Mick Foley pens tribute to ‘Beyond the Mat’ director Barry Blaustein
On his Facebook account, Mick Foley penned a tribute to Barry Blaustein, the late “Beyond the Mat” filmmaker who was one of Foley’s closest friends.
Blaustein passed away at 72 years old on May 12 following battles with Parkinson’s disease and pancreatic cancer. Most of his Hollywood career was spent as a comedy writer, but Blaustein is best known to wrestling fans for writing, directing, producing, and narrating the 1999 documentary “Beyond the Mat” which took an inside look at the professional wrestling industry.
The film was released during wrestling’s Attitude Era boom period, but the idea first started to take shape years before that when the business was in a lull. Foley wrote that he and Blaustein first met when they spoke about the project in 1994. At the time, Foley’s story in the documentary was supposed to be a wrestler who once tasted stardom but was now back on the indies. By the time it actually got made, Foley was one of the biggest stars in WWE.
“My role in the documentary changed over time, and chronicled a brutal battle with Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson in what was Dwayne’s first moment on the big screen. By the time the movie debuted in 1999, Barry had become a trusted family friend and someone I had spent hundreds of hours with – professionally and personally,” Foley wrote. “Although my wife Colette had not seen him in many years, she was extremely sad at the news of his death and was very appreciative of the role Barry had played in my life. ‘I know we both loved him dearly,’ she said through text, ‘especially for us to open our life, issues, dreams, career and family to him. He was family to us. I hold him deeply in my heart. I was very fortunate to have worked with him and see the master mind he possessed. Brilliant.'”
After giving Blaustein access to film backstage in WWE, Vince McMahon later regretted the decision. McMahon did not like the finished product, which put Foley in a tough spot given how strongly he disagreed with McMahon’s opinion of the movie.
“Vince McMahon was not nearly as enthusiastic about the film as I was, feeling it took away the magic of the on-air product,” Foley wrote. “I disagreed vehemently, thinking it showed the outside world there were so much more to the unique world of professional wrestling than a vast majority of people – fans and non-fans alike had ever considered. Barry‘s ability to find the subtle humor and humanity in the lives of its participants was a big influence on how I approached the writing of my first book, ‘Have a Nice Day.’ WWE was not thrilled about my eagerness to embrace and promote the film – at one point telling me, ‘you think that guy (Blaustein) is your friend. He’s not your friend.’ The events of the following decades tell a different story.”
Foley and Blaustein remained in contact and would frequently get together in the decades following “Beyond the Mat.” They were able to see each other one last time this year when, due to Blaustein’s failing health, Foley filled in for him at a screening of the documentary. Foley visited Blaustein’s house and saw him surrounded by family and friends. He attempted to write Blaustein a letter after that, but it ended up being delivered just hours after Blaustein passed away.
“When I reached out to Barry’s daughter, Kasey for her father’s address, telling her I wanted to write Barry a letter, she encouraged me to write it quickly, as he was down to his final days,” Foley added. “I wrote the letter that evening and mailed it out via next day air the following morning. The letter arrived at the Blaustein home at 8 AM, just six hours after Barry had passed. But I hope it serves as a reminder that I loved Barry, thought the world of him, and considered him one of my best friends.”
Foley’s own Hollywood projects and future —
The 60-year-old Foley currently has multiple Hollywood projects of his own in the works. They include a limited series that’s in development where Paul Walter Hauser is slated to play Foley. Plus, Foley has done voiceover work for an upcoming A24 documentary on death match wrestling.
It was reported this week that AEW has “real” interest in working with Foley, whose WWE Legends contract is set to expire soon. A source told The Takedown on SI that they wouldn’t be surprised if Foley appears at AEW Double or Nothing in New York City on May 24.
Joseph Currier is the lead editor of F4WOnline.com, directing daily news coverage and writing articles on professional wrestling. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, obtaining a journalism degree in 2016. Joseph joined F4W during his time at UMass and has now been writing about the industry for nearly a decade.
In addition to his work with F4W, Joseph has previously contributed to Sports Illustrated's wrestling coverage. He lives in Massachusetts and is a diehard fan of the Boston sports teams and Liverpool Football Club.