10 Greatest Wrestling Documentaries

8. The Resurrection Of Jake The Snake (2015)

If Darren Aronofsky's brilliant film The Wrestler had a real-life counterpart to Mickey Rourke's character it may very well be Jake Roberts. Both the character and man squandered their fortunes, alienated themselves from the business, battled with drugs, and struggled with serious family issues. Both men were also not ready to give up the dream.

While the fictional story didn’t have the happiest of endings, Roberts’ tale is still being written and appears to be pretty damn close to a miracle.

If nothing else, it’s incredibly satisfying to see how far Jake has come from his cocaine-fueled appearance in Beyond The Mat. However, it must be stated that at times The Resurrection does feel a bit too much like a promotional piece for DDP Yoga. Very few scenes go by without some mention of the program or a logo of it being shown somewhere on-screen.

The music is also pretty amateurish and the camera work leaves something to be desired. In the hands of another filmmaker, this truly could have been the Academy Award nominated Best Documentary that the Yoga clan was aiming for. Still, despite the faults on display, it is hard to argue with the results and compelling tale of Jake’s transformation.

For long-time fans who have been cheering him on for years, it's cathartic to see him finally discover some meaning and joy in his life. You might want to have some Kleenex nearby for this one.

(Full disclosure: my name appears in the credits of this film...though I’m not quite sure why. I recall donating to the Scott Hall indiegogo campaign a few years ago, but not the Jake Roberts one. WHO KNOWS.)