Comments on: Wrestling with Wild Things, Part 2 http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/11/04/wrestling-with-wild-things-part-2/ Overthinking It subjects the popular culture to a level of scrutiny it probably doesn't deserve. Sun, 21 Mar 2010 01:17:16 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: dave http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/11/04/wrestling-with-wild-things-part-2/#comment-13152 dave Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:31:07 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=11063#comment-13152 The ending to the Wrestler is less ambiguous than you make it out to be. There can't be any doubt that Randy died. When he comes off the turnbuckle for the Ram Jam the camera switches to a 1st person POV. The closing shot is of the lights. Meaning Randy is on his back. The symbolism is heavy, only a wrestler who has lost his match stares up the lights as he's being pinned. Randy as the babyface in a reunion match against an opponent doing the evil foreigner gimmick would never do the job, the crowd would be sent home happy that the all-American wrestler has conquered the invading foreign menace. This is even more the case after Randy hits his patented finisher. Even if this was one match in a series of matches the heel would never shake off the face's finisher to win the match. So Randy is laying on his back after a heart attack. The symbolism is much more than just Randy's death. Its that life has pinned him, and the match is over. The ending to the Wrestler is less ambiguous than you make it out to be. There can’t be any doubt that Randy died. When he comes off the turnbuckle for the Ram Jam the camera switches to a 1st person POV. The closing shot is of the lights. Meaning Randy is on his back.

The symbolism is heavy, only a wrestler who has lost his match stares up the lights as he’s being pinned. Randy as the babyface in a reunion match against an opponent doing the evil foreigner gimmick would never do the job, the crowd would be sent home happy that the all-American wrestler has conquered the invading foreign menace. This is even more the case after Randy hits his patented finisher. Even if this was one match in a series of matches the heel would never shake off the face’s finisher to win the match. So Randy is laying on his back after a heart attack.

The symbolism is much more than just Randy’s death. Its that life has pinned him, and the match is over.

]]> By: dock http://www.overthinkingit.com/2009/11/04/wrestling-with-wild-things-part-2/#comment-13149 dock Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:15:19 +0000 http://www.overthinkingit.com/?p=11063#comment-13149 Great stuff. The closing had me coping ugly just a teensy bit Great stuff. The closing had me coping ugly just a teensy bit

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