On this day June 2, 1989, No Holds Barred premiered in theaters, marking Hulk Hogan’s first starring role in a feature film. Directed by Thomas J. Wright, the action drama featured Hogan as Rip, a popular wrestling champion who is pushed into a brutal showdown with the monstrous Zeus, played by Tiny Lister.
The film also starred Kurt Fuller as the scheming TV executive and Joan Severance as the love interest caught in the middle of the chaos. With a production budget of 8 million dollars, No Holds Barred went on to earn 16 million dollars at the box office.
Although the film received mixed reviews, it gained a cult following among wrestling fans and 80s action movie enthusiasts. It also helped launch a short lived but heavily promoted feud in the WWF between Hogan and Zeus, which carried over from the screen to the ring later that same year.
80s insight: No Holds Barred was part of a larger movement in the 1980s that saw wrestlers cross over into mainstream entertainment. It helped cement Hulk Hogan’s place not just as the face of wrestling, but also as a pop culture icon of the decade.
The film also starred Kurt Fuller as the scheming TV executive and Joan Severance as the love interest caught in the middle of the chaos. With a production budget of 8 million dollars, No Holds Barred went on to earn 16 million dollars at the box office.
Although the film received mixed reviews, it gained a cult following among wrestling fans and 80s action movie enthusiasts. It also helped launch a short lived but heavily promoted feud in the WWF between Hogan and Zeus, which carried over from the screen to the ring later that same year.
80s insight: No Holds Barred was part of a larger movement in the 1980s that saw wrestlers cross over into mainstream entertainment. It helped cement Hulk Hogan’s place not just as the face of wrestling, but also as a pop culture icon of the decade.
