John Larson (Ian Jacklin) has lost a friend to the underground fighting world. Man, the fight clubs from the early direct-to-video 90s continue to make me so happy to watch old films that no one cares about but me. Anyway, Ian Jacklin was a karate champ, and that was enough in 1994 to get him to star in a movie.

Nick Wallace (Nicholas Hill) and John work in physical labor jobs, but there’s no money to be made working on the docks. The union has been on strike, and they’re down on their luck. It’s tough—so tough. So John leaves town, and Nick goes into the fighting world, and that brings John back to save his pal.

Paul Landis (Martin Kove) is a fight promoter who pals around with his main fighter, Mark Vanik (Matthias Hues, who is on the poster instead of the star), who finds them going around and blowing up other mob bosses like Jimmie Fratello (Richard Lynch). Yes, Richard Lynch is in this movie just long enough to reach the 90s video union rules for getting his name in the credits.

With the help of reporter Danielle Richardson (Renee Allman), fight promoter Big Man (Bob Wyatt, the director of Rhonda Sheer’s Tender Loving Care and one of the writers), neighborhood tomboy Tommy (Michele “Mouse” Krasnoo from Kickboxer 4) and Benny “The Jet” Urquidez playing himself, John will search for his missing friend. Is it silly for me to see this as two male couples fighting each other instead of just celebrating that love between them would solve things? This is not unfounded: Kove and Hues’ characters straight up get a massage together and watch the fights like an old couple taking in the theater. Bless them, I want them to be happy.

This has Brick Bronsky, Madusa and Tony “Ludvig Borga” Halme, three pro wrestlers, as bad guys, plus Lisa London (Rocky from Savage Beach), porn star Dick Nasty billed as Peter “Sugarfoot” London in a fight with Ed Neal (who played Lord Zedd), direction by Joe Coppoletta (who did episodes of Knots Landing and Falcon Crest before this movie), a script co-written by Steve Tymon (Fraternity Demon, Mirror, Mirror III: The Voyeur, John T. Bone’s Dark Secrets, the Ring of Fire movies) and the feeling that this could be a off-brand Capcom beat ’em up (SNK? Irem?) come to life.