Mickey Rourke's Wrestling Plans Vetoed By Insurers

Star of The Wrestler had been planning to enter the ring for real at yesterday's WrestleMania event but had to make do with impromptu bout

The flesh was willing, but the insurers were weak. Mickey Rourke, star of The Wrestler, was forced to abandon plans to enter the ring for real after being vetoed by the insurance company working on his new film Iron Man 2.

Rourke, 56, had been expected to display his acting, sorry, sporting prowess by taking part in yesterday's WrestleMania 25 extravaganza in Houston, Texas. In the event, however, he was reduced to simply explaining why he couldn't.

"My agents said it would be detrimental to my career to take the focus off of acting after making a comeback in The Wrestler," he told reporters at the show. "Also, I'm doing Iron Man 2 now, and the insurance company said under no circumstances could I get into the ring."

Rourke won a Golden Globe and was Oscar-nominated for his role as faded fighter Randy "The Ram" Robinson in Darren Aronofsky's drama. "I started really enjoying it," Rourke said of his experiences on The Wrestler. "I gained the respect for a sport I knew nothing about." In January, it was reported that the actor was in talks with wrestling promoter WWE to appear at WrestleMania after being touched by the support his film received from wrestlers.

He told reporters yesterday that his presence at the event was to repay that encouragement. "I'm very honoured," Rourke said. "I was out of the movie business for 15 years. The wrestling movie has given my career a boost."

However, the actor was persuaded to defy his agents and insurers for an impromptu bout with WWE superstar Chris Jericho. After defeating three wrestling old-timers – Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper – Jericho reportedly taunted Rourke to get in the ring. To great cheers from the crowd at the Reliant Stadium, the former boxer entered the ring to bring Jericho down with a single punch.

Source: Guardian