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The New York Post was the first to report the story.
Mick Foley is the first announced member of the 2013 class in WWE’s Hall of Fame. He will join multiple other personalities who have contributed to the organization one way or another in a commencement ceremony at the hallowed Madison Square Garden on Saturday, April the 6th. It is the night before WrestleMania XXIX at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The spot for Foley to be inducted is ironic because not only will he be inducted as a member of the Hall of Fame there, but it’s also the same arena he went to where he had a life-changing experience.
Like any wrestling fan in his youth, Foley wanted to see a huge show bad. Any means necessary. That meant hitchhiking his way to the Garden.
The main event of that show, which took place in 1983 when Mick was just 17, pit Don Muraco against Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka inside of a steel cage. Muraco won the match, but it was Snuka’s post-match leap of faith off the cage which inspired Foley to take up a career in wrestling.
Trained by Dominic Denucci, Foley had a penchant for taking dangerous-looking bumps. This specific physical trait set the stage for not only Foley’s in-ring style, but also some of the most outrageous stunts in professional wrestling history.
While he did work the rounds as a jobber at first, Foley would first strike national attention as Cactus Jack Manson, later shortened to Cactus Jack. In the early 1990’s, Jack brought an unorthodox style completely unbefitting of an organization whose roots were down in technical/methodical teachings. Simply put, Foley was ahead of his time.
His matches with Vader were infamous. Not only were they hard-hitting, but they also led to an infamous Foley fable. While overseas in Germany, Cactus accidentally lost half an ear during a routine hangman stunt in the ropes. For a man whose rap sheet of injuries is as long as War and Peace, this physical discrepancy was probably his most disfiguring one. Later in the WWE, these two would also be a short-lived tag team. Who knew?
During his time in WCW, Jack was introduced to ECW as part of a talent exchange. Shortly thereafter, the Philadelphia-based promotion run by mastermind (and former WCW co-hort) Paul Heyman would be Foley’s full time job.
Between ECW and numerous stints of hardcore Japan, Foley’s reputation as a death-defying risk-taker were cemented ten-fold. It didn’t matter if it was a VCR or barbed wire, Jack’s uncanny ability for violence left him a figure both beloved and belittled by fans.
WWE came a calling in early 1996. While it was a sad goodbye for Cactus to leave ECW, there would be no looking back from here.
Foley would transform into Mason the Mutilator Mankind. This deranged alter-ego had a dark past while his in-ring persona played off the indication he loved pain. On a side-note, Foley would later appear as a third alter-ego Dude Love. That gimmick wasn’t as well received, but still get recognized as one of the triumvirate of Foley’s faces.
Undertaker, from what this blogger understands, requested to be the opponent for Foley’s first WWE program. Mankind’s first WWE appearance sure enough was jumping the Undertaker after a match on RAW the night after WrestleMania XII. These two would feud on and off for the next three years, setting the stage for some of the most dangerously unbelievable matches perhaps ever in the history of sports-entertainment. At the same time, the style in which these two worked complimented them. Those battle tactics would translate greatly into their other opponents.
Foley would be a big catalyst during WWE’s Attitude Era. He brought a hardcore edge, one refined from his days in Japan and ECW. As a matter of fact, it was not uncommon to hear ECW chants during various no holds barred encounters. The leap of faith off the Hell in the Cell from King of the Ring in 1998 is widely considered a crowning achievement in WWE. Although this blogger notes getting a Pedigree face-first into thumbtacks is quite badass too.
December 28th, 1998 was the day WWE taped the RAW in which Mankind won the WWE Championship from The Rock. Airing on January the 4th in 1999, this was the show that went up against the “Fingerpoke of asses in the seats'” edition of WCW Nitro. Foley’s title win captured the hearts of millions, while WCW’s title swap broke the hearts of millions. This was the true turning point of the ‘War’, one which WCW could never recover from.
After winning the coveted title two more times in 1999, Foley would ‘retire’ from full time competition in early 2000 after a loss inside Hell in the Cell against Triple H.
While Foley would co-main event WrestleMania of 2000, his next major role in the WWE was that of the lovable goof Commissioner. His rule was always final as the gavel on the desk illustrated. “MICK JUST GAVE YOU SODA” was as important to his character as getting chucked off a cage.
In later years, Foley would turn up to work the occasional program. Whether it was to make a star out of Randy Orton, or to make Edge the most hardcore son of a bitch as opponent or ally, Foley’s presence in either program highly elevated his opponents’ stature.
Foley also endured a tour of TNA. He did indeed win their big gold strap once, but the run was mostly forgettable.
Foley re-signed with the WWE in 2011. His appearances are sporadic, but he makes them count. Whether it was a comedy spot in the Royal Rumble, or to have a verbal joust with champ CM Punk, Foley’s enigma never wore off with audiences and fans alike.
For a man whose contributions in the WWE could be measured in multiple ways, it is a great honor for Mick Foley to be enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame. MSG is not only where will history will be forever implanted, but it’s also where it all began for a hitchhiker wanting to see a leap of faith.
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Foley has a number of great products written or filmed on him. If you are new to the man and need to pick some stuff up, here are some links to do so:
Mick Foley’s Author Page @ Amazon – This features all the books he has ever written, ranging from autobiographies to novels.
Beyond the Mat – Barry W. Blaustein’s labor of love revolving around the real world of “fake” wrestling. Mick’s role is painful as he tries to juggle his death-defying antics with family. The original 2000 DVD, which is linked here, features an exclusive commentary track with Foley and Terry Funk.
Hard Knocks and Cheap Pops – WWE’s first full-hearted DVD presentation on Mick Foley. Sure there is Three Faces of Foley (and Madman Unleashed which was A&E’s Biography on him) that was released earlier, but it is nothing but fluff. Released in 2001, it’s a split format of documentary/matches. The documentary is over an hour long, and covers material from later 1999 to the end of 2000. Be aware that the Kennel from Hell match from Unforgiven 1999 is on here with exclusive commentary from Foley and Kevin (not Kelly) Kelly.
Greatest Hits and Misses, A Life in Wrestling – WWE’s second foray into presenting Foley’s career. This is all matches, albeit with some awesome bonus features added in. The version linked is the 2007 “Hardcore Edition”, which is an expanded third disc option. If you’re new to the wrestling biz, get that one as it contains more recent matches in there as well.
Wrestling Legend - If you need a ‘best of’ compilation of Foley’s TNA work, it is all there. I’ll admit I missed most of it, but some of those matches look pretty darn good.
For All Mankind – Not to be confused with a History Channel documentary by the same name, this is the new WWE project chronicling Foley’s life and career. As of this writing, the DVD and Blu-ray are scheduled to be released April the 16th. The format is expected to be documentary/matches. The documentary is planned around Foley’s life, while the matches may have a lot of repeats. At least the repeats won’t be censored this time, as some of them on recent sets are blur-fests.
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It wouldn’t be a Foley article without this:
