Welcome to Last Word on Mania month at Last Word on Sports! All month long we will be doing articles to build up for WrestleMania 31 on March 29, 2015. Be sure to read everything this month by clicking this link. Enjoy!
The celebrity wing of the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame is a much debated topic among fans. Some are reviled by the idea of any non-wrestler being a part of sports entertainment’s upper echelon, while others realize that the entertainment aspect of sports entertainment has played a vital role in the history of WWE as well. If there was ever a celebrity addition to the hall that embodied the melding of sports and entertainment, it’s Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Arnold was born in Thal, Austria, and raised by strict parents who never believe their son would not amount to much, let alone blaze a trail for immigrants in the United States, start a fitness revolution and change the face of Hollywood action films. Arnold has said that his parents showed great favouritism towards his older brother Meinhard, which might explain Arnold’s attraction to the sport of body building at the tender age of 14. Body building is a solo sport where no one is responsible for your success or failure but you. In that regard, it is very similar to professional wrestling, especially once physiques and appearances became a crucial element to success in the world of sports entertainment. Although there had always been stars with impressive bodies, it didn’t become the norm until the fitness revolution of the 70’s, and there is no doubt that the man carrying that revolution on his mountainous back was Arnold Schwarzenegger. One could argue that without Arnold Schwarzenegger, there would be no Ultimate Warrior, no Lex Luger, and no John Cena.
In fact, Schwarzenegger had ties to professional wrestling throughout his career. He lists former professional wrestler and renowned belt maker Reg Parks as one of his biggest influences, and after moving to the United States in 1968, his first training partners were a pair of professional wrestlers, Ric Drasin and “Superstar” Billy Graham. It only took Arnold two years of training alongside his pro wrestling friends to capture his first of seven Mr. Olympia titles, an unheard of feat at the time. There is no denying that Arnold would not have reached the heights he did in body building without the help of Drasin and Graham. It was just another example of Schwarzenegger’s symbiotic relationship with the world of sports entertainment, one that he obviously has not forgotten, as WWE has been a huge part of the Arnold Sports Weekend for a number of years now, most recently holding matches and open try outs for NXT. One of the highlights of this year’s weekend included Triple H being inducted into Arnold’s Sports Hall of Fame, an act demonstrative of the respect that Schwarzenegger has for WWE and their athletes.
After retiring from body building in the late 70’s, Arnold decided to pursue his second love of acting. It wasn’t an easy transition for Schwarzenegger, who toiled away in small projects where his name was changed, and was given characters that would make any promoter shake his head. One of his first big breaks out roles even had to be dubbed over because of his thick accent. If Arnold was an independent wrestler, he would have a terrible gimmick and no mic skills, working in a legion for 50 people. However, not unlike many of his indy wrestling counterparts, Arnold had the drive to persevere and continue to climb the ladder of success, waiting for his opportunity to show Hollywood what he could do. Arnold got that opportunity in 1982 with his role as the titular character in Conan the Barbarian, a role that would go on to influence Triple H in developing his own “King of Kings” persona.
From there, Arnold Schwarzenegger grabbed a hold of Hollywood’s throat and refused to let go. He made some of the biggest action movies of all time, including films like Predator, where he formed a friendship and partnership with another famous pro wrestler in Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Ventura and Arnold would work side by side on several of Arnold’s bigger projects, including The Running Man and Predator. Ventura would not be the only wrestler to act alongside Schwarzenegger. Professor Toru Tanaka was also part of The Running Man, while Andre the Giant worked alongside Arnold in an uncredited role for Conan the Destroyer. Later when Arnold was focusing on comedies, The Big Show played a giant Santa Claus enforcer in the Christmas comedy Jingle All The Way. In a surprising coincidence, WWE would actually produce a sequel to that Arnold movie starring former WWE star Santino Marella. Even in Hollywood, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s respect for professional wrestlers remained intact. Never was this more evident than his cameo in an action movie project for Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in The Rundown. As Rock is entering a club, the former Terminator is walking out the door. Arnold looks Johnson’s way and says “Have fun”, in what many have speculated was Arnold’s own way of endorsing Johnson as Hollywood’s next big action star. If that was indeed the case, then Arnold certainly has an eye for talent, and when it came time to choose his successor, he gaze was squarely fixed on a professional wrestler.
Even when not performing alongside professional wrestlers, sports entertainment often played a part in Arnold’s films. In his movie The 6th Day, the futuristic world in which Schwarzenegger’s character lives is obsessed with the nation’s top sports league, the Xtreme Football League, Vince McMahon’s attempt to branch out from pro wrestling in 2001. Although the XFL did nothing to boost box office numbers, Arnold would once again team up with Vince McMahon to help promote his supernatural thriller End of Days. On the August 11th edition of WWF Smackdown, Schwarzenegger was presented with a replica WWF Championship belt (dubbing him the “Box Office Champion” of Hollywood) and was invited to do some ringside commentary for a match featuring Triple H and the Road Dogg against The Rock and Test, with Steve Austin as the guest referee. When things got out of control, Arnold slid a chair into Stone Cold, who laid out the Game in vicious fashion, allowing Test to pick up the victory. This did not sit well with Triple H, who took a swing at the Austrian Oak, only to receive a back hand and a beating for his trouble. It was a surreal moment for fans, which probably included Triple H himself.
After his movie career started to slow down, Arnold needed a new challenge. Although he denied it in interviews, Schwarzenegger had great interest in politics, and ran for the office of Governor of California in 2003. He won by over a million votes. Although Schwarzenegger’s time in office was occasionally controversial, one man who was won over by his politics was Vince McMahon. If one was to compare the two, it isn’t hard to see why. Both are staunch Republicans who were rejected by their fathers (Arnold biological, McMahon step father), both are self-made millionaires (Arnold was a millionaire by the time he was 30 and even turned down his Governor’s salary while in office), both feed on competition, have an unmatched drive, keen business sense, and obsessions with both physical fitness and Hollywood. They are cut from the same cloth, so the reasons for their mutual admiration are not difficult to see.
Arnold is also no stranger to the WWE Hall of Fame. In 2013, he was asked by Bruno Sammartino to induct the living legend into the Hall at Madison Square Garden. Sammartino is widely regarded as one of the greatest to ever step foot in a WWE ring, so for him to choose Arnold as his inductor spoke volumes about the respect they had for one another. Now, two years later, Arnold himself will graduate from inductor to inductee and join his friends Billy Graham, Jesse Ventura, and Bruno Sammartino in the WWE Hall of Fame, even if it is part of the Celebrity Wing.
His contributions to wrestling as an inspiration and business partner have been the opposite of his movies; subdued and humble, but that doesn’t make them less important. Although he never officiated a match, or laced up a pair of wrestling boots, or even appeared on WWE television more than a handful of times, Arnold Schwarzenegger is a pop culture icon, just like WWE, and the relationship they share continues to grow with each passing year. This year, that relationship is honored with his induction into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2015. Now when people ask him what is best in life, he can reply “To crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, to hear the lamentation of the women…And to be a part of the WWE Hall of Fame”
