No Holds Barred was Hulk Hogan's ode to himself (with Vince McMahon's deep pockets). It came out in 1989 and actually finished second to Star Trek V in its first week in the box office. It did make a profit after its theatrical release, video release, and PPV but it doesn't hide the fact that the film is terrible. However, like Hogan's later film Mr. Nanny, it is a laugh riot. I thought Mr. Nanny was the funniest thing I'd ever seen at the time.
Hogan basically plays himself, only he is known as Rip. Rip is the hottest thing on T.V. and his WWF appearances garner the highest ratings for his network. In a eerie portent of things to come (Hogan would later jump to rival WCW), a network boss tries to convince him to come over and work for him. Rip refuses and Brell (Kurt Fuller) will do whatever it takes to get him to appear on his network. He attempts to kidnap him, he tries and gets his sexiest executive (Joan Severance) to seduce him, and he comes up with some reality T.V. show where he tries to find the toughest man in the U.S. He discovers Zeus (Tiny Lister), a crazy ex-con who dismantles his opponents and is dubbed "The Human Wrecking Machine". One day, Rip's steroid-free brother Randy visits the set of Zeus' show and he gets his head kicked in. That is the impetus for Rip to finally face off against Zeus in a TNA-style ring.
To be honest, the film is awful but it is funny. Hogan beating up robbers at Vi's Diner, Hogan seducing Severance, Hogan's "dookie" scene, etc. Yes, there are some cool wrestling scenes and I'm sure Vince enjoys seeing two hosses bashing each other but today, those matches are so boring and tame. The dialogue is some of the worst and the acting is over-the-top. Also, the film has some brutal violence. Men are being brutally beaten up and left for dead and it's done in a very graphic manner. This film isn't for kids. However, for those who cherish bad films this is a must see. Hogan's films always are among the worst. At least Hogan helped Tiny Lister Jr. get his foot in the door in Hollywood as he has had plenty of small roles since then.
Maybe the funniest thing was seeing WWF wrestlers appearing on insets during their matches saying that you should go see No Holds Barred right away. It's sad that Vince had so little self-esteem that he had to force his superstars to rave about the film or else be depushed. Still, the film shows what a marketing genius Vinnie Mac was in the 80's.
Hogan basically plays himself, only he is known as Rip. Rip is the hottest thing on T.V. and his WWF appearances garner the highest ratings for his network. In a eerie portent of things to come (Hogan would later jump to rival WCW), a network boss tries to convince him to come over and work for him. Rip refuses and Brell (Kurt Fuller) will do whatever it takes to get him to appear on his network. He attempts to kidnap him, he tries and gets his sexiest executive (Joan Severance) to seduce him, and he comes up with some reality T.V. show where he tries to find the toughest man in the U.S. He discovers Zeus (Tiny Lister), a crazy ex-con who dismantles his opponents and is dubbed "The Human Wrecking Machine". One day, Rip's steroid-free brother Randy visits the set of Zeus' show and he gets his head kicked in. That is the impetus for Rip to finally face off against Zeus in a TNA-style ring.
To be honest, the film is awful but it is funny. Hogan beating up robbers at Vi's Diner, Hogan seducing Severance, Hogan's "dookie" scene, etc. Yes, there are some cool wrestling scenes and I'm sure Vince enjoys seeing two hosses bashing each other but today, those matches are so boring and tame. The dialogue is some of the worst and the acting is over-the-top. Also, the film has some brutal violence. Men are being brutally beaten up and left for dead and it's done in a very graphic manner. This film isn't for kids. However, for those who cherish bad films this is a must see. Hogan's films always are among the worst. At least Hogan helped Tiny Lister Jr. get his foot in the door in Hollywood as he has had plenty of small roles since then.
Maybe the funniest thing was seeing WWF wrestlers appearing on insets during their matches saying that you should go see No Holds Barred right away. It's sad that Vince had so little self-esteem that he had to force his superstars to rave about the film or else be depushed. Still, the film shows what a marketing genius Vinnie Mac was in the 80's.