Below the Belt (1980)

Rosa Rubinsky is floundering in her life both personally and professionally. Small time radio talk show host Terry Glantz is the latest in the long line of her steady but not really committed boyfriends. And she works in a dead end job as a waitress in a sports arena. Bobby Fox, who sees her physically handle the unwanted advances of a co-worker, is a professional wrestling promoter who thinks she looks like a natural for the sport despite she being diminutive in size. Mutually parting ways with both her current job and with Terry, Rosa decides to give it a try. She is sent to professional wrestling school, and then on the road with Bobby's stable of wrestlers to watch and learn. In both situations, what Rosa also learns is that there is much camaraderie amongst the wrestlers out of emotional need as it is a lonely life. While some look for their soul mate within their traveling partners, others just want a body - any body - to keep them warm at night. She also learns the pros and cons of the sport itself. Rosa's professional wrestling career may be short lived as Bobby wants her first bout to be with Terrible Tommy J., the queen of the sport. Although professional wrestling is acting more than anything, Tommy, who has forty pounds over Rosa, often treats it like real life to exert her power and superiority over her colleagues, who she sees more as competitors wanting to dethrone her.