10 Greatest Wrestling Documentaries
1. Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (1998)
The producers of Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows completely lucked out. If you were ever going to shoot a documentary on the iconic Canadian wrestler Bret Hart, being there backstage during the night of The Montreal Screwjob was the absolute best time to do it.
Little did the filmmakers know that was where their film was headed. They knew Bret was thinking of leaving the WWF, the promotion that made him a star. They were going to follow the wrestler as he made his agonizing decision. The ending they captured became far crazier than what anyone could have imagined and it changed the business forever.
The setup for Wrestling With Shadows is that the WWF was experiencing some serious financial issues at the time. Ted Turner funding WCW had changed the landscape of the industry and Vince McMahon wasn’t sure if he could keep his reliable (but expensive) workhorse in Bret any longer. Besides, Shawn Michaels was equaling his popularity and was younger and more charismatic.
While Bret considered a jump to obtain the far more lucrative WCW deal, McMahon realized he couldn't lose him. He convinced Bret he was just too important to the company’s future. Not just the short-term future either. Bret agreed to a 20-year deal with the WWF that would see him remain a vital part of the promotion far into his retirement. The deal didn't last a year.
Besides the Screwjob, Wrestling With Shadows is also a fascinating look into the entire Hart clan. They take the viewer into the depths of Stu Hart’s infamous “Dungeon” and showed that even as a senior citizen, he could break men a third his age in half with his deadly submission skills. All of the Hart brothers and sisters are featured as well and talk about what a strange upbringing they had. Wrestling was never a hobby for them. It was a way of life.
In the end, the way Bret exited the promotion left him humiliated and broken. It's enthralling to watch play out, but you simply wish things could have worked out better for everyone involved.
Due to a talented team being on-hand for one of the most controversial and interesting stories in the history of the business, Wrestling With Shadows remains the supreme wrestling documentary release.