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5 GREATEST WRESTLING MOVIES OF ALL TIME

Wrestling fans, movie buffs, and even those who want to see some good entertainment will all have their own opinion on the greatest wrestling movies of all time. The sports genre in Hollywood has been trendy for a very long time. So, to help you with some options, we have come up with a list of all-time best wrestling movies for you. So, don’t forget to watch (or re-watch) any of these movies.

List of Best Wrestling Movies

Every year hundreds of movies get released, but only a few of them can impact viewers. Below is the list of such wrestling movies which pave the way for more similar content in the future. 

Fighting with My Family (2019)

If you like real-life-based movies, then Fighting with My Family is an ideal choice for you in the wrestling genre. The film is a biographical sports comedy-drama directed by Stephen Merchant.

The movie is based on the 2012 documentary The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family written by Max Fisher. The film portrays the career of English professional wrestler Paige, played by Florence Pugh, who makes her way clear to climb up the ladder of success in WWE. The movie also features her brother Zak Zodiac’s struggles to succeed in WWE, and Jack Lowden portrays Zak’s role. 

Warrior (2011)

Warrior is a sports fiction movie directed by Gavin O’Connor, and written by O’Connor, Anthony Tambakis, and Cliff Dorfman. The movie features Tom Hardy as Tommy Riordan Conion and Joel Edgerton as Brendon Conion. The two estranged brothers find their redemption in the MMA arena. 

In Warrior, Tommy, a former Marine troubled by his traumatic experiences, gets home and chooses his father to be his trainer. However, Tommy's brother Brendan also seeks to become the champion of the tournament. Then, the situation intensifies as the two brothers must battle in "Sparta," the biggest MMA tournament ever held.

Warrior performed well at the international as well as domestic box office. The worldwide gross collection of the movies was around $24,215,385.

The Wrestler (2008)

The Wrestler is a sports psychological drama movie created by the talented Darren Aronofsky and Robert Siegel. Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, and Evan Rachel Wood star in the movie as Randy "The Ram," Cassidy (Randy's love interest), and Stephanie, Randy’s daughter (an upcoming young wrestler). 

In the film, Rourke plays an aging professional wrestler who continues to wrestle, clinging to the success of his 1980s heyday. He also tries to mend relationships with his estranged daughter and find romance with a woman who works in a club.

The production of this movie began back in January 2008, with Fox Searchlight Pictures acquiring distribution rights for it domestically. Roger Ebert, a well-known film critic, reviewed this movie as one of the year’s best films.

Beyond the Mat (1999)

This film is directed, written, and narrated by Barry W. Blaustein shows the life of professional wrestlers outside the arena, primarily Terry Funk, Mick Foley, and Jake Roberts, as well as some aspiring wrestlers focusing mainly on WWF, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) during its rise in popularity and other independent wrestling organizations.

This movie aims at making people understand the actual process of becoming a wrestler. The film discusses director Barry Blaustein's love for professional wrestling and clips showing him viewing employees from World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW). Then he travels across the United States and takes interviews with many wrestlers to know why anyone would like to pursue wrestling as a career. 

Paradise Alley (1978)

Paradise Alley was the feature film directorial debut of star Sylvester Stallone. The movie revolves around three brothers who live in Hell’s Kitchen, New York City, in the late 1940s. One of the brothers convinces the more athletic one to pursue a career in professional wrestling. But instead of him, the other sibling takes this upon himself and tries to pave his way toward wrestling.

Further, the story revolves around the massive success they gain and their tussle with one of the local gangs. The movie has cameos from Terry Funk, Dory Funk Jr, Ted DiBiase, and many others.

Where to Watch These Movies

With the presence of various online video streaming platforms, you can now easily watch your favorite content. However, please remember that not all of these titles will be available in your region. In some cases, streaming platforms make particular content available only in specific regions. To avoid these geo-restrictions, you can use a streaming VPN, granting you access to more content. 

Here’s a list of films and where you can watch them:

• The Wrestler (2008) - Amazon Prime Video and Hulu Plus

• Beyond the Mat (1999) - iTunes, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and Vudu

• Warrior (2011) - Amazon Prime Video

• Fighting with My Family (2019) - Netflix

• Paradise Alley (1978) - Amazon Prime Video

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