When you want to show anyone what the world of Pro Wrestling to anyone who has been curious about it.Then Beyond The Mat is the way to go because it was produced, written and directed by Barry Blaustein who is said in the movie to have grow up a huge fan of Pro Wrestling.Years later he was inspired to find out why these men and women became Pro Wrestlers and when you watch this movie you get to see the rare world that we as wrestling fans hardly get to see.We get a behind the scene look at what makes wrestling, Wrestling you get Indy promotions as well as ECW Extreme Championship Wrestling and The WWF The World Wrestling Federation.Beyond The Mat also gives us some rare looks into the lives of the wrestlers we grew up with along with seeing what's it like for them, you get to see Mick "Mankind" Foley, The Rock, Terry Funk, Jake The Snake Roberts and many more pro legends. Along with seeing some rare footage of wrestling events there is just so much you can love as a fan of Wrestling and if you're not a fan you'll get a better understanding of why they chose this line of work. Beyond The Mat is the one wrestling film that gives the sport justice and it came from a fan which makes it much more better.If you haven't seen this movie you have to because it is classic I give Beyond The Mat A 10 out of 10

Adult professional wrestling fans aren't stupid, we know wrestling is fake and the outcomes are pre-determined. What none fans don't realize is why we like it. It's the drama, the pageantry, the cheesy stories, the costumes, and most of all the action. Yes, it's pre-determined and choreographed, but you still need to be charismatic and athletic, and night after night these guys put their bodies on the line just for our entertainment. People have been killed and paralyzed doing this, so to anyone who says it's not real and takes no skill, I point to this documentary. Beyond The Mat looks into the lives of these guys outside the ring and show the ancient Terry Funk, whose body has been ravaged from years in the ring. He can barely walk anymore, but still has to get in there and has to do this because it's all he knows and what he loves. Jake "The Snake" Roberts is also featured and he talks about how eight years on the road with WWE and how it made him a neglectful father, a bad husband, and a drug addict. Roberts says between the pain and the constant moving around he could never have done it without drugs! Finally, they look at Mick Foley AKA Mankind, Dude Love, Cactus Jack and show how he's this normal family man and while his family knows it's for show, how much they worry. In the last 30 years, hundreds of pro-wrestlers have died under the age of 45, most of them due to the physical trauma they've put their bodies through or the dependence on drugs that has resulted from it. If those were NFL or MLB stars instead, there would be massive reform and congressional intervention, but the truth is no one cares about these guys, except of course their families, friends, and fans. Beyond The Mat is important because it shows just what these guys put on the line and just how little the people at the top care.

I lived outside Amarillo, Texas for nine years and never saw Terry Funk wrestle. I saw him make a lot of car commercials, but was never one for the wrestling game. I used to watch a little on Sunday mornings when I attended church at the Ace Lounge in Tampa about 30 years ago. That was pre-WWF - the time of Gorgeous George. From time to time I have tuned in to see what was going on - honestly, to see Miss Elizabeth - but I tuned out quickly as they spent all their time talking instead of wrestling.So, see what goes on behind the scenes was very interesting. Especially, seeing how the least move is choreographed for maximum crown excitement.It was also interesting to see people like Funk and Jake the Snake after they could no longer make it in the big time and had to resort to the bloody circuit, or ECW, and doing shows outside the big-time because of their drug or psychological problems.I do have to say that taking a four year old to a wresting match to see her daddy beat to a pulp and sustain head injuries that required stitches is just plain child abuse.

It's been about six years since what is regarded as the best wrestling documentary was released. Director Barry Blaustein spent three years travelling up and down the highways of America in an attempt to find out what the wrestling business is really about. The end result was the compelling and controversial Beyond the Mat.Even six years after it's release, Beyond the Mat makes compelling viewing, even if it's just to see how the lives and careers of those documented in the film have progressed. For some, a great deal has changed, while for others, time has more or less stood still.For me, the three main focuses of the film were Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake Roberts. The scenes with Mick spending time with his wife and children were particularly compelling, especially for those people who were only familiar with his sadistic in-ring characters, Cactus Jack and Dude Love. As Blaustein himself comments, Mick Foley is probably the sanest man in the history of professional wrestling. But the scenes during his Royal Rumble match with The Rock, where his kids are in tears and his wife has to take them away from the action are both compelling and distressing at the same time.Then we have the legend that is Terry Funk, as he helps launch Extreme Championship Wrestling onto a national stage with the company's first pay-per-view, Barely Legal, before moving onto his retirement, an emotional moment as he lost his final match to Bret Hart.Then there's Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Blaustein's most vocal critic in what are possibly the most controversial segments of the film. Jake's story is a tragic one, of his battles with drug addiction, and of his strained relationships with his father and daughter. While watching the tearful reunion with his daughter, you get the feeling that Jake isn't being entirely truthful with himself, and that this scene would have been better played out in private.But as I mentioned at the beginning of this piece, it's interesting to see where some of the film's main players are now, six years later.Mike Modest, who received a WWF try-out during the film, is still wrestling, having achieved a great deal of success with Pro Wrestling NOAH in Japan.Shortly before the film was released, Darren Drozdov was paralysed after an in-ring accident. Droz continues to make progress today, but is still confined to a wheelchair.ECW signed a national television contract with TNN during the making of the film, Two years later, the company went bankrupt.Terry Funk's retirement was, like his many other retirements, short-lived, and he continues to compete to this day, at the age of 61.Jake Roberts continues to battle his personal demons. Having fallen foul of the law while living and working in Britain, Jake returned to America this year, appeared on Monday Night War, and signed a merchandise deal with WWE. Rumour has it that Vince McMahon is personally paying for Jake's rehab treatment. In a shoot interview with Rob Feinstein five years ago, Jake said he would be taking legal action against Blaustein because of his portrayal in the film, but nothing ever came of this. Jake has been extremely critical of the director in numerous interviews he has given since the film's release.In conclusion, Beyond the Mat is indeed compelling viewing, and one of the best wrestling documentaries ever made, on a par with Wrestling with Shadows. Barry Blaustein did a hell of a job portraying the wrestling business in a positive light. It's a hell of a film, and one that any wrestling fan should make a permanent part of their collection.