Catching up with some of da local boys…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
When Harrah wrestling coach Bryan Miller started to tell me about his fund-raising event more than a month ago, I was pretty excited.
Not necessarily for the event but because of the names I was hearing. It was going to give me a chance to check in with some of the former Oklahoma high school standout wrestlers.
It was a blast from the past in one aspect and then a look at the future in another at the Harrah Fight Night on Saturday.
I was at Shawnee during Gary Frazier’s senior season. I’m happy to hear he is landing on his feet. He’s still quite the presence. Frazier was a two-time state champion for Shawnee and won his MMA bout by first-round TKO.
Former teammate Aaron Smith also was a two-time champion and went on to Oregon. Frazier told me Smith is thinking about heading into the MMA world, even coming to the gym last month.
The two used to battle each other and both were made the better for it. Frazier said they used to play “toetaps” where you see who can tap the other’s toe from the standing position. He said it really helped out in footwork and movement.
Smith is shooting for a degree in petroleum engineering, so he has a future somewhere, be it there or in MMA.
Frazier trains with Matt Grice and said his favorite fighter is Anderson Silva. Good choice. He said Silva because of the way he can attack with the knees.
Also spoke with Harrah product Tony Quintero. He’s hoping to go to Bacone to wrestle, but he looked impressive in his first-round TKO on Saturday.
Quintero has a solid, compact frame and said his favorite fighter is B.J. Penn. Penn is not just his favorite, he’s Quintero’s all-time favorite. He’s trying to model his game after Penn, but you know that’s not easy to do.
Most impressed with Harrah graduate Levi Queen in his win Saturday. He’s going to be a sophomore at Central Oklahoma this year and hopes to perhaps play football.
He missed out on sports last season because of a communication error, but he’s been training and looks in great shape.
His favorite fighter is Forrest Griffin. Griffin is the working man’s hero, for sure. It’s not surprising how big of a following he has.
Caught up with Shawnee coach Jeff Chamblin. He pretty much nailed it: “I would prefer these kids not get involved. But they’re grown men now and make their own decisions. If they’re going to be in it, might as well go in the full way.”
That’s true, just have to accept this is what the kids want and support them. Always good to speak with Chamblin and his assistant, Jason Merrell.
It was the first MMA event for Thunder P.A. announcer Jim Miller. Most know him as the Thunder guy, he’ll always just be the Harrah tennis coach for me. Always enjoy chatting it up with Miller.
Now turn my attention to four-time state champion from Harrah, Matt Grice. He’s fighting at UFC 100 on July 11 in Las Vegas. And I’m going to head to one of his training sessions this week.
Harrah boys steal show…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
If it was 100 degrees outside, then it had to be at least 110 degrees inside the Harrah gym Saturday night for the Harrah Fight Night.
It was the elephant in the room during what was a great night for the fund-raiser for the Harrah wrestling team and a solid night of MMA action.
My shirt was drenched with sweat, water and a little blood, but it was a great event with a great, enthusiastic crowd.
There ended up being 13 bouts and nobody quite stood out more than the Harrah kids, Tony Quintero and Levi Queen.
Quintero took on Jessie Haugen of Claremore and actually had to feel his way out in the first 15 seconds or so.
However, he landed a big right hand that sent Haugen retreating from one side of the cage to the other, and it was over about 10 seconds later.
The other Harrah boy, Levi Queen, is a beast. Or should I say machine as is his moniker? At 215, he is cut up. He looks in fantastic shape and had little problem in taking out Jonas Malone of Cushing.
Queen got him down and a solid ground-and-pound game had it over in the first 30 seconds, much to the delight of the hometown crowd.
Other notes
- What a way to start the show with a highlight-reel kick from Steven Gibson that left Jeff Davis down and out for a good couple of minutes. It showed right away that this wasn’t just going to be a charity event. There would be real fights with real consequences.
- I wrote about Gary Frazier, a former Shawnee High star. He had little problem in disposing of Jessie Sinks in round 1, but he was upset the fight was called.
Frazier opened up a nasty cut over the left eye of Sinks. There was no way he could continue, but Frazier was livid about it.
It took him a couple of minutes to calm down, and then he realized what was up and showed good sportsmanship.
That’s Frazier, for ya. He’s a nice kid outside the cage. But get him in there and lookout is all I’m going to tell you.
- The best fight was the semi-main event between Edmond’s Timothy Elliot (with Jared Hess in his corner) against Norman’s Shane Howell (with the Shawnee crew I know in his corner).
With about 5 seconds left in the third round, Howell got the TKO victory as both men were just exhausted, had nothing left in the tank.
I had Howell winning bout anyway, but the TKO victory put away any doubt there might have been.
When it comes to these events, sometimes it’s more fun for me to watch the corners and their strategy and trying to keep their fighter in the game.
- In the main event, a steady dose of leg kicks led Ryan McCurdy of Choctaw to a victory against Matt Bean of Mustang. Bean was a four-time state champion at Mustang but had no answer to the leg attack.
It took him out of his game, and he was forced to back pedal most of the night. Scores (mine, too) were 30-27 across the board.
Harrah coach Bryan Miller said the event was a tremendous success, and he was thrilled with the quality of the fights.
I had a good time in my first trip to Harrah, wouldn’t mind going back.
Quickie Results
Steven Gibson, Yale, TKO 1 Jeff Davis, El Reno (big leg kick)
Robert Blackstone, Midwest City, Submission 1 Jacob Johnson, Norman (guillotine)
Scotty Taylor, Shawnee, UD 3 Donald Parenzan, MWC (30-27, Boneman had it 29-28)
Edwin Coleman, Del City, Submission 1 Richard McDonald (Coleman overcame nasty cut and wore out McDonald)
Rocky Cranford, Sallisaw, TKO 2 Drew Hill, MWC
Tony Quintero, Harrah, TKO 1 Jessie Haugen, Claremore
Gary Frazier, Shawnee, TKO 1 Jessie Sinks, Norman
Jeremiah Haynes, Cushing, Submission 2 Aaron Radcliff, Choctaw
Jeremy Spoon, Chickasha, Submission 1 Chris Barnes, Sapulpa (rear-naked choke)
Levi Queen, Harrah, TKO 1 Jonas Malone, Cushing
Ronnie Douglas, Edmond, Submission 1 Kyle Sjafiroeddin (armbar)
Shane Howell, Norman, TKO 3 Timothy Elliot, Edmond
Ryan McCurdy, Choctaw, UD 3 Matt Bean, Mustang
Back tomorrow with an update on some of the local products from the Harrah show.
Harrah fund-raising card…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
The Boneman is on his hype machine. Hey, it’s for a good cause. And I’m not the only only who feels that way.
Oklahoma State Athletic Commission director Joe Miller said he would love to be at the Harrah event Saturday night but will be at another fighting event in the state.
To recap, it’s a 14-bout card to help support the Harrah wrestling team. Five professional bouts and nine amateur bouts. Most of the amateur bouts will be the debut bouts for many former local wrestling stars.
Fights start at 6:30, with the doors opening at 5:30. $10 general admission still remain. Contact Harrah coach Bryan Miller at (405) 640-0006 for more info.
The Card (subject to change)
Ryan McCardy vs. Matt Bean (four-time state champion at Mustang)
Tim Elliot vs. Shane Howell
Kyle Sfafiroeddin vs. Ron Douglas
Jonas Malone vs. Levi Queen
Chris Barnes vs. Jeremy Spoon
Jessie Sinks vs. Gary Frazier
Tony Quintero vs. Haugen (forget first name, sorry)
Drew Hill vs. Rocky Cranford
Donny Perenza vs. Rocky Cranford
Robert Blackstone vs. Jacob Johnson
Matt Babe vs. TBA
Carver Coyle vs. Scotty Taylor
Aaron Radcliff vs. Jeremiah Haynes
Jeff Davis vs. Gibson
Once again, this will be at the Harrah High gym. I had a chance to catch up with some of these men for a story in tomorrow’s paper. And I’ll be out there Saturday night. Hope to see you there.
The mat meets the cage…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
A couple of years ago it was a new trend to see college wrestlers graduating to become MMA fighters. Just hadn’t been done that often.
It’s only been in the last 5-10 years where this has really become an option. Now it’s not shocking to hear people like former Penn State star Phil Davis and Arizona State stars Cain Velazquez heading into MMA. And you know about the dearth of former Oklahoma State kids in the game.
But after talking to Harrah High wrestling coach Bryan Miller, there might be another trickle down effect: MMA might be saving the high school wrestling game.
For those that don’t know, Harrah is a city about 20 minutes away (give or take) from Oklahoma City and is the home of MMA fighter Matt Grice, who is fighting on UFC 100 on July 11.
Anyway, Miller brought up to me that more and more younger kids are willing to stick with wrestling now because they know there is a future that goes beyond the Olympics or becoming a coach.
I had never thought about it in that respect, but it’s a valid point. I always say the great heavyweight boxers aren’t out there because they’re playing football. That’s where the marketability and visibility and $$ is at.
But if you’re on the fence about staying in wrestling, something like MMA is a saving grace.
And that leads us to a unique event Saturday night at Harrah High. It’s a fund-raising event for the wrestling team via MMA bouts.
There will be 14 bouts (five professional, nine amateur). The event starts at 6:30, with the doors opening at 5:30.
I’ve done a little bit to try to help out Miller in promoting the event, but it sounds like word has leaked out.
He told me Tuesday that all the floor seats are sold out. I guess there have been radio spots that have made people interested. That’s great.
He said there are plenty of $10 general admission seats remaining. And I’m not done with my hype job of the event.
Tomorrow, I will post the entire 15-bout card here on the blog and Saturday’s paper will have a story about some of Harrah’s finest wrestlers coming back home to help out.
There are a lot of familiar names on this card for anyone who has followed the Oklahoma high school wrestling scene in the last 10 years. Grice will be one of the judges, and I plan on doing a nice Q&A with him for his fight coming up.
For more information, you can contact Harrah coach Bryan Miller at (405) 640-0006.
***
We’re not totally devoid of any fights this weekend as HBO will have a bout featuring Victor Ortiz. I won’t bend over backwards for that one.
But there is also a very intriguing MMA bout between Bob Sapp and Bobby Lashley.
Sapp, believe it or not, actually helped re-introduce the Boneman to MMA a few years ago after I had kinda forgotten about it after the dark days of the UFC.
He had the look of a mega-star. It never really panned out that way, but Sapp has done well for himself.
And you know I’ve talked about my love of Lashley before. He just seems to be someone with his head screwed on straight. He “gets” it. He knows what he has to do and is willing to put in the work.
Back tomorrow with the Harrah card.
Book Review: Oklahoma Shooter
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Here is the best thing I can say about Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story: the author (Mike Chapman) has such a great relationship with Hodge that at times it feels like you’re listening to a conversation more than a written piece.
What I mean by that is it doesn’t come off as contrived or “ghost-written” in any way. You could visualize Chapman talking with Hodge about these events every step of the way.
Chapman has known the Hodge family for more than 30 years and that gives him a lot of authority on Hodge’s life and combine that with his knowledge of amateur/professional wrestling, it made him the perfect person to write this book.
I had a chance to visit with Chapman and Hodge less than two months ago when Hodge was at JR’s Bar-B-Q restaurant in Moore for a book signing. The foreword is written by the WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross.
And the admiration from Hodge’s peers that litters this book was very prevalent on that day as well.
When you sit and talk with Hodge, it’s tough to imagine him as this legendary, dare I say iconic wrestling figure. He is such a gentle man (as pointed out several times in the book).
If you want to know about Hodge’s days as a high school, college, Olympic or professional wrestler, it’s in this book. If you want to know about his boxing days (where he was never paid for any bout), it’s here.
My favorite story is about Hodge wrestling a bear. I’ve heard a lot of Hodge stories over the years, but the bear one is new to me.
Not only did he wrestle the bear, he WANTED to wrestle the bear. And from the accounts, looks like Hodge had his way with the bear.
What Chapman does best I feel is give context to all of Hodge’s accomplishments in the various arenas.
It’s so tough to try to gauge how fighters of one era compare to fighters of another, but I feel Chapman through his knowledge and interviews with several of wrestling’s greatest superstars, gives a better picture in trying to decipher the best.
Hodge is very open on everything, good and bad. And thought it was interesting that Hodge himself wonders how he would have done in MMA if it was around in his day.
Many notable aficionados have said Hodge would clean up if MMA was around in his prime or if Hodge was in his prime today.
Hodge’s story has so many layers and there’s not one thing that sets him apart from most. It’s the collection of everything about who he is that has made him one of the most intriguing sports figures.
For anyone who wants to know about Hodge or wants a history on amateur and professional wrestling, Oklahoma Shooter isn’t a bad place to start.
Bradley perseveres to victory…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
With 20 seconds left in the first round Saturday night, I was ready to start singing the praises of junior welterweight boxer Kendall Holt.
After flooring Timothy Bradley with a picture-perfect left hook seconds earlier, thought it was going to be a quick night and another wrong prediction.
But like so many modern American boxers, Holt showed no sense of urgency for the next 11 rounds and lost a unanimous decision despite dropping Bradley again in the 12th round.
Bradley had never been knocked down in his amateur or professional career until that shot. A shot so picture-esque that Bradley’s eyes rolled into the back of his as he thudded onto the canvas.
But then he hopped back up. And in a true veteran move, he took a knee until the 8 (or 9) count and cleared his head.
Bradley put on the pressure all fight. Holt was complaining of headbutts but instead of doing anything about it, was content to back into the ropes round after round and let Bradley take the fight on pure determination.
Not to say Bradley didn’t land some shots, especially to the body. But the now WBC/WBO champ didn’t hurt Holt one time but never backed down after the brutal knockdown.
It said a lot about both fighters. The heart and desire of Bradley compared to the absolutely frustrating complacency of Holt.
I had it 114-112 as did one judge while the two other judges had it 115-111 for Bradley.
Think about that for a second. With the two knockdowns, I saw it 8-4 Bradley while two judges saw it 9-3 for Bradley.
Holt has no one to blame but himself for what happened.
***
Former Oklahoma State wrestler Shane Roller got off to a good start but couldn’t make it last, losing to Ben Henderson on Sunday in a WEC event on VS.
Roller dropped Henderson early in the bout and tried for a guillotine choke to end things but couldn’t.
Back on their feet, a left hand dropped Roller and Henderson finished the job at 1:41 of the first round.
Team Takedown (Jake Rosholt, Roller and Johny Hendricks) have suffered some setbacks recently. But that’s the beauty of MMA: there will be another day, and you’re always one fight away from bringing yourself back into the picture.
***
Sounds like two of my all-time favorites put on a show at WrestleMania XXV with The Undertaker defeating Shawn Michaels in a 30-minute match.
Haven’t seen it but all reports are giving it glowing reviews. It’s the only reason I would have bought the show, so glad the two legends did their thing and gave everyone another moment to remember.
***
Now we turn the page to a fun weekend. Here’s what ya got Saturday: A “Thrilla in Manilla” documentary on HBO. Paul Williams vs. Winky Wright on HBO. And UFC 97, featuring Anderson Silva and Chuck Liddell in separate bouts (whoops, a little ahead of myself. That’s April 18. This week is Strikeforce with Frank Shamrock and Nick Diaz).
Might be the best thing about March Madness ending (go Spartans, by the way). Time for the fight game to take over the landscape again.
Getting the weekend started…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
I’m not quite in the 21st century yet. No TiVo or DVR service – just a trusty old VCR. So I figured I would program UFC Fight night and Ultimate Fighter: US vs. UK.
Good idea…in theory. But I made a simple mistake I haven’t done in ages, thus I haven’t seen either show.
Might be a good thing as I’ve enjoyed watching Carlos Condit fight in WEC and in his first UFC appearance, Martin Kampmann pulled out a split-decision victory.
Scores were 29-28 across the board. I’m a little guy (hence Boneman), so I pull for the WEC guys moving up to the UFC but give Kampmann credit.
Also of note, Ryan Bader, in his first fight since winning The Ultimate Fighter, had no trouble (it seemed) vs. Carmelo Marrero.
Bader won 30-27 on all cards and showed a good variety of technique (armbar, mounting, arm-triangle choke, short punches).
Definitely try to catch a replay.
Coming up this weekend is a WEC event on VS. Sunday. Former Oklahoma State wrestler Shane Roller will be fighting in that one, so I’ll make sure I catch a glimpse of that.
Before that, Showtime returns with a very intriguing junior welterweight bout between Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt.
I’m pretty high on Bradley, so my judgment is a little clouded. After being thoroughly impressed with Holt and how he came back vs. Ricardo Torres last summer, I was equally unimpressed with his decision win vs. Demetrius Hopkins a few months ago.
Bradley was just supposed to be an “opponent” for Junior Witter last year but won in the UK.
He followed that with a 12-round decision win vs. Edner Cherry. But maybe I’m most excited because he’s only 25. A fresh, young fighter ready to make waves, what’dya know about that?
Holt is only 27, so he’s not filling out retirement papers anytime soon, either. The bout will be for the WBC/WBO titles.
But how does a bout with a California native (Bradley) and a New Jersey guy (Holt) end up in Montreal? I love, repeat love the Montreal crowds, but will they care about two Americans going at it?
In the co-feature, Librado Andrade will take on Vitali Tsypko. Andrade is from Mexico and now lives in CA. Tsypko is from the Ukraine. Again, why Montreal? Those Canadian fans will prove me wrong, I bet and be a great crowd.
Though my love of professional wrestling is dwindling, it’s WrestleMania weekend as well. Oklahoman Bill Watts will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on Saturday with Norman resident Jim Ross doing the honors from the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday.
Then WrestleMania XXV will be Sunday from Reliant Stadium in Houston. Houston city officials are hoping for $50 million to be pumped into their economy with this event. Strong chance it will happen.
The local scene…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
With it being March, the basketball madness has officially begun. Doesn’t mean the fight game is taking a break. Here are some local news and notes.
Watts makes wrestling Hall of Fame
Former Oklahoma football player and professional wrestler “Cowboy” Bill Watts was named Monday as the latest member who will be inducted into the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Watts attended Putnam City High and after playing three years at OU, played for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings before landing a career in professional wrestling.
Watts joins Steve Austin, Ricky Steamboat, Dory Funk Jr. and Terry Funk in the 2009 class. More members are expected to be announced.
The ceremony is April 4 at the Toyota Center in Houston, one day before WrestleMania XXV at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.
Hendricks picks up win
Former Oklahoma State wrestler Johny Hendricks picked up another win in the World Extreme Cagefighting organization Sunday.
Hendricks, a two-time national champion for the Cowboys, earned a unanimous decision against Alex Serdyukov in his second successful bout in the WEC.
This is the first of Hendricks’ five bouts to go the distance. He had earned three technical knockouts and one submission win in the previous four.
EvenTTent back to Newkirk
The EvenTTent was at Newkirk’s First Council Casino last week as Norman’s Wayne Cole won a first-round technical knockout as part of a C3 Fights events.
Now C3 Fights and catBOX Entertainment are joining together for a boxing event March 13 at the First Council Casino in the EvenTTent.
The EvenTTent is a portable venue that is 30,000 square feet and can hold up to 3,000 people. Lawton middleweight George Tahdooahnippah and Oklahoma lightweight champion Noah Zuhdi headline the card.
Tickets are available at the casino, tickets.com, zooamp.com or by phone at (800) 511-1552.
***
This weekend features a triple-header on HBo highlighted by James Kirkland and Joel Julio. I named Kirkland as Prospect of the Year while Julio was in that very same spot a few years ago. Interesting dynamic in that one.
UFC also has UFC 96 this weekend, featuring Rampage Jackson vs. Keith Jardine. I’ll be keeping my eye on heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga. I do believe if he puts it together, he might be the best heavyweight in the UFC.
Catching up on some MMA…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
Been pumped about the first two months of boxing, can’t say as much about the first two months of MMA.
Nothing has stood out, but there were a couple of announcements in the last two days that actually have me excited.
No. 1: Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir will fight for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 98 in Las Vegas.
Mir, of course, made Lesnar tap out to a kneebar 13 months ago. Lesnar came in a little reckless and got caught.
It’s made him a better fight as he’s looked more disciplined and calm in the Octagon his last couple of times out. Especially in his last bout where he knocked out Randy Couture in the second round.
Mir was beyond dominant in becoming the first person to ever stop Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira on Dec. 27 (my birthday).
Mir is on the biggest role in his MMA career, and this fight is being made at exactly the right time. Wish it wasn’t in Vegas but a more local, more frenzied atmosphere, but can’t get everything.
No. 2: Might take some heat for this one, but Ken Shamrock and former WWE wrestler Bobby Lashley have agreed to fight March 21 on the same card as Roy Jones and Omar Sheika. It’s a mix of boxing and MMA on the same PPV in Pensacola.
My wrestling bias is why I dig this so much. I’ve gone on record in the past saying how much I still remember the Shamrock of 12, 13 years ago instead of the one now. You can’t take away those memories from me.
And Lashley, well, I was a Lashley fan in the WWE. His heart wasn’t in it 100 percent and he left to pursue this career. He won his first fight in December. And I don’t know what a win vs. Shamrock would mean in the grand scheme of things, but it’s got my interest.
Lashley was a solid amateur wrestler and one of the best in the armed forces. He’s 32, so he can’t really sit around and wait.
***
Former Oklahoma State wrestler Johny Hendricks picked up his second win in the WEC on Sunday night. The two-time national champion won a unanimous decision on the undercard of featherweight Mike Brown’s win.
Really hoping Brown and Urijah Faber have a rematch. Faber got arrogant with that spinning back punch and got caught. Brown’s a rough and gruff dude.
This Saturday is UFC 96 with Rampage Jackson vs. Keith Jardine as the main event. I’ve said it before, but it’s just too many UFC events going on. I don’t see this as a PPV-worthy main event so even if I wasn’t at HS basketball, I wouldn’t buy this.
You have to be more selective in this economy, and the UFC PPVs are getting to be overkill at this point. Still interested in the results but not in the forking over the money anymore.
- Cowboy Bill Watts is the latest member that will be inducted as part of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Watts played football at OU and with the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings before turning to wrestling.
Plan on doing much more on Watts when the ceremony (April 4) gets closer.
The Wrestler robbed…
By Robert Przybylo
BPrzybylo@opubco.com
(Mickey Rourke as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in Darren Aronofsky’s masterpiece The Wrestler. AP Photo)
I don’t see nearly as many movies as I used to. Three years of college working at a theatre kinda turned me off to the experience anymore.
I don’t claim to know what great movies are. I just know when I’ve watched something I felt was great.
So now I only go to a theater a couple of times a year. This year, some of the only movies I saw were The Dark Knight, Wall-E and The Wrestler.
Though I hoped all three would be nominated for Best Picture, I have no problems at all that Slumdog Millionaire won.
With that in mind, I watched most of the Academy Awards last night in hoping for three things: Heath Ledger winning Best Supporting Actor. Wall-E winning best original screenplay (or at least Best Animated Film).
And the shoo-in and most important, Mickey Rourke winning Best Actor for his portrayal of Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler. Ugh, one of three with only Ledger earning the honor.
By the way, great acceptance speech by the Ledger family. They didn’t make it a bunch of cliches and make it a contrived emotional speech. Because it was done the way it was with his father, mother and sister staying composed, actually thought it became more emotional because of it.
As a long time pro wrestling aficionado who still gets geared up for the big events, thought Rourke did as good a job as he possibly could have done.
Without giving away too much (hate to use the term Spoiler Alert), it was the little scenes that earned him The Boneman’s honor. The scenes in the deli or the scene where he’s playing Nintendo against the kid and is so competitive. Or the shopping for his daughter scene? Those are the ones that struck a chord with me more than the wrestling scenes.
There’s a reason legendary wrestlers like Ric Flair and Rowdy Roddy Piper got emotional watching this. Nearly any wrestler in the last 30 years can see themselves in “The Ram’s” shoes. The glory days are gone, you can’t let go, and you just want one more shot.
Though Marisa Tomei’s performance was great and added much to the movie, didn’t think she would win Best Supporting Actress. She didn’t. But her and Evan Rachel Wood did fine in their roles.
It was just the right blend of everything coming together. A great script and Rourke putting on his finest performance. I saw shades of so many wrestlers (or at least their characters) in the movie that it was easy to get attached to it.
Little nuances, little gestures and dialogue that rang so true in the wrestling world. Not caring about competing in a HS gym because at least you’re in front of the crowd again. The backstage relationships of the indie workers. All good stuff.
No doubt in my mind that Sean Penn is probably great in Milk. But he’s had his night before and probably will again. Last night should have been Rourke’s night, plain and simple.
I don’t want to hit you over the head with how it’s a story of redemption, both for the character and the actor. It’s still true, but it’s been said before and by better critics.
My only complaint on The Wrestler, a little too short for my liking. Was hoping for a solid 2:15-ish, doesn’t even clock in over two hours. Still a first-day buy when it comes out on DVD (I’ll even buy one of those gimmicky Special Edition sets if it’s out there).
If you haven’t seen Rourke’s acceptance speech from the Independent Spirit Awards this weekend, do so. His bluntness also would have made last night something memorable.
I want another “Ram Jam.” So he wasn’t acknowledged by the Academy, the wrestling crowd will embrace him. Why not come to WrestleMania XXV in Houston in April?
Back tomorrow with some UFC and boxing thoughts from this weekend.
