Body Slam (1986)

Good concept, poorly executed.

Fantastic!

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The film, coming out in 1986, was obviously attempting to capitalize on the success of the very first Wrestlemania from the year prior. In fact, it was Cyndi Lauper's boyfriend at the time, Dave Wolff, who engineered the rock n' roll and wrestling connection to help make that event a surprise smash. But for you girls out there who just want to have fun, this is not the movie you have to see. Though it features some of the big names from the era like Rowdy Roddy Piper, Captain Lou Albano and Samoans Afa and Sika, most of the picture is a let down in terms of both story line and mat action. I could understand casting a couple guys as Road Warrior impersonators Axe and Hammer, but they didn't add much to the film's excitement as tag team champs. My biggest kick was catching Bruno Sammartino, Classy Freddie Blassie and Ric Flair attending the matches at ringside. Why they agreed to appear in this though is beyond my ability to comprehend. It was probably the only time in their respective careers they didn't mind taking a quick count.

This movie is very funny. It has a great cast of famous Wrestlers from the 70s and 80s. Bruno Samartino, Rick Flair, Freddie Blassie, The Sheik, Capt. Lou Ablano, The Samonans, The Towers Of Pain, Roddy Pipper, and a few more. Overall the plot isn't that interesting, and some parts are kind of dumb, but it is all worth it for the ending. At the end the legendary Chick Hern gets to announce tag team championship title match. Chick did an amazing job announcing that wrestling match. That just proves how Chick Hern is the best announcer of all time. No other sports announcer can call a professional wrestling match that good. I would even watch snails race if Chick Hern was the announcer. Plus also the famous baseball announcer Harry Carry was in it too. This movie is a must see for all fans of 80s Wrestling or for fans of the Lakers.

Bodyslam was one of the first films I can ever recall as youngster that made love the sport of wrestling. It's a good little comedy about a guy named Smeliack, a down on his luck music manager, he see's an oppurtunity in professional wrestling with Quick Rick Robbins (Roddy Piper) & Tonga Tom (The Tonga Kid). This film really ushered in the era of Rock N Wrestling back in the mid 80's, it was an awesome time to be a wrestling fan and the film couldn't have come out at a better time. Look for special cameos of Ric Flair, Bruno Samartino, and the late Classy Freddy Blassie.

If you're going to do a comedy about professional wrestling, at least make it funny. The real thing is hilarious, why can't the movies be just as funny. Well, Hal Needham has made a film about wrestling here and it's not funny, not silly, not even about wrestling. It's about a sleezy little windbag of a character named Smylak, played to sleazeball perfection by Dirk Benedict. (A-Tea,) He's egotistical, untrusting and looking for any way to make a quick buck. Where was Burt Reynolds? Needham assembled a cast of wrestlers for the film including Rowdy Roddy Piper, Captain Lou Albano and a cameo by the Nature Boy Ric Flair. A film made for kicks, not bucks. It doesn't even deliver in the kicks department. A waste of time and money, but hey, it got Charles Nelson Reilly a job.