Movies like Hadley's Rebellion (1983)
The best movies like Hadley's Rebellion (1983) are American Wrestler: The Wizard (2017), Legendary (2010) and First Match (2018). If Hadley's Rebellion hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedStand by Me (1986)7.8/10 from 6,848 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
American Wrestler: The Wizard (2017)
In 1980, a teenage boy escapes the unrest in Iran only to face more hostility in America, due to the hostage crisis. Determined to fit in, he joins the school's floundering wrestling team.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLegendary (2010)
A book-smart teenager joins his school's wrestling team as a way to reunite his surviving family members, who split apart after the death of his father, a college wrestling legend, 10 years ago.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFirst Match (2018)
Hardened by years in foster care, a teenage girl from Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood decides that wrestling boys is the only way back to her estranged father.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTriumph (2021)
A bright and determined teen who has mild cerebral palsy strives to be a wrestler on his high school's team and to win over the heart of a classmate, the girl of his dreams.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisQueen of the Ring (2025)
In a time when pro wrestling for women was illegal all over the country, a small town single mother embraces the danger to change culture as she dominates America's most masculine sport to become the first million dollar female athlete in history.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGoing to the Mat (2004)
Jace Newfield has a problem. Besides being blind and being the new kid at school, his problem is that the kids at his new school thinks he's a jerk. Jace has to find a way to be accepted into his new school. Joining the wrestling team just might work.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Karate Kid (1984)
New Jersey teen Daniel LaRusso moves to Los Angeles with his mother, and soon strikes up a relationship with Ali. He quickly finds himself the target of bullying by a group of thugs, led by Ali's ex-boyfriend Johnny, who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo under ruthless sensei John Kreese. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi, an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate for self-defense and, later, preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEmbattled (2020)
The eldest son of a ruthlessly tough MMA champion must fight his way out of the abusive cycle his father has continued.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFoxcatcher (2014)
The greatest Olympic Wrestling Champion brother team joins Team Foxcatcher led by multimillionaire sponsor John E. du Pont as they train for the 1988 games in Seoul - a union that leads to unlikely circumstances.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisNever Back Down (2008)
Jake, full of anger after his father's death, is just starting to find a place for himself at his new Orlando high school - until Ryan, head of an underground MMA fight club, picks Jake out as a prime opponent. After being trounced by Ryan in front of the entire school, Jake begins training under the firm, moral guidance of a MMA master, where he learns how to fight... and how to avoid a fight. But it becomes obvious that a rematch will be inevitable if Jake wants to stop Ryan and his bullying, once and for all.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Karate Kid Part III (1989)
Despondent over the closing of his karate school, Cobra Kai teacher John Kreese joins a ruthless businessman and martial artist to get revenge on Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisHome Run (2013)
A pro ball player with a substance abuse problem is forced into rehab in his hometown, finding new hope when he gets honest about his checkered past, and takes on coaching duties for a misfit Little League team
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWWE Crown Jewel 2021 (2021)
The 2021 Crown Jewel was a professional wrestling event produced by WWE. It was the third Crown Jewel and took place on October 21, 2021, at Mohammed Abdu Arena on The Boulevard in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia as part of Riyadh Season. The event aired via pay-per-view and livestreaming, marking the first Crown Jewel to air on Peacock in the United States.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWWE WrestleMania X-Seven (2001)
WrestleMania X-Seven was the seventeenth annual WrestleMania PPV and was presented by Snickers Cruncher. It took place on April 1, 2001 at the Reliant Astrodome in Houston, Texas. The event was the first WrestleMania held in the state of Texas. A record-breaking attendance for the Reliant Astrodome of 67,925 grossed US$3.5 million. The main event was a No Disqualification match between Steve Austin and The Rock for the WWF Championship. The main matches on the undercard featured Triple H versus The Undertaker, the second Tables, Ladders, and Chairs match for the WWF Tag Team Championship, and Vince McMahon versus Shane McMahon in a Street Fight. With WWE's acquisition of long-time competitor WCW and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin joining forces with storied rival Mr. McMahon.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGiant Little Ones (2019)
Two popular teen boys, best friends since childhood, discover their lives, families, and girlfriends dramatically upended after an unexpected incident occurs on the night of a 17th birthday party.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAnd Then I Go (2017)
In the cruel world of junior high, Edwin suffers in a state of anxiety and alienation alongside his only friend, Flake. Misunderstood by their families and demoralized at school daily, their fury simmers quietly until an idea for vengeance offers them a terrifying release.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisWWE WrestleMania 29 (2013)
At the Show of Shows, John Cena has a chance to rewrite history when he challenges The Rock for the WWE Championship. A brash, remorseless CM Punk seeks the ultimate claim to immortality by attempting to do what no one has done before him - defeat the Undertaker at WrestleMania, ending his double decade-long Streak. Brock Lesnar and Triple H collide in a No Holds Barred showdown where The Game’s illustrious career is on the line. This is the place where legends are made. This is WrestleMania.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisResurrecting the Champ (2007)
Up-and-coming sports reporter rescues a homeless man ("Champ") only to discover that he is, in fact, a boxing legend believed to have passed away. What begins as an opportunity to resurrect Champ's story and escape the shadow of his father's success becomes a personal journey as the ambitious reporter reexamines his own life and his relationship with his family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHardball (2001)
An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlackbird (1988)
A story about friendship between two boys coming from different social backgrounds, but with the equally bitter family experiences.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Stand by Me (1986)
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but they also learn more about one another and their very different home lives. Just a lark at first, the boys' adventure evolves into a defining event in their lives.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFaggot (2017)
This short film tells the story of Alexis, a 16-years-old hockey player who, after discovering he is gay, must face a heartbreaking dilemma: come out to his homophobic friends at the risk of being rejected and ridiculed, or stay in the closet even if that would mean abandoning Elliot, the only person who really loves him for what he is.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sacred Mask (2023)
A young man who comes from a luchador family but has forsaken the family name and mask tries to follow his own dreams only to be brought back into the fold by a dark and mysterious shadow who hurts everyone close to him to get what he wants.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Chatha Pacha: The Ring of Rowdies (2026)
In the heart of Fort Kochi, three brothers and their crew of unlikely misfits stumble into the wild world of WWE-style costumed wrestling. What begins as a scrappy hustle soon explodes into a riot of masks, egos, and full-blown madness, all set against the backdrop of a city that never plays by the rules. But can their brotherhood survive when the real fight begins outside the ropes?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Undertaker: The Streak 21-1 (2014)
Documentary that reflects on the WWE career of the Undertaker, the franchise's longest serving wrestler with over two decades of action behind him. Known for his trademark finishing move, the tombstone piledriver, the Undertaker has entered battle with generations of WWE stars. Among those to offer their thoughts on what it is like to face him in the ring are Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Big Show, Randy Orton and Brock Lesnar who ended The Streak.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sweetheart (2010)
Nina was forced to move to a new school for girls because her mother Cynthia had just married a rich businessman. Nina has to deal with the Sweetheart gang, a collection of three of the most beautiful and popular girls in her school, Imel, Fifi and Cherry. Is Nina willing to sell all of her life principles for the sake of popularity at school. Will the world with all its bitterness finally change Nina?
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Skorna (2009)
A boy has been bullied and is left alone in the school gymnasium without shoes on his feet.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Flight of the Swan (1992)
A young girl leaves her Nigerian village to attend a ballet school in England. Fascinated by Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, she dreams of performing as lead ballerina Princess Odette, but the girls in her close-minded ballet school mock her ideas of a 'black swan'.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Orange Crush & JCW: Superpower Slam 2026 (2026)
Orange Crush presents Superpower Slam 2026 is a professional wrestling charity show benefitting neurodivergent individuals involving JCW and GCW and pro wrestlers from ROH/AEW it took place on 2.1.26
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Hadley's Rebellion and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Hadley's Rebellion?
The closest matches to Hadley's Rebellion are American Wrestler: The Wizard (2017), Legendary (2010) and First Match (2018). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Hadley's Rebellion?
Start with American Wrestler: The Wizard (2017), the closest match to Hadley's Rebellion.
What is the highest-rated movie like Hadley's Rebellion?
Stand by Me (1986), rated 7.8/10 by 6,848 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Hadley's Rebellion?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there English movies like Hadley's Rebellion?
Yes: American Wrestler: The Wizard (2017), Legendary (2010) and First Match (2018).
How are movies similar to Hadley's Rebellion chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Hadley's Rebellion, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.