Beyond the Mat
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Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 23 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.2 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 5 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Jake Roberts, Mick Foley, Terry Funk
  • Summary: Documentry focusing on the lives of professional wrestlers. Gives the viewer a behind-the-scenes look at how their sport is not fake.

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 23
  3. Negative: 1 out of 23
  1. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    100
    Stay far, far away unless you can handle the copious amounts of blood--and agonizing psychological problems-- that its participants face on what seems like a daily basis.
  2. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Desson Thomson
    80
    You don't have to love WWF scrapping to appreciate this movie.
  3. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: John Petrakis
    50
    Surprisingly lacking in revelatory moments.
    All this critic's reviews
  4. San Francisco Examiner
    Reviewed by: Edvins Beitiks
    38
    Trouble is, it's too close-up.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. AzF.
    10
    A real inside look at pro-wrestling.
  2. Tss5078
    7
    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 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.… Expand

See all 4 User Reviews

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