''The Main Event'' is a 2020 American sports comedy film directed by Jay Karas, from a screenplay by Larry Postel and starring

Seth Carr Seth Banee Carr (born August 16, 2007) 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 Netflix, Inc. is an American ...

, Tichina Arnold,

Ken Marino Kenneth Joseph Marino (born December 19, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter. He was a cast member on MTV's ''The State'' and has starred in shows such as ''Party Down'', '' Marry Me'', ''Burning Love'', and ''Childre ...

and Adam Pally. It was released on April 10, 2020, by Netflix.

Plot

11-year-old Leo dreams of being a successful WWE wrestler. His Grandma 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 a 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. Leo decides to audition for the wrestling competition, wearing the mask. It comes down to him and wrestler Smooth Operator as the semi-finalists. Leo beats Smooth and 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, 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. Seeing Sampson 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 NXT may refer to: Professional wrestling * '' WWE NXT'', a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that began in 2010 ** NXT (WWE brand), WWE's Florida-based brand and former developmental territory * '' NXT UK'', the British spi ...

to Smooth, as he is only 11. 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

as Leo/Kid Chaos * Tichina Arnold as Grandma Denise *

as Frankie * Aryan Simhadri as Riyaz * Momona Tamada as Erica * Glen Gordon as Caleb * Keith Lee as Smooth Operator * Babatunde Aiyegbusi as Samson * Josh Zaharia as Trevor *

Dallas Dupree Young Dallas Dupree Young (born October 25, 2006) is an American actor best known for his recurring role in '' The Fosters'', and his starring role in the Nickelodeon sitcom '' Cousins for Life''. In 2021, he joined the cast of the Netflix series '' Co ...

as Mason * Bodhi Sabongui as Luke * Renee Paquette as Renee Young (herself) * Matt Polinsky as Corey Graves (himself) * Kofi Kingston as himself * Sheamus as himself *

Mike "The Miz" Mizanin Michael Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler, actor, and television personality. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name The Miz. Mizanin first gained fame ...

as himself * Lucie Guest as Ms. Cartwright * Nikola Bogojevic as Stinkface * Stephanie Bell as Lights Out Leslie

Production

In June 2019, it was announced that production on the film would begin that week in Vancouver. Moreover, it was announced that Seth Carr, Tichina Arnold,

and Adam Pally would star in the film, with professional wrestlers Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Sheamus,

Otis Otis may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Otis (Superman), in the films ''Superman'' and ''Superman II'' and related DC Comics media ** Otis Graves, in the TV series ''Supergirl'' * Otis (The Walking Dead), Otis (''The Walking Dead' ...

, Mia Yim and commentators Renee Young and

Corey Graves Matthew Polinsky (born February 24, 1984) is an American wrestling color commentator and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a commentator and analyst for ''Raw'' and ''SmackDown'' under the ring name Corey Graves. He is a ...

also appearing.

Release

''The Main Event'' was released on April 10, 2020 by Netflix.

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, and an average rating of . On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Main Event (2020 film), The 2020 comedy films 2020s English-language films 2020s sports comedy films American sports comedy films English-language Netflix original films Films scored by Photek Films shot in Vancouver Professional wrestling films WWE Studios films Films directed by Jay Karas 2020s American films