Crackle Plus, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company and one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks, confirmed to WrestleZone that action film Cagefighter will be exclusively available for free on Crackle beginning Thursday, April 1.
Written and directed by Jesse Quinones, the film stars professional MMA fighter Alex Montagnani, former All Elite Wrestling World Champion Jon Moxley, former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell, and Gina Gershon. The film also features Jay Reso, aka Christian Cage, in an on-screen role and as one of the producers.
Reiss Gibbons (Montagnani) is on the cusp of cementing himself as the greatest to ever step inside the Legends cage. With five title defenses under his belt and the support of coach and mentor Marcus (Liddell), Reiss has it all. But when savvy promoter Max Black (Gershon) pits him against pro wrestling superstar Randy Stone (Moxley) in the company’s first ever cross-promotional event, Reiss finds himself in the toughest fight of his life.
“We’re thrilled to add Cagefighter to Crackle’s slate of exclusive programming,” said Philippe Guelton, president of Crackle Plus. “Stacked with real MMA fighters and professional wrestlers, the film boasts nonstop action that our viewers will love.”
As one of the only AVODs continually adding original and exclusive programming that uplifts, entertains, and inspires audiences, Crackle adds Cagefighter alongside original and AVOD exclusive titles including Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story, After the Murder of Albert Lima, Insomnia, Lennox Lewis: The Untold Story, Robert the Bruce, Anything is Possible: The Serge Ibaka Story, Bucket List, and Going From Broke, which recently commenced production for its second season.
Cagefighter is distributed in the U.S. by Screen Media, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company and the supplier of exclusive and original content to Crackle Plus.
Crackle Plus linear and VOD networks are available in the U.S. and can be accessed on 29 devices and services including Amazon FireTV, RokuTV, Apple TV, Smart TVs (Samsung, LG, Vizio), gaming consoles (PS4 and XBoxOne), Plex, iOS and Android mobile devices and on desktops at Crackle.com. Crackle is also available in approximately 500,000 hotel rooms in the Marriott Bonvoy chain.
Related: Jon Moxley Explains Why Wrestlers Are Well-Prepared And Can Excel In Movie Roles
Both Moxley and Reso spoke with Wrestlezone Managing Editor Bill Pritchard ahead of the world premiere of “Cagefighter: Worlds Collide” last year. Christian not only serves as a producer on the film, but also plays Stephen Drake, a media personality that “Captain Charisma” described as having a pivotal role in the story.
Reso said one takeaway he hopes people come away with after seeing the film is that he would like to see a mutual respect between mixed martial arts and pro wrestling fans after they see the film. Looking at it from a wrestler’s perspective, he brought up Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley, CM Punk and Jake Hager as examples of where there’s been crossover appeal, but he believes it’s all entertainment in the end.
“Wrestlers are very protective and care about what we do and we’re always fighting for credibility. What we do is also very physical, so I hope in those senses it’s given a new respect on both sides. When I look at MMA and wrestling there’s always that debate, but to me it’s the same tree, different branches,” Christian said. “At the end of the day, it’s all entertainment. Maybe it’s not 100% pure sport like MMA, but MMA is taking the entertainment aspect from wrestling and selling their fights with that with the promos, personas, those things. They can deny it all they want but those are pro wrestling promos and they are taken from the pro wrestling world, so I’d like to see that there’s a mutual respect from both at the end of it.”
Related: Christian On His Dual Roles In ‘Cagefighter’, Mutual Respect Between Professional Wrestling And MMA
