Beyond the Mat (1999)

A heartfelt documentary focusing on the day-to-day lives of professional wrestlers, some on the rise, some on the wane, and others fighting for their lives.

Director:

Barry W. Blaustein

Writer:

Barry W. Blaustein (narrative written by)

Stars:

Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Jake Roberts

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barry W. Blaustein	...	Himself - Narrator
Vince McMahon	...	Himself
Jim Ross	...	Himself - Sr. VP of Talent
Jim Bell	...	Himself - Sr. VP of Merchandising
Darren Drozdov	...	Himself
Roland Alexander	...	Himself
Tony Jones	...	Himself - XPW Wrestler
Michael Modest	...	Himself
Terry Funk	...	Himself
Mick Foley	...	Himself
Danny Zucker	...	Himself - Childhood Friend
Dave Meltzer	...	Himself - Journalist
Jake Roberts	...	Himself
Ed Beckley	...	Himself - Promoter
Chyna	...	Herself

Storyline

This documentary focuses on the lives of professional wrestlers Terry Funk, Mick Foley (Mankind), Jake Roberts (Jake the Snake) and Darren Drozdov (Droz). As the film progresses, the story of their lives unfolds, as we also 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 Entertainment, also makes a few appearances, responding to criticism on various wrestling situations, including, once again, his real athletes, very real organization being called fake by sources such as USA Today and various news...

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Plot Keywords:

wrestling | wrestler | three word title | drugs | championship | 

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Taglines:

The movie Vince McMahon does not want you to see!

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and violent content

Details

Official Sites:

Lions Gate Films

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 March 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beyond the Mat: Unrated Director's Cut

Filming Locations:

APW Garage - 21063 Cabot Boulevard, Hayward, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,532, 24 October 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,047,570, 14 May 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Family and Home Entertainment,Imagine Entertainment,Lions Gate Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min 108 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Since the release of the film, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) lost a lawsuit to the World Wildlife Fund and was forced to change their name from WWF to World Wrestling Entertainment.

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Quotes

Jake Roberts: Put me on the card. Let me bring some asses to the seats. Pay me. I don't care if I'm the champ. I don't care if I'm the water boy. Just let me be part of the show, and I'll do my share.

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Crazy Credits

Closing dedication: This film is dedicated to my wife, Lorrie and our children, Kasey and Corey, who have stood by patiently with love and support as I blabbed about wrestling for the last five years.

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Alternate Versions

The DVD edition of Beyond the Mat has several minutes of deleted footage, plus audio commentaries by Mick Foley & Terry Funk

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Connections

Referenced in Doin' Time with New Jack (2007)

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Soundtracks

Let The Good Times Roll
Written by Leonard Lee, Shirley Goodman
Vocals: Dina Lee Russo (as Deena Russo) & Carl Graves

User Reviews

Watch it, even if you hate wrestling

This great documentary goes behind the scenes and shows us a side of wrestling that we rarely get to see. In particular, it focuses on three legendary wrestlers, and their stories should provoke a wide range of emotions from every viewer. There are other stories as well, but these were generally much less interesting, and the film works best when the focus is on Mick Foley, Terry Funk, or Jake Roberts. Their stories were all compelling, and wrestling-haters who are usually so quick to dismiss this business as "fake" should take a look at this movie and see just how real it can be.