weekend
WARRIORS
a feature MocKumentary
LOGLINE
A tongue-in-cheek mockumentary about an indie wrestling league where the wrestlers are so committed to their over-the-top characters, they can’t tell where the gimmick ends and real life begins.
synopsis
Weekend Warriors is a mockumentary that dives head-first into the colorful, chaotic world of an independent wrestling league. Following a cast of semi-professional wrestlers who live for the roar of a couple dozen fans in local gymnasiums, the film exposes the hilarious—and often heartbreaking—reality behind the spandex.
We meet over-the-hill veterans clinging to faded glory, delusional newcomers convinced they’re destined for WWE, and family men who hide their bruises from spouses worried about the mortgage. As the company gears up for its biggest event of the year—held in a musty high school gym—tensions mount, feuds get too personal, and carefully crafted storylines threaten to spill into real life.
Training sessions turn into hazing rituals, locker room politics spiral out of control, and the wrestlers’ unwavering commitment to “kayfabe” (never breaking character) means the drama doesn’t stop when they step out of the ring. By the night of the big show, egos, injuries, and personal vendettas all collide—forcing the wrestlers to discover whether the bonds of brotherhood can survive the ultimate work.
Styled in the tradition of This is Spinal Tap and Best in Show, the film blurs the line between parody and poignancy, ultimately revealing the very human need beneath every bodyslam: to matter to someone, somewhere, even if it’s just for three counts.
This is a sizzle reel we created for a similar project but it wasn’t a mockumentary.
STORY OUTLINE
ACT I: “The Work Begins” (Winter – Early Spring)
The film opens in the cold, quiet early months of the year. We meet the staff of Chicago CRED—life coaches, outreach workers, trauma counselors—some of whom have returned to the very neighborhoods they once struggled to escape. As a new cohort of participants enters the program, the staff begin their work: building trust, offering structure, and holding space for men who’ve rarely had the chance to feel safe or seen. Early optimism is met with reality—attendance is inconsistent, emotional walls are high, and progress is slow. But the staff know this part well. They’ve seen what change can look like, and they’ve learned that belief must come before results.
ACT II: “The Weight of Summer” (Late Spring – Summer)
As the city warms, so do tensions. Violence typically spikes in Chicago during the summer, and staff prepare for long days and late nights. The pace accelerates—job placements, community events, interventions, emergency check-ins. The team does more than respond; they anticipate. But the emotional toll begins to show: burnout, frustration, doubt. Some staff wrestle with the boundaries between their personal lives and the people they serve. Others lean deeper into the work, using their own stories to reach those who are drifting. Amid the chaos, we see moments of breakthrough—therapy sessions that go deeper, young men stepping into jobs, relationships beginning to shift. These are hard-won and often fleeting, but no less real.
ACT III: “Holding On” (Fall – Winter)
As the year winds down, staff reflect on what’s been gained—and what still hangs in the balance. Some participants are thriving. Others have disappeared. The team continues to support those transitioning out of the program, while preparing for a new intake. There is no neat ending. The work goes on. In this final act, the film shifts focus inward—on the staff themselves. Why do they keep showing up? What does it mean to give this much of yourself to something that doesn’t always show results? Through quiet conversations, final check-ins, and candid reflections, we see what keeps them going. Not success in the traditional sense—but connection, belief, and the knowledge that sometimes showing up is everything.