Beyond the Mat

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Beyond the Mat

R

2000

1h 42m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

66 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

"Beyond the Mat," Barry Blaustein's honest, intimate, revealing, highly entertaining, and critically acclaimed behind-the-scenes look at wrestling, takes viewers beyond the ring and into the lives of the men and women who inhabit this colorful, competitive, and surprisingly complex world.

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Critics Consensus

Even if you aren't a fan, Beyond the Mat provides a riveting, perceptive look into the world of professional wrestling by taking a closer look at the people beneath the personas.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

WWF documentary is OK for older teens.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 14, 2010

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

Documentaries are almost always more interesting if the filmmakers fess up about their relationship to the subject, as unabashed pro-wrestling fan Barry Blaustein does in this naively made, compelling homage to the sport.

Mar 23, 2007

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Robert Koehler

Variety

A gently and genuinely observed film whose subject is a garish, artificial display of mayhem.

Mar 23, 2007

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Kaleem Aftab

The List

There's no need to be a fan of American wrestling to enjoy Beyond the Mat. Blaustein concentrates on the idea of people living out dreams rather than the life of a wrestler, and in doing so succeeds in showing the brutal reality behind the pantomime.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 13, 2019

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Michael Dequina

TheMovieReport.com

Am engrossing watch, but it's far from the most fascinating and incisive look at its subject.

Rated: 3/4

Jan 3, 2010

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Richard Luck

Film4

Blaustein, Foley and Funk layeth the smack well and truly down.

Jul 31, 2008

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Stephen C

Real footage in 1 hour and 42 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $2,000,000.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Violent Content and Language!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubbed and subtitled in worldwide studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/27/25

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Audience Member

Barry Blaustein directs this fascinating documentary focusing on his childhood obsession, the world of pro wrestling. Featuring unprecedented access to Vince McMahon and the WWE, this is just riveting from start to finish. Even non wrestling fans would find this incredibly engaging. Featuring segments on Mick Foley, Terry Funk, Jake Roberts, New Jack and more. Funny, shocking and heartbreaking at times. No other documentary has gotten such great footage of behind the scenes at WWE. A must see.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

The access and footage Blaustein gained here was extraordinary. There’ll never be another wrestling documentary like it.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

10/06/20

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russell h

I loved this documentary. A real story of the professional wrestling business that is very eye-opening.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

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Audience Member

Great interesting fantastic phenomenal documentary that I learned a lot from. Yes, I already knew about 90 percent of the stuff they talked about but I did learn a couple new things. The Mick Foley parts were the best because they showed his family side and how they're effected by this buisness and it's so sad but that's what you have to do in this type of business.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/19/23

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Rich S

Wrestling legend Rowdy Roddy Piper described this film as "the best documentary ever made on professional wrestling." That's all I need to hear. Beyond the Mat is a must-see for anyone who was ever a wrestling fan. It won't turn many viewers into new fans of the sport. It might leave those of us to wonder, who liked it growing up, what we ever saw in this sport that has hypnotized millions of fans.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/10/20

Full Review

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Barry W. Blaustein

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Synopsis

"Beyond the Mat," Barry Blaustein's honest, intimate, revealing, highly entertaining, and critically acclaimed behind-the-scenes look at wrestling, takes viewers beyond the ring and into the lives of the men and women who inhabit this colorful, competitive, and surprisingly complex world.

Director: Barry W. Blaustein
Producer: Barry W. Blaustein, Barry Bloom, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Michael Rosenberg
Screenwriter: Barry W. Blaustein
Distributor: Image Entertainment Inc., Universal Pictures, Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Imagine Entertainment, Lions Gate Entertainment
Rating: R (Violent Content|Language)
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 17, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.0M
Runtime: 1h 42m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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