Review of Beyond the Mat (1999) by Shaun B — 14 Dec 2012

I kinda dug WWF and other renegade wrestling outfits when I was a kid, no doubt about it....wasn't a true die-hard fan but I do have fond memories of Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Jake "The Snake" Roberts and many other superstars of the 1980s and 90s.

This documentary is far more engaging than I thought it would be, but then again it falls far short of what I truly wanted to experience for a "behind-the-scenes" take on big-time "fake" wrestling.

The interviews and exposures to violence are what pull you in, but the fact that there are about four different storylines (could be up to eight or more in this HUMONGOUS industry that involves ALL types of human beings trying to make some scratch).

..these stories never really gel together because the director is far too much of a fan of this type of "sport" (i.e., entertainment). It's a great time capsule of a bygone era that both typifies the human experience and also shows how wrestling became so big.

Too much focus on one wrestler (Terry Funk) of who I never knew at all before this doc was a distraction but fascinating look into a man who refuses to retire from such a violent "sport" despite all his injuries and the fact that he's 53 years old.

Jake the Snake has a few interesting moments of a once superstar who now smokes crack and cannot connect with his family. Mankind (aka, Mick Foley) is also featured here prominently as a wrestler willing to have his head bashed in and also to fall from great heights above the ring to the possible and very real detriment to his health/life while also examining his tying together a life with a wife and two young and impressionable kids.

Too bad it's a disjointed look, but it's also very engaging for anyone even remotely interested in this topic.