So Now Mickey Rourke ISN'T Competing at Wrestlemania (I Think)

"This guy could headline Wrestlemania right now."

-Me, in my review of The Wrestler

Whoa...hold up. Okay, he was amazing in the part but I didn't mean he should LITERALLY headline Wrestlemania. Well, it looks like saner heads prevailed and Rourke's proposed match with Chris Jericho won't be happening....or is it? Who knows? It was already off to a shaky start when Rourke blew the big surprise on the red carpet of the SAG awards, but now it looks like his people are finally doing their jobs, coming to the realization that this fiasco could cost him the Oscar (if it hasn't already) or worse, deride his career comeback. Or Rourke has been told to deny it until after the Oscar ballots are in.

The only person who stands to benefit from this match is Vince McMahon, who deserves credit for at least finally acknowledging and promoting The Wrestler, even if his motives are suspect. Sorry, I still don't buy recent reports that he was "moved" by the film. Moved to vomit maybe. Besides, you know Vince would idiotically have him wrestle as "Mickey Rourke" instead of Randy "The Ram" Robinson. Who wants to see that? If that's not enough, rumors of overrated has-been Ric Flair's involvement as Mickey's trainer (ugh) should immediately qualify it as a must-miss. They should even the sides and have Ernest Miller (as The Ayatollah) in Jericho's corner. You'd have The Ayatollah and the "The Ayatollah of Rock n' Rolla"

The bottomline is these Wrestlemania rumors don't help Mickey's Oscar chances at all and he's come too far to let something like this derail him. Hopefully he's come to his senses. If not, the only other way he can win the Best Actor statue is if Vince signs a "Castro Street Fight" between these two (and I wouldn't put it past him):