Some Wrestling Fans Not Happy With Ric Flair Scenes In ‘The Iron Claw’

The new pro wrestling-based movie ‘The Iron Claw’ is getting rave reviews from both critics and viewers alike.

Except for one part, if you’re a wrestling fan.

BroBible reports:

By all accounts, “The Iron Claw” is on track to be one of the movies of the year in 2023.

But one particular scene, which features actor Aaron Dean Eisenberg portraying legendary wrestler Ric Flair, has some viewers up in arms.

The movie tells the tragic story of the Von Erich family, who formed a legendary pro wrestling dynasty before seeing it all come crashing down in devastating fashion.

It stars Zac Efron in a leading role as Kevin Von Erich. One that BroBible film guru Eric Italiano believes should land him Best Actor consideration.

“While Efron’s physical transformation for the role of Kevin Von Erich is striking — as if his muscles were sculpted from Italian granite — it’s what that hulking frame is protecting and reckoning with on the inside that makes The Iron Claw one of the best films of the year,” he writes. “Playing the eldest living brother, Efron also assumes the role of pseudo-dad to his younger siblings, as both his father (Holt McCallany) and mother (Maura Tierney) are unrelenting in their pursuit of the midwestern American dream, no matter the cost, leaving Efron’s Kevin be the moral compass and caretaker of the lot.”

So Far, So Good… Until Ric Flair

BroBible notes, “Eisenberg portrays Flair during his days as perhaps the biggest star in the NWA. A scene of him cutting a promo (a televised interview in which a wrestler addresses fans/other wrestlers), which Flair did better than perhaps anyone ever has, had wrestling fans up in arms.”

The reactions from the pro wrestling world to Eisenberg’s portrayal of Flair have been many and harsh.

Ouch.

But other than this specific criticism about how Ric Flair was presented, the movie is being hailed as absolutely fantastic and even breaking new ground for Zac Efron as an actor.

Maybe this movie is his turn to be Hollywood’s heavyweight champion at the 2024 Oscars. Time will tell.