10 Films That Unveil The Dark Side Of Sports

Let's face it, professional wrestling is a carnival of soap opera driven sports entertainment that is loved by fans all over the world. But while it looks like the good life on television the road to riches in the world of turnbuckles and pile-drivers is not something anyone can get through without a good bit of adversity to overcome.

Darren Aronofsky’s hauntingly realistic The Wrestler highlights just how little there is for somebody who gets their paychecks from a job where the daily routine consists of beating people with chairs for golden belts after their prime days are over. Mickey Rourke gives a career-defining performance showing the world how hard it is for these titans of the ring to simply let it go and fade off into oblivion.

The film shows Rourke’s character, a faded professional wrestle, who finds his attempts for a new life outside the ring much more difficult than any match he has ever squared off in. The thing that is really gut-wrenching about this picture is how it shows us the side of wrestling most people never get to see.

The life of a wrestler can be very demanding and it is definitely noticeable as Rourke’s character is constantly struggling in his day-to-day to not keel over and bite the big one. The Wrestler shows you not all warriors end up with riches and gold. Some will always need to go one more round, no matter what the cost.