Filled with drama and passion, pro wrestling has inspired a number of movies and TV shows over the years. These movies revolve around fictional portrayals of the wrestling world or explore the life journey of a professional wrestler.
Following are the top 5 pro-wrestling based movies and TV shows you should watch.
1. Heels
Heels is an American TV series created by Micheal Waldron. The series revolves around Duffy Wrestling League, which is a professional wrestling league in Georgia, formed by Tom Spade. Spade’s two sons Jack Spade (played by Stephen Amell) and Ace Spade (played by Alexander Ludwig) take over the league after their father’s retirement and enjoy a very toxic relationship with each other resulting in conflicts in the Duffy Wrestling League.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Heels_4-2000-a17eb5cafdcf4f7ba8365da22577b53c.jpg)
The first season of Heels premiered on 15 August 2021 followed by the second season on 28 July 2023. Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig play the lead roles of the Spade brothers in the series. Heels met with unprecedented success with an overall approval rating of 96%. If the series does end up maintaining the same level of thrill and excitement in the coming season, it could become a strong contender for awards in the future.
2. Iron Claw
Iron Claw is a 2023 movie directed by Sean Durkin. The movie portrays the life story of Von Erichs, a 1980s pro-wrestling family who helped to make WCCW a powerhouse promotion in the 1980s in the United States. However, the family undergoes several tragedies including the death of David Von Erich (played by Harris Dickinson). David’s brother Kerry Von Erich’s life (played by Jeremy Allen White) is affected by personal issues leading to his tragic end.
The movie then portrays how the sole surviving brother Kevin Von Erich (played by Zac Efron) continues the legacy of his family after dealing with such adversities.
Iron Claw was released on November 8, 2023, and earned high praise from the fans receiving an overall rating of 7.7. Having a budget of 15.9 million, it earned a box office collection of $45.2 million worldwide.
3. The Wrestler
The Wrestler was released on September 5, 2008, and was directed by Darren Aronofsky. The movie revolves around the life story of wrestler ‘Randy’ whose career declines due to age and degrading health. As he tries to regather his career, he suffers a heart attack and is advised to retire from wrestling.
After shifting the focus to his personal life, he decides to step into the ring one final time against his old foe “The Ayatollah.” Mickey Rourke plays the lead role of ‘Randy’ in the film
With a budget of $6 million, the movie won a staggering $44.7 million at the box office worldwide. It won numerous awards including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Film of the Year in 2008 and the Writers Guild of America for Best Original Screenplay.
4. Fighting With My Family
Fighting With My Family is a sports comedy movie that was released on 28 January 2019. Directed by Stephen Merchant, the movie revolves around the life story of Paige who dreams of fighting in the WWE. She gets selected in a local scouting tournament in Norwich and reaches America to continue her training. After struggling to cope with the American lifestyle initially, she overcomes the challenges to earn a spot on the WWE roster.
Florence Pugh plays the lead character of Paige in the movie with Jack Lowden playing the character of Paige’s brother Zak.
Fighting with My Family grossed $41.5 million worldwide with a budget of $11 million. The movie was well received by the fans and has an approval rating of 93%.
5. GLOW
GLOW is an American comedy TV series directed by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch. In the series, Ruth Wilder auditions for a mysterious project which later turns out to be a women’s wrestling show “GLOW” (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling). As everything seems to go smoothly in the beginning, the story takes a twist when her former best friend, Debbie Eagan, also joins “GLOW” resulting in animosities between the two.
Alison Brie plays the lead role of Ruth Wilder in the movie with Betty Gilpin playing the role of her best friend Debbie Eagan.
The first season of the series was released on June 23, 2017, followed by 2nd and 3rd seasons on June 29, 2018, and on August 9, 2019, respectively. GLOW was praised highly by the critics and has a 94% approval rating.
Read More: 5 Pro Wrestlers Who Successfully Transitioned to Acting
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
