Best Movies And Series About Wrestling To Stream On Netflix
Over the years, films that center around the sport of wrestling have been few and far between. Back in the mid- ‘80s, there was the excellent film, Vision Quest, which starred Matthew Modine as Louden Swain, a high schooler wrestler who gets involved with an older woman. Skipping ahead a few years, there was The Wrestler, the Academy Award-nominated film starring Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei.
Of course, there were a few other notables such as Ready to Rumble and Nacho Libre. Thankfully, if you are a fan of such films, Netflix has got you covered.
Best Movies and Series About Wrestling on Netflix
GLOW
GLOW is an entertaining Netflix wrestling series that sadly was lost in the COVID pandemic. The series tells the story of the women’s professional wrestling circuit, Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling or GLOW, a real-life entity that began in 1986 and has continued on in one form or another since that time.
Alison Brie plays Ruth Wilder, a struggling Los Angeles actress who decides to audition for the women’s professional wrestling promotion. Upon getting accepted, she takes on the wrestling moniker of Zoya the Destroya.
The series follows all the women in the league, their personal and professional struggles, and how they fought to make it popular. Betty Gilpin, Sydelle Noel, Britney Young, and Britt Baron also star using catchy wrestling names such as Liberty Belle, Junkchain, Machu Picchu, and Scab.
Netflix had renewed GLOW for a fourth season but because of the COVID pandemic, they were forced to shut down and never came back for the fourth season.
Watch GLOW on Netflix.
Against the Ropes
Against the Ropes is a freshman series from Netflix that tells the story of Angela, a single mother who has been doing time in prison. Upon her release, she heads home to where she has time to make up with her young daughter.
Feeling she needs to gain her daughter’s trust and respect, she takes to the world of professional wrestling as lucha libre is what her daughter loves.
The series is heartwarming as it tells a great story about a mother and daughter whose fractured relationship is in need of repair.
Watch Against the Ropes on Netflix.
The Main Event
Leo is an 11-year-old kid with aspirations of someday being a WWE wrestling star. Being bullied at school, though, doesn’t give him much confidence. One day while avoiding the bullies, he is hiding in a house when he comes across a box with a wrestling mask inside.
Once Leo dons the mask, he transforms into someone very different. His voice deepens, and he becomes athletic and strong, with super strength. Now Leo doesn’t have to worry about the bullies.
When he overhears his father talking about how he needs $20 thousand so they won’t lose their house, Leo takes it upon himself to enter a WWE competition with a grand prize of $50 thousand. Even with the mask, Leo has his work cut out for him.
Watch The Main Event on Netflix.
First Match
First Match is a Netflix original film telling the story of Monique, played by Elvire Emanuelle, a teenager who spent her formative years growing up in foster care. Her time there has hardened her to the ways of life.
When her father is released from prison, she tries to reconnect with him the only way she knows how – by joining the boys’ high school wrestling team. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II stars as Monique’s father, Darrel.
Watch First Match on Netflix.
Team Foxcatcher
You may have heard of the excellent film, Foxcatcher, which starred Steve Carell in a creepy role as real-life billionaire John du Pont, the man who shot to death wrestler Dave Schultz. In Team Foxcatcher, you get the true story in the form of this Netflix documentary.
It first talks about how instrumental du Pont (who was the heir to the du Pont fortune) was in putting together the US Olympic team by building massive training facilities for the athletes, which included star wrestler, Dave Schultz.
At the time, Schultz was the most decorated US wrestler, but it was his loyalty to du Pont that would lead to his tragic death.
Watch Team Foxcatcher on Netflix.
