Powerbomb (2018) - full transcript

Powerbomb is the story of an independent wrestler on the verge of breaking into the big time, but he's contemplating leaving it all behind to spend more time with his family. When our ...

Matty Muscles!
How ya doin' there?

Ooh, you're looking more
jacked than usual, buddy.

Been cuttin' carbs?

If I wasn't so
into pussy I'd probably let you

but not so much...
yeah.

But I'd need
a bigger cut, ya know,

from the door and whatnot.

You get a good
look out there tonight?

There's gotta be seventy
five hundred people out there.

I don't know if you
think in these terms but

that could be 750 to
1,000 people in a few months.



I mean,
dare to dream, baby.

We're talking 75
grand to maybe 100,000

at the big show.

Know what I'm talking about?

You ready for these yokels?
They're ready for you.

There's my guy, there's my guy!

Woo! Let's go!
Let's make some money!

Making his way to the
ring, the final entrant in

this triple threat match
against Supercop Dick Justice.

No justice no peace!

And the handicapped
hero, Gregory Iron.

Booo!!!

He is Matt Cross!

Matt Cross is in charge!



We're doing it in the streets,
we do it at home!

The rest is bullshit
and you know it!

You suck, You suck!

You're just a jobber, man,
you're never going to make it!

Ohhhhh!!!

Boo!

Boo!

Holy Shit! Holy Shit! Holy Shit!
Holy Shit! Holy Shit! Holy Shit!

You worked those mouthbreathers
over tonight, my friend.

That was something else. Shit.

We gotta get you a catchphrase,
man, you don't got one.

Uh, cause, you know
we'll move some more t-shirts

and some hoodies
and like, even like,

the foam fingers
for the kids and shit.

they like that, right?

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah, okay.
You're enthused, right?

Listen, I talked to
a friend of a friend,

works for the bigger fed,
if you know what I mean.

They're
interested, alright?

String together
a couple more of those

performances like
you did up there,

and you won't be riding
these marks' dicks for the

rest of your life in these bingo
halls and high school gyms.

Alright?
We'll get you to Reseda,

get you to
Austin... Crossy, you here?

I'm here.

Okay. Get you back to
AIW in Cleveland, I suppose.

Not even too early to
start thinking about Vegas,

Japan, whatever.

I gotta take this.

Um, soon.
Kale smoothies. On me.

Keep up with the
crossfit, you look great.

You know, the beard?
I love it, alright.

Yeah, yeah, no no hey
no, I said you, you'd you said

you'd call. Alright,
alright. Hey, whattya want?

Hey.

Sup, lil boy?

Why don't
you give Papa Bear some sugar?

Aw, yeah. What's up, man?
How you feeling?

Greg Iron and Dick Justice.

10 years later and
we're still doing this.

Reunited and
it feels so good.

True.

Hey, take a seat.

Thank you, baby.

Man, y'alls were like two sticks
rubbin' together out there.

You. Was. On. Fire.

I mean...

Felt good.

Look, earlier in the night,
that was a hard crowd to pop,

a little small, but you came
out, changed the game, man.

You're over,
dude. They love you.

Yeah,
must be difficult being you.

Look man, I'm an inspiration,
I have cerebral palsy, alright?

So you don't
talk to me that way.

I'm sorry, Greg.

You know I was
just kidding, man, but,

you keep putting on
performances like that,

y'all must have the
network comin' in here just

sniffin' around,
chompin' at the bit!

Yeah, yeah,
I mean, I think about it.

But I don't know,
does Matt Cross go corporate?

I mean, I just did 33 days
in Europe, 7 new countries,

traveling around, I mean,
I love that freedom, right?

The open road.
That's me. That's Matt Cross.

I just don't know
if that's my life.

Yeah, that's wonderful man.
But do you know what else is?

Cash money.

Real good. Look, do you,
do you owe Solomon something?

I mean, like,
you said it yourself,

you were just in Europe for
a month and now you're back here

I mean, like...

Yeah, I'm back
here getting paid, man.

I got a wife, I got a kid,
you guys don't have that stuff,

you don't understand. I mean-

But, but hey, I could put in
a word with Solomon if you want.

Just say the word and...

Uh, Solomon?
Handling my money?

I'm sure that'll go over
real well with my landlord.

Actually, wait
'til I tell the girlfriend,

I'm sure
she'll love that, right?

'Member the last time
you had money problems,

she done made you
sleep out on the lawn.

Oh, yeah.
That's... not a good day.

You're allergic to pollen, too.

Why don't we go out on the town?
We got paid. We got our monies.

Let's go get a
couple of brewskis.

Let's go get our running' shoes
on. Let's go chase some skirts,

How you feel? Come on!

Dick, I didn't drink
then, I don't drink now.

Things are different, man.
All that staying' out all night,

I mean, you know me,
I loved it. Right?

But those times are
ancient history man, it's gone.

Man, nobody was able to do
a headstand longer than you.

True.

It was insane.
What'sa matter now?

You're ol' wifeski got you
on that short leash now

you can't come hang
out with your friends?

Amy barely drinks.
I mean, we've got Cash,

she's worried it's gonna
be a bad influence on the kid.

Oh, hey, speaking of
that, that's another thing,

I still cannot believe she
let you name the kid Cash.

Whaaa?
Is his middle name money?

Cash money records
for the 99 in the 2000.

Wobbly wobbly...

Wuh-wuh-wuh wobbly wobbly

But hey man,
if you need a permission slip,

I can get you one so you can
come hang out with your friends.

I don't need a permission slip.

You guys take
nothing seriously, man.

You ain't kidding. You know what
I do take seriously, though,

if Amy needs herself
a real man, you know,

I been hitting' them
weights real tough.

Crossfit.

Mmhm. I'll be crossfitting
my way into your situation.

It's a play on your name
and it's a play on fitting' into

your situation, baby.

Oh, who dat?

Who dat be?

Speak of the devil.

Awwwww... her ears
must have been ring-a-linging,

she knows Dicky Baby's calling!

Hey, hey, tell her I say "hello"

Yeah...

Tell her
"what's up, what's up?"

One hundred percent
not going to do that.

Hey, baby.

Later dude.

See ya, Matt. Greg,
you know what time it is?

What time is it?

Mozzarella stick thirty,
let's Go!

Oh ho no...
I don't know about that.

Appetizers!

Hell of a match tonight.

Thank you, my friend.

Have I ever not delivered?
Do I ever not deliver? I mean,

Matt delivered but
I delivered you Matt so

that kind of makes me
the Post Office, right?

Hey, you got
anything smaller than this?

I feel like one of
those thug rappers here

Solomon.

Alright, okay, sorry.
This is fine, this'll work.

That looks about right...

Wait, wait wait,
you shady bitch. A grand?

That's all you're gonna
give him? A grand.

Look, man, you pay me
to watch Matt so you

don't gotta worry
about him, alright?

When he's out of this
whole Podunk shithole world and

broken out into your scene?

He can worry
about his own money.

You don't wanna
know what happens

when I don't
get what I want.

Like I said, man, have
I ever not delivered?

Okay, You have my word.

And my money.

I'm sure you were.
Work was alright,

just endless insurance forms
and the assholes who can't

figure out how to
fill them out right.

We did discharge that
one kid though, so that's good.

How'd your match go?

Another step
closer to the dream.

Anyway, what's up?

Hopefully your credit score.

Real cute. Look, Amy,
I'm doing what I can.

I know you are, Matt.

But it's almost the
first of the month and

I'm so tired of struggling.

Idiot face,
what are you doing?

Your mom.

Don't let your mom hear you
say that or she'll kill me.

Speaking of which,
she's gonna be home soon.

But I'm catching lighting bugs.
I'm gonna scrape their butt on

my arm so I glow.

All I got
so far are these dumb crickets.

That is messed up kid.

Why?
They're just bugs.

Yeah, they got bug jobs,
bug families, bug dreams.

My dream is to
fight like my dad.

But not like me?

I've only watched you
fight on the internet.

Come on,
it's always better in person.

No? Cash, okay.
Let's go. Whattya got?

Come on, show me what
you got. Let's see what you got.

Tough guy. Let's see what
you got. Come on, put 'em up.

You're not quick enough. Not
quick enough. Not quick enough.

Oh, what did I
tell you? Not quick enough.

Oh, you escaped?
Okay, whattya got?

Let's see.
Whattya got?

Oh, Cash with the cross
body but it doesn't work!

You got one more shot,
whattya gonna do?

No, beat it nerd, no chance.
If you wanna throw a superkick

you gotta do it like this,
uhhhhh!

Oh, you're not
gonna fake me out!

I know this trick!

Are...
are you okay?

Lessons learned.
One... stretch.

Two... when you have
a shredded meniscus,

don't try to teach
a kid a superkick.

You worry too much
just like your mom.

Get in the house and wash
those bug farts off your hand.

I see you in there little guys.

Just hopping
from thing to thing.

I respect the hustle, but
I jump on my own terms.

I'm selling as
much merch as I can

Matt Cross!
Holy shit, dude.

I'm thinking about
picking up more shifts.

Oh my god,
dude. I'm a huge,

obviously I'm a huge
fan, this is crazy, dude!

I see you're on the
phone, dude. Yep. Sorry.

I brought more shirts
to sell than I did to wear.

That was amazing tonight,

you're on another
level right now.

My mother called.
She wants to come visit.

She can help.

Your mom only wants
to come by to tell us

everything we do is wrong.

Dude, I'll give you money
for it too if you need, man.

Love you.

I bust my ass
so you don't have

to work at some
needle exchange somewhere.

You and me against
the world, remember?

Then come home,
Matt. We miss you.

Hey, hey, do you got any
more shirts in that bag, dude?

Cause I got twenty bucks
with your name on it.

It's not gonna happen.

Hey man, can
we snap a selfie real quick?

Work construction?
Go be a bouncer at some

shitty club on the east side?

So what happens?
Keep crossing state lines

to every one-horse town
until Solomon tells you to stop?

I buckled down. It's time
for you to do the same thing.

Been there. Done that.
I'm not doing it again.

Hey man,
hey, let's get one more.

Hey, look dude.
Back off, alright?

Yeah, dude,
yeah. Hey, nononono.

It's just a lot.

No man, I got time.
Do your thing, dude.

Go to Florida.
Show them what you've got.

Solomon can't
compete with TV money.

I'm at work right now.
Can we take this another time.

Hey, hey Matt! I gots I gots
something for ya. I just... yeah,

no, that's cool. No, yeah,
too much. Yep, I got time, dude.

I'll wait on ya.

Two more days
and I'll be home, okay?

Look, give our
gremlin a kiss. I love you.

I love you too. I miss you.

Oh jesus... this... yo man,
what size shirt did you need...

Damn it.

Homework's done and
he's got a belly full of

those dinosaur chicken things.

You fed him that crap?

One, they're
delicious.

Number two, he cooked them
for us, and you ran late.

Thank you, Kelsi.

I don't know what the hell a
Lego deathmatch is exactly,

but it sounds expensive.
Twenty five hundred.

Fuck you, seventeen fifty
and you book two of my guys.

Solomon.

One of them's a little fella.

Solomon, wait up.

No, not, you don't
say midget anymore.

Hey!

Gotta go. I gotta go.
I'm not in the mood, Matt.

What, do you
want money again?

My wife's
breathing down my neck.

You gotta see where
I'm coming from.

Look, I love you.
I love your kid.

And I get it, someone's
gotta bring home the bacon.

But you my friend are
asking for the whole hog.

It's not about me.

It's always about you! Because
I'm in the you business. Okay?

You think you're the only one
here with mouths to feed?

I've got a roster full of talent
that's as hungry as you are

for a shot at the bigs.

Then quit pushing me
to the back of this line.

How many of these little
fuckin' towns do I gotta keep

driving to week after week?

As many as I tell you, Crossy.

Yeah.
I'm sick of it, man.

You want me to take two
thousand dollars worth of

merchandise, put in my
eight hundred dollar car and

drive 6 hours for three
hundred bucks, you're crazy.

You're living
the American Dream.

You are the American Dream!

American dream? Right.
Why don't you tell that to Amy.

She walked away from
this business, Matt.

I have friends with
more important friends

that are interested in seeing
"The Matt Cross Experience",

which means you have to deliver.

I always deliver
"The Matt Cross Experience."

I've been doing this
for years. You were there.

You heard those people.
They were going nuts,

I had them in the palm of
my hand. I do everything solid,

I do everything for you.

Hell, I even tagged
with that kid with halitosis.

He didn't know the
difference between

a drop toe hold and a dropkick.

He wasn't that bad.

He was a garbage
wrestler with shit breath.

Alright, listen.
Don't go spending this all

on one protein shake.
You got this match coming up,

alright, you need to
get your beauty rest, alright.

Don't worry about it.

You got me wrong man.
I'm not looking for a hand out.

I'm looking for what I earned.

Look, what do
you even do for me, man?

You gotta start thinking big.
If you can't get me someplace

they can even spell "jumbotron,"

I don't know what
you're doing with me.

When your old lady
walked away from the business,

she dragged you
down with her, okay?

She walked
away from a contract,

that means someone
foots the bill, alright?

Do you think it's been easy
rebuilding "Matt Cross" from

that whole shitstorm?

Your penny' not as pretty as
it used to be, my friend... hey!

Come on, Matt.

Don't talk about my wife.
Amy did what she had to do.

What have you done?

Alright, I was a
little bit out of line.

Let's just iron this out here.
Matt! Come on, let's talk.

Crossy! Don't be
such a fucking drama queen.

What?! Oh, Hi. Hey.
No. I didn't know. Sorry.

Yes, you will receive sixty
percent of every action figure,

every t shirt, every lunch box,

every cock ring, but here's
some simple math for you...

sixty percent of zero is
still fucking zero if you're

not gonna help me out.

Naw, I got a big dog here and

he needs a leash put on him,
so work with me for a minute.

Here's the deal,

His old lady fucked up my brand,
alright? I'm spending all my

time and resources picking up
the pieces here. He will do

whatever I tell him to do
as long as the check clears.

No, I'm telling you,
he'll play fuckin' Snow White

and the Seven Black Cocks
if I tell him to.

I'm rebuilding a brand here.
Do you know what brands do?

They make money.
Do you like making money?

That's what I'm
trying to do here.

Get everybody fucking paid.

Keys... keys... come on.

When I was a kid, I had heroes.
MenI looked up to and aspired

to become. Real role models.
I watched them fly through the

air every chance I got.
They were pro wrestlers.

The older I got, the more
my heroes got unmasked.

You find out there's no Easter
Bunny, Santa never gave

you presents,

And worse of all they say
that wrestling was fake.

There we go, Matt Cross, fuck
yes, that's what we paid for.

I hate this fucking ref. He's
garbage. Jesus Christ.

But that's just a
world of bullshit they want you

to live in with them.
See, Wrestling isn't fake,

it's like destiny,
it's simply predetermined.

You can't change your destiny,
but you can help shape the

destiny of those around you.
Those you care about.

Paul.

Paul...

The world needs more heroes.

People willing to
sacrifice for the greater good.

To push others further
than they can push themselves.

Do your job!

People like me!
You probably don't believe that,

just like wrestling,
it's something most people

just don't understand.

Ugh, come on.
At least make me believe

you believe what
you're doing is real.

They can't understand.
They're afraid to.

Yes! Beautiful.
Fuckin' beautiful.

These men used to be defined
by their character, their integrity,

what they could
make for themselves

with their own bare hands.

Oh for god's sake.
Come on! Ughhhh.

Wrestlers give all they
got and what are they left with?

The very same fans that
cheered from the beginning.

It's all about helping people.

Lose? He can't lose.

He's not supposed
to be the one that loses.

Paul!
God damn it! I need my medication.

In the end,
wrestling's a lot like love.

Just because
you don't believe in it,

doesn't mean it's
not real to me.

So, the foggy headed
feeling that's caused by

the Thorazine. Typically it's
used to treat folks with

severe mental health issues.

Even excessive nausea and
vomiting and even people who

have had chronic hiccups.
In prison they like to stash

a little bit of it away
for the new prisoners.

You know, give 'em
a little roofie coladas.

It doesn't
necessarily black 'em out,

but it would put a
wobble in your step.

It is better to live
through chemistry that is not,

my friend...

Oh, no, no no, no!
See? No. I'm not like that,

I'm not like that! I would
never do that. I'm here to help.

Oh man.
You know what? I'm sorry.

You've probably got
a million questions.

Uh, so, the thorazine,
that's from my mom.

I take care of her.
She's on total disability.

Most of the time she's
completely out of it,

kind of like a zombie.

As for me,
I'm a fan. Your fan.

As a matter of fact,
I would say that I'm probably

your biggest fan.

I don't wanna go to bed, yet.

Something on your mind?

Mom, why don't
you wrestle anymore?

It's complicated,
honey.

Dad still wrestles.

Your dad is the greatest
wrestler I've ever seen.

Really?

Really.

When your dad
was first starting out,

they couldn't figure out if
he should be a heel or a face.

You know what
that means, right?

Well, duh.

He was pretty enough
to be a face,

but tough enough
to be a heel.

Dad's not tall
enough to be a heel.

Yeah, that's true.
You're smarter than most people.

I was working for Solomon,
and your dad wanted to as well.

Your dad was just
different, acrobatic.

He liked that lucha style.

Tell me about you and dad.

Your dad and I knew
each other through friends,

but we never really talked.

Until he subbed for
my tag partner.

We ended up doing a
mixed tag, and we kicked ass.

Oh yeah.

Yeah! Because
what can a woman do?

Anything
she fucking wants!

Language.

Kelsi lets me say it!

Of course she does...

So then what?

They loved us.

Solomon had me on singles

but your dad always ended
up being on the same shows,

which I didn't mind
'cause he was really cute.

Still is.

Ew, mom!

Don't "ew, mom" me!

You're gonna look
just like him someday.

What happened next?

What gives you a boner?

About ninety four
five percent of the women...

What about the dudes?

Which kind?

Like five percent
of them, maybe?

I don't know I watch the
wrestling match sometimes

and get a little
fuckin' perturbed.

Hey, hey, hey! Hey baby,
why don't you come sit on my

face and lemme
guess your weight.

Ew.

Get back over here,
I'm trying to talk to you.

Fuck's wrong with you? Why
don't you go blow each other?

We already did.

Well, good for you.

I need to know
something though,

do you suck dick
better than you wrestle?

What, do you need
dick sucking lessons?

Woo-hoo!
Come on Bill, hit her!

What the fuck! We gonna
fuck late-god damn it.

Fuck you.

Oh, fuck me?
Jean-Claude Van Bitch... ugh...

red ass motherfucking
bitch!...ugh... ohh....alright.

Your dad let me
fight my own fights.

That's the moment I knew
we'd be partners forever.

Sometimes the best way
to build somebody up,

is to let them
climb on their own.

Now go to bed.

I..uh... I never
really get to travel.

It's not that I don't want to,
I'm just always working to

pay off some bill.

The furthest out west
I've ever been was Arizona.

My brother got a job in
Scottsdale and in exchange

for helping him move I
got a free trip out of it.

It's everything they
ever say it is out there.

It's hot, but like
really hot, it's a dry heat.

You know when you
open an oven door and

it takes your breath away?

The thing that blew my mind
though were these people with

bright green,
plush, grass lawns.

You're basically in the desert,
and yet here they were spending

thousands of dollars on
sprinklers and fertilizer and

having these yards
that are better than any

golf course you've ever seen.

Sure, people have cactus and
rocks and all of that, but man,

those yards.

They're a status symbol.
It was really something.

Sometimes the things
we take for granted

are only ever really appreciated
if they're forced to grow.

Let me go! People are
gonna be looking for me.

Wrong! You're wrong!

I'm the only one that cares.

You'll see that soon enough.
I got time. We've got time.

Together! We've got
all the time in the world.

What you do,
the feelings I have for that,

I could set fire
with those feelings.

And now? I don't have
to burn alone anymore.

You rest up.
We've got a big day tomorrow.

Hey, where
are you going? Help!

Help! Somebody! Help!

Yeah. Wait, wait,
wait waywaywait.

No, I just talked
to him last night,

he said he was driving
straight through. I don't know.

I don't know. Did I just not say
I don't know? Look, of course,

don't tell me there's a
bunch of retards sitting around

with their dicks in their hands.
Of course I told him!

Okay, okay, okay. Wait.
The fuck does that mean-

Hello? Can you hear me?

Fuck... fuck...

FUCK!

FUCK!

FUCK!

Hey! Hey! Let me go!
You can't keep me chained up

here like I'm some kind
of animal or something.

Oh, Matt,
Mattmattmattmatt.

You need to eat up,
you'll need the energy!

You're in training!

Training? I'm chained
to a fucking wall.

There is no
training!

Huh?

Give me that.

Eh?

Roll it over here, dickhead.

Aw, you're no fun.

So... did you always know
you wanted to be a wrestler?

I was thinking about that.
See, my old man....

he always wanted me
to be a tough guy.

Obviously, didn't work out.
But I wanted to be a doctor.

I wanted to help people.

I dunno, maybe
even a veterinarian.

I liked puppies and stuff.

Everybody likes puppies
and stuff, you fucking psycho.

Let me go!

Matt.
You're missing the point.

I wanted to
make a difference.

Only I never got
the opportunity.

At least not
until now. With you.

The fuck you doing, man?

I'm here to help.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, NO!

Don't do that!

You got a long way to go.

Jesus.

Where is he?

Matt? He's on the road.

Didja hear from him?

No.

Did you call him?

No, we have a shitty
nights and weekends plan.

What's going on?

You're in deep shit,
okay? Both of you.

He had a title match he missed.

He was supposed to be
handed a squeaky clean new belt.

Did you call the cops?

Call the cops?
And tell them what?

What are they gonna say?

Big bad wrestling guy playing
hooky on a wrestling match.

He missed a match, Amy.
You don't do that.

You never do that.

I know that, Solomon.

Oh, yeah,
you know that, do you?

Last I checked,

you were a pretty
big fan of no shows yourself.

Okay, listen.

I can cover this time,
but if he's in the wind,

he misses the next match,
it's coming out of his ass.

Kay?
Alright, listen.

Anybody calls you,
anybody emails you,

asks where he is,
you say he's sick, ya know,

it happens.
That's what you'll tell people.

And also, I have something
I was trying to get to him,

I know, before you freak out,

a little something I know
he'd want you to have.

Thanks, Solomon.

Don't thank me yet. There's
a contract on the line here.

He may or may not have
told you, one worth some money,

one that's probably already
been advanced, perhaps...

how do you think he's
been paying for all of this?

The mortgage, the car,
and the cell phones,

night and weekend plans, huh?

I do this, all the time for him.

Alright?

I work for people.

They paid for
a fight with a Cross,

and they're gonna get one.

No, that's not happening.
I'm retired. You know that.

Oh, yeah. You and the
assisted living community.

I get it. You're retired.

But do you know what the
best thing about retirement is?

It can end. And then
you get back in the ring.

Top rope!
Main eventing and

Right here, maybe you and
your man, hand in hand, right,

just in the ring together.
Paychecks tripling instantly,

the tweet mentions
flying off the handle,

the internet comments
sections never cool down, okay?

And no offense,
you could probably buy yourself

something nicer,
a little bigger than this.

Think about your kid.

I always think about
my kid. That's why I quit.

To be here for him. And Matt.

If you think your man's gonna
walk away with this or this

is some bullshit
ploy for him to get out,

he ain't waltzing
out like you did.

Okay?

He's suiting up, he's
getting in the ring, or you are.

You here to fuck up or fuck off?

Oh, ha ha ha! I'd say fucking
up was always your specialty.

Oh yeah? Fuck off? Good choice.

Jesus Christ, Kelsi.

I didn't know you had company.

I wasn't expecting him. I
definitely wasn't expecting you.

Your kid left this in my car.

Figured he'd have
homework or some shit.

Wait. Cash isn't with you?

Been one of those days, huh?

You look like you need
this more than I do.

Relax,

you have the night to yourself.
I took Cash to the Y lock-in.

Come on, I paid for it.

That kid needs to hang out
with someone else beside me,

and you need
a night to yourself.

Give me that.

You could have told me.

Your kid needs to learn
to socialize outside of that

shitty public school
you send him to.

I went to that school.

And?

And so did you?

Give me.

Mmmm ummm.

Sharing is caring,
they didn't teach you that?

Nope! What I want to know
is why are you always such

a giant pain in
my ass all the time.

I'm not a giant pain
in the ass all the time.

All the time.

All the time?

All. The. Time.

Look, I'm worried, okay?

I'm worried about you.
I'm worried about Cash.

Hell, I'm even worried about
Matt. And I don't wanna worry.

Me worrying is a hazard
to everyone's health.

Just ask your husband.

Say what now?

You've been retired
for how long now?

And for what,
to be a mom?

Don't get
your thong in a twist,

you have a great kid,
but I would give anything

to get back in the ring.

I can't, and you can,
and it fucking kills me.

You sound just like Solomon.

You wanna feed me some
bullshit about how being a mom

is the best job
you could ever have?

Don't you dare go being
ashamed of who you are,

or where you're at.

It's about where
you're going, Amy.

You need to recognize
what's in front of you.

It's not about potential
anymore, it's hope.

Hope? Yeah.

You need to wake the fuck up.

You are living in a dream world.

Maybe Matt's gonna
make it big, maybe he's not.

But how are you gonna
celebrate in any victory

if you're not
out there fighting too?

I'm not trying to stir the shit.

'Cause god forbid anybody
make you lick the spoon.

You're my best friend, Amy.
How long did we tag for?

You've always had my back
and I always had yours.

And I still do.

But if you look at Cash
and don't want better for him,

then you're an even shittier
parent than I could ever

call you out for being.

Matt does
everything that he can.

Just look at everything
that he has sacrificed.

And what about
your sacrifices, Amy?

How much longer until you're
both drowning in mortgage and

medical bills
that you can't afford?

Look at me.
I'm back in the 'burbs.

I'm useless because
I blew out my knee.

Once upon a time
you wanted to be

the best wrestler in the world,

and now you're pretending
to be Betty Crocker?

This "Martha Stewart mom of
the year," shit?

It's not you.

You think you know
me and my marriage,

but you don't know
a god damn thing.

You're right. I don't.

But I've been forced to retire
and I'm not even 30 years old.

What am I
supposed to do now? Huh?

I didn't ask
to get hurt, but I did.

Now I can sit here
and try to respect that

this is how you
wanna settle, but I think

you've got little more fight
left in you than that.

Let me know if
you want me to pick up your kid.

Thanks for the cookies.

Hey, hey!
Pizza time! Pizza time!

Strap in here,

ol' mom phone...

Hey! You want some pizza?

Got your favorite.

That's not my favorite.

It's Bacon and onion.
It's your favorite.

It's not. My favorite.

Yes it is. I read in an
interview it's your favorite!

It's not my favorite, okay!
It was my mom's favorite.

She liked all that greasy shit.
I don't eat that anymore.

I care more about myself.

Y-You think I don't care?

I slave away at my dead end job,

day in and day out.

I have no benefits, I have
no insurance. What do I do?

I come home and
take care of my mother.

My brother sends money as if
that's some actual form of help.

All I have is wrestling.

Well at least, until now.

Cause now... I have you.

I see pain everyday when
I wake up and I look at her.

Because pain is all she knows.
It's her whole world.

So please, Matt, tell me
how much pain you're in

as you travel from town to town

with hundreds of people
cheering your name.

And tell me
how much it hurts

to have all of these people care
whether you win or you lose,

whether you live
or whether you die.

Cancer is eating away at her.

It's not drug addiction.
It's not self doubt.

It's not whatever ego-driven
bullshit has turned you into the

meat puppet that you are, Matt.

The world doesn't owe us shit.

But sometimes,
that's all it gives us.

Whoa, alright. What do I have
to do to get out of here.

That's real easy. You want me
to open this cellar door?

You just gotta open your heart.

Are you kidding me?! Let me go!

You see this?

I had this made for me.
It's great.

It looks like you.

It's close enough.
It's kind of like you, right?

I had it made for me,
of you, for me.

Someone worked
really hard on this.

Isn't it great?

I used to love shit like
this when I was a kid.

I think that's why I love
wrestling. It's the fans.

God, they're the best, man.

They see the talent
you bring to the ring,

and they really respect that.

Men, women, and children,

all captivated by,
by your actions.

You can hold a room in
the palm of your hand

without even saying a word.
That's not lost on me.

That-that's a powerful energy.
That emotion.

It can change the world, man.

I just want to know you.

What do you want to know?

Everything.

I was never much of a
fighter growing up, really.

More of a, more of
a punching bag.

My old man would come home

after a long day on the docks
and try to drink away all the

shitty decisions and beat
something better into us kids.

But I never let
him at my sister,

and I never let him at my mom.

Sister was older, but
somebody had to stand up to him.

Oh, he got a
kick out of it, yeah.

Told me I was learning to defend
myself every time my mom would

try to jump in and stop him.

It got so bad they couldn't keep
pulling me out of school for

another black eye or busted lip,

so they just took me out all
together. I didn't care.

Gave me more time with mom.

She liked to cook almost as
much as she liked to eat.

Every day in the kitchen,

it's like Iron Chef when
you ain't got shit. You know?

She even got me into it.

I dreamed of... it's silly, but

I dreamed of becoming a chef.

Can you imagine that?
Me? A chef?

Would you cook for me?

It's a little hard to
cook when you're uh,

chained to a wall.

I didn't mean now,
we have pizza!

Child Services came
around after my sister ran off.

That really shook us all up.

My old man thought he was
gonna beat on me like usual.

But that night, that
night was my night.

Do you know it only takes
eleven pounds of pressure

to rip off a human ear?

Uh, no.
I-I did not... know that?

He learned that the hard way.

I broke both of his arms in
three separate places.

Last I heard, that piece of shit
couldn't even wipe his own ass.

Well, what happened to your mom?

Over the years she
started to eat her feelings,

and let's be honest,
she had a lot of feelings.

It's a joke, man. Lighten up.

Anyway. I got a job to pay for
her gastric bypass surgery.

Woof. What a recovery that is.

Mood swings,
sugar fluctuation, you name it.

But she got through it,
and it works.

She started to lose
some serious weight and

get her life together.

But under all that
weight was... a lump.

Breast cancer.

Medical bills drained me dry
and I needed cash, quick.

What did you do?

I found my sister.

Wait, what?

Well, I found the guys
she ran off with at least.

Some bullshit wannabe biker gang
used to run drugs and hookers

out of that flea bag motel
over there by the interstate.

Dog fights, bare knuckle
boxing in the basement,

that kind of garbage.

I took my last paycheck and
cashed into big bills and went

down there and put it all on the
line against one of their own.

You did that? No way!
That takes balls.

I was all hopped up on self
righteousness and self-loathing.

I went in there with
my money ready to brawl,

and that's when I saw her.

Your sister?

The years hadn't been kind
but I knew it was her.

What I didn't know, was the guy
facing me in that pit, well,

that was her boyfriend.

That was the first beating
I ever took by choice.

And I made it look like it was
one of the worst of my life.

Wait. Why,
why would you lose?

Because you don't know what it
means to sacrifice for family.

To really sacrifice.
She told me to take a dive

because she knew if I
won that fight those guys

were gonna kill me.

After they threw me out into the
street, all bloody and beaten,

that's when I found out
she'd taken all her money,

every penny that she had,
and bet on me losing.

She, She gave you all the money?
For your mom's surgery?

Family's a funny thing isn't it.

Your mom must've been proud.

She died of a heart attack

Just like that.

Cancer never stood a chance
to her broken heart.

But what about your sister?

Well, the coroner said it took
her about an hour to bleed out.

Found her in a bathroom
in a tub of ice...

carved up real good.

They tried to sell her kidneys.

So then what?

So then I call you a
fucking asshole for thinking

I'd ever open up
to you, you psycho!

Paul?
Come on, Paul, I need my pills!

Mommy's calling!

Paul
I need to... Oh, I've messed myself.

There is shit everywhere, Paul!

On the floor!
In my bed! All over my ass!

Yeah, no. I told you I
PayPal'd you that money last week for the

Plan C, D, or the Plan B.
You don't got PayPal? Uh yeah,

Then I Venmo'd you-

I Venmo'd you whatever to your
MySpace or whatever the fuck.

You're gonna start hurting
our feelings soon here, Solomon.

Look Alex, I just ne-

Look, look,
you're just gonna shut up

for the next two minutes,

or I'm gonna stab you for
the next thirty seconds.

You ever really feel how
long thirty seconds can last?

Alex, I'm just trying to
put together a deal-

You wanna find out?
Huh? Huh? Huh?

I said cut the shit! Okay? I
don't know who you two

cockstains think you work for,
this ain't how we do business.

Maybe it's you that doesn't
understand how this works.

You owe. We collect.

Derek and me are hoping to
Christ, that you can't deliver.

I need to finish
this deal out here.

You need me out here as well,
or you don't get any money.

None of us get any money.

We can't go
back empty handed.

I can give you both of 'em.

Matt and Amy.

I get her back in the ring,
ring ready, how ever they want.

He's lying, Alex. He's lying.

Maybe.
Let's find out for sure.

Be it, dream it,
believe it, baby, yeah!

Come on Daddy!

Did I just
hear someone say dreams.

This is your dream?
You're thirty seven,

you live with your mother,
she hates you,

your father doesn't even speak
to you because he hates you.

You spend all of the money you
make, which isn't much,

on porn from Japan
and wrestling.

Dream. This?

You call this your dream?

I hear an awful lot of talk
coming' from a little guy!

You wanna bring the heat,
I'm gonna bring the meat.

Let's start cookin'!

Ugh.
See, this is why no one likes you.

You have no one.

You take care of your mother.
Do you know why?

Because no one else will.

You don't have
anybody to go be with.

It's not like you have any
friends to move in with.

So you're stuck here with her.

And remember community college?

Remember your
opportunity to be around people?

Whatja do there, hmm?
What did you do?

I'll tell you what you did.

You sat by a girl named
Cassandra for an entire semester

and never said
a fucking word.

You're pathetic.
Everyone hates you.

I've heard enough talk,
it's time to fight. Let's go!

Fuck you! Fuck you,
I don't have a choice!

I don't have a fucking choice!

Who else is there?
It's only me!

You know this! I know this!

It's only me!

It's! Not! My! Choice!

Fuck you.

Paul?
Come on, Paul. I need my pills.

What'cha working on, Tiger?

Practicing my autograph.

That better be your homework.

You shoulda heard
what they said when

Kelsi dropped me off
at the Y yesterday.

What'd they say?

Holy shit!
Your dad is a wrestler?!

Cash!

You asked me what they said.

So, why do you need to
practice your autograph?

Well, tomorrow's supposed to be
Bring A Parent to school day,

and since dad's not back,

I was gonna sign my stuff
as my wrestling name,

CK Money.

That's a really
great wrestling name

Since your dad's not back,
I can go with you if you want

Yeah, but the kids at
school want a real wrestler.

Besides, they say
it's all fake, anyway.

Well, you know it's not fake.

I told them it was predetermined
and they just laughed at me.

Your dad's coming home
soon, okay? I promise.

Hey, how about this?
Do you wanna call him?

It's his voicemail.

So leave a voicemail, goober.

Hey dad, sucks you
missed career day,

but that's okay.
I hope you're kicking ass!

Cash!

I'm sorry.
Hope you're not mad I called.

Love you. Miss you.

You probably made his whole day.

Go do your homework.

Where are you, Matt?

Love you, miss you.
Love you, miss you. Love you, miss you.

Love you, miss you. Love you,
miss you. Love you, miss you.

Love you, miss you. Love you,
miss you. Love you, miss you.

Love you, miss you. Love you,
miss you. Love you, miss you.

How long are you planning
on keeping me down here?

Well that all depends on you.

How long? How long? How long?!

How do I say this in a way
that you're gonna understand?

When you're sick
and you're in the hospital,

you might start to feel better.

You might even feel well
enough to leave, but ultimately,

it's your doctor's decision
whether you're well enough.

Well, Matt? As your doctor, I
care enough to see that you're

still sick on the inside.
You're full of all this hurt and

this anger and greed and
lust and all the things

that have made you weak.

You're still on the independent
circuit as a wrestler and you've

been doing this for how long?
And while we're on the topic,

let's say you do
make it to that big show.

How long will that take,
and then what?

You're a thoroughbred,
you're a fucking champion, Matt,

and you're
pissing everything away.

What are you talking about?

You're losing your edge.
Now, you're wife. Ohhhhh,

She had it.
And look what happened to her.

Don't talk about my wife.

Why? Why did she walk away?

It can't be because
you got her knocked up, no,

that's too fucking easy.

That's none of your concern.

And it doesn't concern you?

Bullshit.
She wants you to quit.

And then what, Matt?
You give up on your fans?

On your dreams?
See, that's your problem.

You have a complete refusal
to confront the inevitable.

You think being here is
a mistake? Come on, man.

You know better.
And if you don't, guess what?

Here's where you're gonna learn.

You do-you don't make any sense!

No one wakes up
in the morning and thinks

"I'd like to get my
ass kicked for a living."

You're on the road
250 days a year.

You're away from your wife.
You're away from your son.

And you got till,
about what, forty?

And after that you're just some
washed up hasbeen who

doesn't know
when to fucking quit.

It's tough on your body,
it's tough on your spirit,

it's tough on your mind.
And yet, here you are,

still out there, fighting away.

So what turns your screw?

What do you like?
What gets you off?

I've always loved wrestling.

I've always loved seeing
the others tha-that grab their

future and shape it and
bend it to their will.

And yes, I know, I know,
I know that it's fake.

But I love the pageantry,
and I love the violence, it's

the type of theatre the ancient
greeks wished they'd invented.

But more and more,
I start to ask myself,

what makes a man

want to bash another man's
skull in, for a living?

You keep acting
like I owe you something.

You're not a real person!

You're a sideshow freak.

You're a glorified carny.
You're a fuckin' action figure,

a toy, I play with and
put on a fucking shelf.

You think life is staged,
but the pain, the pain is real,

and as long as you're down here,
it'll continue to be real until

you learn to respect it, WOOOO!

Let me go, you piece of shit, or
I'll fucking kill you. Come on!

Ohhhhhhhh God.

I've always wanted to do that.

I hope you're not mad at me.

I'm fucking mad,
I'm fucking gonna kill you.

D'awwwwww...
hm hmmmm

jumping jacks.

What?

A thousand
jumping jacks, now. Go.

Love you, miss you.
Love you, miss you. Love you, miss you.

I don't know about you,
but I could do this all day.

Stop it!

Now, there we go!
Now we're getting somewhere!

Thousand jumping jacks.

Yeah, one, two, three...

Heyyy... hey!
Hey, come back here.

What's wrong with you?

Are the kids at school
picking on you?

Sit down, I'll be right back.

Is that better?

I need you to
tell me who did this to you.

I need to call their
parents. This isn't right.

The kids. They were
making fun of dad. Of you.

They said you were
a quitter, a loser.

They want dad
to talk to the principal.

I might get
suspended for fighting.

Suspended?

Why didn't they call me?

Kelsi was waiting to
pick me up and

one of the boys whistled at her
and she told him to "eat shit."

I laughed and one of
the boys punched me.

And what did Kelsi do?

Nothing.
She wanted to help but

I didn't want to get
her in trouble too.

There.
Right there is where you punch.

If you punch someone in the
face their eyes will well up

with tears and
they won't be able to see.

And then what?

And then you
don't stop punching.

Oh, ho. Nice.
Voicemail. Cool, asshole.

Um, no, I wanted to say
I'm sorry, Solomon.

Um, but,
Amy's not coming back

and, I want in.

So, ring announcer, referee,

color commentary, whatever,

y-no, no,
Just kidding, forget that.

Sweet as sugar...

hard as stone,

Kelsi...

Roxx.

Don't...

Don't act like
you forgot about me.

I was the best, I am the best.

And you?

you can't handle this!

Ugh...

I can't handle this.

I can't handle this...

Hey. Cash. Hey! Buddy.

What are you?
Get me out of here.

No! What are you? Don't do-

Cash. Cash! Buddy! It's dad.

Ow, what?
Why? Come on. Hey.

What are you doing?

Solomon, my family,
my kid. Solomon my-

Ugh. Hey, good morning, champ.

Ready for another
day of training?

It's time to end your
little game of make believe.

I'm not some kind
of Build-A-Bear

you could just play with.
You're gonna let me go,

and you're gonna
let me go now.

What are you talking about?
You're a champion. Ugh.

You're gonna be a champion you
know? When we get finished here.

Why can't you see that?

Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.

That's all you do is talk
and talk and talk. Shut up!

As a kid,
I had superheroes. Wrestlers.

Real life superheroes.

The thing is, when you're an
adult and you're still talking

about those superheroes,
people laugh at you and

they think you're crazy.

But mine w-were special,

they were just like
every other superhero.

They would jump
through the air, they could fly,

they took on evil.

Nobody cares.

Nobody cares about
you... or this.

Nobody cares.

Now just let me go.

Do you ever think back to
when you were a kid?

You, uh...

Think your kid
would be real proud of you?

Traveling around, putting on
a leotard, jumping around,

getting all sweaty
with other men?

You think that's what he
envisions for dear ol' dad?

Shut your mouth.

Oooohh.

You think your son hates you

as much as you hate him
for dragging you down?

God damn it,
shut your fucking mouth!

Oh why, why, why, why, why, why?

Why, why do you not
care as much as I do?!

You gonna fuck over me?

You gonna fuckin'
play games with me?

You gonna fuck over
Solomon who's there for

fuckin' everybody? Who the
fuck is there for me, cunt?

I'll show you how
to fuckin' win a fucking game.

What the hell?

Good morning, Amy.

My name is Solomon and I'm here
to deliver your wake up call.

You missed a match I
told you to be at because your

dickhead husband
is god knows where.

Keep your voice down,
my kid is sleeping.

Fuck your kid, and fuck you!

You took all the work
I put in to making you

what the fuck you were
and flushed it down the toilet

with your fuckin' tampons.
So then what do I do?

I take your dickhead
husband and I make him into

Matt Fucking Cross.

And what does he
do with my work?

Who fucking knows
'cause we can't find him.

Ow..ow...

You only care about
yourself, admit it. Admit it!

No!

You don't have
the heart of a champion.

You don't have what it
takes to make it to prime time.

Not without me. Are you
ever gonna admit that, hmm?

You're just. Like. Mom.

You can't do this without me,

Why can't you see that?

You're done. He's done.
You're both finished.

Okay, I told you
I don't know where Matt is

and I'm not gonna wrestle!

Get out!

No I'm going anywhere.

Mom?

I'm sorry, baby.
We didn't mean to wake you.

Mr. Solomon was just leaving.

I am not going anywhere because
I am owed something and if I

can't get it out of your
piece of shit husband

it's coming out of your ass.

I said leave!

Fuck you, bitch.

Mom!

You stay right where the fuck
you are 'cause you're

worthless just like
your little daddy.

Go to your room
and lock the door.

Now!

Okay, Okay. Okay,
Okay. I see you're upset.

It's too late for Amy...
for your kid too.

It's time to eliminate
those distractions.

But it's okay.

Everything is going to be okay.

You're with me now
and as long as you're with

me, everything will be fine.

What did you do?

What did you do?

You want a
fucking fight with me?

Well, now you've got one.

What did you do?

No... no... no!

You're making a mistake!

I... I love you.

Oh... Oh...

Oh, what the fuck...

Oh, what the fuck?!

Emergency Services.

Yeah, 911?
Trace this call.

Oh... that's so messed up.

Ugh, ugh!

Oh my...

Amy?

You sure you're ready?

Ready when you are.

Feels right to be
back in your corner.

It's you and me vs.
the world, remember?

Yeah.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

returning to the ring
for the first time in ten years,

Amy and Matt Cross!