Beyond the Mat

This is a documentary that focuses on the lives of professional wrestlers Terry Funk, Mick Foley (Mankind), Jake 'the Snake' Roberts, and Darren Drozdov (Droz). As the film progresses the story of their lives unfolds, as well as we learn how the wrestling industry is not the plastic-weapons fake-slap sideshow that many have perceived it as. We are shown how moves, although not actually injuring anyone, are not fake, and extreme training is required to be able to perform the stunts without being harmed. We are also treated to interviews with the family of Mick Foley and what it is like for them to know their father literally puts his life on the line every week and how it feels to have other children call their father a "fake". Vince McMahon, owner of World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, also makes a few appearances, responding to criticism on various wrestling situations, including, once again, his real athletes and his very real orginization being called fake by sources such as USA Today and various news programs.

Barry W. Blaustein: I could never get over the fact that guys could beat the crap out of each other in the ring, and be friendly outside of it. Some of Terry's most famous matches were against a man twenty years his junior: Mick Foley. Over the years, Mick and Terry had traveled the world, setting each other on fire, tossing each other into barbed wire. Yet outside the ring, they were truly at peace with one another.

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