The Wrestler (1974 film)

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The Wrestler
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jim Westman
Written by	Eugene Gump
Produced by	W.R. Frank Verne Gagne
Starring	Ed Asner Elaine Giftos Verne Gagne Billy Robinson
Cinematography	Gil Hubbs
Edited by	Neal Chastain
Music by	William Loose
Release date	February 1, 1974 (1974-02-01) (US)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Wrestler is a 1974 independent film directed by Jim Westman, produced by professional wrestler Verne Gagne and W.R. Frank, starring Ed Asner as Frank Bass, a wrestling promoter. Verne Gagne also stars in the film as Mike Bullard, the current wrestling champion of his "league". After a long reign as champion, Bullard is getting older and feeling pressure from all sides, including his wife and wrestling promoters, to pass the championship to Billy Taylor and retire. Bullard's resistance to their requests that he step aside is the central conflict in the film. The film presents professional wrestling as a truly competitive sport, always maintaining the illusion that matches are a result of athletic combat and not pre-determined outcomes decided before the matches.

At one point during the film, a number of wrestlers who had either died during a match or as a result of in-ring injuries are mentioned. That list of names was not fictional, but taken from the history of professional wrestling.^{[citation needed]}