"Beyond the Mat" is Hands Down the Best Wrestling Documentary

The 1999 pro wrestling documentary produced by Ron Howard “Beyond the Mat” establishes itself as the perfect snapshot of the sport.

The timing couldn't have been better right as the WWF is becoming a publicly traded company and at the peak of the industry's popularity.

It follows professional wrestlers Jake "The Snake" Roberts, Terry “Fucking” Funk and Mick Foley, and promoters Vince McMahon and Roland Alexander.

The film shows all the ridiculous characters that surround wrestling. Director and narrator Barry W. Blaustein opens the documentary by expressing his embarrassing love for wrestling. It sets a great tone for the movie, it shows the fans and participants loyalty for the sport.

At one point the wrestling great Funk is coughing up blood and seemingly dying after an ECW match. The next shot he's chugging a Coors Light, that's what wrestling is all about.

The Jake "The Snake" Roberts story is a more depressing then "The Wrestler." During the shoot the filmmakers lost Roberts later to find out that he was smoking crack.

Rating: B+This is perfect portrait of the weird and dangerous world of professional wrestling. The subject matter isn't appealing for everyone.