Review of Beyond the Mat (1999) by Todd S — 20 Apr 2012

Beyond the Mat is an very interesting and somewhat heartbreaking look into the lives of men and women that put themselves at risk both physically and mentally everyday, all in the name of entertaining millions.

I personally have been a fan of professional wrestling on and off for most of my life, but haven't known untill recently what wrestlers go through on a regular basis. Probably the most affecting story from this film is that of Jake 'The Snake' Roberts.

His story is eerily similiar to that portrayed in The Wrestler roughly 10 years after this film came out. Only it's real, not a work of fiction. After watching this, it's very hard not to hate the system and those that run it, and it raises the question 'why would anyone want to do that to themselves?' Almost unanimously the answer is "for the fans".

Many wrestlers have spoken of the rush of walking through the curtain into an arena and seeing and hearing the crowd being like a drug. I guess I can understand it, but I find it heartbreaking that these guys are going from nothing to being hugely popular to basically forgotten in a relatively short period of time.

A compelling look into the world of sports entertainment and how the machine works that I would recommend to both fans and non-fans of wrestling. If for nothing else than gaining a little understanding into the people who risk it all for the sake of entertaining us.

Perhaps it will encourage you to remember your favorite wrestlers and tell others of them. We owe them that much, at least, for everything they've given us.