10 Best Wrestling Documentaries Ever

Barry Blaustein's 1999 Beyond The Mat is one of the few wrestling documentaries that can claim an appeal beyond that merely of fans of the squared circle. In fact, it was perhaps a source of inspiration for the team behind The Wrestler, whose eponymous character seems eerily - and depressingly - familiar.

Beyond The Mat isn't just kayfabe-breaking; it actually takes you inside the private lives of professional wrestlers - among them, Mick Foley, Terry Funk and Jake Roberts - shining a light on some of the industry's darker corners (corners which, significantly, are perhaps less likely to feature in any films produced by WWE).

Pulling absolutely no punches, its realest moments perhaps come courtesy of Jake Roberts, whose dramatic fall from grace - he discusses, upfront, his post-retirement struggles with substance abuse - is chronicled in an extremely personal and slightly uncomfortable way.

Importantly, it also gives us a rare and revealing glimpse into the families of the men who put their bodies on the line every week in the name of entertainment, making for some particularly touching - and, at times, heartbreaking - scenes.