[soft instrumental music plays]
♪ ♪
[crowd booing]
♪ ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ ♪
[splashes]
[crowd cheering]
Here, baby.
Yeah, Jack. Come on, baby!
Get him!
[Jack grunts]
[wrestler] Come on, ref, that was three.
Come on, baby. Get up!
[crowd chanting "Jim"]
[crowd cheering]
[Jim groaning]
[resounding crash]
Whoo!
[referee] One, two, three!
-Goddamn right. -[bell dings]
Whoo-hoo-hoo!
[crowd booing]
Get your hands off me!
[yells]
Oh, Duffy, Georgia, my hometown!
This place makes me sick.
[crowd boos]
Shut up.
Did y'all think I was gonna lose
to Big Jim, huh?
The Freak from the Creek?
'Cause if y'all did, then you're dumber than you look,
and that's saying something.
[rock song plays]
[crowd cheering]
♪ ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ Soul of the world ♪
-Let's do it! -♪ The king of the night ♪
♪ As hard as cold as steel ♪
[crowd cheers]
♪ Never will I kneel ♪
♪ Run to the lightning ♪
♪ And let the thunder Be your shield... ♪
All right!
♪ ♪
[wrestler] Where you goin', big brother?
Why don't we settle this right here, tonight?
-Yeah! -[crowd cheering]
'Cause that's my best friend you disrespected.
These are my people you're insulting.
[crowd cheering]
And that's my belt you wearing.
[crowd cheering]
You ain't ever gonna wear this strap, boy.
[crowd booing]
Look at you, backing down, turning tail.
Daddy'd be ashamed.
[laughter]
[Jack] Y'all want to see
which Spade brother is really the king?
[crowd] Yeah!
[crowd cheering]
Then you be back here next week.
[crowd booing]
That's right. One week tonight,
you and me in the Main Event.
Any time. Any place.
I just told you the time and place, stupid!
[laughter]
You want this belt? You come and get it.
[crowd cheering]
Hey, Jack.
Fuck you.
[crowd cheering]
[rock song plays]
♪ ♪
♪ Run to the lightning ♪
♪ And let the thunder Be your shield ♪
[cheers and applause]
[crowd chanting "Ace"]
[wrestlers cheering]
[wrestler] There he is. Jack.
-Diego, all right. -[Diego] Yeah!
Hey, Jack. Please, you got to tell Ace
to stop breaking the goddamn mics.
The fuckin' fog machine broke too, Willie.
[cameraman] Sorry, Jack.
The camera shell cracked when Denny fell on me.
Fuck fell. Jack threw me onto you.
Fellas, we need new cameras anyway.
Y'all good?
-Yeah. -All right.
Did you hear him cuss out there?
I did. Did you hear the crowd?
[cheers and applause]
[wrestler] She can't breathe, Ace.
Holy shit! You hear that pop?
Man, the place is gonna go nuts when I win.
Hey, dude. Hey.
What?
What, you're mad 'cause I said "fuck"?
Come on. They loved it.
We got kids who come to the show, Ace.
Yeah, to see me. I mean, listen to that.
When you're in my ring, you stick to my script.
[crowd chanting]
Ace. Ace. Ace. Ace. You hear that?
-[Jack] Yeah. -Ace. Ace.
I heard that.
[crowd chanting] Ace! Ace! Ace! Ace!
[mellow rock music plays]
♪ ♪
♪ I'm not waiting for ♪
♪ The answer ♪
♪ And I will ♪
♪ Walk in the shore ♪
♪ To find you ♪
♪ To find ♪
♪ The peace that's your own ♪
♪ Where you come from ♪
♪ All that you want ♪
♪ One that's your own ♪
♪ Place to call home ♪
♪ Won't be ♪
♪ Granted ♪
♪ What is fair in love ♪
♪ Is fair in war ♪
♪ What is fair in love ♪
♪ Is fair in war ♪
♪ One ♪
♪ To one ♪
♪ What's love ♪
♪ In war? ♪
[soft rock music plays]
♪ ♪
[birds chirping]
Hey. Come on, wake up, sleepyhead.
It's time for church.
Is Dad coming this time?
Daddy's got a lot going on, honey.
What?!
Oh, fuck!
Oh, man.
[soft music plays]
♪ ♪
[woman] Thomas, we gotta go. I can't be late.
Hon, I gotta warm up with the band.
We driving to church separate or together?
Um, why-why don't y'all go ahead?
I-I-I gotta shower.
You said that last week.
Well, I fell asleep last week. Wasn't deliberate.
I sang great, by the way.
Are you making me feel guilty about missing church?
Mm, more about missing me.
Oh, well then, ouch. I'll just rinse off then.
Hey, think of it as time together as a family.
I like that. Thomas does too.
He heard our fight last night.
That wasn't fightin'.
That was-that was lovin' with raised voices.
And if our boy's gonna get hitched, one day,
he's gonna need to learn about things
like raised voices and church guilt.
And four fog machines showin' up out of nowhere.
Expensive fog machines.
Expensive but durable. Wrestling's a show.
It's theater.
And we need a good fog machine.
Four fog machines.
Because the Dome's a big place.
-[woman] Mm-hmm. -And my daddy bought shitty,
broken-down fog machines.
So I thought it'd be nice if I invested in our future.
Okay. Well, yes.
Well, if you'd told me
our investment strategy
included four fog machines,
I would have been able to do
a quick search on a half-dozen websites
that could have shipped these same four fog machines
for substantially less dollars than you purchased them for.
You make a great point.
Hey, Jack, look.
You know what's in this envelope?
Are we going together or are we driving separate?
Our coupons.
Our coupons that I clip each week
so we can stretch our dollars...
-Okay. -[woman] And just spend smart
so we can just spend them on us.
You know, like, buying Thomas a new baseball bat
or those EvoShields all his friends got
or, once a month, seeing a movie in a theater
instead of outta Redbox.
[Jack] Come on now. Movies are shit nowadays.
We don't have to watch the movie.
We can make out in the back
like we used to when we were young.
I know. Remember when we saw
North by Northwestat DeSoto?
You wore that green dress with nothing on underneath.
Hush.
Now, look, I know we both decided it'd be good for me
to stay home while Thomas is in school,
but maybe it's not such a bad time
I start looking for a job.
My mother never had to have a job,
and I never want you to have to have a job either.
Well, you keep buying four fog machines
without consulting old penny pincher here,
we're not gonna have a choice.
That's not fair.
You put sex on my mind before church?
How dare you?
Well, after church, we can go see a movie.
I'll leave my underwear in the car.
[clicks tongue]
Hey, hey.
I haven't finished the script.
Who should win?
Us.
Hurry up. I'll be in the car.
Thomas, let's go.
[soft rock music plays]
♪ ♪
[church bell tolls]
[Thomas] Grandma!
Hey! There's my favorite grandson.
And your favorite son.
And where's my other favorite son?
If he's not here, he's late.
Well, Ace told me he stayed at your house.
What room did he stay in?
I'm late. I got to get inside.
[Thomas] What are those? Can I have one?
After.
[woman] Why doesn't he piss on the other side of the tree
where no one can see him?
[Big Jim] What can I say? The man is a showman.
Ace. Ace.
Why don't you use the restroom inside the church, you pig?
That toilet's right next to the pulpit,
and you can hear it flush. Trying to be respectful.
[Big Jim] You just pissed on God's property.
[Ace] God don't want me pissing,
he shouldn't have made me need to piss.
♪ When you cannot face The day ♪
♪ When the pain won't go away ♪
♪ Call on me ♪
♪ I am here ♪
♪ Call on me ♪
♪ I am near ♪
♪ Call on me ♪
♪ When the scars Won't seem to mend ♪
♪ When the night Won't ever end ♪
♪ Call on me ♪
♪ I am here ♪
♪ Call on me ♪
♪ I am near ♪
♪ Call on me ♪
♪ All your worries And your fears ♪
♪ All your sorrows And your tears... ♪
[Big Jim] Staci sang great.
Liturgy is not a performance.
No, ma'am.
And the new pastor can't no more preach than a cat.
Hey, well at least I made it, right?
Yes, Lord.
Both my boys. Now, you and your brother
got to be good to each other tonight, you hear?
World needs love right now.
Hey, he writes the scripts, not me.
Hey, Uncle Ace.
[Ace] Dang, kid, how much you weigh?
I don't know.
You don't know?
Oh, you comin' to the match tonight?
Mom said it might be too late.
Stace!
I didn't say you weren't going.
Well, you can't miss it, buddy.
I need my biggest fan there, biggest and best fan, baby.
When you're in the crowd cheering me on,
I know I'm good.
-Where's Jack? -In his Jeep.
He doesn't like being seen in public,
much less being friendly the day of the match.
Especially not with, uh, yours truly.
That's "kayfabe," right?
That's kayfabe.
[Ace] Gotta keep up the act all the time,
even if it's outside of the ring,
even if it's at church, so folks know it's real.
Protecting the business.
Once, when their father broke his leg during a match,
he rolled around in a wheelchair for a month
so the boys would think it really happened.
But people know that it's fake, right?
Don't say "fake." You're a wrestling wife now.
But yes, they know.
But if they know, then what's the point?
How is it this man got you pregnant
and he hasn't let you know this?
We were busy doing more important things, Mrs. Spade,
like practicing getting pregnant.
[boys] Ace, Ace. Can we have your autograph?
He's talking about intercourse, Mama.
Hush!
Them believin' one is good and one is bad
makes them, the audience, part of the show.
It's kinda ridiculous.
Then again, every time he wrestles,
it scares me to death. I don't know how you do it.
Kayfabe.
[horn honks]
All right, I'll see y'all tonight.
Thomas!
[soft music plays]
♪ ♪
Do we always sell out?
Used to, back in the day. Then shit dried up.
But Jack bringing Ace on sure seems to be working.
[scoffs] I been at this thing since I was 18.
I done tore my ACL, my MCL, my PCL.
Shit, I done tore every letter in the damn alphabet.
And every show, I put on a five-star match.
Ace ain't got a scratch on him.
And he's the one in the Main Event?
-So quit already. -[wrestler] Pssh!
What you talking about? Y'all need me.
Bobby Pin, get your funky ass ready. Come on.
'Cause ain't nobody
in the DWL that can do this.
[Bobby] Whoa, whoa, whoa.
[laughs]
New guy, what's the matter with you?
-Huh? -Why ain't you hurtin'?
'Cause it didn't hurt.
Well, the crowd is supposed to believe that it did.
But there's no crowd here.
This is practice.
Look, get on the top rope and give me an elbow drop,
and I'ma show you how to sell a pain.
Hey, you...
[wrestler] I-I got it. I got it.
From the top?
Get your ass up there.
Okay. Yes, sir.
[exhales]
[sighs]
[breathing heavily]
Oh! Hot damn, motherfucker.
[wrestler] Oh, man. I'm sorry. I didn't know--
Oh, is that you selling the pain?
That's really good, man.
No, asshole. That shit really hurt.
Oh, what did I do wrong?
Pretty much everything, dude.
You let your weight come down on your elbow.
You got to bring it down on your leg
and let your arm hang loose when it hits him.
Well, she's right. That's wrestling 101.
Now what type of deepfake video clip
did you drop on Jack
to get you joined up in his joint?
[door opens]
Men.
Jack.
Sorry.
[heavy metal music plays]
[announcer] Come on out to Florida Wrestling Dystopia
this Saturday and witness
the premier wrestling talent in the South.
Half-price tickets to anyone
who promises they'll never set foot
in the DWL Dome again.
The Duffy Wrestling League is done.
Dystopia is the new breed.
[echoing] And Gully is God.
[pensive music plays]
♪ ♪
[manager] Really got his goat you wouldn't use his finisher.
I always thought people tapping out looked fake.
Did you finish the script?
Shall I make room for little brother up here?
You think he should win?
Ace is the reason we finally got a full house.
Show business 101. Keep the shiny star happy.
The outcome will be in the best interest
of the overall narrative.
Whose narrative?
♪ ♪
May have to get a new ref.
Denny hurt his ankle when you threw him out of the ring.
I'll call Denny.
He's mad I don't let him talk more.
Listen, I was in character.
You're always in character.
He says it ain't worth the lousy pay.
-Yeah? -Speaking of lousy,
Charlie Gully shit on us at another
Florida Wrestling Dystopia event.
He's telling everyone his promotion's
gonna run us out of business.
Charlie Gully, he's a hack.
Thinks he invented the idea of guys bleeding in the ring.
They-they don't even do wrestling.
They stage car crashes.
They're packing places out all over North Florida.
Car crash happens, folks like to stop and look.
And then they drive away.
Look, this Yankee dick-shittin' plastic fishworm peddler,
whatever the fuck he does, woke up one morning,
thought he was Vince McMahon. They got nothing we don't.
Except a lot of plastic fishing worm money.
Look, the Dome needs fixing up. Roof is leaking.
We don't start paying our guys more, they're gonna head
for greener--well, less brown--pastures.
Plus, we've been building up to you versus Ace forever.
And after tonight, how do we keep folks coming back?
My match with Big Jim's got nearly 10,000 views online.
We got heat, Willie. We got heat.
Heat like the DWL ain't had since Dad versus Wild Bill.
But we need nicer shit. We need to upgrade our cameras.
Staci's gonna love that.
What-what's good for DWL is good for Staci.
You keep telling yourself that.
Mm-hmm.
Who do you think your dad would have win?
Don't matter. He's dead.
[bell rings]
[Ace] Tonight's sold out 'cause of me,
and I'm only makin' 50 bucks.
Go back to Winn Dixie.
I don't wanna go back to fuckin' Winn Dixie.
That's why I got fired.
Tomorrow, when I'm champ,
I'm demanding 100 a show.
Are you for sure winning?
I'll pay you back.
It's supposed to make your eyes stand out on stage.
Stuffed Tricia Bell last night twice.
That's one thirsty angel. Might be time for a new valet.
What about Crystal?
What about her?
It's kind of a pointless job anyway.
Yeah, well, it seems important to her.
Here you go.
Good luck at the match tonight.
Thank you, Helen. You have a good day.
Put the gum back, Ace. Please.
You steal shit every time you come in here.
Only reason I ain't called the cops is
'cause your daddy was good to my family.
Put it back.
Tom would be ashamed.
Hey, Helen.
You remember that time when we were kids
and y'all came over to our house for supper?
I do.
I just had to sit there and listen to you talk and eat.
Man, did you eat. Scoop after scoop of casserole.
I thought, for sure, you'd bust.
You just kept on talking all night long
about this little puppy dog
you found on the side of the road.
You remember that?
Ace, let's go.
About a week later,
Mom told us that dog got loose and got hit by a car.
You know what ol' Tom said?
"Probably for the best.
That Cooper girl'd probably eat it anyway."
[melancholy music plays]
♪ ♪
Goddamn, did we laugh.
♪ ♪
[crowd cheering]
Hey, Jack.[bleep] you.
-[crowd cheering] -[phone buzzing]
How you doin', Mr. Cooper? Yes, sir.
♪ ♪
[wrestler] It ain't about winnin' or losin'.
It's about getting over with the crowd.
Your job, as you go through your matches,
whatever the outcome is, make 'em love you...
[all] Or make 'em love hating you.
[laughter]
I started out as the Venice Menace,
since I figured nobody in Georgia
want to cheer for a Cuban, and I look Italian, so--
No. No, you do not.
But the fans didn't bite.
They couldn't wrap their heads around it.
Because you don't look Italian.
-[laughs] -Then one night,
King Spade comes up to me,
and he hands me this mask. Tells me
I'm a Mexican luchador, Diego Cottonmouth.
Now the fans can't stand me,
especially since I'm here legally,
which I love reminding 'em.
Hey, Willie.
I was wondering if there was a locker I could use.
[Willie] Crystal, you've been here for two months.
You know the locker room's for wrestlers.
All right, assholes.
Jack's got the rundown. Hustle up!
[wrestler] Come on. Let's go, man.
Get that Main Event, man.
Know I been...
♪ ♪
[Jack] All right, we're gonna yank
the curtain back tonight
with Rooster going over on Bobby Pin.
[Bobby] Oh, really? I was kind of thinking I--
No, you weren't.
[Bobby] Hey, really, I was. I was thinking like--
No. When it comes to the script,
Jack does the thinking. You do what Jack writes.
Well, I had an idea. I think--
Keep it in your head and out of your mouth.
[laughter]
All right, Apocalypse going over on Diego.
Feel free to get a USA chant going.
We got the Goblin Boys going over on Rude Rudy.
After intermission, want y'all back out
for the Battle Royal.
Apocalypse, Big Jim, you two are the last men standing.
Just when it looks like he's got you,
get a Big Jim chant going from the Big Jim-loving crowd,
take him out over the top rope. All right?
I've been cutting weight so you can lift me.
[laughter]
You might need to drop 20 more pounds before the match.
-No. -[laughter]
Big Jim, make sure you stay camera side for the finish.
You're the star tonight. All right?
-[Apocalypse] All right. -Ooh.
[applause]
-[Apocalypse] Big Jim, baby. -Whoo!
Ace and I are gonna bring it home.
Ace is going down via pinfall.
[Willie] Right. I got your final scripts
with finishes.
Autographs are now before showtime.
Do not be late.
Why don't I just not wrestle at all then?
What then?
I'll put Big Jim back in the Main Event.
The Freak from the Creek is a big fan favorite.
Why are you doing this?
Charlie Gully's Florida Dystopia
is breathing down our fuckin' necks.
I got to subvert expectations
and keep our fan base interested and engaged.
What the fuck does that mean?
It means, if you beat me tonight,
then what do we do then?
But if they see their hero lose to the villain,
and they get to watch their hero
fight his way back up top, that's something.
That's an angle.
Jack, folks are comin' tonight
because they want to see me win tonight.
They're coming tonight because they trust me
to tell them a better story
than what they have to live with every day.
Jack, it's grown men in costumes
pretending to hit each other. It's supposed to be fun.
Not at the expense of being good.
Marty Cooper called me up today.
His daughter went home crying.
What the fuck is wrong with you?
That's why I'm losing?
Because I defended myself against Helen Cooper?
In town, on a match day.
People need to believe you're a good guy.
They do! Because I am.
[melancholy music plays]
♪ ♪
Can you fuckin' believe Jack?
What, now you doggin' me too?
I didn't say anything, dude.
♪ ♪
It's just a belt.
Sure.
How's it happen?
It's a half-hour match.
Then Ace super kicks Jack. But instead of pinning him,
Ace trots around the ring, playing to the crowd.
When Ace finally goes for the pin,
Jack hits an inside cradle for the three count.
Jesus Christ, I could come up with something
better than that. It's bullshit.
What, Dad just leaves this all to him and I'm just stuck?
[scoffs]
Look, I've been watching matches here
since I was little.
Sometimes losing is the best way
to win over a crowd.
Yeah, I was at your last football game,
where you threw the pick to lose in overtime.
I was, like, 15.
And even though I already knew who you were
'cause you were King Spade's kid...
-And all-district quarterback. -Hmm.
There was something
about seeing you on the field
alone, crying.
I wasn't crying.
Mm, yeah, you were.
But that's all right
'cause it made me feel for you.
And that's when I knew that, one day, somehow,
I was gonna put on a spandex leotard
and hit someone with a steel chair for you.
[both laugh]
Wasn't crying.
Come here.
I don't think I'm supposed to be in here.
Hey, hey, it's all right. Everybody's going home.
-[Crystal] Shirt. -Oh, come here.
Ah, fuck.
Not looking. Just walking. I'm leaving.
Let me know when I can finish my shit.
-[laughs] -Really, dude?
[Crystal] So everybody's gone home, huh?
[birds chirping]
[serene music plays]
♪ ♪
Jack Spade! Run! Run! Run!
♪ ♪
[Jack] Willie.
What the hell's going on?
We got a visitor.
[laughter]
[man] And so I said,
"Hell, if I'ma have a sex tape out there,
I might as well teach some technique."
[laughter]
Oh, there he is.
Jack Spade!
Nastiest heel I ever saw.
Learned from the best.
I was only the best 'cause I had Tom.
Sort of like you two, I hear.
Too bad there ain't a ladder involved tonight.
No, that's your and Dad's thing.
Yeah. And it killed.
Those matches made my whole career.
How I got discovered, how I got to leave Duffy.
Speaking of me being rich,
barbecue I ordered for y'all is here.
Go get it.
[wrestlers cheering]
[Rooster] Go.
They can have the pig. I need something harder.
-Whoo! Brings back memories. -Yes, it does.
Poured me and your dad a lot of these.
Mm-hmm.
Mm. Your mother doing any better?
Oh, you'll have to ask Jesus Christ.
Only person she talks to nowadays.
Ha!
How's business?
It's good. It's good.
Oh! [sighs]
Oh, Christ, Jack.
I know you think I could have done more to help.
Well, sure as shit could have done something.
I did my time in Duffy.
Okay. So why are you here?
Ace. Suits from up North sent me to scout him.
It's early in the process. He'd go to developmental.
But they think he can succeed at the highest level.
He's a kid.
He hasn't mastered this level yet.
The way he pops the crowd already, he's a natural.
It's in his blood.
You never even seen him in the ring.
I have. They have... thanks to you.
Those videos you put online.
[laughs]
He's not gonna leave what we're building.
I left. I came back this morning on a Learjet.
How'd that work out?
[Jack] You think I care about that?
I think your brother will.
Jets, limos, sold-out stadiums.
What are you trying to resurrect here anyway?
Look, I love my dad,
but he did not know how to grow,
didn't know how to evolve.
Didn't want to. I'm getting the DWL out there,
and people are responding to the storylines,
to the characters, because I'm pretty good
at making sure they fuckin' care.
And you believe that you, this,
can be the new, better competition?
[Jack] Sooner than you think.
Didn't y'all do a show
at the Golden Corral buffet last month?
[somber music plays]
[Jack] Listen, Bill, I get it.
You made your choice.
You did your thing. You went up North.
You made yourself a career.
Got to hold a world championship belt
above your head on national TV.
But just because people know you here,
just because your picture's on the fuckin' wall,
don't mean you get to come back down here and patronize.
Just because you got more, don't mean we got any less.
♪ ♪
This place, Jack.
Your dad built a cathedral
to a local pastime.
It's a community theater. It's a hobby.
One of your own guys,
your blood, leaving for the real thing:
you should be proud of that
'cause it's, honestly, the best you can do.
Bill, you get the fuck out of my office.
You really are so much like him.
What'd I say?
♪ ♪
My point exactly.
[somber music plays]
♪ ♪
[Wild Bill] Do you want to see a bunch of money
hanging off that Jeep?
Hey, young man. Got some news for you.
Boys from headquarters sent me here to scout you.
You're good.
[Ace] Come on! Yeah!
Thank you, brother.
[conversation continues indistinctly]
[uneasy music plays]
♪ ♪
[soft music plays]
♪ ♪
[car horn honks]
♪ ♪
Okay. Try this one on for size.
So I get up the top turnbuckle here,
moonsault,
you catch me midair, and bam, slam me onto the ground.
Everybody thinks I'm done.
But I get back up, I kick out, right?
So you get up. We start trading punches,
give you a Superkick, you go down.
You get back up, and bam, another Superkick.
That it?
[Crystal] No, there's more.
[Ace] Right. Right, right.
Okay, so--so you're down.
Uh, but I-but I don't pin you just yet
'cause I don't want the match to end yet, right?
So you get up. I hit you back down.
I go down for the pin. But you wave me off.
You know you're beat, you know, sad.
But... you get back up
one more time.
And you look to me, and I look straight back at you.
And we smile 'cause we're brothers.
Shake hands. Then bam!
Another Superkick, pin you for the win.
[imitates crowd roaring]
I don't hate it.
And, Jack, if y'all play it right,
it'll put you over even more, get the fans on your side.
I'm sorry. What's your name again?
Cheryl?
-Crystal. -Crystal.
What makes you think I want to be in good with the fans?
Nobody would expect it?
Jack, it's good. This is exciting.
What say you, Big Jim?
Feels like the end of something.
[Ace] What the fuck?
[Jack] It does feel like the end of something.
Ace, it's a conclusion.
Well, yeah, if Wild Bill sees what I can do in the ring,
I'm gone.
Finish stays the same.
You want that title belt, you stick around,
you earn it just like everybody else does.
I don't-I don't even know why I try.
You know, everybody else is happy for me.
Well, their opinions don't matter.
[door slams]
Even if he leaves, we still got me,
we still got Big Jim. We'll be all right.
Yeah. Now say that again like you mean it.
This barbecue sucks.
♪ Tonight I'm going 'Til this hurts ♪
♪ Oh, I ain't going To church ♪
♪ I'm gonna stay up ♪
♪ A sinner and a saint ♪
♪ Till heaven comes My way... ♪
[indistinct chatter]
We should go somewhere tonight after to celebrate.
Celebrate me losing?
Celebrate that this is your big break
and what that means for us.
[Ace] Hey, where'd you go?
Had to pick up an old friend.
Give us a minute, darling? Need to talk, just us men.
Hop in, Ace.
Where we headed?
Away from here.
[mellow music plays]
♪ ♪
[computer beeping]
♪ ♪
[Ace] So tonight, is there anything, like, specific
you're looking for?
Yeah, I'm looking for a woman that worships fame
more than looks and revels in nudity with strangers.
[grunts]
Oxys. Good shit.
I shouldn't. Fucks me up too much.
That's the point. Keep 'em.
Señorita back there, that your girlfriend?
Nah, she's just my valet.
We can find you someone better, taller certainly.
Tonight, just do your thing.
Need to see you tell a story in the ring,
really work the crowd. This is your shot.
Tell Jack that. His ring, his script.
Pssh. Your brother's a know-it-all
who doesn't know anything.
He clings to these rigid scripts.
If Jack was half as smart as he thought,
he'd see that's not how it works.
It's about bein' adaptable.
Wrong word, wrong guy.
You hate him, don't you?
We're different.
Tale as old as time. Brothers sparring.
Cain and Abel, like Esau and Jacob.
I don't know the last two.
Oh, I know your mother.
She'd slap you silly right now.
Jacob stole his brother Esau's birthright.
Guy who took the ladder to heaven?
There you go.
Shit was never meant to be good between them.
It was foreshadowed. Read your Genesis.
"And the LORD said unto her, 'Two nations are in thy womb,
and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels,
and the one people shall be stronger than the other people,
and the elder shall serve the younger.'"
Whose bowels?
Their fuckin' mother's. Rebekah.
You know the Bible real good.
Yeah, you would too if you got hit with one for 17 years.
King Spade.
Jack Spade.
Ace Spade.
Tom loved that stupid shit.
[Ace] Jack used to drive me to school.
This one day, my dad was loaded and--
Please don't fuckin' tell me a depressing story.
[coughs] I...
He's just always trying to protect me, I guess.
Thinks he still got to.
To keep you under his thumb,
keep you from getting what's yours.
Like the belt.
You need to send him a message.
Baby brother's in charge now.
I could skip autographs.
Sure. That's one way.
But back in our day, guy got out of line,
Tom and I would make sure a few punches landed for real.
That's the shit I like to see.
Jacob had the guts to wrestle with God.
How about you?
[indistinct chatter]
[Diego] There you go. Enjoy the show.
["Babe I Know" playing]
Hey. Okay, okay.
♪ Babe, I know It swirls around me ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Like the sun shines On the coast ♪
♪ Like a weathered, torn, Once sturdy barn ♪
♪ I used to give you shelter And warmth ♪
♪ It's clear ♪
♪ I can see ♪
♪ The dry grass at my feet ♪
♪ As I wait to go ♪
♪ If you don't come home I'll just say ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Baby, I know ♪
♪ Babe, I know ♪
♪ Baby, I know... ♪
Never really thought the view was worth the climb.
[Big Jim] You can see the lightning bugs.
Did I ever tell you my mother wouldn't let me come
to shows here when I was little?
But my Daddy would have his buddies over they'd
watch old WCW pay-per-views
and analyze what worked, what didn't.
Of course, I'd sneak out my room, and, uh,
I got to watch Flair versus Sting for World Championship.
I hated Flair.
That's what made Flair great.
Now, my mom caught me. She made me go back to sleep.
But I watched it back the next day.
Flair got cocky, Sting hit him with the inside cradle,
got the one, two, three. And the crowd cheered so loud,
I swear to God, the arena was shaking.
But the crazy thing was, first thing Sting did,
grabbed the microphone, and he said,
"Ric Flair is the greatest World Champion of all time."
These fuckin' people didn't know what to do
'cause they're supposed to be mortal enemies,
but the Stinger broke kayfabe just to give Flair credit
because he knew that people only love the good guy
as much as they hate the bad.
You want me to turn heel?
Yes, sir. All right.
I'm out cold. I'm about to get pinned, right?
You run down, you deck the ref, you chokeslam Ace
because you're-you're jealous.
You're done playing second fiddle.
You beat the shit out of him on the ground.
You put my arm over. Shake up the ref.
I get the one, two, three,
and then you just go on whipping his ass.
Now, when I come to, I'm-I'm-I'm torn.
I'm torn. That's my brother.
Right, so I hit you with something.
I run you off.
And Ace gets to go off into the sunset,
do whatever he's going to.
But you and I pull the double turn.
I'm the face. You're the heel.
Nobody's gonna see it coming.
I don't want people to boo me.
I don't-I don't understand you kids nowadays.
What do you mean?
I don't know about no one else. I like playing a good man.
Walking around town pretending to be a better man
helps me actually be a better man.
I-I like that.
People gonna boo you for a little bit
because they see themselves in you.
They see somebody who made a mistake
and is trying to get it right.
Yeah, the thing is--
But--no, eventually, you're gonna turn back.
People need to believe that we can be better,
that we can fix ourselves. Do you understand?
Jack, I'm retiring.
When?
After tonight. Baby's coming,
and Melanie, she don't get what we get about it.
You know, if I stop wrestling,
I could pick up more shifts at work,
maybe be a manager one day.
Plus, she says it's dangerous.
Is that what you think?
I love it.
I actually come up here to think about
how I was gonna tell you.
I'll still turn heel tonight if that's what you need.
No, that's all right. I don't need that.
It's okay.
Can we not tell Ace? You know how he is.
I-I don't want to mess with his head tonight.
That's-that's fine. That's okay.
Fans are really gonna miss you.
I'm gonna miss them too.
I really want to win tonight.
My finish is good. It would work.
Is it your finish?
I thought it was Crystal's finish.
After I make it big, I could come back.
I could help you. I could help the DWL.
Ace, Ace, Ace.
You make it big, you never gonna see Duffy again...
...'til I got to bring you home to bury you.
I just want my picture up on the wall next to you and Dad.
Then what the fuck you leaving for?
Name one person who wouldn't.
-Me. -[Ace] Bullshit!
Why can't you just be happy for me?
I am happy for you.
[Ace] You're scowling.
You want to leave, leave.
Jack, I'm-I'm trying to figure out
who's for me and who's against me.
Don't-don't tell me you're against me.
If you're leaving the business that I've been rebuilding
for all of us,
are you for me or against me?
-It ain't the same. -It's the-
Are you for me or against me?
It's not the same.
We're gonna have a show next Sunday
whether you're here or not.
I need to be here to focus on the new narrative
for the ones who are left behind.
Jack, I want to win the belt tonight.
Dad started it. You got it. I deserve it.
Why the hell do you get to make all the decisions?
Well, because one way or the other,
Dad left me in charge.
And I think that you need to admit,
there's been a maldistribution of effort and responsibility
around these parts since then.
'Cause you never let anyone else
do any of the work, Jack.
God! This is so you. Let me tell you something, man.
Just because I don't put my words and feelings
the way you do don't mean what I want ain't fair.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting "Ace"]
Is this 'cause I made your kid smile in church this morning?
Okay, okay, no.
'Cause he cheers for me in the ring?
'Cause they all cheer for me?
They cheer for the character.
The character I play.
The character I created.
Don't you keep your fans waiting.
[somber music plays]
♪ ♪
[fan] He's here! He's here!
[crowd cheering]
[cheering and applause]
♪ ♪
[crowd chanting "Ace"]
[heavy hip-hop music playing]
Hey, girlfriend. How are you?
Hi. Hi, buddy.
[wrestler] What kind of snake are you supposed to be?
[Diego] Guess.
-[wrestler] A cobra. -[Diego] No.
-Python. -No.
[Apocalypse] Rattlesnake.
Cottonmouth, motherfuckers.
[Apocalypse] Oh, yeah. Cottonmouth.
[Diego] Yeah.[laughs]
[laughter]
[Apocalypse] You know reptiles with venom can't--
[Willie] Hey!
What the fuck are you doing?
I was just making sure Ace has everything.
Watch my mouth.
The locker room's for wrestlers, not valets.
I'm not just a valet. I can wrestle.
I belong here. You don't.
Take that for the compliment that it is.
Now beat it. Come on. Jeez.
[melancholy music plays]
♪ ♪
Long live the king.
♪ ♪
[footsteps approaching]
Hey, five minutes. You gonna get dressed?
How are the fog machines working?
Like fog machines.
What would you do if you didn't do this?
Tournament bass fishing.
♪ ♪
You should address the guys.
♪ ♪
Y'all got talent, boys,
so rip it up, and let the night roar!
[wrestlers cheering]
Anything you want to add, Jack?
Mm-mm.
Go get 'em so we can get fucked up!
[wrestlers cheering]
[crowd cheering]
["Anyone Who Knows What Love Is" playing]
♪ ♪
♪ Anyone ♪
♪ You can blame me ♪
♪ Try to shame me ♪
♪ And still I'll care For you ♪
♪ You can run around ♪
♪ Even put me down ♪
♪ Still I'll be there For you ♪
♪ ♪
♪ The world May think I'm foolish ♪
♪ They can't see you Like I can ♪
♪ Oh, but anyone ♪
♪ Who knows what love is... ♪
Good job, dude.
♪ Will understand ♪
♪ Anyone ♪
♪ I just feel so sorry ♪
♪ Anyone ♪
♪ For the ones who pity me ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Anyone ♪
♪ 'Cause They just don't know ♪
♪ Anyone ♪
♪ Oh, they don't know ♪
♪ What happiness and love Can be ♪
♪ ♪
♪ I know ♪
♪ I know to ever let you go ♪
♪ Oh, is more than I could ever stand ♪
♪ Oh, but anyone... ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ Who knows... ♪
[somber music plays]
♪ ♪
[Jack] Hey. How did you get backstage?
I know the guy that runs the place.
[Jack] Oh, yeah?
I just want to say good luck. Thomas is so excited.
Hey, I heard about Ace. That's a big opportunity.
Yeah.
That's exciting. That's so great for him.
Yeah. The whole thing's gonna be something.
It always is. You are my master showman.
Hey, how the GoPros working?
Got an app. Tracks our purchases.
Remember when I set it up on your phone too?
Uh-huh.
You just have to turn on notifications.
Mm-hmm.
We need them for the show.
Shit. Sorry.
All right.
Hey, are you okay?
I'm fine.
[crowd cheering]
[bell dings]
[rock music plays]
♪ ♪
[crowd roaring]
Okay, well that's your cue. Be safe.
Always am.
I love you.
I love you too.
-Hey. -Yeah.
[Staci] What'd you decide for the finish?
Don't matter. It ain't real.
[crowd cheering]
♪ ♪
Thank you.
♪ ♪
Are you taking me with you when you leave Duffy?
Fuck the belt. I already won.
I go wrestle the match of my life,
and it's like you said:
I get to leave, and you stay here, forever...
...'til you end up killing yourself like Dad.
Huh?
Hey, guys, chill out.
I love you guys.
I didn't hurt you, did I?
[Apocalypse laughs] No.
[tense music plays]
♪ ♪
[rock music plays]
♪ ♪
[crowd booing]
♪ ♪
[cheers]
♪ ♪
[crowd chanting "Ace"]
[rock song plays]
[crowd cheering]
♪ ♪
Ah!
Yeah! Come on!
♪ Soul of the world ♪
♪ King of the night ♪
- ♪ As hard as cold As steel... ♪ -Let's go! Whoo!
[Ace] Oh, no! Come on!
♪ Never will I kneel ♪
♪ Run to the lightning ♪
♪ And let the thunder be Your shield... ♪
Whoo!
♪ Run to the lightning ♪
♪ And let the thunder Be your shield ♪
Come on!
Holy fuck. This is gonna be awesome.
-Let's go, Jack. -Go on, Ace.
Come on! Yeah!
Come on!
[desolate music plays]
♪ ♪
[all exclaim]
[cries out]
[fan] Come on! You got him!
[Ace] Stop!
[cries out]
♪ ♪
Come on, baby!
Jack, you're gonna hurt him.
I know. You're gonna have to call it.
Jack!
Jack.
Jack! Ahh, Jack, stop.
Stop!
-Stop! -Now!
Ring the bell. Ring the bell.
-[bell dings] -Ace, Ace, are you okay?
[Ace groaning]
Gah!
Mom...
Gah!
[all exclaim]
Goddamn it, Jack.
[man 1] This show sucks.
[man 2] What a rip-off.
[man 3] It's a waste of money!
[crowd booing]
["Master and A Hound" playing]
♪ ♪
♪ Where were you when I was still kind? ♪
♪ Just a water-treader ♪
♪ Waiting on the line ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Just a dry-gin-drinker ♪
♪ Master-and-a-hound ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Turned a circus-swinger ♪
♪ Look, he's coming down ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Down ♪
♪ ♪
♪ Can you shake it up ♪
♪ Just once for me? ♪
♪ Your little globe ♪
♪ Just so we can see ♪
♪ The snow blowing ♪
♪ 'Round your hands ♪
♪ ♪
♪ And the wing-nut turned ♪
♪ The song that we both know ♪
♪ Sent us flying ♪
♪ 'Round the carnival ♪
♪ You can throw all ♪
♪ Your lucky coins on me ♪
♪ ♪
♪ On me ♪