ShareThisDylan Keith Summers didn't have to stretch in his first acting role.
Summers essentially reprised his ultra-violent grappling persona as the Necro Butcher for "The Wrestler," an acclaimed new movie that will make its nationwide theatrical debut in the coming weeks. Actor Mickey Rourke plays the lead role of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a former superstar now relegated to obscurity in the lowbrow independent circuit.
That's where Rourke's character faces Summers' in a "death match" that Summers says includes "glass, thumbtacks and all kinds of horrible stuff. (Robinson) ends up having a heart attack afterward and has to retire. Things then get even worse for him."
Robinson eventually returns for a big match against longtime nemesis The Ayatollah (former World Championship Wrestling star Ernest "The Cat" Miller). Along the way, Robinson also tries to mend fences with his girlfriend (Marisa Tomei) and estranged daughter (Evan Rachel Wood).
Summers admits to having become emotional when reading the script. Not only does he see some of himself in Robinson's quixotic quest for pro-wrestling stardom, Summers said he has a 14-year-old daughter with whom he hasn't kept close contact.
"It's a tearjerker," Summers said Tuesday in a telephone interview.
The film's producers couldn't have cast anyone better for the part of a weapon-wielding madman than Summers, whose Necro Butcher character has followed in the footsteps of hard-core icons like Mick "Cactus Jack" Foley, Terry Funk and Atsushi Onita. Summers actually wrestles barefoot in his trademark gore fests that feature props like fluorescent tubing and staple guns.
Such brutality has taken its toll. On more than one occasion, Summers has needed 100-plus stitches in his arm for cuts suffered during a bout. Matches are usually held in school gyms, small arenas and makeshift outdoor venues.
Summers, though, has no regrets. Using a more traditional in-ring style early this decade, he was relegated to working for $25 to $40 a night for small promotions in the Indiana area. But as Necro Butcher, Summers became a much-better paid attraction for hard-core groups in the United States and Japan. He is currently a top star for Ring of Honor, the Philadelphia-based company that helped stage matches for "The Wrestler."
"This style has opened up a lot of doors for me," said Summers, who lives in the Pittsburgh area. "I could wrestle strictly by the book if I wanted to. But if someone is willing to fly me around the country to do death matches, why can't I be that (idiot) who does it?"
Rourke was so convincing in his portrayal of Robinson that he is being mentioned as a candidate for major acting awards. Summers feels that praise is well deserved. Rourke performed almost all of his own stunt work in their "battle" and, like traditional pro wrestlers, even cut himself with a razor blade to draw blood when a prosthetic forehead device didn't work properly.
"He did a lot more than I expected," said Summers, who was left battered and bruised himself when taking repeated falls.
"The Wrestler" has created such buzz that World Wrestling Entertainment already has copied Rourke's character by turning Shawn Michaels into a down-and-out veteran. Summers, though, doesn't believe he can parlay his movie role into a spot with WWE or TNA Wrestling because his style is too extreme for those mainstream companies.
The balding Summers also knows that his scraggly appearance -- complete with a long beard, chipped teeth and torn jeans -- makes him a bad fit in a vanity promotion like WWE.
"I'm just realistic," said Summers, 35. "The thing is, I really enjoy what I'm doing now. I'm not going to beat myself up and call myself a failure because I haven't been able to work there. I'm just hoping that maybe some of the promotions like Ring of Honor can get some new fans from the exposure that (independent wrestling) gets in this movie."
For more information on Ring of Honor, visit www.rohwrestling.com. For information on "The Wrestler," visit www.foxsearchlight.com.
(Alex Marvez writes a syndicated pro-wrestling column for Scripps Howard News Service. E-mail him at alex1marv(at)aol.com.)
