10 Things You Didn't Know About Beyond The Mat

9. Barry Blaustein Refutes Jake Roberts' Story

Jake Roberts Beyond the Mat
Imagine Entertainment

Blaustein also isn't exactly thrilled with how Jake Roberts views his work.

Roberts hasn't been quiet over the years about 'Beyond The Mat'. The resurrected icon (who is earning rave reviews for his work in AEW and finally looks happy) was depicted as a shambling mess in the film. The truth is, and this is hardly news to anyone who has followed Jake's career, he was a hopeless case in the late-90s.

Jake has claimed that Barry sold him on the doc by saying it was for charity and that he was producing some sort of Christian project. Blaustein told IGN that was false, and claims he was straight up with Roberts about where they were going with things. This is something they may never see eye-to-eye on.

Blaustein also says he warned Vince McMahon about some of the things Roberts was shot doing in the doc, but thinks it's an accurate portrayal of the future WWE Hall Of Famer's lifestyle at the time. It's sad, it's depressing and it's controversial, but it's also real.

Advertisement
Contributor

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.