Wrestling fan Barry W. Blaustein makes a documentary on his favorite subject. It starts with Vince McMahon at the head of World Wrestling Federation. He interviews old timer Terry Funk, popular Mick Foley, troubled Jake 'The Snake' Roberts, and many others.Terry Funk's body is broken. It's well beyond recoverable. He's a man running on fumes. Luckily, he's surrounded by a loving family. The same can't be said of Jake. He's lonely with a dysfunctional family relationship. This movie gives a compelling first layer of his multi-layered family story. The third main story looks at Mick Foley. His kids are adorable. His daughter's reaction at his fight with The Rock is distressing. It's utterly memorable. The one missing element is a more in-depth look into the prevalence of drugs in wrestling. Jake 'The Snake' offers a nice inroad into the subject. I wish Blaustein could dig deeper.

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

man i loved this film, a real insight into what happens behind the scenes of the world famous wrestling franchise. well all my favourites were here but mostly of not mick foley, i love this guy and to see him in such a candid light was great, also jake the snake roberts, it was difficult to see what a bad state of affairs this once amazing personality has gotten himself into. but on the whole its just a very honest portrayal of what these guys have to go through day by day just to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads and those of their families. i also strongly suggest that anyone who likes this movie also read the two mick foley books and also try and find jerry the king lawlers nbook as well as they give a really deep insight into the world of sports entetrtainment. the only thing i didn't like about this film is that it didn't have any info or input by dusty rhodes who is by far my all time favourite wrestler, oh well they did a great job even without the American dream.

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.