Wrestling Isn't Wrestling

Last updated
Wrestling Isn't Wrestling
Wrestling Isn't Wrestling.jpg
Promotional poster parodying The Social Network
Directed by Max Landis
Written byMax Landis
Produced by
  • Shyam Sengupta
  • Dave Holton
  • Matt Cohen
StarringMax Landis
Chloe Dykstra
Ana Walczak
Lola Blanc
Andi Layne
CinematographyStephen Sorace
Edited byAndy Holton
Music byEvan Goldman
Production
company
Adjacent LA
Release date
  • March 16, 2015 (2015-03-16)
Running time
24 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Wrestling Isn't Wrestling is a 2015 short film written and directed by Max Landis. Released for free on YouTube, the film retells the story of WWE professional wrestler Triple H. Like Landis's 2012 short The Death and Return of Superman , it consists of a monologue by Landis on the subject matter, accompanied by sequences with actors performing the parts in the story.

Contents

Plot

In response to the common criticism that professional wrestling is "fake," Max Landis attempts to defend the sport as a legitimately compelling form of fiction. To make this point, he points out that modern professional wrestling contains multiple overtly unrealistic elements that hinge on willing suspension of disbelief, and notes that the scripted nature of wrestling matches doesn't make their stunt-work and choreography any less spectacular.

In an effort to prove that wrestling can be as entertaining as any other form of fiction, Landis recounts the story of his favorite wrestler Paul Levesque, better known by his ring name "Triple H". His retelling of Triple H's wrestling career starts with his early days as the wealthy and snobbish "Hunter Hearst Helmsley," continues with his friendship with Shawn Michaels and his co-founding of the rebellious and rambunctious "D-Generation X," and ultimately recounts his reign as World Heavyweight Champion, his time as the brutal and paranoid leader of "Evolution," and his reinvention as a powerful corporate strongman.

In recounting the evolution of Triple H's in-ring persona, Landis presents the interpretation that all of the wrestler's various gimmicks are different facets of the same character: an arrogant but deeply insecure man with an inferiority complex, who never got over the pain of being overshadowed by better wrestlers. The retelling ends with Triple H's ascension to COO of the WWE following his marriage to Stephanie McMahon; Landis suggests that Triple H sought power behind the scenes of the company because he could never achieve the glory that he truly desired in the ring.

Cast

Main

Cameos

Production

Funded entirely by Landis, the film was shot at thirty locations throughout Los Angeles over the course of three weeks. It features a cast of close to a hundred extras, with most people involved working for free.[ citation needed ] Ron Howard was intended to make a cameo appearance, as he did in The Death and Return of Superman , but was unavailable for filming. [1] In a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" Landis mentioned that his father John Landis was initially hesitant to appear in the short due to an aversion to being involved in his son's work, but ultimately agreed once he saw the finished product. [4]

Reception

Writing for the Wall Street Journal , Michael Calia said that Landis's characterization of wrestling as "packed with the stuff of fiction, both good and terrible" was "not exactly a new insight", but said that Landis "defends wrestling in a fun, inventive way". [5] Writing for Progressive Boink, Bill Hanstock praised the short for not only serving as a comprehensive history of the Triple H character, but for delving into the "subtext, motive and narrative arc for a character that didn't really occur to me in precisely this way before." [6] Users on Letterboxd currently rate the film 3.7 out of 5. [7]

Initially, it was reported by Bryan Alvarez that employees of the WWE were told not to publicly comment on the video. [8] Max Landis himself, however, responded to this on Twitter and clarified that this was simply due to the videos non family friendly content. [9] The video was eventually praised by Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, both of whom it depicts as characters. [10] The short earned Landis a position as a creative consultant on WWE Raw . [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE</span> American professional wrestling and entertainment company

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) is an American professional wrestling promotion. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority-owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into fields outside of wrestling, including film, football, and various other business ventures. The company is additionally involved in licensing its intellectual property to companies to produce video games and action figures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triple H</span> American business executive and former professional wrestler (born 1969)

Paul Michael Levesque, better known by the ring name Triple H, is an American business executive, actor, and retired professional wrestler. Regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he is the current chief content officer and head of creative for WWE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stephanie McMahon</span> American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler (born 1976)

Stephanie Marie McMahon Levesque is an American businesswoman and retired professional wrestler. She is known for her various roles within WWE between 1998 and 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vince McMahon</span> American professional wrestling promoter (born 1945)

Vincent Kennedy McMahon is an American businessman and former professional wrestling promoter. McMahon, along with his wife Linda, is a co-founder of the modern WWE, the world's largest professional wrestling promotion. Outside of professional wrestling McMahon has occasionally ventured into promoting other sports; his projects have included the World Bodybuilding Federation and the XFL football league. He is the owner of Alpha Entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shane McMahon</span> American professional wrestler, producer, and businessman

Shane Brandon McMahon is an American businessman and professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">D-Generation X</span> Professional wrestling stable

D-Generation X (DX) is an American professional wrestling stable, and later a tag team, that consisted of various members, most notably Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna, X-Pac, and the New Age Outlaws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania XIX</span> 2003 World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

WrestleMania XIX was the 19th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It featured wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown! brand divisions. The event took place at Safeco Field in Seattle on March 30, 2003, becoming the first WrestleMania held in the state of Washington. A record-breaking 54,097 fans from all 50 states and numerous countries around the world at Safeco Field resulted in ticket earnings of $2.76 million. WrestleMania XIX was the first WrestleMania to be promoted under the WWE name after the promotion was renamed from World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in May 2002. It was also the first WrestleMania to take place after WWE introduced the brand extension in March 2002 and the first WrestleMania from the Ruthless Aggression era. The official theme song for the event was "Crack Addict" by Limp Bizkit, who appeared at the event to perform the song; the band also performed their song "Rollin' " during The Undertaker's entrance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Laurinaitis</span> American professional wrestler

John Hodger Laurinaitis, also known by his former ring name Johnny Ace, is an American retired professional wrestler and business executive.

The McMahon family is an Irish-American family primarily known for their proprietorship of the world's largest professional wrestling company, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Vince McMahon, a third-generation wrestling promoter, was variously the chairman and/or chief executive officer of WWE between 1982 and 2024. McMahon's son-in-law, Paul "Triple H" Levesque, currently serves as the company's chief content officer (CCO) and head of creative. His son Shane also occasionally performs as a wrestler in WWE, while his wife Linda and daughter Stephanie have also occupied various positions in the company but are currently not involved.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of WWE</span> History of American professional wrestling company WWE

The history of American professional wrestling promotion WWE dates back to the early 1950s when it was founded on January 7, 1953 as the Capitol Wrestling Corporation (CWC). The public branding of the company has undergone several name changes throughout the years, from the CWC to the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in 1963, then the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in 1979, and to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002. Since 2011, it has branded itself solely as WWE. On September 12, 2023, Endeavor, the parent company of mixed martial arts promotion Ultimate Fighting Championship, and WWE merged the two companies into a new parent company, TKO Group Holdings. WWE and UFC continue to operate as separate divisions of the company with WWE focusing on professional wrestling and UFC focusing on mixed martial arts. In 2023, WWE's legal name was changed to World Wrestling Entertainment, LLC, though the branded name remained WWE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backlash (2006)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2006 Backlash was the eighth Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. The event took place on April 30, 2006, at the Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky. It was the last Backlash event to be Raw-exclusive as following WrestleMania 23 the following year, brand-exclusive PPVs were discontinued. The concept of the pay-per-view was based around the backlash from WrestleMania 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backlash (2009)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2009 Backlash was the 11th Backlash professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and ECW brand divisions. The event took place on April 26, 2009, at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island. It was the final Backlash held until 2016, as in 2010, Backlash was replaced by Extreme Rules. The concept of the pay-per-view was based around the backlash from WrestleMania 25—despite the event's revival in 2016, the 2009 event would be the final Backlash to carry the post-WrestleMania theme until the 2021 event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Landis</span> American screenwriter and filmmaker

Max Landis is an American filmmaker and the son of director John Landis. He wrote scripts for the films Chronicle (2012), American Ultra (2015), Victor Frankenstein (2015), and Bright (2017). He wrote and directed the film Me Him Her (2015), produced the first two seasons of the Syfy series Channel Zero (2016), and created the series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016) based on the novel, for BBC America. He has also written limited series published by DC and Image Comics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armageddon (1999)</span> World Wrestling Federation pay-per-view event

The 1999 Armageddon was the inaugural Armageddon professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by the World Wrestling Federation. It took place on December 12, 1999, at the National Car Rental Center in Sunrise, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

<i>Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery</i> 2014 American film

Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery is a 2014 direct-to-DVD animated comedy mystery film, and the twenty-second film in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. It is a co-production between Warner Bros. Animation and WWE Studios. The film features Scooby and the gang solving a mystery at WrestleMania. It was released on March 24, 2014 in the United Kingdom and on March 25, 2014 in the United States by Warner Home Video.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Authority (professional wrestling)</span> Professional wrestling stable

The Authority was a villainous professional wrestling stable in WWE, which originated due to Triple H helping Randy Orton win the WWE Championship from Daniel Bryan at the 2013 SummerSlam pay-per-view immediately after cashing in the Money in the Bank contract. The name of "The Authority" was introduced on October 7, 2013 on Monday Night Raw during a match between The Shield vs Cody Rhodes, Goldust and Daniel Bryan. Jerry Lawler first said "The Authority" during that match. The Authority initially referred to only Triple H and Stephanie McMahon as a power couple. The Authority shares similarities with The Corporation and The McMahon-Helmsley Faction, and also had ties to Triple H's previous stables D-Generation X (DX) and Evolution, the latter of which existed alongside The Authority for a brief period in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania 31</span> 2015 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

WrestleMania 31 was the 31st annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on March 29, 2015, at Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Santa Clara, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Rumble (2016)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2016 Royal Rumble was the 29th annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on January 24, 2016, at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. The event was also the fifth Royal Rumble pay-per-view to be held in the state of Florida, after the 1990, 1991, 1995, and 2006 events, the second to be held in Orlando, and WWE's first pay-per-view event to be held at the Amway Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania 34</span> 2018 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

WrestleMania 34 was the 34th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw, SmackDown, and 205 Live brand divisions. The event took place on April 8, 2018, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, and was the second WrestleMania held at this venue after XXX.

<i>Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon</i> 2016 American film

Scooby-Doo! and WWE: Curse of the Speed Demon is a 2016 direct-to-DVD animated comedy mystery racing film, a sequel to Scooby-Doo! WrestleMania Mystery and the twenty-seventh entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. It is a co-production between Warner Bros. Animation and WWE Studios. It premiered at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 23, 2016, followed by a digital release on July 26, 2016. It was released on DVD on August 8, 2016, in the United Kingdom. The film was also released on both DVD and Blu-Ray on August 9, 2016, in the United States by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 Lussier, Germain (2015-03-17). "VOTD: Wrestling Isn't Wrestling". /Film. Archived from the original on 2016-11-12. Retrieved 2017-04-11.
  2. ↑ Heiberg, Austin (Mar 16, 2015). "Max Landis Packs Triple H's Entire Career Into 'Wrestling Isn't Wrestling'". Uproxx . Archived from the original on August 15, 2020. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Mike Diva". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2022-06-26. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  4. ↑ "r/SquaredCircle - Hi, I'm Max Landis. AMA". reddit. Archived from the original on 2023-02-05. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  5. ↑ Calia, Michael (March 17, 2015). "Max Landis Defends the Power of WWE Storytelling in 'Wrestling Isn't Wrestling'". Wall Street Journal . Archived from the original on November 14, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  6. ↑ Hanstock, Bill (2015-03-17). "'Wrestling Isn't Wrestling' is terrific". Progressive Boink. Archived from the original on 2021-09-18. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  7. ↑ Wrestling Isn't Wrestling (2015), archived from the original on 2023-01-28, retrieved 2020-05-11
  8. ↑ "WWE Tells Wrestlers Not To Tweet About Triple H Biopic Parody, Director Comments". Wrestling Inc. 2015-03-20. Archived from the original on 2023-01-28. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  9. ↑ "WWE: Backstage Reaction to "Wrestling Isn't Wrestling"". Daily DDT. 2015-03-21. Archived from the original on 2020-11-24. Retrieved 2020-05-11.
  10. ↑ Killam, Mike (March 22, 2015). "Triple H & Stephanie Respond to "Wrestling Isn't Wrestling" Video, New WWE Creative Member on Ring of Honor TV This Weekend". wrestlezone.com. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  11. ↑ Sapp, Sean Ross (February 21, 2016). "'Wrestling Isn't Wrestling' Creator Says He's Been A Consultant For WWE For The Past Year". Wrestling Inc. Archived from the original on October 31, 2016. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.