Wrestling Inspired Dog Names

In the introduction, we talked about how there may be only limited overlap between dogs and wrestling. After all, unlike basketball, soccer or even golf, wrestling is not a sport dogs can really get into or participate in — at least, not like the WWE/WWF style wrestling that has significant restrictions on style and method. But that doesn’t mean that eventually someone wouldn’t try. 

That someone ended up being those someones, the creators of Air Bud and Air Buddies, the famed innovators of canine sports flicks. With the idea came the film Russell Madness, the story of a family-less Jack Russell Terrier who is undersized but still has a big heart. After he escapes from the pet store, he happens upon the Ferraros, a family looking to breathe new life into their grandfather’s old wrestling arena. They soon discover that Russell has some inherent wrestling skills and soon are on the path to helping him become a star — of course, it doesn’t hurt that he has a talking monkey for a coach. But soon, the Ferraros are taken advantage of/double-crossed by some competitors and have to work together as a family to overcome the odds in front of them: to win so they can officially give Russell a home. 

While the idea itself was at least somewhat original within the bounds of dogs performing over the top feats of athleticism, the movie wasn’t particularly well-received by critics and audience members alike. It does put a new twist on a classic feel-good rescue story and the traditional triumph over evildoers, but the film seemed to play on a lot of stereotypes and lacked depth to give it much meaning. But at times, it did have some clever moments, a fair share of dog-centric humor many dog owners would enjoy, and a happy ending in which a dog without a family uses his skills to secure himself a home. 

Fortunately, while the wrestling dog concept may be done better in the future or fall by the wayside entirely, there are several others taking the idea to a lesser degree and finding greater results. For instance, there has been a rising number of custom made luchador masks for doggy Halloween costumes (we like the comfy felt ones best, for the sake of the dog’s comfort). In turn, they have inspired some pretty interesting t-shirts and greeting cards, so it’s safe to say all is not lost on the dog/wrestling combination front.