WWE Studios: Why 'No Holds Barred' Is More Entertaining Than Their Recent Movies

Last week, WWE posted clips of various superstars, including John Cena, The Miz and Kaitlyn, discussing the DVD re-release of cult wrestling movie No Holds Barred.

No Holds Barred, if you recall, was Vince McMahon's first foray into Hollywood.

Released in 1989, it centered on the wacky adventures of popular professional wrestler Rip (Hulk Hogan playing, well, Hulk Hogan) as he clashed with evil TV executive Brell and his scary henchman Zeus.

WWE’s promotional ad was an intriguing segment for a few reasons; the main one being that WWE didn't even try to pretend the film is any good quality-wise, or held up on its own as a good piece of filmmaking. 

Indeed, the whole thing consisted of the assorted wrestlers and personalities mocking every aspect of the flick—the terrible acting, the cardboard characters and the clunky plot.  

It's an interesting bit of marketing: Acknowledging the movie's awfulness, WWE are selling No Holds Barred as a guilty pleasure, in the same vein as “so bad they're good” cult classic like The Room and Birdemic: A Tale of Terror.

“This movie is horribly wonderful,” John Cena says at one point, emphasizing the film's cornball charm.

However, what the company may not want to admit is that, despite its incompetency on nearly every level, No Holds Barred is actually a far more entertaining movie than anything WWE Studios has churned out in recent years.

Indeed, WWE films like The Condemned and 12 Rounds may have had big budgets, famous Hollywood actors and big-name directors, but they could still not hope to be anything close to as fun as the ridiculous No Holds Barred.   

There are a few reasons for this.

One is undoubtedly its heavy nostalgia factor. As The Miz notes in the promotional piece, when he was a child No Holds Barred was the first real wrestling movie.

It was the first time you could go to the theaters and see top babyface Hulk Hogan beating down villains and saving the day, just like he did on WWF TV. For this reason alone, it was a true novelty in its day.

It has worked its way into the hearts of many adult fans, most of whom still fondly remember the feeling of excitement and anticipation at seeing Hulk Hogan in his first starring vehicle.

Fast forward to the present. Will younger fans feel the same way about The Marine or Bending the Rules or 12 Rounds when they grow up?

The answer is, probably not.

For one thing, WWE release films so often now (one or two a year) that the idea of wrestlers in movies ceases to be special any more.

Cena is in another movie where his girlfriend is kidnapped and he has to rescue her. Well, really, who cares? Everything WWE Studios does now has a bored, seen-it-all-before feeling to it.

Another reason No Holds Barred is more entertaining than most WWE-produced films is something touched upon in the promotional vignette: It's so hilariously bad, it's impossible not to like.

Whether it’s the ridiculous fight scenes, a cringe-worthy and totally unbelievable romance subplot with Rip and gorgeous double-agent Samantha, or the absurd, logic-loophole filled plot, it is difficult not to glean some enjoyment out of No Holds Barred.       

Let's make one thing clear about the films WWE Studios has released in recent years: most of them were not, in fact, terrible. Oh, they weren't great either; but they featured too many talented actors and skilled production people to be truly rotten.

Your typical WWE movie is generally well-made, well-acted and has a decent amount of time and effort put it into it. That's the not the problem.

The issue is that they're so lackluster and unmemorable that no one cares enough to go see them in theaters or check them out on DVD. That’s why they’re not nearly as good as No Holds Barred.

Sure, Academy Award nominee Patricia Clarkson may have delivered a sterling performance as a distraught mother in Legendary, but was anyone that bothered about seeing a boring looking family drama starring John Cena? Of course not.

No Holds Barred may be a lot of things—badly made, poorly written—but one thing it is not is dull.

Hulk Hogan saving pro wrestling from the clutches of evil TV executives? How can anyone not love that idea? As a successful action movie it may fail spectacularly, but there’s still plenty to take in and enjoy.

What’s more, it was made with enthusiasm.

Hulk Hogan and Vince McMahon really seemed to believe this was going to be the film that sent them on the fast track to Hollywood stardom. No doubt in their minds, they were making the next big blockbuster.

This serves as the icing on the cake. Like The Room, Birdemic: A Tale of Terror and Plan 9 from Outer Space, No Holds Barred may be awful, but it has real heart and was made by people who thought it would be a huge deal.

By my reckoning, only one WWE movie has managed to emulate at least some of No Holds Barred’s inane charm: 2011’s The Chaperone, starring Triple H.

An unrepentant kids movie, it called back to fun, tongue-in-cheek action comedies like Kindergarden Cop or Spy Kids.

With its intentionally silly plot and over-the-top characters, it's a truly fun film. (It is virtually impossible to watch the scenes of an increasingly frustrated HHH attempt to control a bus full of rowdy kids without even being a little amused.)

It’s a shame WWE didn’t stick to this direction because they may have been on to something.

No Holds Barred may be memorable for all the wrong reasons—cheesy plot, awful acting—but at least it’s memorable. That's more than most WWE movies are. 

As the company's movie division continues to lose money for Vince McMahon, to the point where he has even admitted he’ll get out of the film business soon if things don’t turn around, it's nearly impossible to see it as anything resembling a success.

It’s also difficult not to come to the conclusion that No Holds Barred is, despite its flaws, the best WWE-produced movie ever.