The movie is better than expected, with many positives. I like the grainy, old-school visuals; and the movie makes the right decision in taking place in the late 1980s: the 1980s time period eliminates any cell-phones (all horror movies nowadays must either take place before cell-phones, or the characters simply have no signal in their location); and as wrestling fans know, the late 1980s was the territorial era where kayfabe lived amongst wrestling fans, which makes the premise more credible. Visually, the movie manages to get some decent kills, and nothing looks embarrassingly cartoonish or fake. Some minor scenes might tickle wrestling fans, such as when the characters talk about maintaining heel/face dynamics in public, when they load on the bus to travel to their next show like a circus act, and when they whisper instructions to each other in the ring. The movie's brisk run-time is just about perfect.
But most of all - the character Joe (played by Steven Ogg) absolutely steals the show. He's the best actor in the entire movie, and his character comes off as cool and badass at various points. There is one part where he skillfully narrates the background of Jericho's character over some creepy montage - that scene is the best moment of the entire movie; it's an A+ scene in an low-budget, made-for-TV movie
That said, many flaws remain: the plot is predictable and ultimately forgettable in the long run. The movie could have done a lot more with the character Kate, particularly with her relationships with Jericho and the main character named "Miss Behave." The villains, like Jericho and his group, needed some fleshing out. The movie at various times suggests that Jericho's character is driven by revenge against Joe and the company he works for. Then elsewhere, the movie suggests that Jericho's character and his group are just satanic whackos. Then elsewhere, the movie suggests that Jericho's character and his group are seeking money by filming the whole ordeal. Then there's stuff involving Jericho's character's daughter ... it just seems disorganized
Regardless - if this movie were a TUBI movie, it would be one of the best horror movies on that service. And among wrestling movies, it's also one of the strongest (though that might be a low bar). It's not a bad watch. If 5.0 is average, then a 5.5/10 sounds right
5.5/10.
