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Film by FFWD Staff Beyond the Mat Starring Mick Foley, Terry Funk, and Jake Roberts Directed by Barry W. Blaustein Subject to classification It’s been said that in his day William Shakespeare’s plays were to the unwashed masses what television is to their contemporaries today. Mind you, this analogy is usually made by desperate high school teachers in a futile attempt to penetrate the thick skulls of their students. However, if that’s truly an accurate comparison then it’s a sure bet that kids of the 23rd century will be struggling along to Coles Notes transcripts of the tubes numero uno draw ó wraslin’. After all, the themes are basically the same: betrayal, honor, sex, and bloodshed. And, as evidenced by the compelling new documentary Beyond the Mat, that’s just what occurs before any of the beefy grapplers even step foot in the ring. In his directorial debut, former SNL writer Barry Blaustein explores his self-proclaimed "closet" obsession with so-called "sports entertainment" and comes up aces in candid material that ranges from high comedy to bottom-of-the-gutter tragedy. Centered around a cast of characters that would make P.T. Barnum proud, the film focuses primarily on three men: Mick "Mankind" Foley, Terry Funk and Jake "The Snake" Roberts. The first is a polite, dedicated family man who punishes his body to such an extreme it severely traumatizes his wife and children. The second is a respected veteran who can’t bring himself to call it quits even though he is visibly burnt out and so physically spent that there is virtually no cartilage left in his knees. And finally, there’s Roberts, a former superstar reduced to working C-circuit gigs in the sticks as he struggles with a myriad of troubles that run the gamut from an estranged family to a crack habit. In other words, these are real people, like you and me, but, as Blaustein puts it: "Öjust different." Needless to say, that’s somewhat of an understatement. Perhaps the bizarre spectrum of the world this film covers is best summed up by Darren Drozdov, an aspiring wrestler introduced in the opening sequence as he passes a WWF audition by being able to vomit on command ("Mama I’m gonna make you so proudÖ I’m gonna be Puke!" he crows afterwards in a touching phone call to the folks at home). Moments before the credits role, however, we’re informed that his regurgitation days are over ó he has been paralyzed in the ring. These performers’ fights may be scripted, but like everyone else, their lives are anything but. Nevermind Willie’s old saw about the world being a stage, the gritty reality of Beyond the Mat will leave you with the uneasy feeling it’s really a turnbuckle and you’re about to get stomped.

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