Mick Foley

name=Mick Foley

Wrestling career

Foley, who became a professional wrestler in 1983, was noted for his hardcore matches, which frequently left him injured. These injuries included eight concussions, part of his ear being ripped off, and over 300 stitches. While he is self-admittedly not one of the most physically-gifted wrestlers of all-time, Foley gained notoriety for his thoughtful and intense promos, in-ring tenacity, and willingness to put his body on the line for many dangerous spots. He was also known for having three distinct gimmicks as a wrestler: Cactus Jack, a maniacal and bloodthirsty Western outlaw, Mankind, a tortured soul who hid behind a leather mask and inflicted pain on others to ease his memories of his dark past, and Dude Love, a swinging "hip cat" and weenie. In addition to these, he occasionally also wrestled as "Mick Foley."

Related Topics:
1983 - Promos - Spots - Gimmicks

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Foley first wrestled and gained popularity in Japan, World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) as Cactus Jack throughout the mid-to-late 80s and early 90s. In 1995, he won the IWA Japan King of the Death Match Tournament. He achieved his highest success, however, in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as Mankind, arriving in 1996 and winning the WWF Championship on an episode of RAW which aired on January 4th, 1999. On the night Foley's title win was to be broadcast, WCW announcer Tony Schiavone announced on WCW's competing Monday Nitro that Foley would win his first championship, which WCW knew because the WWF's Raw had been taped previously and Nitro was live. He then added the sarcastic remark, "That'll put a lot of butts in the seats." As a testament to Foley's popularity, Nielsen ratings showed that over 100,000 viewers switched from Nitro to Raw almost immediately, dispite the Hogan vs Nash main event which led to the reformation of the nWo. Foley later stated that he took great personal pride from this, and "Mick Foley put my butt in this seat" signs were seen in arenas for years afterward.

Related Topics:
Japan - World Championship Wrestling - Extreme Championship Wrestling - 80s - 90s - 1995 - IWA Japan - World Wrestling Federation - 1996 - WWF Championship - Monday Nitro - Raw - Nielsen ratings

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One of his most famous matches occurred during the WWF King of the Ring PPV in 1998. Foley, in his Mankind persona, was wrestling The Undertaker when he was thrown off of the Hell in a Cell cage (which is similar to a steel cage but with a mesh ceiling as well) from 16 ft. in the air and landed on an announcing table, which broke his fall. Officials ran down and the match was suspended as Foley was wheeled away on a stretcher, but halfway up the ramp to the back, Foley got up, determined to continue the match. After climbing back up the side of the cage to meet the Undertaker, Foley was chokeslammed through the roof of the cage and into the ring below, which was not supposed to happen. His costume that night held more padding, designed to shield the first blow, but not enough for 2 blows, which made the fallmuch more devastating given the angle of impact on Foley, the lack of something collapsable to break his fall and that it was not supposed to happen. Additionally, a steel chair followed him down, which landed on his face, knocking out some of his teeth. Foley recalls that it was one of the only times he had ever been knocked unconcious. In-ring officials and other WWF personalities came down to the ring in an effort to buy Foley time to come-to. Somehow, he was able to continue the match for several more minutes, including almost winning the match after some moves. In dramatic fashion, after winning the upper-hand against the Undertaker, Foley retrieved a special "weapon" from under the ring: thumbtacks. He spread the tacks onto the ring mat, then knocked the Undertaker perilously close to the tacks, before the Undertaker fought back. After climbing onto the Undertaker's back performing the mandible claw (designed to knock opponent's out), the Undertaker fell swiftly backwards, slamming Foley's entire backside into the thumbtacks. Foley almost immeadiately got up, when the Undertaker choke-slammed him back into the thumbtacks, then finnished off Mick with a tombstone piledriver to finnaly win the match. Both wrestlers got a standing ovation for the match, and the event is credited for putting Mick Foley on the map. Many future matches attempt to replicate some of the spots from this match.

Related Topics:
King of the Ring - PPV - 1998 - The Undertaker - Hell in a Cell - Announcing table

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In 1998 Mick Foley was a contender for the TIME Magazine Man of the Year title, which was to be decided by an online vote. A huge turnout of wrestling fans gave Foley over 50% of the vote. However, before the final count Time removed him from the competition. "I was told that Time magazine did not feel that I had done anything to make me worthy of being man of the year."

Related Topics:
TIME Magazine - Man of the Year

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After retiring from active competition, Foley served as storyline WWE Commissioner and later replaced Stone Cold Steve Austin as co-general manager of RAW. He eventually tired of the day-to-day travel and left his full-time duties to write and spend time with his family.

Related Topics:
Storyline - Stone Cold Steve Austin

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Throughout his career, and under all of his aliases, Foley has proved extremely popular to his fans, even when he wrestled as a villain. Foley has always been accessible to his fans and will spend long periods of time with them signing autographs and posing for pictures. His hard work is often credited with helping to re-establish pro wrestling's popularity after the steroid and sex scandals of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Related Topics:
Steroid - 1980s - 1990s

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Aliases

Foley most famously wrestled as Cactus Jack in the independent circuit, at times billed as Cactus Jack Manson during those early years. He was just Cactus Jack when later wrestling in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, WCW, and ECW, however. When he joined the WWF he debuted as the heel gimmic of Mankind in March 1996, later turning face and becoming Dude Love, his former teenage alter ego and then the babyface gimmic of Mankind with his "friend" Mr. Socko early 1997, and finaly bringing back Cactus Jack in a match against Hunter Hearst Helmsley in Madison Square Garden on September 22, 1997.

Related Topics:
Independent circuit - Smoky Mountain Wrestling - March - 1996 - Hunter Hearst Helmsley - Madison Square Garden - September 22 - 1997

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Dude Love first appeared on July 14, 1997 on an episode of Raw Is War. He came to the aid of Stone Cold Steve Austin in a match against Owen Hart and the British Bulldog. The Dude Love character was actually created by Foley when he was a teenager growing up in Long Island, New York. A big fan of pro wrestling, Dude Love was Foley's wrestling alter ego among his friends, and Foley appeared as the Dude in home movies, portions of which were later shown on WWF television. He admitted that Dude Love was not his favorite character to play. The Dude Love persona was different from his other characters. Foley last appeared as Dude Love in 1998.

Related Topics:
1997 - Raw Is War - Owen Hart - British Bulldog - Teenager - Long Island - New York - 1998

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Only on six occasions has Foley wrestled under his own name, a victory versus Terry Funk in a no holds barred falls count anywhere match on May 4, 1998; versus Triple H, The Rock and The Big Show in a fatal four way elimination match for Triple H's WWE Championship at WrestleMania 2000, being the second man eliminated; a forfeit loss to Randy Orton in December 2003; as the 21st entrant into the 2004 Royal Rumble match, eliminating himself and Orton; in a loss while teaming with Rock in a handicap tag match at WrestleMania XX against Orton, Batista and Ric Flair in which he was pinned by Orton; and in a 8 Man Tag Team Match where Foley, Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit and Shelton Benjamin defeated Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista and Randy Orton on the April 12,2004 episode of WWE RAW.

Related Topics:
Terry Funk - May 4 - 1998 - Triple H - The Rock - The Big Show - WWE Championship - WrestleMania 2000 - Randy Orton - December - 2003 - 2004 - Royal Rumble - WrestleMania XX - Batista - Ric Flair - Shawn Michaels - Chris Benoit - Shelton Benjamin - Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista and Randy Orton - April 12 - WWE RAW

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Foley's final match to date was as Cactus Jack once more, losing a street fight for the WWE Intercontinental Championship against defending champ Randy Orton at WWE Backlash 2004.

Related Topics:
WWE Intercontinental Championship - Randy Orton - WWE Backlash - 2004

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Foley has made numerous appearances in the independent promotion Ring of Honor. He first appeared in ROH in September 2004 at Glory by Honor III and cut a promo calling ROH- Ring of Hardcore. Later that night, he came to the aid of BJ Whitmer and Dan Maff, spraying the ROH wrestlers with a fire extinguisher. During his time in ROH, he has been involved in feuds with Ricky Steamboat, Samoa Joe and The Embassay. He made his last ROH appearance on Saturday, September 17, 2005 at Glory by Honor IV, and was in the corner of AJ Styles. He can no longer make appearances in ROH because of his new deal with WWE.

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He recently appeared as a color commentator at WWE's ECW One Night Stand PPV, which aired on 12 June 2005 and is currently in negotiations with WWE Creative regarding a storyline for his return. It has been announced that he will return to Raw on October 3, 2005, which will be the first show on USA Network since 2000. Mick did infact come back on the USA Network on October 3rd. He came back as a guest on the legendary, Pipers Pit, hosted by WWE legand Rowdy Roddy Piper. He was asked when was he comming back to Raw and just when he was getting ready to tell us the Legend Killer, Randy Orton came to the ring only to deliver the RKO to both Piper and Mick.

Related Topics:
ECW One Night Stand - 12 June - 2005 - October 3 - USA Network

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