beyondthemat

Whether you're an avid wrestling fan, a casual viewer, or especially if you don't understand the sports appeal, this film is essential viewing. Director Blaustein ( a huge wrestling fan himself) has made one of the first non-condescending documentaries ever about the often mis-understood sport of professional wrestling. For a couple of years, Blaustein followed wrestlers around with a camera in an attempt to show them for once not as comic book characters, or monsters, but as human beings. We get an up close and personal look at the lives of current superstar Mick Foley, ring veteran Terry Funk, who is nearing the end of his career, and the down and out,

burned out star of the 80's, Jake "The Snake" Roberts. We get to see such poignant scenes as Terry Funks docter telling him that he can't understand how he can even walk on his knees that are shot to pieces, let alone wrestle with them. We see Mick Foley beaten senseless with a steel chair in front of his small children ( I'd assume this was set up by the film crew for exploitation purposes) , and we see Jake "The Snake" off his face on crack, and bragging about his conquests.

Although Beyond the Mat doesn't make fun of the sport, it does paint it in a sort of negative light. It's mainly a 'burned out, down and out wrestler story'. It never really looks at the positives of the sport. I was kind of dissapointed that my favorite wrestler "Nature Boy" Ric Flair wasn't included in the film ( I've included his picture here to make up for it). But I guess
slick Ric's high flying image really wouldn't have fit in with the feel that Blaustein was going for. There are a lot of standout moments in this film....I particularly enjoyed a blood-spurting Spike Dudley quoting Shakespeare, and the old and bitter wrestler who never quits complaining ( Terry Funk finally lets him referree his retirement match to shut him up. I also really enjoyed the electrifying sequence surrounding the now sadly bankrupt E.C.W.'s first pay per view, Barely Legal.Pro-wrestling, with its wild storylines, has really filled the huge void left by the sad demise of the drive-in exploitation film. Beyond the Mat is compelling viewing, and is a mondo movie for the new millenium .

Beyond The Mat is a wrestling movie that strips away all the flash and storytelling that viewers see on a multi-time weekly basis and shows you pro-wrestlings heart. It works , and it works well. Blaustein is a fan of the 'sport' who wants to get to know the people behind the gimmick , and wants the viewer to see them for the people they are. Beyond the Mat leaves behind the pretenses that most casual fans and non-fans alike have ; that pro-wrestling is a big dollar enterprise that's all fake shots and fixes.

When you see Jake Roberts wrestling in high school gyms and messed up on crack, you begin to realise that many workers don't have big money contracts. Jakes fees for his shows are a meagre few hundred dollars (if that), and many others make much less. You see his life is wrecked , his family dysfunctional , and his mental state askew.

When you see Terry Funk being told by his doctor that his knees are shot , see Mick Foley take chair after chair to the head , and see Spike Dudley literally pouring blood from his temple as he tells Blaustein " I used to be an English teacher " you begin to realise that not every shot is fake , and that not every move is planned. The message this documentary gives us is that the damage is real ; physically , mentally , and economically. Why then do these crazy sons of bitches do what they do? Simple... because they love it. Spike himself says it best. "I love taking big bumps. I love popping a crowd". Terry Funk is told he'll probably need both knees replaced , but still wrestles. Mick Foley , while handcuffed, takes double digit chair shots to the head until he can no longer stand ; yet backstage tells his little girl he's ok. All these moments should tell us that these people have all the heart in the world , but it's Paul Heyman that drives the point home.

When the owner of ECW speaks to his crew just moments before the opening of their very first pay-per-view , he gives a speach that George C. Scott's Patton would have been proud to be in attendance for. For some of the workers that night, it was their big break. For others , their swan song. But for all, it was a chance to entertain the fans, just as these boys do every night. That's what this film is about, and that's the point it drives home. There's so much more to this flick , so many levels to uncover, but you've just gotta see it, fan or not... and that my friends, is true.