| Director | Jared Hess |
|---|---|
| Budget | $35 million |
| Box office | $99 million |
Ignacio is a friar and cook for the Oaxaca monastery orphanage where he himself was raised as an orphan. He dreams of becoming a professional wrestler, but wrestling is strictly forbidden by the monastery as it is considered a sin of vanity. Though Ignacio cares deeply for the orphans, he is unable to provide decent meals for them due to a lack of funds. He also struggles with his feelings for Sister Encarnación, a nun who recently arrived to teach at the orphanage. One night, Ignacio is mugged of the orphanage's tortilla chips by a street thief. On the way back to the orphanage, Ignacio sees his idol, an enormous gold-masked wrestler champion named Ramses, giving autographs and being bombarded by paparazzi in the streets, as well as a flyer for an amateur tag team wrestling match.
The next day, following a disastrous lunch service, a fed up Ignacio decides to disregard the monastery's rules by secretly becoming a wrestler to both fulfill his dream as well as to make money for the orphanage. He finds the man who robbed him, an atheist named Steven, and convinces him to join him by promising to share the prize money if they win. The two join the advertised match as tag partners. Ignacio fights under the moniker "Nacho" to keep his identity secret, while Steven adopts the name "Esqueleto" (skeleton).
They lose their first match but still get paid, as all wrestlers (or luchadores), win or lose, are entitled to a portion of the total revenue. As the spectators enjoyed their performance, they are encouraged to return. They continue to wrestle every week, with Ignacio using the money to improve the orphans' lives but becoming frustrated that they never win. Ignacio tries everything he can think of, including a folk remedy to acquire the powers of an eagle, but success still eludes them. He then attempts to seek advice from Ramses himself, but Ramses is vain and in no mood to support aspiring wrestlers. Undeterred, the duo crash a party that Ramses' manager holds for the best professional wrestlers in Mexico. They discover that, in order to be considered a professional, one must be the last luchador standing in the ring at an upcoming free-for-all match, then defeat Ramses in an exhibition match.
Their cover is blown when Steven encounters an overweight woman named Candidia who falls madly in love with him causing him to flee in horror, and when Ignacio, who snuck into the party by impersonating a member of a mariachi band, tries to improvise a song for Ramses but is rebuffed by Ramses once again and kicked out of the party alongside Steven. Outside, they encounter a duo of rival luchadores who slash the tires of Ignacio's moped, but the rival are defeated when Steven throws an elote like a throwing knife into one of their eyes.
The next morning, a disillusioned Ignacio expresses his resentment toward Ramses for treating him terribly and decides to quit wrestling, which starts a heated argument between him and Steven, who wants him to continue. Later, Ignacio's secret is revealed to the entire monastery when his robe catches fire during mass, exposing his wrestling costume and forcing him to confess to everyone. He declares that he intends to fight at the battle royale for the right to take on Ramses for a cash prize that he hopes to use to buy a bus for the monastery. Unfortunately, he finishes second, losing to another wrestler named Silencio. Banished from the monastery and having lost his passion for wrestling, Ignacio goes to live in exile. Steven finds Ignacio and informs him that Silencio has withdrawn on account of Steven injuring him, giving Ignacio the right to fight Ramses instead. After praying with Steven, Ignacio overcomes difficulty and manages to do well in the match, winning the crowd's support, but Ramses, enraged, resorts to cheating by attacking Ignacio during the match's break and unmasking him, revealing his face and identity to the crowd, before pinning him to the ground. Ramses nearly wins the match until Ignacio sees Encarnación and the orphans enter the arena. Inspired by their support, Ignacio rallies himself and defeats Ramses.
Ignacio becomes a professional wrestler and, true to his word, buys a bus for the monestary with his prize money. To celebrate his accomplishment, he takes Encarnación, Steven, and the orphans on a field trip to Monte Albán.