The Main Event (2020 film)

Last updated
The Main Event
The Main Event (2020 film).png
Official release poster
Directed by Jay Karas
Screenplay byLarry Postel
Jim Mahoney
Zach Lewis
Peter Hoare
Story byLarry Postel
Produced byRichard Lowell
Starring
CinematographyKarsten Gopinath
Edited byDan Schalk
Music by Rupert Parkes
Animation byRichard Lowell
Production
company
Distributed by Netflix
Release date
  • April 10, 2020 (2020-04-10)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Main Event is a 2020 American sports comedy film directed by Jay Karas, from a screenplay by Larry Postel and starring Seth Carr, Tichina Arnold, Ken Marino and Adam Pally. It was released on April 10, 2020, by Netflix.

Contents

Plot

11-year-old Leo dreams of being a successful WWE wrestler. His grandmother Denise supports his love of wrestling. Leo's dad, Steve and Denise send him off to school and he rides his bike, where he meets up with his friends. They get bullied by another boy, a teacher intervenes and sends them all to the principal.

After school, the bullies confront and chase him on their bikes, but Leo manages to hide inside a house holding an estate sale. Inside, Leo finds a box with a wrestling mask inside. He takes it home after the man in charge gives him permission. On TV, he sees an ad for an upcoming WWE competition. Later, Leo overhears how his mom left his dad. Also, his father needs to pay $20,000 for the mortgage to not lose the house.

Leo tries on the mask, discovering it transforms him: his voice deepens, he takes on a very strong personality and he has super strength. Doing a Google search, he finds the legend of the mask: only a genuinely deserving champion can use its powers.

Leo confronts his bullies, overpowering them using the mask. Erica, a girl he likes, is impressed and they become friends, but he is also punished and sent home from school. Donning the mask and alter ego “Kid Chaos”, Leo decides to audition for the competition. After defeating fellow competitor Smooth Operator in the semi-finals, he reaches the final, against famous wrestler Samson. Leo's fame begins to alienate his friends and Erica. He later realizes and confesses to Denise that he thought the mask would solve all of his problems, but things are only getting worse. Leo apologizes to his friends, and is forgiven.

Samson and his manager switch Leo's mask with a regular one. The competition begins, with Steve watching on TV. Samson is brutally beating Leo, when Leo realizes the mask is a fake. Steve rushes to the match. Leo climbs up the cage around the ring to avoid Samson. Realizing Samson is afraid of heights, he dares him to climb, causing him to pass out. Leo jumps down on him, officially winning the match.

Leo gets the $50,000 check and he asks them to pass the wrestling contract with NXT to Smooth, as he is only a kid. WWE tells Leo when he is older, there will be a place for him in the organization. Two weeks later, Leo is on the school wrestling team. He has gained self-confidence without the mask and has the opportunity to wrestle his bully with his dad cheering him on from the audience.

Cast

Production

In June 2019, it was announced that production on the film would begin that week in Vancouver. [2] Moreover, it was announced that Seth Carr, Tichina Arnold, Ken Marino and Adam Pally would star in the film, with professional wrestlers Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Sheamus, Otis, Mia Yim and commentators Renee Young and Corey Graves also appearing. [2]

Release

The Main Event was released on April 10, 2020 by Netflix. [3]

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 30% based on 20 reviews, and an average rating of 4.9/10. [4] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Kong Bundy</span> American professional wrestler (1955-2019)

Christopher Alan Pallies was an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor better known by his wrestling gimmick and ring name, King Kong Bundy. Under this gimmick, he portrayed a pugnacious, trash-talking villain character.

Main Event or The Main Event may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheamus</span> Irish professional wrestler and actor

Stephen Farrelly is an Irish professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Sheamus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Reigns</span> American professional wrestler (born 1985)

Leati Joseph Anoaʻi is an American professional wrestler and former American football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Roman Reigns. He is the current and longest-reigning WWE Universal Champion in his second reign and the current WWE Champion in his fourth reign, thus making him the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion. He is also the leader of The Bloodline stable and a member of the Anoaʻi family. Reigns's ongoing reign of 1,287 days as Universal Champion is the fourth-longest world title reign in WWE history and the longest championship reign since 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seth Rollins</span> American professional wrestler (born 1986)

Colby Daniel Lopez is an American professional wrestler. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Seth "Freakin" Rollins, and is the current and inaugural World Heavyweight Champion. Praised for his in-ring skills and ability to reinvent his on-screen character, he is generally regarded as one of the best professional wrestlers active today and one of the greatest wrestlers of his generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Moxley</span> American professional wrestler (born 1985)

Jonathan David Good is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW), where he performs under the ring name Jon Moxley and is a member of the Blackpool Combat Club. He also makes appearances for various independent promotions and New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW). He became widely known for his tenure with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Dean Ambrose from 2011 to 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SummerSlam (2010)</span> World Wrestling Entertainment pay-per-view event

The 2010 SummerSlam was the 23rd annual SummerSlam professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on August 15, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for the second consecutive year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Braun Strowman</span> American professional wrestler and strongman

Adam Joseph Scherr is an American professional wrestler and former strongman. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Braun Strowman. He has been inactive since May 1, 2023, due to neck surgery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Night of Champions (2014)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2014 Night of Champions was the eighth annual Night of Champions professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on September 21, 2014, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, and was the first Night of Champions event to livestream on the WWE Network, which launched in February. The theme of the event was that every championship promoted on WWE's main roster at the time was defended.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hell in a Cell (2014)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2014 Hell in a Cell was the sixth annual Hell in a Cell professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on October 26, 2014, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and was the second Hell in a Cell at this venue after the 2010 event. This was the first Hell in a Cell event to livestream on the WWE Network, which launched in February.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Payback (2014)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2014 Payback was the second annual Payback professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on June 1, 2014, at the Allstate Arena in the Chicago suburb of Rosemont, Illinois for the second consecutive year. This was also the first Payback event to livestream on the WWE Network, which launched in February. The theme of the event was wrestlers seeking payback against their opponents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Money in the Bank (2016)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2016 Money in the Bank was the seventh annual Money in the Bank professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It took place on June 19, 2016, at the T-Mobile Arena in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. This was the first WWE event to take place at this venue, and also the last WWE PPV and livestreaming event to be held before the reintroduction of the brand extension in July.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elias (wrestler)</span> American professional wrestler (born 1987)

Jeffrey Daniel Sciullo is an American professional wrestler and musician, currently performing on the independent circuit under the ring name Elijah. He is best known for his tenure in WWE from 2014–2023, where he performed under the ring name Elias.

<i>The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania!</i> 2017 American film

The Jetsons & WWE: Robo-WrestleMania! is a 2017 American direct-to-video animated film starring The Jetsons. It is the fourth co-production between Warner Bros. Animation and WWE Studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extreme Rules (2017)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2017 Extreme Rules was the ninth annual Extreme Rules professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. The event took place on June 4, 2017, at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland, and was the second Extreme Rules held at this venue after the 2010 event, when it was formerly known as 1st Mariner Arena; the arena changed its name to Royal Farms Arena in 2014. It was also the only brand-exclusive Extreme Rules event to be held during either of WWE's brand extension periods. The concept of Extreme Rules is that the event features various hardcore-based matches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs (2017)</span> WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

The 2017 TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs was the ninth annual TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held exclusively for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw brand division. The event took place on October 22, 2017, at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was the last brand-exclusive TLC event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WrestleMania 39</span> 2023 WWE pay-per-view and livestreaming event

WrestleMania 39 was the 39th annual WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place as a two-night event on April 1 and 2, 2023, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California—the original location of WrestleMania 37 before the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to be relocated. WWE wrestler The Miz and rapper Snoop Dogg served as the hosts for the event.

Humberto Garza Carrillo is a Mexican professional wrestler, currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the SmackDown brand under the ring name Berto. He is one-half of Los Lotharios with his cousin Angel and a member of Legado Del Fantasma. He previously worked under the ring name Último Ninja while wrestling in Mexico. He is a third-generation luchador, being the son of Humberto Garza Jr., the grandson of Humberto Garza, as well as the nephew of Hector Garza.

Seth Banee Carr is an American actor from Anaheim, California. He is known for his role as young Killmonger in the film Black Panther (2018) and for his first leading role on Netflix‘s film The Main Event (2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWE Clash at the Castle</span> 2022 pay-per-view and livestreaming event

WWE Clash at the Castle was a professional wrestling pay-per-view (PPV) and livestreaming event produced by the American promotion WWE. It was held for wrestlers from the promotion's Raw and SmackDown brand divisions. The event took place on Saturday, September 3, 2022, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. This marked WWE's first major stadium event to take place in the United Kingdom since the 1992 SummerSlam and the company's first UK PPV overall since Insurrextion in 2003. The event's title is a reference to Cardiff Castle, which is situated near the Principality Stadium.

References

  1. "In 'The Main Event,' a magical mask helps an 11-year-old boy topple the wrestling stars of the WWE". Los Angeles Daily News . April 9, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Seth Carr, Tichina Arnold, Adam Pally and Ken Marino Star Alongside WWE Superstars in Jay Karas' "The Main Event" for Netflix and WWE Studios". The Futon Critic . June 19, 2019. Archived from the original on May 28, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  3. Lawler, Kelly (March 19, 2020). "Netflix: Everything coming (and disappearing) in April 2020 (including 'Matrix,' 'BlackAF')". USA Today . Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  4. "The Main Event (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango. Archived from the original on 2020-07-27. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  5. "The Main Event Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on June 20, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2020.