Horror Movie Review: Wrestlemassacre (2018)

WrestleMassacre opens with an unknown couple running through the woods, one of whom is completely nude. They are being chased by a hulking and hairy beast of a man in wrestling gear. The male of the couple stops to fight the man-beast and ends up with his throat ripped out. While the female (also the naked one) tries to hide but inevitably has her face literally torn off.

It’s a pretty cool opening and the effects are decent.

We then cut to some time before where the killer wrestler is just a mild-mannered gardener named Randy (played by longtime pro wrestler Richie Acevedo). Randy is obsessed with wrestling and dreams of being a pro one day, but life has other plans. Constantly put down and belittled, his attempt to step in the ring at local wrestling school results in humiliation. To make matters worse, Randy is fired from his job and after a fight with his dad, finally snaps.

Donning his gear, Randy goes on a violent and gory rampage. While anyone be able to keep him down for the three-count?

Directed by Brad Twigg, WrestleMassacre has it faults. Many faults yet it is so silly and so overtly violent that it’s hard to not enjoy. Even if wrestling isn’t your thing, you’ll still have plenty of fun with nipples being ripped off and legs being detached and used as weapons.

However, if you are a wrestling fan you’ll get to enjoy many a cameo from some legends of the scene. Wresters like Nikolai Volkoff, Tony Atlas, Manny Fernandez, Sandman, Rene Dupree and Jimmy Valiant. Don’t expect quality acting from this lot but it is still a whose who of wrestling personalities!

As far as the story goes, WrestleMassacre doesn’t do anything we’ve not seen before and a sub-plot involving a loan shark is a real miss. Yet Randy is likeable and a character you want to root for. At least until he gets murderous, starts slamming people and stabbing them in throat with hedge-clippers.

The outrageous gore is the real draw of this movie and the effects really help sell the brutality. Chuck in a ton of nudity and WrestleMassacre can proudly call itself a fun, horror-sleaze flick.