Mick Foley has shared an emotional tribute following the death of longtime friend and Beyond The Mat director Barry Blaustein, reflecting on a friendship that stretched across more than three decades and helped shape both his wrestling career and personal life.

Blaustein, the acclaimed Hollywood writer behind classics including Coming to America and The Nutty Professor, passed away on May 12, 2026, following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

In a lengthy Facebook post, Foley opened up about first meeting Blaustein during a chance encounter in Las Vegas back in 1994 while preparing for a match against Sabu. At the time, Blaustein was beginning work on what would eventually become the landmark wrestling documentary Beyond The Mat.

Foley explained that neither of them could have known how important that meeting would become.

“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.”

Foley noted that his brutal bout with Sabu later inspired his 2004 WWE comeback run, including what he described as the best match of his career against Randy Orton at Backlash.

He also reflected on how Beyond The Mat became one of the most respected wrestling documentaries ever made and revealed that, despite Blaustein’s success in Hollywood, the filmmaker always considered the wrestling project his favorite work.

“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.”

The WWE Hall of Famer spoke warmly about the deep friendship they built over the years, sharing memories of staying at the Blaustein family home, watching wrestling together, and spending time with his children.

Foley also included a touching message from his wife Colette, who described Blaustein as “family to us.”

“I know we both loved him dearly,” she wrote. “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.”

Foley additionally recalled the tension the documentary created behind the scenes in WWE at the time, revealing that Vince McMahon strongly disliked the film because he believed it exposed too much of wrestling’s inner workings.

“WWE was not thrilled about my eagerness to embrace and promote the film,” Foley explained. “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.”

One of the most emotional parts of Foley’s tribute focused on their final meeting in Los Angeles. Blaustein had been battling Parkinson’s disease for years before later being diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer.

Foley flew out on short notice to attend a special screening of Beyond The Mat after Blaustein became too ill to appear publicly himself. Following the screening, Foley spent time with Blaustein and his family in what he described as a “magical” evening filled with stories, laughter, and memories.

The post ended with Foley sharing that he wrote Blaustein a heartfelt letter during his final days, but it sadly arrived just hours after his passing.

“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.”