Top 10 Wrestling Movies
8. The Resurrection of Jake the Snake (2015)
Jake “The Snake” Roberts was, during the 1980s and early 1990s, one of the most iconic wrestlers in the world. But, by the time the documentary crew behind The Resurrection of Jake the Snake caught up with him, he was a middle-aged man with a cacophony of health, drug and family-related problems who wasn’t likely to live much longer should he continue down the path he’d trodden for the past 15-20 years.
Jake Roberts had been caught on video wrestling while hardly able to stand because of the mixture of drugs and alcohol in his system, issues brought on by the harrowing and simply disgusting behaviour of his father in adolescence, as well as an entire adult life on the road. During The Resurrection, Roberts finds a new inner strength, managing to inch away from drugs and alcohol while forming new bonds with loved ones and finding a new appreciation for himself. It is an undoubtedly moving experience.
The professional wrestling world has been built on the ghosts of tragedy, and in The Resurrection we see how much more powerful triumph can be over disaster, and how much love will forever exist between fans and wrestlers, whether those wrestlers were lovable good guys or (in Jake Roberts’ case) evil bad guys.
This is one of the most human and empathetic documentaries on this list.
7. Andre the Giant (2018)
One of the best documentaries ever made about a professional wrestler, HBO’s Andre the Giant took the legend of deceased wrestling and pop culture icon Andre the Giant and grounded his otherworldly aura in the most human of places, truly driving home the pain and inconvenience of the man’s ultimately fatal Giantism and the alcoholism that accompanied it.
Chronicling his life from national sensation in France (due to his size) through to WWF Wrestlemania main eventer and right through to his acting career (in the likes of The Princess Bride), Andre the Giant is a fascinating insight into a relentless but fascinating industry as well as the West’s obsession with the cult of personality.
This star-studded documentary, featuring icons of wrestling and cinema recounting their experiences with the otherworldly entity that Andre ultimately became, is a must-watch for anyone with even a passive knowledge of Andre the Giant, and is one of the very best wrestling movies ever made.
6. Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows (1998)
If ever there was a wrestling version of “who shot JFK?”, Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows is it.
This hard-hitting documentary, that took cameras behind the scenes of the World Wrestling Federation during multi-time world champion Bret Hart’s final months, weeks, and hours as an employee, reveals the truth – or at least the most accurate version of events we’re ever likely to see – behind one of the most controversial moments in professional wrestling history: when the result of Bret Hart’s match was changed without his knowledge, ensuring he’d lose to his real-life rival in his hometown of Quebec during his final night of employment.
Being to date the only evidence of any of the backstage goings on at the fateful Survivor Series event, Wrestling with Shadows documents everything from the Hitman’s pre-match nerves to his post-match fury (including a punch to the face of his boss, Vince McMahon), offering unrivalled insight into the wrestling industry at a moment in which it was beginning to hit the pinnacle of its popular appeal.
