Hate Watching No Holds Barred: Bad Guys, Body Slams, and Bathroom Humor

Send us Fan MailDan is out sick so we go back into the vaults to release one of our favorite episodes! Enjoy!Professional wrestling blurs the lines between reality and entertainment, but 1989's "No Holds Barred" obliterates them completely. We journey into the bizarre world of Hulk Hogan's first starring film role and discover a movie that doesn't just feature wrestling—it creates an entire universe where wrestling is the world.The premise seems straightforward: Hulk plays Rip, a wrestling superstar pursued by unscrupulous network executive Brill (Kurt Fuller) who creates his own violent wrestling program featuring the monstrous Zeus (Tiny Lister) after Rip rejects his blank check offer. But what unfolds is a baffling cinematic experience where normal societal rules don't apply, character motivations make no sense, and the primary trait identifying villains is their mistreatment of women.We analyze the strange production choices throughout—from awkward ADR and slow fight choreography to confusing scene transitions and inexplicable character decisions. Yet amidst the chaos, certain moments achieve an accidental brilliance, like the infamous bathroom scene featuring a chained dog that provides one of the film's few genuine laughs. The movie culminates with Hulk essentially murdering two people on live television to audience applause, cementing our view that Rip might actually be the villain of his own story.What makes "No Holds Barred" particularly fascinating is its behind-the-scenes story. Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan themselves reportedly rewrote the entire script over a brief period, explaining why Brill seems modeled after McMahon's own public persona. The result is a film that serves as both a bizarre cultural artifact and a cautionary tale about wrestling's difficult transition to conventional narrative filmmaking.Whether you're a wrestling fan curious about this strange chapter in Hulkamania history or a bad movie enthusiast looking for your next bewildering watch, join us as we bodyslam this cinematic oddity and somehow find genuine entertainment in its spectacular failure.Written Lovingly with AIBe our friend!Dan: @shakybaconTony: @tonydczechAnd follow the podcast on IG: @hatewatchingDAT