Two-time WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has enjoyed success in different ventures during his life. Being a musician, actor, and arguably one of the greatest wrestlers to ever live, Hogan has done it all.
However, Hogan’s Hollywood career was at an all-time high during the mid-80s, and the former WCW champion did a lot of movies. Some movies were box office hits, and some were just not that good.
However, back in 1989, Hulk Hogan appeared for the first time in a leading role as an actor in a movie called ‘No Holds Barred’. The other thing that makes it interesting is that WWE chairman Vince McMahon was the one who financed the movie.
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It was in this movie, where the infamous ‘Dookie’ moment was captured. During a scene, Hogan threatens a person so much that he loses control of his bowel movements.
Why the movie is called ‘No Holds Barred’?
The movie is all about wrestling and how Hulk Hogan defeated his biggest rival, Zeus, in a ‘no holds barred’ match. According to the plot, Hogan was offered a lot of money to fight for Mr. Brell, the head of the World Television Network, but Hulk declined.
Eventually, the wrestling promoter makes life difficult for Hogan by introducing a menacing villain called Zeus.
What wrestlers were in No Holds Barred?
While there were many actors who played the role of wrestlers, there were a few wrestling legendary personalities who appeared in the movie as themselves.
Legendary backstage interviewer ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund played himself in the movie, doing the same thing he did for WWE. Legendary wrestling figure Jesse Ventura was also there.
Perhaps, the most surprising role was from the WWE Hall of Famer Howard Finkel, who played the role of the ring announcer as he did for Vince McMahon’s company for decades.
Who wrote No Holds Barred?
The movie was written by Dennis Hackin and directed by Thomas J. Wright. This 1989 action movie was owned by WWE under a “Shane Distribution Company” copyright.
WWE chairman Vince McMahon was the one who mainly financed the movie. This project can be categorized as McMahon’s first attempt to branch out to something other than the pro-wrestling business.
Was No Holds Barred a flop?
To put it nicely, the movie did not do very well on the screen. While Vince McMahon thought that Hogan’s in-ring popularity would help, nothing happened.
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According to IMDb, the movie got a total rating of 4.4 out of 10. So yes, you could say that No Holds Barred was a flop.
READ MORE: WWE Legend Provides Health Update on Hulk Hogan: “He Can Get Up”