17 Great Wrestling Documentaries You've Likely Never Seen

Read update

• With series such as Dark Side of the Ring highlighting the backstage mess and insane world of professional wrestling, many fans have tracked down interesting documentaries about the business or a specific person over the years. These films tend to chronicle the life of a superstar and the difficult career choice they set out for riddled with injuries and time away from loved ones. With these few being some underrated gems that fans might not have seen or even heard of, here are just a few extra ones showing off bygone eras and indy legends that left a huge impact on the future generation of talent.

Highlights

• Underrated wrestling documentaries offer insight into the behind-the-scenes world and the challenges faced by wrestlers, making for compelling and entertaining viewing.
• Films like "The Rise & Fall of Blackcraft Wrestling" and "The Last Of McGuinness" spotlight the rise and fall of wrestling promotions and the personal struggles of wrestlers, providing a unique perspective.
• "GAEA Girls" and "The Wrestling Road Diaries" offer glimpses into the grueling training of Japanese female wrestlers and the realities of the independent wrestling circuit, respectively, showcasing the dedication and passion of these athletes.

Wrestling has produced some classic documentaries: Beyond The Mat, Wrestling With Shadows, and Dark Side Of The Ring, just to name a few. If you haven't seen those docs, you should go out of your way to find them. But beyond the all-timers, some lesser-known wrestling documentaries are well worth exploring.

RELATED: 10 Best WWE Documentaries Ever

From tragic accounts of pro wrestling deaths to nostalgic trips down memory lane, there's no shortage of grappling education in these films. But despite some depressing subjects, they are all entertaining.

UPDATE: 2023/09/02 07:30 EST BY ETHAN SCHLABAUGH

With series such as Dark Side of the Ring highlighting the backstage mess and insane world of professional wrestling, many fans have tracked down interesting documentaries about the business or a specific person over the years. These films tend to chronicle the life of a superstar and the difficult career choice they set out for riddled with injuries and time away from loved ones. With these few being some underrated gems that fans might not have seen or even heard of, here are just a few extra ones showing off bygone eras and indy legends that left a huge impact on the future generation of talent.

16 The Rise & Fall of Blackcraft Wrestling (2020)

Founded by the creators of the Blackcraft Cult clothing line, Blackcraft Wrestling seemed like it was going to be something bold in the wrestling world with its gothic/satanic presentation and cinematic style. Despite its promise, Blackcraft crashed and burned after only eight months thanks to a notoriously disastrous show at WrestleMania 35weekend.

Blackcraft’s final show alone warranted a documentary, and in 2020, Benjamin Falbo released a documentary to YouTube about the extremely short-lived promotion called The Rise & Fall of Blackcraft Wrestling featuring interviews with the founders, the wrestlers involved in Blackcraft, and even Maffew from Botchamania.

15 The Last Of McGuinness (2013)

Nigel McGuinness is a modern-day legend on the Indy scene for his work in Ring of Honor facing off against names such as Bryan Danielson and Takeshi Morishima. 2013 saw the release of Nigel's own documentary of his retirement tour and his career up to that point.

The film shows the hardship of his career and despite the respect he has from fellow wrestlers, the injuries and lack of never making it to the WWE make him view himself as a failure. McGuinness served as the film's editor, writer, director, and producer.

14 Nail In The Coffin: The Fall And Rise Of Vampiro (2019)

Sitting at a 100% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, former WCW and AAA talent Vampiro details his life and career plus the relationship he has with his teenage daughter at the time.

RELATED: Vampiro: The WCW Legend's Career & Where He Is Now, ExplainedThe film shows Ian Hodgkinson's struggles with his countless injuries and his impact on the business. There are also a handful of scenes showing off other talents such as Jeff Jarrett and Konnan who are all relatively close with Vampiro.

13 Wrestling Queen (1973)

A film created during the height of the territory era of professional wrestling, Wrestling Queen released in 1973 and details the crazy world that is the wrestling business. The main star of the film is former AWA Women's Champion and aunt of legendary wrestler Luna Vachon, Vivian Vachon.

The cast is filled with a list of top stars from the 70s such as Andre The Giant, Killer Kowalski, and Mad Dog Vachon. While the film is centered around Vivian's career, many fans have reviewed the film saying it is more of a time capsule of the era and less about one specific person.

12 Fake It So Real (2011)

There are indie wrestling promotions all over North America, but only a handful have earned notoriety. North Carolina’s Millennium Wrestling Federation is not one of them, but its wrestlers were the subject of a 2011 documentary called Fake It So Real. Directed by Robert Greene, Fake It So Real follows these MWF wrestlers and the reality/kayfabe divide of their lives — they work regular working-class jobs by day (if they have jobs at all) but can be local wrestling stars at least once a week.

11 GAEA Girls (2000)

For many fans, the world of Japanese wrestling can be a bit of a mystery in terms of what goes on behind the scenes, but in 2000 fans got a glimpse of just how grueling training can be. Produced in 2000 for the BBC, GAEA Girls gives viewers a look at the training school for the all-female promotion GAEA Japan, led by 1980s & 1990s wrestling icon Chigusa Nagayo.

RELATED: 9 Best Women's Wrestlers From The 1990s, Ranked

As depicted in the film, Nagayo’s training is remarkably brutal as she puts her proteges — including current great Meiko Satomura — through the wringer in a manner that some would describe as abusive. However one looks at it, GAEA Girls is a captivating documentary nevertheless.

10 The Life And Death Of Owen Hart (1999)

The unofficial sequel to Wrestling With Shadows, The Life and Death of Owen Hart was the first documentary to chronicle the triumphs and tragedies of The Rocket. It's a gut-wrenching watch, with director Paul Jay (Wrestling With Shadows) capturing the rawness of grief from Martha Hart, Bret Hart, and the rest of the Hart family, as this was produced mere months after Owen's death.

The film also does an excellent job of capturing what a kind father and husband Owen Hart was, and how he was liked by everybody for his good nature and sense of humor.

9 The Wrestling Road Diaries (2009)

To most fans, all they see of their favorite wrestlers is the glitz and glamour, of getting to perform in front of adoring fans regularly. Wrestling Road Diaries was the first of its kind, a first-hand look at how independent wrestlers exist on the road; the fun and the monotony.

In addition to the colorful personality of star Colt Cabana, viewers get the unique experience of watching Bryan Danielson traveling the independent circuit right before he started with WWE in 2010.

8 Omega Man: A Wrestling Love Story (2019)

This Canadian-made doc covers Kenny Omega's career with a sub-plot exploring the close relationship of The Golden Lovers, Kenny Omega, and Kota Ibushi. The film alludes to a long-hinted romance between the tag team partners.

RELATED: Golden Lovers: 10 Things You Need To Know About Kenny Omega And Kota Ibushi's Relationship

It's difficult to tell if the alleged romance is exclusive to their characters or if it blurs lines into their personal life. This queer-positive message is refreshing for an industry that has all too often used homoeroticism as heel heat.

7 Beyond The Mat Deleted Scenes (1999)

Yeah, this is kind of cheating, but the Beyond The Mat VHS extra footage is so plentiful that it deserves its own spot.

From Shawn Michaels talking to Mick Foley about the Dude Love character being a lady's man to Chris Adams making bookings for local house shows to Tommy Dreamer comparing putting someone through a table to an orgasm, there's a lot of intriguing Beyond The Mat footage left on the cutting room floor.

6 Bret Hart: Survival Of The Hitman (2010)

By 2010, the Montreal Screwjob had been talked about to death, but the Post Wrestling guys, John Pollock and Wai Ting (then with The Fight Network), offered a new perspective.

Being made after Bret Hart's reconciliation with Vince McMahon, this doc sees a contented Hitman discussing an event that he still felt was unjust, but without the burden of a years-long grudge on his shoulders.

5 Lipstick & Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling (2004)

Over a decade before the comedy series GLOW made audiences fall in love with old-school women's wrestling, Lipstick & Dynamite, Piss & Vinegar: The First Ladies of Wrestling shined a light on the ladies grapplers of yesteryear.

Through the lens of six wrestlers: Mae Young, Fabulous Moolah, Gladys "Killem" Gillem, Ida Martinez, Ella Waldek, and Penny Banner, we see the ups and downs of their careers; from the highs of being in the ring to being abused by fans and exploited by promoters. It's a wrestling version of A League of Their Own, as when the men went away to fight in World War II, it left the wrestling spotlight open for women to shine.

4 Heroes Of World Class: The Story of the Von Erichs & The Rise & Fall Of World Class Championship Wrestling (2006)

The Triumph and Tragedy of WCCW is one of WWE's better DVD productions, but Brian Harrison's Heroes of World Class is generally heralded as the superior documentary on the subject.

RELATED: 10 Things Fans Should Know About The Von Erich Family

Not only does it contain the unthinkable tragedies of the Von Erich family, but it also showcases the colorful cast of characters that made WCCW so hot in the early 1980s: The Freebirds, Gino Hernandez, Chris Adams, the Von Erichs themselves, and a host of other favorites.

3 Forever Hardcore (2005)

Just like Heroes of World Class, Forever Hardcore is the independent counterpart to a stellar WWE title. However, The Rise And Fall of ECW is one of the most excellent DVDs WWE ever released with footage and interviews that a small production like Forever Hardcore could not compete with.

But director Jeremy Borash does an excellent job nonetheless, featuring insightful and entertaining interviews with ECW alumni, including Sabu, who had seldom spoken in public by 2005, when this film was released.

2 All Aboard The Lex Express (2018)

This is more of a review than a documentary, but the boys at OSW deserve a shout-out for the tremendous work they've done with their Old School Wrestling reviews.

This title takes hours of raw footage from the Lex Express and turns it into a hilarious and educational look behind the scenes of one of the most egregious examples of WWE force-feeding their audience.

1 Cocaine & Cowboy Boots: The Herb Abrams Story (2020)

There are better and more noteworthy episodes of Dark Side of The Ring, but Cocaine & Cowboy Boots is one of the least talked about of the series. The subject is Herb Abrams, perhaps the most eccentric wrestling promoter of all time, and that covers a lot of ground.

From making ridiculous claims that the Universal Wrestling Federation could compete with WWE and WCW, to being unable to pay big-name wrestlers to partying harder than Motley Crue, this film is both endlessly entertaining and a cautionary tale.