Beyond the Mat Revisited: Terry Funk, Mick Foley & Jake Roberts 27 Years Later

Does Beyond the Mat still hold up 27 years later?

Professor Degree and Blade Daily revisit Barry Blaustein’s landmark 1999 professional wrestling documentary and discover that Terry Funk was only 53 when they originally watched him and thought he was approximately 900 years old. This development has caused considerable distress.

The fellas revisit the unforgettable stories of Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Jake “The Snake” Roberts and Droz, along with Dennis Stamp, Michael Modest, Tony Jones, Roland Alexander, New Jack, Paul Heyman and the strange collection of wrestlers and wrestling personalities Blaustein captured at wildly different stages of their careers.

How differently does Jake Roberts’ story hit knowing what came afterward? Is Mick Foley’s infamous Royal Rumble 1999 match with The Rock harder to watch today? Does knowing Droz’s future completely change his scenes? And, as middle-aged wrestling fans themselves, do Professor Degree and Blade Daily finally understand Terry Funk a little better?

Then comes the bigger question: is Beyond the Mat still special?

In 1999, genuine backstage access to WWF, ECW and independent wrestling felt almost forbidden. Today, wrestling fans are surrounded by podcasts, shoot interviews, social media, documentaries and behind-the-scenes content. Has 25+ years of wrestling pulling back its own curtain diminished what made Beyond the Mat extraordinary — or does Blaustein’s deeply human approach make the film even more remarkable today?

Plus: a celebration of the late Barry Blaustein, the lasting legacy of one of professional wrestling’s most important documentaries and, obviously, Dennis Stamp.

He’s not booked.

Pro Wrestling Forever is a celebration of wrestling history, hosted by Professor Degree and Blade Daily.

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