5. Wasn't Clued In On What 'Beyond The Mat' Really Was
Story: In 1999, Barry Blaustein released one of the most shocking pro wrestling documentaries of all time. Known simply as 'Beyond The Mat', the film followed many top names from the wrestling world. Painting a very sad picture of life after all the fame, Blaustein particularly homed in on the plight of Jake Roberts. During the late-90's, Roberts was a drug and alcohol-ridden mess. His torturous relationships with his father and daughter are explored in Beyond The Mat. Incredibly, Jake didn't know what the documentary was really going to be about, he was simply taken advantage of by Blaustein and was horrified when he viewed the final product. Why People Believe It: The late-90's was a very bad time to be Jake Roberts. Struggling with personal demons for years, the man was also at the end of his in-ring career. There's every chance that Blaustein didn't tell Jake the full story of what 'Beyond The Mat' was all about. Should We Believe it: The most incredible thing about this is that it's true. Even more fascinating is the fact that Roberts doesn't hold a grudge with Blaustein or the other film makers. Instead, he reasons that his life was spiraling out of control, and it made no difference to see things in the public domain.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
