Mickey Rourke has earned heaps of critical praise for his role in Daren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler," a movie about Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a washed-up former wrestler struggling with middle age and retirement. The movie is a brutally sad depiction of the way the entertainment/sport/whatever-it-is eats away at people. It's harsh and real, a far cry from the flashy surreality of actual professional wrestling.
All the same, it appears World Wrestling Entertainment has embraced the film, or at least its star -- they've invited Mickey Rourke to be a part of Wrestlemania, the sport's biggest yearly event:
“The boys from the WWE called me and asked me to do it,” Rourke told Access Hollywood. “I said, ‘I want to.’ I’m talking with [WWE legend] Rowdy Roddy Piper about it.” “The nicest thing has been the whole wrestling community embracing us,” Rourke said on the red carpet. “The movie was about their world.”
And when he does jump into the ring with WWE, it appears the actor may already have his sights set on an opponent. “Chris Jericho, you better get in shape,” Rourke added. “Because I’m coming after your a**.”
We have no doubts that Mickey Rourke, because he is Mickey Rourke, will show up to the event in full-on "Ram" gear, ready to actually wrestle with somebody. These are the sorts of thing Mickey Rourke does, which is why -- despite the parallels between the Ram and Rourke himself -- the man remains awesome.
As for Chris Jericho? That's probably not the best idea, Mickey. Fake or not, that's a pretty big dude.
