8 Ups & 4 Downs From Beyond The Mat

1. The Description We All Needed

As you've gotten this far into the list, it's safe to assume that you love wrestling, and if you love wrestling, somewhere along the lines, you would have had THAT conversation with somebody who feels the exact opposite.

If you find yourself tongue-tied in those situations, the best thing to do is to draw from the monologue spoken by Barry W. Blaustein at the beginning and at certain later points of Beyond the Mat, because it is absolutely the best description of this great sport ever.

In taking the diplomatic approach of inviting all to watch his documentary, Blaustein's descriptive dialogue is concise, humble, and completely non-defensive. From his admission of "I love the pageantry, the athleticism, the incredibly cheesy acting", to the fan-inclusion of "We know what's going on", through to the insight of, "I know wrestling is a show. But it's not as fake as you think", our documenter reaches out to every type of person who could be watching. He then bands all parties towards a common goal, with the question of "Who are these guys?".

In a time when the world of wrestling was still striving to be a non-members-only club, Blaustein's words served as a wonderful example of how to pique new interest, while reminding the already converted that their feelings still mattered.

In short, Beyond the Mat was a gift for everyone.