Its title doesn’t exactly conjure warm fuzzies, but wrestling rom-com Chokeslam has a lot of heart. And chokes. And slams.
The Regina-shot feature film – written and directed by Robert Cuffley (Walk All Over Me, Ferocious), and starring GVRD-born powerhouse Amanda Crew as Sheena DeWilde, a disgraced wrestling star gunning for a comeback, and Chris Marquette as her lovelorn ex – screens in Vancouver next month as part of a limited theatrical release. It also features WWE Hall of Famer Mick “Mankind” Foley, professional wrestlers Lance Storm and Chelsea Green, and a strong Vancouver contingent of Eadweard star Michael Eklund, Agam Darshi (Sanctuary, Played), and Niall Matter (Primeval New World).
Chokeslam premiered at the 2016 Calgary International Film Festival and had its BC premiere last December at the 2016 Whistler Film Festival. Part love story, part redemption tale, and funny through and through, it offers a sideways, surprisingly heartfelt look at the calamities wrestlers face in and out of the ring.
‘Wrestling rom-com’ isn’t exactly a category on Netflix, so how does Chokeslam’s star define its genre? “A physical romantic comedy – and not physical in the sexual sense, but physical in the action sense,” says Crew, laughing, on the phone from Los Angeles, where she portrays Monica Hall on the HBO sitcom Silicon Valley.
Chokeslam was a transformative experience for Crew. Beforehand, much of what she knew about the wrestling world came from Total Divas, an E! reality show that follows the women’s division of the WWE. “Each episode is probably 30 seconds of wrestling and then 22 minutes of drama,” says Crew, whose lengthy filmography also includes Bad City, The Age of Adaline, and Table 19. “My experience with wrestling before the movie was just these beautiful, fit girls arguing about screen time.”
But in order to become Chokeslam’s wrestling powerhouse Sheena (who wrestles under the name Smasheena), Crew endured a rigorous training regimen that found her lifting weights and building her power and strength. “I was always that typical cardio queen who stuck to the treadmill out of fear of, ‘If I lift weights, I’m going to get big and bulky.’ And now, I’m such an advocate for women lifting weights,” she says. “When you’re having a bad day and you’re able to just destroy a workout, you feel so fucking good. And I just wish every woman could feel that feeling, because it is so empowering and it does translate into your life.”
Crew performed all but two of her own wrestling moves in Chokeslam. She received guidance and inspo from legend Foley (“He was the sweetest man ever”) as well as Vancouver-born wrestling pro Chelsea Green, who currently can be seen in Pop TV’s Impact Wrestling.
Through Green, Crew learned that wrestlers are next-level tough. “After we finished filming, Chelsea was wrestling in Japan, similar to my character, and she broke her collarbone. She had to be airlifted out. And I remember when that happened, I was like, ‘Oh, my god, she’s done. That’s the end of her career.’ And no: She’s such a fucking badass that she healed and she got back in the ring after she recovered.”
That kind of bounce-back is a trait Crew now recognizes in all pro wrestlers. “There’s just this fearlessness which they have, which they have to have.”
Another revelation for Crew: Wrestling is “the most physical dance you can do. I thought wrestling was this whole pre-rehearsed dance, like they knew all of the moves that they were going to do, and it’s not the case,” she says. “They’re talking to each other in the ring. It’s improvised. They know who’s going to win, but that’s pretty much it. They really put their bodies on the line and sacrifice their bodies.”
Also, wrestling is addictive. “Getting to perform that fight sequence the first time, I got such an adrenaline rush. I felt like I’m sure how they feel when they wrestle in front of a huge crowd. It was thrilling. Just talking about it, I want to get back into the ring! So much fun.”
As Sheena – and Smasheena – Crew was allowed to explore anger and volatility, which are emotional states not typically written for female protagonists. “It’s definitely a rare thing in movies and TV for women to be the protagonists and also have flaws. I think so many people are scared to give flaws to women, because women are supposed to be likeable and pretty. And to me, that’s such a shame and a waste. I think that propels this idea that women need to be perfect, and also why men might not feel the need to be perfect.”
Chokeslamopens theatrically at Cineplex International Village on Friday, Apr. 7. Find the film and its star on Twitter: @ChokeslamMovie and @AmandaCCrew.
