All language subtitles for Beyond the Mat (1999) (Beyond.The.Mat.1999.1080P.Webrip.X264-Rarbg.m4v) (ENGLISH)

I don't know why I like it.

I just always have.

This is where I first
became addicted.

I'd spend countless hours, planted in
front of the TV, mesmerized by these

images of these strong guys
taking matters into their own hands.

Watching.

Fantasizing.

Thirty years later, I'm a
screenwriter with a wife and two kids.

I still watch wrestling.

I just don't tell a lot
of people about it.

Can you blame me?

Can you imagine the level of
a mind that watches wrestling?

I don't care.

I love the pageantry.

The athleticism.

Even the incredibly
cheesy acting.

I look at wrestling as
theater at its most base.

And guess what?

So do most of the fans.

We know what's going on.

Is it sport?

Is it entertainment?

It's both.

It's, um, wrestling.

Now let's get
something straight.

I know wrestling is a show.

But it's not as
fake as you think.

Of course, the winners
of the matches are

predetermined, and the
violence is choreographed.

However, the result of
the violence is very real.

All these years watching wrestling,
one thought still swirls in my mind.

What sort of human being bashes another
man's skull into a ring post for a living?

Who are these guys?

So I got out of my chair
and decided to find out.

I figured, why not
start at the top?

The World Wrestling Federation.

World Wrestling Federation?

One moment.

World Wrestling Federation?

One moment.

World Wrestling Federation?

One moment.

The WWF is big.

How big?

They're worth close
to a billion dollars.

That's more than the New York
Knicks, Rangers, and Mets combined.

This empire has been ruled by
one family for four generations.

The McMahon family.

It's current jefe,
Vince McMahon.

When Vince bought the WWF from his father,
overnight he changed wrestling from a

regional business to an
international phenomenon.

Some of our success stories, a certain
amount of respect comes with that.

But hopefully that simply will only be
used as an entree to encourage someone's

interest, to then find out
what we're really about.

We make movies.

We're going to shoot...
We're going to shoot...

We're going to shoot
straight down this way?

Right, yeah.

You're going to walk over and they're
going to back... You're not dancing?

I know I am.

I'm strutting.

That was my strut.

You see the cable behind him?

You see the cable behind him?

No, I want a nice, clean shot.

Like an old-time
studio, Vince has writers.

That's at Tom Cullen Collective,
And then by the time you have that out,

here she comes.

And it's that simple.

Okay?

And that's where she
does a number on you

and I guess it's going
to be the back, right?

And just really, really,
really sell the back.

Sell the back to the point that we don't
think you're going to be able to compete.

Vince has in-house composers.

It's, you know,
he walks like this.

So the team's
got to reflect that.

The man they call Peter!

He even has wardrobe designers.

The way I see it, the
critics have it all wrong.

The WWF isn't about fighting.

It's about spectacle.

I could care less who wins.

I could care less who loses.

As long as we've got an ass
every 18 inches, I'm a happy man.

Oh yeah, they
have wrestlers too.

Because without them, it would
be hard to move the merchandise.

Reports from retail, we are still
one of the top two selling licenses.

It's us and South Park
fighting it out almost

head to head at
every retailer right now.

Way to go.

Way to go.

There's a direct similarity
between WWF and the Muppets.

Family owned company.

The whole business based in
performance and characters.

With real human beings
playing characters.

In our case, they just don't
have to be using puppets.

It's gonna have
motion detector eyes.

To keep the merchandise fresh,
they're always creating new stars.

Sounds good, thank you.

Make yourself
comfortable though.

Okay, thank you.

The day I was there, they
were beginning a push for Draws.

From an upper class background,
Darren Drozdov was an unlikely candidate.

A former Denver Bronco, his
career was undistinguished.

However, he did have
one particular talent.

Oh my God!

Golly!

Now you're puked!

In this, Vince saw a
potential superstar.

Sorry again for keeping you.

Oh, that's fine.

That's okay.

Have a seat.

Hello there, Darren.

What's up?

Hey, how's it going?

Quite frankly, what we've come up with
is since you are able to regurgitate on

command, it just seems to me that it's
pretty logical that you should be puke.

Okay.

Puke has a nice
connotation to it.

You know, I mean, it's like you got
animal, you got hawk, you got puke.

And it shouldn't
be just plain puke.

It should be puke.

So after you've regurgitated on one of
your opponents or on the referee itself,

then, of course, the ring announcer
would then say your name.

Okay.

And then again, it's like since you've
got the fundamentals and so forth,

and I think you're ready to go with it,
I think that, you know, puke is good.

I think puke is nice.

See, I've never heard that.

That's great.

No, that's right.

Everybody always
gives me stuff about it.

That's good.

No.

It fits the WWF attitude.

Okay.

Sounds good to me.

You think you're ready for it?

Ready to roll with it.

Right.

Definitely.

Well, I've got one thing I
want you to do for me, okay?

And that's going to
be right back over here.

Oh, no.

I've been waiting for this.

Okay.

You want a little
coffee or what?

No.

Just some water.

Try not to get it on the
rest of my table, here.

Can you do that?

Huh?

You going to get sick?

It's a possibility.

Huh?

Oh my God.

He's gonna puke!

He's gonna puke!

He's gonna puke!

That's it.

Oh, man.

Hi, Mama.

It's me.

Oh, it went well.

You'll be real
proud of me, Mama.

I'm now known as Puke.

But what if you weren't born
with the skill of projectile vomiting?

How do you become a wrestler?

The same way you
become a doctor.

You go to school.

That's a good name.

Thank you for calling Pacific Coast
Sports, home of all pro wrestling,

Chemours, and the APW
Boot Camp, the number

one pro wrestling training
camp in the country.

So I went to All Pro
Wrestling, a school on

independent promotion
in Haywood, California.

Most wrestling schools
are run by wrestlers.

This one is run by an
accountant, Roland Alexander.

I don't guarantee them anything except
an education in pro wrestling and make a

better person out of them, you
know, improve their character.

We try to run APW
more like a family thing.

I don't want steroids.

I mean, if our guys don't have
bodies, they don't have bodies.

That's it.

Roland has had some success.

Two of his graduates have
gone on to sign with the WWF.

Very good.

Very good.

Hi.

How are you?

I'm looking for
Roland Alexander.

That's me.

Your name?

I'm Ben Siegel.

Ben Siegel.

Good to meet you.

You know, I'm going to tell you
something that you might not like.

There's no money in pro
wrestling on the independent level.

I mean, hey, you're going to make
anywhere from 25 bucks to maybe, you know,

a hundred and a quarter,
something like that.

Sometimes if you're real
good, you can make as much

as 300, wrestling for an
independent promotion.

But really, where the big money
is, is with the major leagues.

And not that our product
isn't major league.

You can't tell our fans that.

You can't tell
our wrestlers that.

But really, a minor league feeding
system with WWF, WCW, and ECW.

Are you aware of a
proper way of eating?

Are you conscious of
looking at labels and

the back of labels and
looking at fat content?

Yeah.

Stay away from the
jack-in-the-boxes?

I don't care if you got good
credit, bad credit, no credit.

Everybody applies.

We have a rule around here.

You don't pay, you don't play.

Okay?

So, how soon are you
ready to make a commitment?

Are you ready to make a $500
deposit in the next couple weeks?

By the way, anybody that
needs to make payments

tonight, make sure you
get them out of the way.

I'm going to be out
of town tomorrow.

One of Roland's most promising
students was Tony Jones.

Hey, man.

Hey, how you doing?

Pretty good.

I'm tired.

Just got off work.

Yeah.

I didn't know how to work yet.

Tony, get off today.

I work at Visa right now.

I've been working at
Visa for about two and

a half years, and I'm
pretty content there.

I mean, I make
pretty good money.

And then I'll come back.

I usually get about $25
to do a Jim Moore show.

I take all the damage for
$25, and I use the experience

to try to better myself
and get out of there.

Don't get me wrong.

There's times when
we don't get paid at all.

$25 sometimes is a privilege.

He tells you that he doesn't
pay you unless he pays you.

He feels that you had a
good match and you're worth it.

They get paid after every
show, and they're loving

it, you know, and
they're getting paid well.

I really believe that
I'm probably the best

indie promoter as far
as payoffs are concerned.

You know, there's no excuse
for not paying someone.

You have to be a
prick in this business.

If you don't, the wrestlers
will run all over you.

Their egos are such
and their character is

such that they will
just walk all over you.

So if you think you can be a nice guy and
be a successful promoter, and professional

in wrestling, you better get
out of this business right now.

See, James, you went in like you
were going to give him a blow job.

Your face was right in
the middle of his pelvis.

Mike Modest was
Roland's golden boy.

Therefore, Mike was given
a room above the gym.

How long have you
been living here?

I've been living here for
about a year, year and a half.

Not making a killing in
wrestling, Mike supports himself

by working for a local funeral
home, picking up bodies.

I don't fool myself.

I'm very realistic about
wrestling in the United

States, that Japan would
be the place for me to go.

Because in Japan, they still
appreciate the sport side of it.

Whereas, you know,
in the U.S., it's become

almost completely
entertainment in Hollywood.

All right, ladies and gentlemen,
welcome, the APWH Air Wars!

Come on, move it!

We gotta move it!

Quick!

The night I was there,
the boys wrestled

before a record-breaking
crowd of 112 people.

Fans are close to the
action, sometimes too close.

Like this guy in the green
shirt who spat on a wrestler.

I'll send you right
over to the corner.

Try it!

Come on, baby!

You spit gas in my trucker!

Shut up!

You spit in my face, man!

Five minutes outside your face!

It's $1,000 since you
don't fucking show!

This guy here, his real job?

Mechanic for United Airlines.

I'm calling you out
right now, motherfucker!

Meanwhile... It seems like
he's got pretty good timing.

I showed footage of Mike and
Tony to Jim Ross back at the WWF.

He agreed to give them a tryout.

Mike Modis has
been ready for a year.

And it's sad.

Mike Modis is 215 pounds,
and he's too big to be

a flyer, and he's too
small to be a heavyweight.

And for him not to have
a contract is a travesty.

Tony, Mike, and Roland's
big day had come.

They were about to get
their tryout with the WWF.

Tonight, you'll probably
go on first or second early.

Don't get nervous, because
the people are not going

to know who you are because
you haven't been on TV.

So the most important thing
is, you're telling them the story.

They're not telling
you the story.

So even if they don't get with it
at first, don't get going too fast.

When you go too fast,
you start making mistakes.

The ring's bigger.

The ropes are looser.

I can't bounce off the
ropes like I usually do.

I've got to work it more.

It's kind of an amazing sight.

You know, when I first
walked in today, I said,

Jesus, God, this is
so big and so complex.

Hope APW never
gets to that point.

I always just picture myself
just being content with

a small regional promotion
in Northern California.

But who knows?

Who knows what
will happen to APW?

But, you know, it's
kind of an amazing sight.

Jones going out first.

Montez, second with music.

Okay, wait till I send you.

I think Roland was even more
nervous than Tony and Mike.

That's because if the WWF signed his boys,
Roland would receive 20% of their contract.

What do you guys think so far?

I think he's doing good.

Both of them.

Shoot.

First time I've seen
Tony in person.

That's a nice bridge.

Nice wrestling
move for a change.

I've never seen Tony either.

I've seen Mike.

Montez is pretty solid.

Jesus Christ.

I think maybe we
need a little work there.

Yeah.

You know?

I gotta run.

You give me a video tape?

Yeah.

Tony's got a big frame.

He needs to work on
his upper body a little bit.

The people are not crucifying him, even
though they don't know him, which is good.

Because I told him that
always throws guys off.

They're giving us what they got.

That's all you can ask.

I wonder how old Tony is.

What is it?

Oh my God.

I've never seen that one before.

I have never seen that before.

That's pretty spectacular.

Ha ha.

Jesus Christ.

Steal it.

Huh?

You gonna steal it?

Right.

Absolutely.

I like the effort.

That was good stuff.

Yeah.

Gotta love the air.

Yeah.

I think you did a nice job.

I was very impressed.

Appreciate it.

Well done, you guys.

Thank you.

And we will...

I'm sure we'll be
looking at this tape.

Okay.

And you never know
what comes out of it.

Hopefully good.

Work on your arms.

And you might... And get something
that's a bit more flattering for you.

A little bit more mass
on the upper arms.

Yeah.

You're gonna be... Then
you get in the middle.

You're gonna have a
little bit of muscle in there.

You knew that was going to happen
when the first guy was on the hunt.

I knew right when I
hit it, I knew that's it.

Did you hear me say go home?

Yeah.

I was like go home.

Go home.

I told the boys, we were already
saying, oh yeah, I'm going to steal that.

I think the overall reaction
was Tony's got a lot of potential.

I think that was
the overall reaction.

What a job.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Kind of nerve racking
out there, isn't it?

Yeah.

A little bit.

I was saying it's probably the most
nerve racking couple minutes of your life.

Yeah.

Roland and the boys left
that night, excited, their

expectations high that they
would soon hear from the WWF.

While Tony and Mike
were beginning their career,

a wrestling legend was
nearing the end of his.

Terry Funk.

My favorite wrestler
growing up was Terry Funk.

A lot of guys acted crazy, but Terry
made you believe it might be true.

At age 53, Terry
was still going strong.

So I went to Texas
to meet Terry Funk.

I went to his hometown of Amarillo,
where he was a bit of a local celebrity.

I was excited.

I'd never met a legend before.

It's time to get up, dear.

Morning.

What?

No, no!

Terry Funk with a
message for women.

Your high country Chevy
dealers are so caring.

They love nothing more than a shine
of happy faces during summer closeout.

Do you think he'll quit?

I think he really is being
serious about it lately.

He's really confided in us
and Brandy, don't you think?

Yeah, I think for once in his
lifetime, I think he may be as serious.

I mean, he really
has started just talking

about it a lot before
he never talked about it.

I think he knows
we're serious now, too.

That we're really worried about him as far
as his health and physically and all that,

you know.

He should not be wrestling
at all for probably about, I'd

say, the last five to ten
years, wouldn't you, Stacey?

Yeah.

Good.

Oh, aren't I pretty, huh?

Oh, poor boy.

Two, three.

The mothers.

Okay, let's go out there.

Lord, thank you for life
itself and the joys of life.

And may Stacey and Kelly have those
joys and cherish them and always be joyful.

In Christ's name we pray, amen.

Amen.

Okay, Mary, here's the...
Okay, y'all better haul.

You look great, Stacey.

How can a man be so
tender outside the ring?

And so brutal in it?

The appeal is... it's fun.

I think that's a
lot of... it's fun.

I guess you know
what it is, you know.

I've wrestled for 32 years, you know,
and I said, boy, that's a long career,

you know.

Maybe I wasn't smart
enough to do anything else

and Michael Levin added,
I don't know, you know.

On your good knee,
your left knee, you have

moderate to severe
degenerative arthritis.

You don't have a good
joint space in here.

You have some narrowing
of the space, arthritic spicules

in there, and it's not
gonna function very well.

It ought to be able to get by the rest
of your life just hurting all the time.

All right?

On your bad knee, on the right
knee, you have no joint space.

You have severe
degenerative arthritis.

You have worn that knee out.

It's been hurt too many times.

And you are gonna
need a new knee.

You need a new knee now.

Let me ask you one thing.

If I don't have an operation
or if I don't have a new

knee put in there, can I go
ahead and live comfortably?

Can I get around comfortably?

You shouldn't be able to
get around comfortably now.

This ought to give
you pain chronically.

It ought to be disabling to you.

And that is a problem.

There's not a whole lot we
can do when we get to that point.

And chronic pain
for the next 30 or 40

years isn't a real fun
thing to think about.

I'm happy with this
doctor's prognosis.

He told me he
wasn't about to retire.

In fact, he had agreed to fight in
Philadelphia for ECW, Extreme Championship

Wrestling, a renegade company that
Terry had pledged to get off the ground.

Got a few ships over there.

Neither his doctor
nor his family were

thrilled about Terry's
bout in Philadelphia.

But Terry kept his promise.

I'm gonna pack those up.

Yeah, I'm gonna pack them.

Show starts at... I honestly
think that my husband's fearless.

And that's the truth.

He would... I just don't
think he's afraid of anything.

Okay, don't forget that Brandon
Aaron is in the trunk, right?

Yeah, I love you.

I've wanted him to
stop wrestling since...

probably 1990.

I've decided that it's his profession
and it's up to him when he's gonna quit.

Okay.

How you guys doing?

Did you get a little
sneak last night, Chief?

Oh, I did.

Had a good time.

How you doing?

I'm good.

I'll walk up to this for you.

Okay.

All the way, Terry.

All the way, boys.

ECW!

ECW!

No wrestling group was
more violent than ECW.

And no fans scared me more.

Fuck WWF!

Fuck WWE!

Fuck them all!

You're looking at... Mark
Schwartz and the King of the Street!

And we're too damn
ugly to be in any cartoon!

ECW!

No!

And this includes... It's an
incredibly violent product.

It's produced out of this peaceful
house in a New York suburb.

Extreme Championship Wrestling!

Wrestlepalooza 98!

Tickets on sale!

And ticket... fuck!

It's time that we play a game
of truth or consequences.

ECW is run like a commune.

It's spiritual leader and
owner, Paul Heyman.

Truth or consequences?

Everybody pitches in.

Promos are done
downstairs while mom irons.

Here it's a simple philosophy.

Everybody wants the
other guy to get better

so that they have
someone else to work with.

ECW is the Ellis
Island of wrestling.

Where old wrestlers go to be reborn
and young wrestlers go to be discovered.

The best part of my job is watching
people who never knew that they could.

Who never dreamt
that they could.

But wanted it but
didn't really believe it.

And when they
start to believe it...

It's better than anything in the world
that you can have because it's like

watching your children
make it, you know?

It's just... it's there.

Let us in!

Let us in!

Let us in!

You lean back.

You hold it for all you want.

This wasn't an ordinary
show for Paul and Terry.

It was ECW's first pay-per-view.

If it didn't succeed,
neither would ECW.

Pay-per-view!

Pay-per-view!

Pay-per-view!

Pay-per-view!

Pay-per-view!

Pay-per-view!

Pay-per-view!

17 million homes that have
availability for this show tonight.

And we'll pay $20, hopefully,
for the privilege to see

you guys do what you have
done for three and a half years.

Thank Terry Funk for all
he's done for this company.

For help putting us on the map.

For being unselfish
in selfish times.

For taking the young guys
and showing them a better life.

By the way, tonight we have a
chance to say, yeah, you're right.

We're too extreme.

We're too wild.

We're too out of control.

We're too full of our own shit.

Or we have a chance to say,
hey, fuck you, you're wrong.

Fuck you, we're right.

Because you have all
made it to the dance.

Because believe
me, this is the dance.

Strike the show!

I promise you
you're gonna be fine.

You earned this.

You earned this.

Make me cry over you.

He

has knee injuries
and back injuries.

And I have confidence that
he knows what he's doing.

But it's still hard
after all these years.

Just him getting hurt mainly.

Just him getting hurt mainly.

He's in control,
but it's pretty scary.

What was that?

Ernie, go to Steve and
tell him that I said to get

word to them they need to
go home in 30 seconds now.

They know this is it.

They're going now.

They're going.

They need to go home
within 30 seconds.

We need them out.

Do you have any blood on you?

Just one of those.

Is it done?

Any stethoscope at all?

Terry, do you feel like you have
anything in your lungs popping up?

Anything on me?

I think it just went down and
all the blood came right down.

Okay.

Is there water or anything?

Let me get a... I
need a stethoscope.

I want to listen to his lungs.

How'd it go for me?

I'm just glad it's over.

If they liked it, I liked it.

If the crew
liked it, I liked it.

How'd it go?

I'm just happy it's over.

I don't know.

I'm proud of my guys.

How'd it go?

Oh, we did it.

Never traded for anything.

There's a man out there, Terry Funk, who's
done more in this sport than I'll ever do.

Who's more of a role
model than I'll ever be.

And I've got a match April 15th.

And I've got serious doubts.

He burned me, Mommy.

He burned me bad.

And then he piled your little
boy on a flaming branding iron.

I could never get over the fact
that guys could beat the crap

out of each other in the ring
and be friendly outside of it.

Some of Terry's most famous matches
were against a man 20 years his junior,

Mick Foley.

Over the years, Mick and Terry
have traveled the world, sending

each other on fire, tossing
each other into barbed wire.

Yet outside the ring, they were
truly at peace with one another.

You know what's
so stupid about it?

The worse you hurt each
other, the more money you make.

And the more money you
make, the better friends you are.

Wrestling under the name
Mankind, Mick is one of the

biggest stars in the WWF,
earning in the high six figures.

He even has his own
ravioli commercial.

It's the perfect
ravioli for all mankind.

Known for battering and brutalizing
his body to unprecedented heights,

Mick's behavior could be
explained if he were crazy.

But of any wrestler I ever
met, Mick was the most normal.

And in a strange way, the one
I had the most in common with.

Mick grew up in a small Long Island
town about 20 miles from where I did.

Like me, he loved wrestling
and making movies.

Oh!

Oh!

Unbelievable!

Topping the big elbow!

Dad?

When I caught up with Mick, he
was with his kids, visiting his father.

Uh, can I wrestle with
the kids downstairs?

What?

Can I wrestle with
the kids downstairs?

For what?

It's for the camera.

Hold down here, Mick?

Yeah.

Got it.

Then I tape it as now, on it.

Well, yeah.

Doesn't matter if our
basement's messed up, does it?

How?

No, there's no way.

No way, Mick.

You can't get in
through the garage.

You can't get in
through my office.

No way.

All right, we won't do
it if you don't want to.

Please.

This isn't on camera, I hope.

No.

Mick is a very
honest, sincere person.

I'm not talking as his father now, I'm
just talking as I see him as a person.

And really, what you
see is what you get.

He's always been
very, very polite.

He's been like that
since grade school.

I want to be referred to as
the world's most polite wrestler.

Yeah, big dropkick.

You know how most kids have no idea
what they want to do when, you know,

eighth graders, 14 years
old, what do you know?

One, two...

Did Mick know he wanted to be a wrestler
from the time he was 14 when I met him?

Yes.

He feels terribly, terribly bad if he
doesn't put his body on the line in some

serious fashion at least, you
know, half a dozen times in a match.

If he doesn't, he
thinks he's probably

cheated the fan out of
the price of admission.

They come to see Mick
Foley or Cactus Jack or

Dude of Love or Mankind
put his body at risk.

I don't think that Mick
Foley has a death wish at all.

I think that he has a
very clear idea of what he

wants to be and how he
wants to be remembered.

Several times a year that I look at
something and I say, this is going to be

dangerous and it could
turn out real bad, but

it's got to be done
for the sake of history.

I don't know if Mick enjoys the
pain, but I don't think he hates it.

Once I'm done with wrestling, I'm
certainly not going to miss the pain.

I'll miss the
reaction to the pain.

I don't have a whole lot
of room in my life for pain.

It just so happens that
I can absorb more than

most people and that
has made me marketable.

I can tell him, you know, until the cows
come home that daddy's just playing.

But sometimes they don't buy it.

But then I tell the kids, you know,
daddy rehearsed that four or five times,

you know.

Daddy was fine.

They just want to set their
little hearts at ease, you know.

Hope they think
there's nothing wrong.

They'll grow up quick
enough, you know.

Let them believe
their dad's all right.

Do you wish he'd stop wrestling?

No.

And it's going to be?

Great nipples.

Every child needs a
favorite word, right?

Nipple.

What's a funny joke
your dad's told you?

He puts his finger in his nose.

I don't think it's the fans
that demand too much.

I think it would probably be I
demand a lot more of myself.

I don't want to be remembered as the
guy who pulled the sock out of his tights.

His mother called him wild.

I'm very sensitive to
obscene deterioration.

My wit and my speaking skills.

I want to die an old man, you
know, with all my mental faculties.

You know, people feel like I have a
death wish or that I'm a masochist.

But really I feel like
I'm taking my risks now.

That I'll have the ability to retire at 35
or 36 and spend more time with my kids.

It's not like I'm going to sit at home
and miss being hit in the head with chairs.

It's just something that
I feel like I do very well.

Every time I turned the TV on,
Mick was taking more and more risks.

He assured me he
knew what he was doing.

Then I got this call.

For the first time, Mick was
incoherent and rambling.

I was worried.

There was two big, big
falls during the match.

And wrestling fans, I
guess, unanimously

said, I should have
just taken the first one.

I was thrown off the cage.

Probably the more
spectacular of the two.

But it's the wrestlers who
appreciate the second one.

Because they've been body slammed
and backdropped on our WWF mat.

Which doesn't have
a whole lot of give to it.

On the other side there's...

When the cage started to break.

I mean, you could
see it breaking.

And when The Undertaker
chokeslammed Mick,

I knew for sure the
cage was going to break.

And there was no way, there
was no way out without getting hurt.

I thought he was dead.

Usually after a physical match, I'll call
home and tell the kids, Daddy's all right.

No need to worry.

And in this case, I was paged.

One of the agents had to tell me,
Call home, your wife's really upset.

And she was crying,
you know, in tears.

And screaming at me, saying,
You can't do this to us anymore.

And I guess it was very
traumatic for the kids.

Since that point, my
daughter does feel like

I'm being hurt every
time I go out there.

And my daughter, you
know, she loves her dad.

Yeah, I worry about it a lot.

I have a lot of guilt about it.

And that's one of the reasons we thought
maybe, you know, maybe it's best if dad,

you know, did something else.

What would be
that something else?

That's the problem.

He's the Compass S.O.B.

That I have ever,
I've ever seen.

It was a scary moment.

It was one of the worst, you know,
worst moments of my life, certainly.

It's a really horrible feeling.

And I know there's more to
come, which is the scary part.

While visiting Mick, I got
the call I was waiting for.

I was finally able to
locate the whereabouts

of the one wrestler I
always wanted to meet.

Jake the Snake Roberts.

I'm going to make you beg.

You are going to get down
on your hands and knees.

You will be the one that
grovels for the money.

And how appropriate that
the money you grovel for

is your very own, wallowing
in the muck of avarice.

Longfellow couldn't
have said it better.

Ladies and gentlemen,
Jake the Snake Roberts!

At one time, one of the biggest
wrestling stars in the world.

Jake had dropped out
of sight in the early 90s.

With Damian and Alice Cooper.

But his legend lived on.

Jake Roberts is one of the most phenomenal
performers this industry has ever seen.

Now there is a guy with it.

There is a guy that
has that intangible.

There is a guy that truly comes through
the camera and captivates your attention.

Jake Roberts had great gifts
and great skills in our business.

Because he had a
tremendous, tremendous aptitude

for the performance
side of this business.

He never had a good body.

He never was a great athlete.

But his gift was his brain.

He is probably one of
also, when it comes to the

actual psychology of how
to control the audience.

One of the most ingenious
performers the industry has ever seen.

I don't know that you
can separate Jake Roberts

the performer from
Jake Roberts the person.

Because quite frankly I never
knew which one I was talking to.

And I don't know that
they are not the same.

Unfortunately he has had a
lot of encounters with demons

over his lifetime that
have been very destructive.

He called us about two
days before the show.

And of course you know
he wanted his retainer.

We sent him his retainer.

And then he called us up and Jake told
us straight up if we didn't get him some

crack then he wasn't
going to come to our show.

If Jake Roberts could
control the demons.

Jake Roberts could
be one of the most

influential creative
forces in our industry.

That's how talented he is.

But for some reason it just doesn't
seem like it's meant to be at this time.

Sometimes I realize the
person that I hate most in

this life is the person
I'm looking at in the mirror.

It's a scary thought.

But Diary of a Madman.

I was told that on February 3rd Jake would
be wrestling in North Platte, Nebraska.

Home of Buffalo
Bob's Trading Post.

Cody.

My name is Cody.

Welcome to North
Platte, Nebraska.

What do you like Jake?

I like his snakes.

His style.

The way he does his thing.

I like him.

I like what he does.

One day I wouldn't
mind meeting him.

You wouldn't mind meeting him.

What would you
do if you met him?

I would faint most likely.

Really?

How about you?

I just want to hold the snakes.

Okay.

You'll find him.

The only guy that hasn't heard about Jake
the Snake Roberts is probably Santa Claus.

Oh God almighty.

These people have been
watching you for years.

You wonder what
connected them with you.

Why they want to see you.

Why they want
to be a part of it.

Lucky man.

Backstage there were
wrestlers I'd never heard of.

And wrestlers I
hadn't seen in years.

For a guy who once wrestled before
80,000 people in the Pontiac Silverdome.

This was about as far down
as you could go in wrestling.

Without starting over.

Oh Santa Claus.

We got this.

Hell yeah.

Yes.

Hello sad man.

Thanks so much.

Pull your hood, will you?

It was depressing seeing Jake in such bad
shape, but when it came time to perform,

he could still turn it on.

My match starts when
I come to that curtain.

The character is there.

The coldness is there.

The walk is there.

Everything that I do
helps create that character.

My breathing, the way I get into
the ring, the way I get out of the ring,

the way I look at people, the way I use my
hair, the way I use my hands, everything.

Ring psychology is something
that's so beautiful, man.

Such a joy to be a part of.

But by having ring psychology,
you've got to be able to look at people in

the eye and convince them that
you believe what you're doing.

You look at one person and just
literally melt them into that seat.

Make them cry.

Make them smile.

And it's like a ripple effect.

It goes right through
the whole crowd.

Put me on the card.

Let me bring some
asses to the seats.

Pay me.

I don't care if I'm the champ.

I don't care if
I'm the water boy.

Just let me be a part of this
show, and I'll do my share.

She was just such a
kind little thing, you know?

And right there
will probably be her.

She's gonna live here the rest of her life
probably and have seven kids and seven

husbands, I'm not going to say that I'm a
man or whatever and wind up being a lady

truck driver that cross
dresses or something,

but she'll always
remember tonight.

That's why I enjoy
the small town.

They really dig it.

They really appreciate it.

You get in a place like
this, my God, I could

be mayor here next
week if I wanted to be.

They'd execute the one they've
got and just put me in power.

I'd be like a dictator mayor.

And they'd love it.

That's what really scares you.

Jake, can we get your
autograph real quick?

In the arena, nothing hurts.

Everybody's glad to see you.

You come back to all the
glamour of Ramada Limited.

This is the real world.

Just take a shower and get dressed
and go on to the next one, I guess.

The next day, I spent eight
hours in a van with Jake.

Look at all those ducks.

Quack.

Quack, quack, quack, quack,
quack, quack, quack, quack, quack.

Things would just come out of my head, man,
that I don't know where they came from.

The more we traveled,
the more he confided in me.

And I still don't think.

My mother was 13
years old when I was born.

Why?

Because my dad raped the
little girl that was in a room asleep.

My dad was going out
with my mother's mother.

There you go.

There's some bones
for Jake the Snake.

Jake's father was
also a wrestler.

Grizzly Smith.

Though he was well known, he
never reached the heights his son did.

My dad was never there for me.

I never lived with my father.

For a very short time.

In the hour they spent together, the
two could barely look at each other.

I would do anything
to gain my father's love.

And I reached a point.

I came out of high school.

I was going to go to college.

And I said, Dad, I'm
going to go to college.

You said, good luck.

Gee, Dad, thanks, you know.

And right then, something inside me said,
you know, if you're ever going to get him

to love you, you're going to have to
be better than he is at what he does.

So I went out to the ring and I jumped
in there and got the crap beat out of me.

And when I walked
back in that locker room,

he looked at me and
said, I'm ashamed of you.

You'll never amount to anything.

And walked away.

And that's when I
gave up my dreams.

And said, okay.

By God, if it's the last thing I do, I'm
going to shove this business up his rear.

And guess what?

I did it.

And guess what?

It didn't matter.

Well, he's got a
lot of good qualities.

And it's...

He was born out of
love and I still love him.

My stepmother was very jealous of the time
that my dad spent with me and my sister.

And it drove my sister to the point that
she wound up marrying a 50-year-old man.

And then a year later being
kidnapped and murdered by his ex-wife.

And we never got her body.

We know that she was
dead because there wasn't

enough blood in the car
to know that she was dead.

Then we went to
prison for kidnapping.

Ten years.

Got out and said, please
tell us where the body is.

Fuck you guys.

We're not telling you shit.

Yeah.

And it's always
seemed like all my life.

It's like there's one gruesome,
horrible thing happened.

So my stepdad, who I
felt very close to, he winds

up getting electrocuted
in the attic of our house.

My mother goes up and finds him.

The road really screwed
up my sex life at all, man.

You go on the road and you get
some type of fame or whatever.

And so do you.

And you can have it every day.

But then all of a sudden
you want to get selective.

And then all of a sudden
one a day is not enough.

And you do two a
day and three a day.

And two at a time.

Then two at a time with toys.

And then two at a
time with I'll just watch.

And it just gets more
bizarre and more bizarre.

And it finally gets to
the point that when

you go home and try to
make love to your wife.

Ain't no way.

Ain't no way.

Because the mental
stimulation is not there.

That's bad.

That's bad.

It's like a joke I see
in a book one time.

A guy and a man and a woman laying
next to each other and says, what's wrong?

You can't think of
anybody else either?

Traveling around the country,
I met all kinds of wrestlers.

Appearances can be deceiving,
especially hanging around wrestlers.

For example, Chyna.

Looking at her in the ring, I
would never have guessed

she was a UN scholar and
had served in the Peace Corps.

But then again, everything
about Chyna surprised me.

Well, Kathy, we have an
item up for sale here today.

That would be item J24073.

J24073.

Do we have a caller?

My mother was all buttons
and bows and tee time.

And she always tried to
dress me up in long skirts.

And I always wanted
to show my body.

And when I started
lifting weights, I really

think that she thought
I was a lesbian.

I remember saying to my dad, listening
to a conversation and saying, Joey,

I think she's a
lesbian or something.

Girls don't lift
weights like that.

Not that anything's
wrong with that.

Let me interject it for
all you lesbians out there.

To me, I'm just as feminine
as any other woman.

Maybe even more so in my
attitude because I have a certain

confidence about myself that
most other women don't have.

I just happen to be a very feminine woman
with an incredibly fit, muscular body.

One year later, Chyna
got her jaw restructured

in order to enhance
her femininity.

Matt Hyson had an
intriguing early career change.

Four years ago, you
were teaching third grade.

Now you're mutilating
yourself every night.

How do you explain that?

It's what I love to do.

What do you love about it?

I love the drama.

I love the physical.

I love taking bumps.

I love popping a crowd.

I love making a crowd go...

move.

What did you study in college?

English.

English literature.

Shakespeare.

Shakespeare?

Yes.

What was your favorite
work of Shakespeare?

Henry IV, part two.

Can you quote
anything from that?

I'm sorry.

Wipe it?

I'm sorry.

I can't think.

I'd have to explain
the whole situation.

Do you have any Shakespearean
quotes that you like?

I shall, I do.

Falstaff, the drunk.

I'm just going to have to
be just a normal person.

I'm going to have to take my wig
off, take the feathers off of Frankie,

take him and let
him go on his own.

Frankie...

God bless you.

Some wrestlers have
trouble leaving the spotlight,

always trying to
recapture their glory days.

Coco, beware of Frankie!

Like Coco Beware, who
was once a headliner.

Other guys?

Well, they do a little
better job of adjusting.

And the American dream lives on.

And the American dream lives on in
Minnesota, because we shocked the world!

I really didn't know what
to do with myself, but

I knew that I would do
something with myself.

You know, my career
didn't come to as an

abrupt end, because I
quit while I was on top.

I just knew it was over.

And it was time to move on.

Politics is way more cutthroat,
I think, than wrestling is.

Deep down, I'm a softie inside.

I put on an outer appearance of being very
hard and calloused, but deep down inside,

I think that I have a big heart and
that I'm a sucker for a good sob story.

That's excellent.

You know, that I can
be vulnerable that way.

Let me categorize
that with certain people.

Other people could
tell me any story they

wanted, and I wouldn't
be vulnerable to them.

I didn't think wrestling
could surprise me anymore.

That is, until Vince McMahon
became a performer in the ring.

Look at that!

With a shortage of heels,
that's wrestling jargon for bad

guys, Vince decided who was
more hateable than Vince McMahon.

As usual, Vince guessed right.

After all, who wouldn't
want to punch out their boss?

You know, it's real easy to
be Mr. McMahon's performer.

That's a hoot.

That's not really who
I am, although I guess

maybe that I'm a
part of that character.

What other head of a billion-dollar
company does this for a living?

I think everything
has its own little life.

You know, I don't
know what this one is.

It's all about giving the audience
what they want, whatever it is.

And then there was New Jack.

What did you do before this?

A body hunter.

That was good.

That was a poster?

That was for a
justifiable homicide.

For.

You know, I wasn't
proud of it, but it happened.

It was either me or them.

So I'm still here.

Jerome Young created New
Jack, you know what I'm saying?

So I get paid to
do what I'm doing.

It's like with any entertainer,
you know what I'm saying?

You come up with a gimmick
or a character that's marketable.

You know what I mean?

So I created New Jack.

And that's what
I get paid to do.

I'm not like you other guys.

You see that you might be
kind of iffy or questionable.

I'm a very violent person.

And I'll hurt you.

And it's no secret.

I talk shit and back it up.

I ain't like a rapper.

You know what I mean?

I don't go in the studio
and talk all that violent shit.

It ain't never lived.

I done lived it.

I get a kick on
getting paid, man.

See my numbers?

You don't.

Because it ain't none.

See these two?

That's me hitting
a bitch in the eye.

I'm violent by nature, man.

I don't care.

I ain't a 48.

I ain't a 40-hour
motherfucker, man.

Never had no wivvy.

I like my shit quick.

Hey, babe.

This is your favorite negro.

Give me a call, man.

Of all the wrestlers I met, the last one
I expected to bond with was New Jack.

New Jack was coming to L.A.

to visit.

Truth be told, I was
happy to see him.

None of my friends had any
justifiable homicides, let alone four.

I hope not.

We were quickly becoming chums.

He wanted to see if he
could make it as an actor.

So I got New Jack an
appointment with a casting agent.

Rolling.

Looks like your
man did pretty good.

Here you go.

Your share, $219.

You telling me there was
only one person in each car?

That's right.

Uncut.

That's good.

Okay.

The audition's over.

It's goodbye.

Good to meet you.

Good work.

Take the stairs.

We got an extra long audition.

Stairs.

Thank you.

Thanks so much.

I could see real
possibilities with him.

I think he could
be a leading man.

You do, really?

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

I think he's got a great face.

I think he's got
sexuality, charm.

I think there's a lot
of potential there.

Yeah.

I really do.

I mean, as far as the leading
man thing, it's just that this is...

He's a little character.

I think he'll be
the best friend.

I think he'll be Denzel's pal.

I don't think he'll be Denzel.

I think they were
pretty impressive.

While New Jack was auditioning,
I got a call from Terry Funk.

Maybe I'll be the next Denzel.

But I do, I love my family
very much and that's

what's gonna bring me
to this next announcement.

The next announcement
is that 1997 is my last year.

I will not be wrestling anymore
after the end of this year.

It's over.

After 32 years.

That's it.

Thank you.

No, I'm serious.

And I've loved
every minute of it.

But it's time.

It's time to go home.

It's time to say goodbye.

We come back now on KGNC Forum and let
us go now to Terry Funk as he prepares now

for the final matches
of his career,

including one Thursday
night here in Amarillo.

We got about 30
or 40 seconds here.

Tell the audience again the when and
where of the big event Thursday night.

Well, it's gonna be at the
Tri-State Fairgrounds and it's

gonna be at the Tri-State
Fairgrounds, Maxor Coliseum.

And it's gonna be a great card
you're gonna have from the WWF.

Bret Hart, the World's
Heavyweight Champion.

I'll be going up against him.

It'll be a non-title match.

Mankind will also be here.

Where do you guys come from?

Come over from
England in Britain.

About a 5,000 mile
trip just to see this show.

Terry wasn't the only
wrestler who lived in Amarillo.

The other one was
unfortunately not as successful.

Dennis Stamp had
over 800 matches.

None of them main events.

Now an exterminator, he was the
self-proclaimed King of the Cockroaches.

Are you coming to the
show Thursday night?

No.

No, I won't be.

Why not?

I'm not booked, for one thing.

And what really bothers me is Dory Funk
Jr. You know, I have nothing against the

man he's wrestling, but I can swear to
you, I can guarantee to you that nobody,

no one could have a better
match with Dory than I would have.

So that part hurts.

So, but I really wanted
to be honest with you.

I was a referee.

But the people who make
the decision, whoever

that would be, didn't
offer me any position.

So I'm not booked.

I won't be here.

My biggest fear is that he's
going to be disappointed.

If he doesn't make any
money, that's not the big deal.

He's disappointed.

I don't think it will be.

I hope not.

I mean, it's up to me.

It's not a downhill
side of my career.

I've tried to pick out a time where
I can go out and still be somebody.

That's important.

Look at it.

I mean, you have WWF people here,
ECW people, people from other places.

I mean, Terry's been able to
do what promoters couldn't.

I don't do any
tricks, but I just jump.

I stay fit.

I watch what I eat because I never
know when my next match is going to be.

You know, I had my last
match, I think it was 1991.

So it gets to be a lot
longer between matches.

But I never know when I'm
going to have my next match.

So I've got to stay
in shape for that.

I've got to be ready.

You know, I'm only 50 now and the
phone could ring at any time, you know.

How's everything going?

I'm not going to be here,
but... Why aren't you?

Because I'm not booked.

You're not going to be here?

Why aren't you going to be here?

Please be here.

I'm not going to be here,
Terry, because I'm not booked.

That's an old rule.

That's an old rule
I've had for a long time.

Because I'm not involved.

I want you to come, please.

Well, I already have other arrangements
and don't take it personally because I

used to be in the
dressing room and I used to

see the old guys and
that's where I am now.

I used to see the old guys that came in
the dressing room that come around and

they looked like old dogs just hoping
somebody would recognize them.

Here, Spot, I really have
to be involved and I'm not.

I want you to be there.

And I did ask you in April if I could
referee some matches on the card,

which would have been...
You're refereeing tonight.

But I'm not on the card.

I'm not booked.

You want to referee
me and Brett?

Referee me and Brett.

I already have other
arrangements made, Terry.

I want you to
referee me and Brett.

Okay, so what happened?

I guess it was just so
far down, I guess you just

didn't hear me or something
when I asked you before?

I didn't hear you.

But I want you to.

I want you to.

I appreciate that.

Okay, I want you to.

Will you please do it?

Appreciate that.

And it's my last match.

It's my last match.

Tell me if you can,
because I would love it.

Okay.

I'd love to have you
there as part of it.

I appreciate that, Terry.

You should be there.

I appreciate that.

I'll be seeing you, in all the old familiar
places that this heart of mine has laid.

I've got to head over
to Coors right now.

I'll be right back.

Were you serious?

Yeah, I'm serious.

Okay, it's cost me $134
to change my ticket.

Will I make that much?

Well, I was going to pay you.

Close.

I was going to pay you $50.

I'll get half of it back, right?

I was going to pay you $50.

You mean you're
going to double pay me?

And my wife says, do
you really want to do it?

I almost broke down and
said, it's the main event.

It's the main event.

You think I'm not going
to be in the main event?

Thank you.

I'd rather be in the
main event than breathe.

This is it.

This is it.

This is the final one.

This is the final one.

So, Vicki, she'll be there
whenever it's all over with.

She always has been, and
I think she always will be.

There's supposed to be
ten chairs up there for him.

I don't know, but I
want him sitting up there

because he's ahead
of the Chevy dealers.

Okay.

But I just want him
to take care of it.

If he can get the...

He's supposed to have
those seats in between

the two, but he's
not there right now.

Okay, I'll find you.

Okay.

Just wait on your back.

All right.

You'll probably get a hundred
and eighty over a hundred and ten.

I'll find you in the morning sun,
and when the night is near, I'll be

looking out, but
I'll be seeing you.

Wrestling Living Legends.

Bret beat up Terry for a while.

Then Terry beat
up Bret for a while.

Terry told me he
was going to lose.

He didn't think the fans would believe
an old man could beat the champ.

Plus every wrestler knows it's
always better going out on your back.

Well, look at
my ass, look at it!

Thank you gentlemen,
it's here for Terry Fong.

About the match tonight, no complaints
about the Fong family's life, especially.

It's been wonderful,
and it's been a great trip.

And, hey, I love you guys too.

Ladies and gentlemen,
let's hear it for Terry Fong!

Tonight, I'm spending your
night with us and the Fong family.

Drive home carefully.

Thank you, good night.

Thanks for having me, Terry.

Appreciate it.

When I caught up again with Jake the Snake,
he was appearing in Kearney, Nebraska.

So where are you going next?

My daughter.

She's doing her
Masters in Psychology.

So she's a real freak.

So the next day, we traveled 300 miles
to see Jake's oldest daughter, Brandy.

My first marriage was over
when she was like 7 or 8 years old.

And I was on the road.

I was here a
couple times a year.

Not much of a
relationship there.

I don't love my children.

I do love my children very much.

I don't know how
to be close to them.

I don't know how to
have that melting together.

I really feel gypped, you
know, by the whole situation.

So I made this book.

And this is kind of the screen
that my father hides behind.

And these are actual letters that he wrote
me that I tore up and I pasted in here.

And this one actually
says, Love, Dad.

I mean, they were very few and far
between, but I saved all of them, you know.

And this is a card.

This was when he
had gone straight.

And it says, A
daughter is a treasure.

This is me and my
mom at my prom.

And it says, All of my
life I wanted Daddy's love.

But now I hold on to
what is really important.

Unconditional love
and support for my mom.

And the back of it is by a really
wonderful poet named Sylvia Plath.

And it says, In the words of
Sylvia Plath, Fuck you, Daddy.

And that's how I felt.

And that's still how I
feel a lot of the times.

We're at the lovely
Ramada in lovely Emporia.

At the Ramada?

Yeah.

Okay, well, is it okay if I bring
two of my friends with me?

Absolutely.

Okay.

Because I would really
like to bring them with me.

Okay.

I mean, I just feel
kind of nervous.

I mean, I don't know.

About what?

It's just been a long
time, Dad, you know?

Okay.

I mean, I haven't
seen you in a long time.

I haven't been around you.

All right.

I mean, I'm not scared of you.

Okay.

And I don't want that to be
the way it's coming across at all.

That's all right.

I feel very
comfortable with you.

And you and I have a pretty good
understanding together, you know?

Okay.

It's not that.

It's just I feel really...

I feel really, like,
inspected or something.

You know what I'm saying?

Like...

Okay, well, just come on out.

I'll be in the restaurant.

Hmm.

That wasn't much fun.

I don't know, man.

I don't know.

She's just acting real funky.

What the hell is this shit?

Is that chocolate
or something off?

What's your biggest fear
when she walks in here?

Rejection.

Always rejection.

I don't know.

I'm not sure if he's
ready to be a father now.

Okay.

Hi.

Oh, good.

Thanks.

I don't know if now
he's ready or not.

I can't say that because I've
only been around him a little bit.

Jake hadn't seen his
daughter in four years.

I was amazed.

Five minutes after meeting her,
he went to his room for the night.

He needs to step away from the
cameras and get the glitz out of it.

Wrestling, you have
a camera on you.

You know, all the things
he's done in his life.

He's had a camera on him.

I wish he would step away
from that and he would

say, you know, hey, I
want to be with my family.

I want to be real and I
want to be there without

cameras and try to work
some of this stuff out.

Hello.

Hello.

Maybe he really honestly believes
this is going to help heal things.

It would be wonderful
if I could know him on

a level that other
kids know their fathers.

Me too.

I wonder how she
got that number.

Well, let me guess.

Not for me.

Really?

No, I did not give
her the number at all.

He makes me nervous and
I make him nervous because

we don't really know how
to act around each other.

Because he knows
that I'm going to be very

straightforward with him and
he doesn't always like that.

A lot of people understand, well,
gosh, if you're making that good of a

money, why don't you just take three
months off and go stay with your kids?

Well, because if I took three
months off, I'd have been fired.

When I was working for Vince McMahon,
I was obligated to wrestle every day.

I know that.

And it wasn't fair.

And it wasn't right.

But I do know I
love my children.

In whatever twisted,
twisted way there is.

Then you need to
learn a different way.

I quit learning.

That doesn't stop though.

You can start learning again.

Maybe.

Maybe.

Maybe.

If there's time.

Why wouldn't there be time?

Because I don't know.

I just don't want
to hurt no more.

I don't want to
hurt you no more.

That would hurt me.

That would be the
ultimate hurt, Dad.

That would be the ultimate pain
that you could bestow on anyone.

I don't think that's fair.

I think that's selfish.

I think that's a cop-out.

I think that's bullshit.

You cannot do that.

That is not fair to anybody.

That is just your way out.

But sometimes you
don't understand.

See, it's like when I was
growing up, I swore up and down

I would never treat my kids
the way my father treated me.

And 24 years later, I
look back and say, my

God, you've done the
exact stinkin' same thing.

But it's not the way
I wanted it to go.

How did you want it to go?

I guess I wanted that
Walt Disney ending.

You know, not the
old yeller one either.

Dad, we've never had
a Walt Disney ending.

I know.

I certainly haven't.

I'm sorry.

I don't know where to go.

I'm just getting really,
really fucked up inside.

I don't know.

I wish he could
be real more often.

It would really help him
and I think it would help us.

Oh, God.

He, you know, he stayed
here and hurt, you know,

before he would have
just walked out and left.

It's part of an act
and part of it's real.

I mean, his hurt
is very real, I think.

After seeing his daughter,
Jake was quiet for the first time.

After checking into a
hotel, he disappeared.

When I caught up with him a few
hours later, he was doing crack.

I never used a needle.

Thank you Lord, but, he's telling
myself I'll never ever do drugs.

Never, no way, we're losers.

And we were wrestling
26-27 days a month.

Twice on Saturday,
twice on Sunday.

Catching eight, nine
airplanes a week.

It was basically a
necessity just to continue.

And you took pills to go to sleep,
you took pills because of your pain,

you took cocaine to wake up so you
could perform, you drank to go to sleep,

you took sleeping pills.

It's a trap, you know?

It's a trap.

Cocaine.

It speeds me up so fast I
can't think about my past.

It speeds me up so fast that I
don't have to be responsible.

It's just really tough for me to
sit here and tell you guys this.

You have no idea how tough
it was today with my daughter.

There's not an addict
that's happy, okay?

You ever met a drug addict?

Or a homeless person that said,
when I was a child this was my dream?

No self-pity, no.

Absolutely not.

I do not feel sorry
for myself, okay?

That's all.

That's wrong.

Totally wrong.

If that's what you're getting
on that camera, it's wrong.

I do not feel sorry for myself.

I ask for every damn
thing I got, okay?

It had been six months
since I last saw Mick.

When he called me up and told me,
they were giving him the championship belt.

But he was going to lose it
at one of the WWF's biggest

pay-per-view events of
the year, the Royal Rumble.

This year, the Rumble
was taking place in Anaheim.

Mick told me he was
going to bring his family.

Come on, baby, let
the good times roll.

Roll all night long.

Are you okay there, buddy?

Let me see.

Mix it with your saliva so it looks a
lot worse than it really is, all right?

All right.

There you go.

There you go.

All right.

20 lashes.

Are you scared?

No.

No?

No.

I'm hoping when they
get on that plane in about

four hours after the
show that I'll be fine.

There's a chance that I won't be, and
that's... And we won't be on that plane?

Yeah.

Come on, baby, let
the good times roll.

Roll all night long.

The WWF championship's on the
line, and I quit match Mankind vs.

The Rock.

I accept.

You and I have the Royal
Rumble in an I quit match.

If you stop me, drop me with
something, and you start climbing like...

Get right the hell out
of the arena, okay?

Uh-huh.

I will not say them
here nor there.

I will not say them anywhere.

I will not say those
words, you twit.

I will not, will not say I quit.

I'm on the ladder.

It's your plan, huh?

Yeah.

That's fine.

But if that's the case,
we can get out of that one.

I'll run up there.

Okay.

I'll have the announcer pick up
the butter as soon as I'm up there.

Yeah.

You don't see me.

See this?

Big action.

Come on.

You come up.

Oh, wow.

Bam!

I think we might as well
hit the heavy stuff quick.

You know, Mr. Socko, he leaves you down,
but not able to say it because you're out.

How about put Socko right away?

First couple minutes.

Which one would you like?

White, white, or white?

White.

McFoy, we love him
because he can take anything.

This guy could qualify.

He can fall down, slam himself from
a two-story building, fall on spikes,

get hit by a chair and still
stand right up, and everything.

This guy kicks ass.

That's the pain advantage.

It's all about making it.

Make it kind of don't hurt.

You can throw him off the
top of the cage, onto the table.

That man know.

What the rock gonna do?

Rock bottom, man.

That man know.

When you go out there and you improvise
your ad lib, we have an idea of what we're

going to do, a couple
of things, but the rest

is just we'll go out
there and do our thing.

You know, a lot of it's on feel.

I'm banking on there'll
be a ton of heat on me.

Man a piece of shit that The
Rock is so it should be fine.

You know that's his
daddy's friend, right?

He's not gonna do anything
to really hurt daddy, right?

You know that?

You do, right?

You're not gonna
be scared, right?

He's gonna be okay.

You can go on back to the
future, you can do anything.

Alright?

Have a hug for
good luck, please.

You guys have a good time.

Did you have fun at Disneyland?

Did you?

Yeah.

What did you ride?

Everything.

I had a great time.

I hope I have energy left over.

Hi Steve, how are you?

Nice to see you again.

How are you doing?

How are you feeling Steve?

Ready to go?

How are you feeling?

I'm not feeling
very good at all.

But I'll be ready to go.

My little girl is out there.

Oh is she really?

Yeah.

Maybe I'll go see
her after the show.

Okay.

That'd be great.

Nice to see you again.

Okay, see you Steve.

Bye bye.

Dad's gotta go, okay?

Okay.

Love you guys.

Bye.

You too.

I gotta get ready.

Get ready?

We're not ready.

I'm not ready.

I'm not mentally... I had never
seen Mick this nervous before.

He clearly was preoccupied with
what was going to happen that night.

You play it by ear out there.

Whatever feels right, do it.

In other words, if they got a real tight
close-up and it's obvious that his lips

aren't moving to say it, then you can
just say, I don't see him saying that.

How'd he do that?

You're a little befuddled because
you've never seen anything like this.

You might have an explanation.

Okay.

A lot of dignitaries here to see the
action including... That was a rock.

Hey Bruce, when are
you going to see the rock?

He agreed with my analogy.

Oh!

A tight, quick match will
be the best physical W...

You're befuddled.

The Rock is a little
befuddled about this.

All of a sudden, The Rock has picked up
some really good candy ass standing on the

corner and Mick Foley's just
going to have his way with him?

No.

No.

Piss on that.

The Rock is the great one.

The Rock is the most electrifying
man in sports entertainment.

The Rock is the great one.

And tonight, after The Rock
makes that son of a bitch

scream, I quit, he's going
to be the best damn thing.

The best damn W.W.F.

champ there ever was.

Once again.

And just smell what
The Rock is cooking.

There you go.

I'm just afraid we
might miss the shot.

Okay.

Okay.

Make sure you're
facing the announcers.

Last minute.

Alright, I'll count you down.

30, 20, 15.

Alright?

Yeah.

Okay.

Take care, Rock.

Please be careful.

Well, here we go, Rock.

It is showtime.

The table is setting.

The big question is simply this.

Will you be able to do
what no one has ever

done and make mankind
utter the words, I quit?

I'll tell you what, mankind.

There's something about this whole
situation that really befuddles The Rock.

Because you see, The Rock isn't just some
moody, cool, candy ass on the corner of No

Euro Boulevard and
Jabroni Drive that you're

just going to have
your way with The Rock.

Well, uh-uh.

Because tonight, in front of the thousands
of Rock's fans here tonight, all chanting

his name, and the millions and
millions of The Rock's fans watching live,

The Rock Darren Dam teased
to prove to you that The Rock

is the most electrifying man
in sports entertainment today.

And after you utter the
words, I quit, The Rock will go

down as being the best damn
WWF champ there ever was.

If you smell what
The Rock is cooking.

Here we go guys, it is showtime.

It proves like most
great television!

Folks,

there are no pinfalls.

There are no count-outs.

There are no disqualifications.

When the night has
come, the light will see.

He's a freaking nut.

It's

really busting open now.

Do something!

He's ok.

He's ok.

I'm alright.

Its a boo boo.

No big deal.

It's a boo boo.

Its water.

Its a lot of water.

He's doing it.

He's okay.

He's doing it.

He's in the bathroom.

It's okay, sir.

He's right there.

He's smiling.

See?

He's like, yeah, thank you.

You guys are going to be okay.

Don't worry about
Daddy, alright?

They said they got a
plastic surgeon here.

This thing is broken.

I know, that's why.

Shit.

We're going to talk to him.

You guys okay?

Daddy's alright, okay?

Yeah.

Okay, don't worry anymore, okay?

Okay.

Okay.

You can't hurt Dada's.

I know, I know.

He's a little boo-boo.

It's a big boo-boo.

That's okay.

I hope everyone feels like they
got their money's worth out there.

But it's okay.

It's fake.

So...

Doesn't matter.

Here, take some water.

Oh, we have some
here, some fresh water.

You okay?

How are you doing?

He's okay.

He's okay.

They're putting daddy's head...

It's gonna be boo-boo, you
know, when you fall down.

Just a boo-boo like this.

You know how you fell down in Disney
a couple years ago, right on your nose?

You know, kind of like that.

I fell on my knees
a couple of times.

You need to vibe
a little bit, right?

Mick, what time is our flight?

You want to pick up the phone?

I gave him his ring.

Mick?

You want that charger, Collette?

No, I was testing his mind.

Oh, okay.

Mick, that was
unbelievable, brother.

Thank you, guys.

You alright?

Good shit.

It looked... Brother,
you are the fucking man.

Half of you are saying,
why the hell am I doing this?

And the other half is saying, this
is exactly why I died, you know?

Just that these...

You can't have these
matches very often.

You'd be dead.

You know, when you have someone as
good as Rocky, you trust his judgement.

If I saw him now, I'd
probably strangle him.

He hit me so damn many times.

But it was probably
in retrospect.

You look at that tape and
say that's what made it.

It was those last
couple extra ones.

Mick, I don't know if I can take much
more of this and let you know that.

I think we've reached
a lot of people.

You can't reach everybody.

You can't even reach a majority.

But I mean, there's a hell
of... You have to stop crying.

Can you hold... yeah.

We are entertainers, but I think...
If you don't move, I'll hold it, okay?

Well...

I think we reached... Can you
hold the hair up in the back?

I think we touched
a lot of people.

Yeah.

If you don't mind me saying.

I might touch you
later, if you don't mind.

Ow, have mercy.

That looks cute.

He is cute.

Thank you.

I am cute.

In a rugged type of way.

You okay?

Yeah?

You sure?

Wow.

I feel pretty good.

Hey.

Come on, love, hold on.

I forgot.

Come on, buddy.

Come on, dude.

Close your mouth.

Sit, don't open.

Wasn't too gratuitously
bloody, was it?

My thing tonight?

It was fabulous.

I'll let you know when
I get the feedback.

Okay.

I'll know more.

Thanks, man.

Thank you very much.

I'm in awe.

You feel okay?

I feel all right.

I'll take care of you tomorrow.

Okay.

I'm hoping...

I mean, someone was offended by
that, I think it was a hell of a contest.

I think...

You know, for every one person who was
offended and thought it was too violent,

there's probably 10 or 20 who
thought that it was dramatic.

That character just won't die.

You know, and then when they get the
story about how you were screwed, you know,

I mean, I just think that, you
know, that's show business.

Did you have fun?

Oh, yes, we had so much fun.

I was glad to see Mick was
OK and was happy that he

could walk out of the arena
with his family that night.

But the sight of Noelle
and Dewey watching their

father being beaten up
haunted me for weeks.

I decided to go to Florida
to show Mick the footage.

That right there is where
that picture was taken.

That was even
before things got... Oh.

I don't feel like such
a good dad anymore.

I felt very guilty all of a sudden, really
like my priorities were out of order.

I can't, I mean, I feel like a bad dad
and I've never felt like that ever before.

Right then I just felt
like I was a bad person.

I don't ever want to see
my children like that again.

Maybe I will be the guy
who pulls his sock out

of his tights for the
next couple of years.

That's... Reading.

For the... E, E, E, E, E, E, E.

Yeah, nothing's worth that.

Nothing.

I don't, I will never
do that again.

I don't want my children
involved in something like that.

You know, I want our
family to have the last laugh.

That's very good, Dewey.

I'm very proud of you.

That came in the mail?

Yeah.

Tony Jones and Michael Matas
never heard from the WWF.

Tony still works at Visa.

Michael left his job at the funeral home
and now delivers furniture for a living.

They both still hope
to make it as wrestlers.

As far as Roland, his
wrestling school is still open.

However, his monthly
gym wars shows will close

down because of
building code violations.

Punk's retirement
lasted all of three months.

He continued wrestling on a regular basis
until finally retiring on June 7th, 1999.

That is, until the next
offer comes along.

Since I last saw Jake,
he has spent considerable

time in jail for non-payment
of child support.

He has not spoken to or seen his
daughter since I filmed their reunion.

The draws never
made it his puke.

He did go on to become
a regular in the WWF.

Paul Heyman and ECW?

They're still hanging in there,
recently signing a deal with the Nashville

Network to produce a
weekly wrestling show.

Vince and the WWF?

They're stronger than ever.

They just issued an
IPO on the stock market.

The family business
has finally gone public.

As far as me, after three years on
the road, I still feel the same way about

wrestling that I did when
I was eight years old.

What kind of person
does this for a living?

They're showmen.

They're carnies.

They're fathers.

They're sons.

They're artists.

They're toys.

They're people with families with the
same concerns and fears we all share.

They're just like you and me.

Except they're really different.