WWE Hall Of Famer Mick Foley Details Surprise At Queen Of The Ring Biopic
Today, the general audience will witness a performance of a lifetime as Emily Bett Rickards embodies the spirit of a forthright revolutionist in women's professional wrestling, Mildred Burke. In the film "Queen of the Ring," Rickards recreates Burke's uncharted wrestling journey from the mid-1930s to the mid-1950s. Hall of Famer Mick Foley offers his candid critique of the movie. His initial reactions focused on the elements that define any popular biopic: props, music, costumes, and accuracy.
"I loved it. I really did," Foley said in an interview with "Busted Open." "I was ready to...to be dismissive, and I was ready to see on the screen what I knew a lot of low budget movies look like...About five minutes into this thing, I was like, how did they do this? The costumes are gorgeous. The music choices are really effective. The sets, the time pieces, I mean they recreate the 1930s carnival atmosphere because that's where Mildred began on the carnivals. The wrestling scenes are really well done."
Considering wrestling films and biopics that preceded it, such as "The Wrestler," "Fighting with My Family," "Cassandro," and "The Iron Claw," the three-time former WWE Champion believes that Rickards thoroughly researched her role in portraying the inaugural NWA World Women's Champion and Hall of Famer. Foley wouldn't be surprised if Rickards and the film itself received multiple nominations at next year's Oscars.
"Emily Rickards deserves a lot of credit, not just for her portrayal of Mildred Burke, but for also getting in there and doing the wrestling," Foley noted. "They did have a stunt double, but she [Rickards] took a lot of her own bumps. From what I hear, she was a regular at OVW. She really took and felt in Mildred Burke a kindred spirit...To me, it's an Oscar-worthy nomination."
Before the movie premiere, Wrestling Inc. spoke with Rickards about the time and effort needed to train for the role and the possibility of seeing her return to the ring. "Queen of the Ring" is now showing in theaters.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Busted Open Radio" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.