15 Best Wrestling Movies

Pro wrestling is a non-stop machine, filled with drama, romance, tragedy, and action, creating a cinematic spectacle week after week. These wrestling stories have naturally inspired Hollywood, and while there may not be quite as many movies about wrestling as boxing, there are still plenty of movies about wrestling across all genres. Be it through family comedy, animation, heartwarming biopics, or the drama of what it is to suffer within the realities of being a wrestler, plenty of movies based around wrestling are great accompaniments to the weekly hard-hitting actions of Cody Rhodes and Roman Reigns.

The best wrestling movies range from a title that has been nominated for multiple Oscars to a film that helped to sink a wrestling promotion with a 20+ year legacy. From sublime to stupid and via the stupidly sublime, movies on wrestling have, admittedly, more mixed results than other inspirational sports movies, be they based on real events or entirely fictitious. However, there's no doubt that they're entertaining, and will appeal to wrestling and non-wrestling fans alike.

15 Legendary (2010)

John Cena Coaches His Younger Brother

Early in John Cena's acting career, he took a more serious role in this quiet family drama. Legendary takes a look at a grieving family who was torn apart following the death of their patriarch. Cal (Devon Graye), the book-smart but smaller youngest brother of the family, seeks to unite the rest of the troubled family members by pursuing the family's legacy in the world of wrestling.

It is interesting to see Cena playing the supporting role as the character outside of the ring, but he is entertaining as the darker and trouble-making older brother who agrees to coach his inexperienced brother. It is a sweet sports drama about a brave attempt to defy the odds and how it inspires the loved ones around Cal to come together to cheer him on as a family.

14 Paradise Alley (1978)

Sylvester Stallone Trades Boxing For Wrestling

After stepping into the boxing ring in an iconic way, but before launching the Rocky franchise with his sequels, Sylvester Stallone entered the world of wrestling in Paradise Alley. Serving as his directorial debut, Stallone stars in the movie as Cosmo, a con artist who, along with his skeptical brother, Lenny (Armand Assante), attempts to make big money by managing their younger brother, Victor (Lee Canalito), as a wrestler.

Upon its release, Paradise Alley was unfairly and unfavorably compared to Rocky, but decades later, it stands on its own as a solid sports movie. Stallone seems less interested in the world of wrestling than he was in the world of boxing, but there are still some fun fighting elements. However, the film is really a story about brothers, with the shifting dynamics between the three brothers making for the most interesting aspect of the movie.

13 Queen Of The Ring (2024)

The True Story Of A Trailblazing Female Wrestler

Queen of the Ring is an exciting new entry into the genre of wrestling movies as it deals not only with a look back at a long-ago era of the sport but also with the women of the sport. The film is a sports biopic about the trailblazing wrestler Mildred Burke, who became the highest-paid female athlete in the world during the 1930s, expanding the role of women in the wrestling world and even taking on (and defeating) male opponents.

The film also features real wrestlers Toni Storm, Trinity Fatu, and Britt Baker.

Emily Bett Rickards brings humor, strength, and charm to the lead role, leading this entertaining story. It is as much about the fights outside of the ring as the ones inside the ring, as Burke sought to be taken seriously in the sport, and then sought to be involved in the business side of the sport. It makes for a terrific underdog period sports story. The film also features real wrestlers Toni Storm, Trinity Fatu, and Britt Baker.

12 Cassandro (2023)

A Biopic Of A Gay Wrestling Icon

Wrestling is an internationally celebrated sport and there are a lot of figures from around the world who have put their mark on the sport. Cassandro tells the story of one such athlete, Saúl Armendáriz, who rose to fame as the wrestler Cassandro. Gael García Bernal steps into the lead role as this gay man living in Texas who travels across the border to compete as the eye-catching and bold luchador.

Bernal delivers a winning performance in the lead role as the movie showcases Cassandro's rise to fame in the 1980s and the ways in which his popularity changed the sport forever. The mix of the queer lifestyle story set within the stereotypically macho world of wrestling makes for an entertaining and funny ride with a feel-good element to the whole thing that makes it so satisfying.

11 Unstoppable (2024)

A True-Story Of A Wrestling Hero

Unstoppable is based on a true story of another hero of the sport of wrestling. Jharrel Jerome stars in the movie as Anthony Robles, a young man who was born without a leg but does not let that stop him from pursuing his passion for wrestling. Backed by his supporting mother and loved ones, Robles went on to become an NCAA Division I wrestling champion.

While similar to many other sports films of its kind, seeing this kind of true story in a wrestling movie is fresh. The film is an inspiring and uplifting story about determination in overcoming adversity. Jerome really sells the struggles of the journey with his powerful performance, showcasing Robles' unbelievable strength in the face of endless obstacles. Unstoppable also features a terrific supporting cast, including Jennifer Lopez as his loving mother and Don Cheadle as his coach.

10 Rumble (2021)

Monster Brawls, Family Fun, And Terry Crews

An animated movie that WWE Studios created in association with Paramount, Rumble features an all-star sports-flavored cast and a plot around monster wrestling. This intergalactic sport revolves around creatures of all shapes and sizes, competing in the squared circle. Featuring wrestling legends Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch, basketball royalty Charles Barkley, broadcaster Stephen A Smith, actors John DiMaggio, Tony Danza, and Terry Crews as a villainous half-shark, half-octopus heel champion, Rumble is a harmless if unspectacular offering around family, with Will Arnett as the lead as a big ol’ suplexing reptilian called Steve.

Given that description and this well-assembled cast, Rumble really should be far better than the movie itself ever manages to be. Colorful and vibrant, Rumble is good, clean fun for anyone below the age of 8.

9 Win Win (2011)

Paul Giamatti Stars In This Mat-Wrestling Family Drama

Win Win

Comedy

Documentary

Drama

Sport

Release Date: March 18, 2011
Runtime: 106 minutes

Cast

Paul Giamatti
Amy Ryan
Bobby Cannavale
Jeffrey Tambor

Director: Tom McCarthy
Writers: Tom McCarthy, Joe Tiboni
Main Genre: Comedy

The second that Paul Giamatti's name is attached to a movie, there is a comfortable assurance that there will be a relatively high level of quality to the project at hand. Win Win is a relatively obscure movie centered around a middle-aged man named Mike Flaherty (Giamatti) and a troubled teenage boy named Kyle Timmons (Alex Shaffer) both searching for meaning in their lives and learning/relearning life's fundamentals through their experiences around competitive mat-based high school wrestling. It's jaunty, well-acted, and charming without ever being particularly affecting.

Win Win is definitely more of an artsier film than other movies about wrestling, and the sport takes a backseat to the human drama experienced by Mike and Kyle. However, the Independent Spirit Award-nominated film will definitely give a good dose of nostalgia to those who participated in high school wrestling.

8 Ready To Rumble (2000)

The Movie That Absolutely Did Not Save WCW

Ready To Rumble

PG-13

Comedy

Action

Documentary

Sport

Release Date: April 7, 2000
Runtime: 107 minutes

Cast

David Arquette
Oliver Platt
Scott Caan
Bill Goldberg (Wrestler)

Director: Brian Robbins
Main Genre: Comedy

Of every film in existence, the bottom-of-the-barrel "comedy" Ready To Rumble is the movie to have the most lasting effect on pro wrestling itself, with lead actor David Arquette being made WCW champion during the promo for the movie. Essentially a vehicle for the rapidly declining WCW, several superstars (and John Cena as a backstage extra) appeared as Arquette and Scott Caan bumbled on screen, playing fans caught up in an actual pro wrestling storyline. Step Brothers, it is not.

David Arquette’s record in WCW is 3-1, including a victory over former UFC fighter, Tank Abbott.

Amazingly, Ready To Rumble (23%) is not director Brian Robbins’ lowest Rotten Tomatoes score, as he also helmed the much-maligned Eddie Murphy vehicle, Norbit (9%). Ultimately, Ready to Rumble was a box office bomb, earning just $12.5 million against a $24 million budget. However, if wrestling fans go into Ready to Rumble knowing what they're in for, the movie is worth the watch, if only for its bizarre place in the sport's history.

7 Foxcatcher (2014)

Mat-Wrestling Takes A Backseat To An Emotional Rollercoaster

Following 2011's fantastic Moneyball with another sports-themed movie, Bennett Miller’s unsettling 2015 drama Foxcatcher focuses on the mat-wrestling that the likes of Olympic gold medal winner Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar (who appears in the background of a wrestling weigh-in scene), excelled in before enlarging their names and reputation in WWE. The movie is based on the story of Olympic wrestlers Mark and David Schultz, played by Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo respectively, and the effects of their subsequent relationship with eccentric billionaire heir, John du Pont (Steve Carell).

Foxcatcher was the first movie to be nominated for Best Director but not Best Picture at the Academy Awards since 2008.

It's beautifully shot by cinematographer Greig Fraser, who’d go on to make the gorgeous Dune movies with Denis Villeneuve and the equally visually stunning The Batman with Matt Reeves. Like other true-story movies about wrestling, Foxcatcher is rooted in tragedy, and will haunt viewers long after the credits roll.

6 Fighting With My Family

Florence Pugh Turns The Paige

The story of Saraya "Paige" Knight’s journey to the WWE, produced in part by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson’s Seven Bucks, is a charming movie in and of itself, but its strength lies in some brilliant casting and production decisions. Florence Pugh is excellent in the lead, Lena Heady and Nick Frost are a dream duo as her parents, Saraya and Ricky Knight, and the comedy is as sharp as audiences would expect with Stephen Merchant directing. There are a ton of savvy nods to WWE’s past and present history too.

Former WWE superstar AJ Lee is played by current SmackDown alumni Zelina Vega.

Overall, this is a solid and endearing, family-friendly look at the inner workings of the modern pro wrestling machine. Seasoned fans will recognize characters and the NXT brand's large presence, The Rock's cameo is charming and perfect for fans of The People's Champ, and the film has an enormous heart at its core.

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