Paul Walter Hauser believes he is the first person to integrate All Elite Wrestling references into a Hollywood movie.
Professional wrestling and Hollywood go back a long way. Whether talking about full-blown movies based on wrestling such as Verne Gagne’s “The Wrestler,” Hulk Hogan in “No Holds Barred” or David Arquette in “Ready To Rumble,” there have been many movies based on professional wrestling.
Outside of this, there have been many instances of professional wrestlers making quick cameos and professional wrestling being referenced in movies such as Macho Man Randy Savage as Bonesaw during the first portion of the 2002 Spider-Man film.
All Elite Wrestling has only been around for two-and-a-half years. However, in that time, the promotion has grown swiftly in popularity and is now being referenced in a brand new movie, “Queenpins,” thanks to Paul Walter Hauser who got WWE references switched to references to AEW.
Paul Walter Hauser explains how he got these changes made on the most recent episode of Sean Waltman’s Pro Wrestling 4 Life.
In his explanation, Hauser reveals that he made the changes because he knows Tony Khan and believed he would have an easier time getting licensing rights to AEW content in the film.
"I got this part in this movie, and I saw there were WWE references in the movie. They were in there because they had another guy before me who dropped out, and then I signed on, but I read the script, and I go, 'Can we change this to AEW? I happen to know the owner, I could probably get you a decent deal with the licensing and the images.' They go, 'Yeah, let us know if we can do that. That'd be great.' If you watch the movie 'Queenpins,' you will see, what I believe, is the first film in Hollywood to feature AEW in the film."
Furthermore, Paul Walter Hauser reveals that he has actually had minimal wrestling training with several names from The Nightmare Factory including Anthony Ogogo, Preston Vance, and even WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page.
Hauser reveals that he wants to compete in a celebrity wrestling match, and he wants it to be rather violent.
"This guy on my shirt right here, Darian Bengston, he's a younger developmental talent who's been working in and out of Cody's Nightmare Factory and also just doing the independents and running the circuit and getting paid a ham sandwich to do a sunset flip. He showed me some stuff Anthony Ogogo of AEW fame and the boxing world was very patient with me and wanted to show me stuff and then Dallas Page and Vance, Number 10 from The Dark Order. The four of those gentlemen have all helped me and out of the composite six, seven hours of training I've done, I had about two minutes of a memorized match laid out where I did the wrist manipulation, I took a bump, and took a clothesline, I could give a vertical suplex. I really loved it dearly and you learn to love the pain because you love the work.
"So, you know, I've said it before and I'll say it again definitively. I guaran-damn-tee you unless God swipes me from the Earth because that's his call anyway, I will be wrestling in a celebrity wrestling match someday, and it will not be forgettable. If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it. I'd rather not do it poorly. So it'll be a body transformation of some kind. There'll be a lot of diligence to actually learning the craft well enough to pull off a 10-minute match and not be gassed and vomit. Then, I also just want to take an actual bump and feel like a thumbtack spot through a table, like, let's just do it."
Queenpins, which stars Kristen Bell and Vince Vaughn, is currently available to stream on Paramount Plus.
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