Every Pro Wrestling Fan Should Watch ‘My Dad is a Heel Wrestler’

The silver linings of the coronavirus can be counted on one hand, maybe even one finger.

For me, it’s discovering a Japanese movie I didn’t know existed.

Though I gave up on WWE years ago, I became a full-fledged fan of New Japan Pro Wrestling (NJPW) in early 2017 and signed up for its NJPWworld streaming service. While my initial favorite Kenny Omega has moved on to All Elite Wrestling in the U.S., I remain a loyal NJPW fan. It’s one of the reasons I was so keenly aware of coronavirus before it landed on American shores, as the company shut down live events weeks before we did here.

Since the virus hit, NJPW has been trying to provide unique content to fans to keep them entertained through quarantines. On April 4, they added a movie to their archives, entitled My Dad is a Heel Wrestler.

I didn’t know this movie existed. It is now my favorite pro wrestling movie of all time.

The movie stars Hiroshi Tanahashi as the lead character, playing the role of the evil Cockroach Mask, and the story revolves around his young son discovering that his dad is a heel wrestler. On its face, the premise sounds ridiculous and, frankly, worried me.

How would they approach pro wrestling? How would they treat a heel gimmick? But I had nothing to fear.

You first must realize that the Japanese, in general, treat pro wrestling with much more respect than American audiences…