Okay, many who know me will not be surprised to know that yes, I am a fan of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). And yes, I do follow their films and try to watch them when I can, no matter how ridiculous they may sound.
I have seen all the Marine films (with John Cena, Ted DiBiase Jr., and The Miz) and have seen the first See No Evil with Kane. I have seen No One Lives with Brodus Clay. I have seen others, including that period where they made some family friendly fare like Knucklehead (with The Big Show), Legendary (with Cena), and The Chaperone (with Triple H).
Well, Lionsgate Studios struck a deal with WWE Studios to make a series of six action films and from what I know so far, one has been released and two are on the way to being released. Here are the two already done and ready to roll-out:
Vendetta, directed by the Soska Sisters, who directed WWE’s horror sequel See No Evil 2 (which I have yet to see), stars Dean Cain as a ex-cop who seeks revenge for his wife’s death by putting himself in prison to face the murderer, played by The Big Show. This came out in limited release last month.
12 Rounds 3: Lockdown stars Dean Ambrose as a cop who returns to the force after his partner’s death. Having evidence against corrupt cops who are in connection with said death, the dirty cops lock Ambrose in the precient, where our hero cop must take them all on by himself.
The Condemned 2: Desert Prey reunited Randy Orton with the director of 12 Rounds 2, Roel Reine, Orton plays a bounty hunter who is part of a revamped Condemned tournament, where convicts face off against each other in battles to the death until there is one survivor left, who will get their freedom. Eric Roberts and Wes Studi co-star in the sequel.
Here’s a breakdown of the WWE Studio Films:
No Holds Barred (1988; with New Line Cinema) – Hulk Hogan
The Scorpion King (2002; with Universal) – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
The Rundown (2003; with Universal) – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
Walking Tall (2004; with Universal) – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
See No Evil (2006; with Lionsgate) – Glenn “Kane” Jacobs
The Marine (2006; with Fox) – John Cena
The Condemned (2007; Lionsgate) – “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Behind Enemy Lines III: Colombia (2009; with Fox) – Ken “Mr. Kennedy” Anderson
12 Rounds (2009; with Fox) – John Cena
The Marine 2 (2009; with Fox) – Ted DiBiase Jr.
Legendary (2010; with Samuel Goldwyn Films) – John Cena
Knucklehead (2010; with Samuel Goldwyn Films) – Paul “The Big Show” Wight
The Chaperone (2011; with Samuel Goldwyn Films) – Paul “Triple H” Levesque
That’s What I Am (2011, with Samuel Goldwyn Films) – Randy Orton
Inside Out (2011; with Samuel Goldwyn Films) – Paul “Triple H” Levesque
The Reunion (2011; with Samuel Goldwyn Films) – John Cena
Bending the Rules (2012) – Adam “Edge” Copeland
The Day (2012) – No WWE Superstar or Diva appeared; simply a distribution deal here
Barricade (2012) – No WWE Superstar or Diva appeared; simply a distribution deal here
The Marine 3: Homefront (2013; with Fox) – Mike “The Miz” Mizanin
Dead Man Down (2013; with FilmDistrict) – Wade Barrett (nee Stuart Bennett)
The Call (2013; with TriStar) – David Otunga
No One Lives (2013; with Anchor Bay Films) – Brodus Clay (nee George Murdoch)
12 Rounds 2: Reloaded (2013; with Fox) – Randy Orton
Christmas Bounty (2013; with Warner Bros. TV) – Mike “The Miz” Mizanin
Scooby Doo: Wrestlemania Mystery (2014; with Warner Bros) – Voices of many of WWE’s talents
Oculus (2014; with Relativity Media) – No WWE Superstar or Diva appeared; simply a distribution deal here
Road to Paloma (2014; with Anchor Bay Films) – No WWE Superstar or Diva appeared; simply a distribution deal here
Leprechaun: Origins (2014; with Lionsgate) – Dylan “Hornswoggle” Postl
See No Evil 2 (2014; with Lionsgate) – Glenn “Kane” Jacobs
Queens of the Ring (2014; with Image Entertainment) – Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, Eve Torres-Gracie, and Phil “CM Punk” Brooks
Jingle All the Way 2 (2014; with Fox) – Santino Marella
The Flintstones and WWE: Stone Age SmackDown (2015; with Warner Bros. Animation) – Voices of many of WWE’s talents
The Marine 4: Hostile Target (2015; with Fox) – Mike “The Miz” Mizanin, Danielle “Summer Rae” Moinet
What are my thoughts of the WWE films? Well, they are just time-wasters but as a WWE fan, I will watch them. I’ve seen most on the list above and am definitely going to check out Lionsgate’s next batch of action films featuring WWE talents. Nothing wrong with enjoying WWE talents break away from their in-ring persona to show they can branch out. After all, it worked for “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Dave Bautista.
WorldFilmGeek 