Mick Foley pays tribute to the late Beyond The Mat film director Barry Blaustein

In the fall of 1994, I was resting up in a small motel, way off the strip in Las Vegas, getting ready for a match with Sabu, when I heard a knock on my door. I was surprised to see Barry Bloom, who I met a few times during my tenure in WCW, when he was the agent for Jesse “The Body” Ventura; the first time (to the best of my knowledge) a figure in professional wrestling has been represented by a legitimate agent. I liked Barry, but didn’t know him well, and was therefore surprised to see him in such an unlikely situation. He had a friend with him, another Barry, who was introduced to me as Barry Blaustein – a writer in Hollywood who was interested in having me appear in a planned documentary about professional wrestling. At the time of that brief, impromptu meeting, Barry Blaustein had me tentatively penciled in as the wrestler who had tasted stardom, but was back out in the unpredictable world of independent wrestling. Little did I know that evening, and the men who participated in it with me would go on to change the course of my career and my life. The match with Sabu went on to inspire me for my 2004 wrestling comeback, including the best match of my life at WWE’s “Backlash” event against Randy Orton – the best match of my career. A few years later, Barry Bloom would go on to become my agent and manager-a position he holds to this day. Barry Blaustein would go on to see his documentary come to fruition, and “Beyond the Mat” would be heralded as a landmark achievement in professional wrestling. More importantly, Barry Blaustein would become one of my best friends, remaining in regular contact with me for over 30 years, getting together frequently, up until his passing from pancreatic cancer on May 12.

By trade, Barry was one of the comedy world’s brightest writers, and along with his writing partner David Sheffield, created an instant bond with a young Eddie Murphy on “Saturday Night Live”, which would result in some of Murphy‘s finest characters, sketches and movies. Along with Sheffield, Barry wrote the screenplays for Murphy classics “Coming to America”, “The Nutty Professor” and their hit sequels. Yet, despite his writing accolades, “Beyond the Mat” was his favorite project – which means so much to me.

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. 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.”

But the release of the movie put me in a tough spot with WWE. Vince McMahon was not nearly as enthusiastic about the film as I was, feeling it took away the magic of the on-air product. 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.

I stayed over at the Blaustein home on numerous occasions, dined with Barry at his favorite restaurant, “Killer Shrimp” many times, took his children to Knotts Berry Farm to ride roller coasters and watched wrestling together with him whenever I had the chance. Of all our times together, I will treasure our last meeting the most. Barry had been battling Parkinson’s disease for a decade, but I did not know he had been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer until his wife Debra reached out to me. Barry was simply too weak to attend a screening of “Beyond the Mat” and a follow up Q&A, and Debra wanted to know if there was any way I could make it out to Los Angeles on one day’s notice. I literally had that one day free on my schedule, and flew to Los Angeles the next day for the screening.

The screening itself was very meaningful to me – watching “Beyond the Mat” on the big screen for the first time in 27 years, being part of a community of fans who held the film in such high regard. But it was our visit to Barry‘s house following the that was extraordinary, even magical. Surrounded by family and friends, Barry was positively beaming as we took a beautiful stroll down memory lane, taking turns sharing stories, laughing, hugging; being positively grateful for this special time together.

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. 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.