10 Greatest Wrestling Documentaries

2. The Rise And Fall Of ECW (2004)

The Rise and Fall of ECW is one hell of a documentary. Don’t let the fact that it excludes interviews with important ECW figures like Shane Douglas and Raven turn you away (they were in TNA at the time). Don’t let the fact that it was produced by WWE be a turn-off either. This is a raw, brutal, entertaining and bittersweet look back on a promotion that helped change the wrestling world...and almost survived to change it even more.

While WWE’s programming has taken a far softer tone over the years, this film highlights a point in wrestling history where “extreme” wasn’t just a marketing gimmick. The MA rating is lived up to by not shying away from anything that was deemed over-the-line. It's exactly what made the product so shocking and ahead-of-its-time. In fact, it’s even crazier to watch the documentary now, as most other promotions don’t come anywhere near this level of gratuitous violence or graphic content. It's a true time capsule of the business.

The main feature clocks in at around three hours and covers Eastern Championship Wrestling’s abrupt and ugly break away from a relatively successful but unremarkable indy promotion to the revolutionary, insane, Extreme Championship Wrestling. Paul Heyman and many of his closest confidants (Tommy Dreamer, ECW director Tom Buffone, Joey Styles) and dozens of wrestlers unravel the story and express their passion and frustration for the quick rise and brutal fall.

It was perhaps the first “must-see” WWE home video release and set the bar incredibly high to be topped in future years. Perhaps the only thing wrong with the film is that it makes you wonder how The Rise and Fall of WCW could end up being so mediocre.