Powerbomb (2020)

 Plot

Matt Cross is an extremely talented wrestler with an uncertain future. While fame and stardom appear on the horizon, years of struggling leave him on the verge of leaving it all behind to spend more time with his family. Things take a dark turn when he is kidnapped by his "biggest fan" who hopes to help his hero grow.

Review

I really liked this movie and I want to say that first. However, the cover is extremely misleading. It makes the film out to be a wrestling slasher flick and Powerbomb is not that. The movie is a family/career drama with thriller elements. That's honestly my big issue with this movie.

Now that I've got that out of the way, let me talk about what this movie has going for it. It's stars one of my favorites, MDogg Matt Cross, as a fictional version of himself. Cross is an indie wrestler from Ohio that's wrestled for many promotions and in many countries. Unsurprisingly, he does a great job of playing himself. He's charismatic and has amazing athletic ability.

Roni Jonah and Cash Allen do a great job as Matt's fictional family and their drama arcs are just as engaging as his captivity. AEW star, Brit Baker, also does a great job as a wrestler turned babysitter supporting character.

This movie isn't going to win any major awards, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't check it out. It's a great story about obsession, family, and dreams.

As a side note, because of the global pandemic, Matt hasn't been able to wrestle. If you'd like to support him, you should check out his site, Wrestling Is Forever.

Gaming Material

I've mainly been statting out wrestlers as NPC's, but I thought I'd stat Matt as a PC so you can see how the existing Vigilante City rules work with wrestling.

Name: MDogg Matt Cross

Alignment: Law

Class: Athlete 
Level: 6

Str: 16 (+2)

Int: 12 (+0)

Wis: 12 (+0)

Dex: 18 (+3)

Con: 15 (+1)

Cha: 13 (+1)

Sur: 13

Courage: 16

Critical: 15

Death: 12

Magic: 10

Mental: 12

Poison: 10

Languages: English

AC: 16 (Dex, Wrestling)

HP: 42

Toughness: +2

Move: 13/23 when charging (can run X4)

Initiate: +4

Unarmed Attack

+8 to Melee attacks, d4+3 damage

Skills

Basic Athletics 6 (+14)

Combat Training 1
First Aid 2 (+2)
Fighting: Wrestling
Intimidation 1 (+3/+2)
Parkour 1 (+4)
Persuasion 1 (+2)
Street Smart 1 (+1)
Subterfuge 1 (+1)

Special Traits

+2 to Grab
+1 to damage with thrown weapons
+2 to Terror checks
Seize the Moment: 1
1 extra action

Equipment: Ring Gear