Mark Chervinsky educating fans with 'At What Cost?: The Anatomy of Professional Wrestling'

Mark Chervinsky is in the business of making entertainment ventures look good. It is what he does for a living as an editor of television shows.

When he sits down to edit a show, his job is to make it a cohesive and entertaining product that people would want spend time to watch.

He's good at it, too, which is the reason why he has so many programs on his resume -- shows such as The Biggest Loser, The T.O. Show, Jerseylicious, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, Sober House, and Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. He even edited a wrestling show called Wrestling Society X.

He helps to make lives look more glamorous and problems seem more epic and add suspense and drama to situations that probably lacked both.

But when he got the idea of doing his own film about the business of professional wrestling, he didn't spruce it up. He left it as gritty and as cumbersome as the industry can be.

In his documentary At What Cost?: The Anatomy of Professional Wrestling, Chervinsky traveled across the country speaking to wrestlers and promoters of all shapes, sizes and levels of fame to educate people on what pro wrestling is, but also give a glimpse of the sacrifices the men and women make when they step into the ring.

Chervinsky didn't just travel to WWE events where everyone is gainfully employed and traveling by quality means. He left his cozy home in Los Angeles to travel to independent shows in the middle of nowhere that were attended by maybe 100 people — on a good night. He did this all on his own dime, no less. He funded the entire film out of his own pocket.

He did this to show viewers — some of whom might not be wrestling fans — a complete look at wrestling in its current form.

"I wanted to make the movie for people that maybe were an occasional fan at a young age and maybe caught the documentary and learned something new," Chervinsky said during an interview with philly.com. "I also wanted to make it so fans of the business — hardcore fans — could still enjoy it. I think [the film] gave something to both."

Chervinsky has been a wrestling fan most of his life, with his first exposure to it was when he watched the very first WrestleMania in 1985.

The theatrics of wrestling were probably part of the inspiration behind the Central Square, N.Y. native wanting to become a filmmaker. To attain that goal, he attended Syracuse University, beginning in 1996.

Upon leaving the school in 1999, he moved to Hollywood, paid his dues and eventually became a known editor of television programs and films.

"It's a cool job," he said. "It's different. Some shows are really bad, but you make the best of them. Some shows are actually pretty fun to work on. The beauty is that between six and 12 weeks you're on to another show anyway."

Hollywood took him away from his love of wrestling, but he managed to get back into it after working on Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling. The show lasted only one season (eight episodes) in 2008.

Although his experience with that program was short-lived, he established connections with the producers of the show, including Jason Hervey. Yes, the same Jason Hervey from The Wonder Years.

Chervinsky recalled a conversation he had with Hervey and asking him why he loved pro wrestling. According to Chervinsky, Hervey's answer was so long and detailed that it inspired him -- so much that he saw the potential for a documentary on people's fascination with it. In 2012, he began his journey.

Chervinsky interviewed a plethora of wrestlers of the past and present for the film, including Diamond Dallas Page, Jake Roberts, Matt Hardy, Paul London, Gangrel, Ricochet, Maria Kanelis, Greg Valentine and Jerry Lynn.

He attended independent promotions that were close to him such as Championship Wrestling From Hollywood, and as far as Traditional Championship Wrestling in Arkansas.

Chervinsky attended these events, made his way backstage — sometimes without asking permission from the promoter — and compiled footage from matches and booking meetings and talked to wrestlers that were more than willing to talk to a man with a camera in hopes of gaining some type of exposure.

Eventually, Chervinsky befriended a couple of wrestlers in "King" Shane Williams and Matt Sigmon, and even embarked on a road trip to multiple independent events with them.

Chervinsky's trip wasn't at all as glamorous as he's used to editing in Hollywood. The trips were long and, most importantly, expensive. Everyone paid for his own food, gas and accommodations. The wrestlers spent that money to participate in front of 30 people inside a ring that didn't even have an apron.

The reward? Ten dollars. That's the life Williams and Sigmon chose as independent wrestlers, and it's all documented in the film. There was no amount of editing Chervinsky could have done to make this seem trip more glamorous or profitable.

However, Chervinsky still felt kind of bad for his two friends, as they sacrificed so much to come up with so little of a reward.

"You've got to pinch your pennies. You've got to be smart about, I think, when you're trying to make it on the independent scene," he said. "It's tough out there, and I think those guys are talented as hell.

"I've seen the good and I've seen the bad from the independent scene, and I think they're top talent," he added about Williams and Sigmon. "I think the problem is that they're probably a little undersized to get to the brass ring, which is WWE. There are guys like Rey Mysterio, but he's one.

"I don't know if it's a little bit of a delusion or you just love that 20 minutes in front of a crowd and that's just good enough for you. I consider these guys friends now and I would like them to be successful. I just don't know if the money's in there. That's the sad state of what wrestling is."

Chervinsky can relate to working for little to no pay, as he paid plenty of dues during his early days in Hollywood. However, those days eventually ended and he now earns a good living.

In fact, his quality means of work forced him to take breaks from producing the documentary to edit projects that came his way, which is part of the reason the film took almost four years to make.

After years of filming and months of tinkering and editing, Chervinsky has finally reached the finish line with the film and is ready to release it to the public. It is available on Vimeo for $3.99 for a 72-hour rental. It cost $9.99 to download and stream at anytime.

"I'm very happy to have it off my plate, but the problem with a movie is that you're never really done," Chervinsky said. "I could sit here and go tinker with it today.

"If people watch it and feel like they've learned something that they didn't know about the business, I'm very happy," he added. "If they watch it and they're entertained, I'm ecstatic. As any artist, you just want your work to be seen."