.

4 A Buff Extra

Rip Vs Zeus

As with just about every movie in the history of movies, background actors and extra actors are always on set to flesh out the world of the movie. No Holds Barred was no different and it was actually the first time that a certain “Handsome Stranger” crossed paths with Hulk Hogan and WWE. Several year ago, on the Horror Movie BBQ website, it was revealed that a young Marcus Alexander Bagwell was part of the cast of extras in the movie.

3 WrestleMania VI

Hulk Hogan As Rip In No Holds BArred

WrestleMania VI at Skydome was going to be the setting for the real-world confrontation between Hulk Hogan and Zeus. The big guy, despite being an actor, was just too angry that Hogan beat him in the movie and wanted revenge.

Related: Hulk Hogan's Last 10 WWE PPV Matches Ranked From Worst To BestHe tried to get it teaming up with the Macho Man at SummerSlam and later Ted DiBiase’s team at Survivor Series. But neither of those options worked, he was just going to do it on his own at WrestleMania VI. Or at least that was the original plan. But Tiny Lister didn’t know how to work at all and thankfully cooler heads prevailed to avert this match.

2 Even The Financials Are A Work

Mark Pellegrino As Randy Thomas

The film didn’t do terrible at the box office. In its opening weekend, No Holds Barred opened up second, behind the mega-blockbuster Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. According to Box Office Mojo, the film eventually made approximately $16 million and Vince financed the film for $8 million.

Related: Ruthless Aggression: Ranking Hulk Hogan's 10 Best Matches From This Era, RankedBut after marketing and distribution costs, the Chairman more or less broke even. Hulk Hogan supposedly promised him a check to recoup funds, but as of an October 1997 Raw, according to Vince, the check was still in the mail.

1 Jim Johnston

Hulk Hogan Whats That Smel

For years, the real voice of WWE came from the music studio of Jim Johnston. Johnston had scored countless theme songs during his over thirty years with the company. Nearly every iconic superstar’s entrance song was composed by the maestro himself. Wrestling’s answer to John Williams was also the man behind the music of No Holds Barred. Along with John Joyce on vocals, the two crafted and 80s-tastic title track. Clearly the song was great for Joyce’s career, there is zero information about him online.