As excited as I am for Fighting With My Family, the movie chronicling the journey of Paige from her indie wrestling family to WWE, which is being written & directed by Stephen Merchant and produced by WWE Studios & Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, I’ll also will be bummed when it finally starts shooting, because it will mean we won’t be getting any more casting announcements - and the “who is he/she playing?” guessing game that comes along with them.
Today’s installment - Vince Vaughn as an 80s wrestler who couldn’t handle fame but got his life back together and rejoined the business!
Here’s Rocky’s announcement, and description of the role, from his Instagram:
In case that doesn’t load for you, for the purposes of our game, here are the pertinent details:
He's playing a man who I know all too well and those of you who follow wrestling history know well too.
The 80's wrestling star who squandered his money and opportunities because he didn't have the capacity to handle his fame. One bad decision after another, but these days he owns his past actions and does everything he can to give back to the wrestling business he loves.
Now, one possibility is that Vaughn’s character won’t be a specific person, but an amalgamation of people into a type we “know all too well”. From Mickey Rourke as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in The Wrestler to The Resurrection of Jake The Snake, “80’s wrestling star who couldn’t handle fame” is a familiar character to wrestling fans - hardcore or casual.
But Johnson says he knows the guy, and the film is based on Paige and the Knight family’s real life, and the plot involves her and her brother auditioning for WWE... so my guess is Fabulous Freebird and WWE agent/producer & Vince McMahon confidant Michael P.S. Hayes!
If I’m being honest, I’m kind of bummed Vince isn’t playing Vince, because I could see Vaughn nailing the McMahon character. But seeing him as the man from Badstreet U.S.A. could be fun, too.
Or it could be someone else entirely! Jake Roberts himself? Tom “Dynamite Kid” Billington?
Give us your guesses, Cagesiders!