Columns
Morning Glory #5: A True
Ledgend
Mick Foley was never the
greatest wrestler in the world, nor did he ever claim to be. He couldn’t use a manner
of submission holds or suplexes like Chris Benoit or Kurt Angle. He hadn’t learnt his
trade in the Dungeon like Bret Hart, and he couldn’t fly through the air like Shawn
Michaels. Foley was a good brawler. Mick Foley never had the greatest ‘look’ in
wrestling. He wasn’t 6’10’’, and covered in intimidating tattoos. He
didn’t look like a member of a boy band, and didn’t elicit huge pops from the
female contingent of the fans. His muscles didn’t bulge from a vest, and he most
certainly didn’t have a ‘six pack’ for a stomach. Foley was of average
height, and was quite obviously overweight. He had a missing ear; from a match with Vader
in his early career, and didn’t look like a wrestler should. Foley was never marketed
as a mainstream star the calibre of Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan or The Rock. Only after his
retirement and subsequent books did his star shine that brightly. But in 10 years, I
guarantee you Mick Foley will STILL be recognized as a true legend of the sport, above
more talented men than him. But the question is, why?
Mick Foley entered into the WWE in mid 1996. Before this, he had been in WCW, and also had
a short time in ECW. Foley’s WCW run as Cactus Jack was moderately successful; he had
seen a decent push as both a face and a heel, and had a few World Title shots along the
way. In ECW, Foley’s reputation as a brawler and a complete headcase shone through,
especially in his brutal matches with the likes of Terry Funk. His entrance into the WWE
was met with a huge push as a major heel, going by the name of Mankind. Mankind was a
Hannibal Lecter-type psychopath character, and Foley played the character down to a tee.
His first feud came against The Undertaker, and Mankind was given some huge victories over
the ‘Dead Man’, most notably in a match called the Boiler Room Brawl at
Summerslam 1996. Foley not only won the match, but also gained a new manager in the
heel-turned Paul Bearer. His push continued through 1996, and by the end of the year he
was arguably the WWE’s #1 heel at the time. But better things were to come from
Foley.
After continuing his Mankind heel run through early 1997, Foley was turned face during
that summer, through a series of interviews and vignettes with Jim Ross. Foley’s face
turn also marked the debut of a new character, called Dude Love. The character showed
Foley’s ‘fun’ side, as he danced, preened, and generally behaved like an
idiot, to the delight of the crowds. Foley got progressively more over through 1997, and
brought back his old Cactus Jack persona towards the end of the year, carrying through
early 1998 with that guise, and winning the tag titles with old rival Terry Funk. When
Steve Austin’s feud with the corporate head honcho Vince McMahon began to take off,
McMahon needed a lackey to face Austin in the ring. Foley, as Dude Love, was that man.
Dude and Austin had two awesome PPV matches in April and May of 1998, after which Foley
returned to his Mankind persona, for his most famed moment of them all.
At June’s King Of The Ring, Foley was put into the Hell In A Cell match with longtime
foe Undertaker as his opponent. And everyone knows what happened next, as Foley was thrown
off the roof of the cell, then THROUGH the roof, in two of the biggest bumps of all time.
The fans gained a new respect for Foley, and the match’s place; if not Foley’s,
was guaranteed in the history books. Foley turned face shortly after, and stayed that way
for the remainder of his career. He went on to win three WWE World Titles, in an awesome
feud with The Rock that got some huge ratings for the company, and became one of the
WWE’s premier wrestlers until his retirement in early 2000. There’s a short
biography of Mick Foley….so what makes him a true legend?
Well, it’s simple really. Not the big bumps, nor the three personas. The reason why
Mick Foley is a true legend is the way he went out of the wrestling business. Wrestling,
above all sports, is known for false retirements. Roddy Piper retired in 1987, and was
still wrestling in 1999. Hulk Hogan retired in 1999, but since then he’s had a lot of
comebacks. Shawn Michaels was the most recent; coming back from a four year layoff to face
Triple H at Summerslam. Even wrestling COLUMNISTS have false retirements; the
Oratory’s very own John C being the first one that comes to mind. But Mick Foley is
probably the lone exception. Since his retirement at Wrestlemania 2000, Foley has not set
foot in the squared circle as a wrestler. Sure, he’s been on TV for two runs as
Commissioner, and it’s always likely that he’ll return in some sort of
commentator/commissioner role in the future. But for now, Foley has honoured his
retirement.
Unlike other wrestlers, Foley knew when his time was up; he knew when he wouldn’t be
able to take any more of those crazy bumps, or put on a ****+ match, or even dish out the
punishment like he used to. So he walked away from wrestling, at the right time. Foley had
won the WWE World Title three times, and had held numerous Tag Titles. What would have
been a good reason to stick around? Winning the Intercontinental title? Don’t make me
laugh. Foley is the only wrestler I can think of to actually retire when his peak years
were over, with no comebacks, and no injuries forcing him out of the game like Shawn
Michaels. Foley didn’t stick around for another few years, like Ric Flair, Hulk
Hogan, and in some aspects The Undertaker. In an analogy, he’d done his time, and was
free to go, so he left. Obviously, Foley was in no way ego-driven; he was down to earth
and intelligent enough to know that his best years were behind him, and no amount of
persuasion could change that. Contrast that with the story of Ric Flair, who has been
wrestling for over 30 years, and is for some unknown reason still going now; tarnishing
his legacy in the process. What is Flair still doing in the ring? He’s accomplished
everything, and this latest run is just helping to knock all that down. Compared to
someone like Flair, Foley’s story stands out.
‘Passing the torch’ is one of the aspects that internet wrestling fans
constantly talk about. At Wrestlemania III, Andre The Giant ‘passed the torch’
to Hulk Hogan. Hogan ran with that torch, and became the biggest star that the wrestling
business had, and arguably ever has seen. And no matter how many losses Hogan has to his
name, or how many times Hogan has now elevated younger talent, I believe Hogan is still
holding the said torch. He’s still around, and his star still eclipses that of other
wrestlers that the torch has supposedly been given to. See the Ultimate Warrior around
these days? Anyone? Exactly. Now, if Hogan never returns, it could be argued that he DID
finally pass the torch to Brock Lesnar, but of course, a Hogan comeback (again) is always
likely, so we’ll pass over that. In my view, every wrestler of main event status has
a torch to pass on. But the torch is only truly passed once that wrestler is gone. Shawn
Michaels passed the torch to Steve Austin, and never set foot into the ring again (until
this year). THAT is passing the torch.
And Mick Foley did the same to Triple H. Foley lost three major matches, cleanly, to HHH.
He knew that that was the best thing for the business; knew that Helmsley needed the wins
to cement his place in the upper echelon of the WWE. Foley did the right thing. And that,
for me, is the reason that makes him a true legend. HHH himself doesn’t look likely
to do for anyone else what Foley did for him, especially not for someone who needs it,
like Chris Jericho. Undertaker, a man who is far past his prime, doesn’t either;
instead preferring to stay as the indestructible monster he’s always been. Hulk
Hogan? His legacy was tarnished by years of refusal to put over new talent. Steve Austin
turned his tail and ran rather than pass his torch. The Rock has passed the torch to so
many people that it doesn’t mean much any more; same with Ric Flair, who of course
still holds his because he’s still around. The only main eventer who possesses
Foley-like qualities seems to be Kurt Angle. But Angle is only just beginning his career,
so who knows? He may develop an ego tomorrow.
Mick Foley was an unselfish, non-egotistic, ‘best for the business’ guy. He
worked his ass off to give the fans the greatest matches that he could give. With not a
large amount of talent, and not having an outstanding look, Foley climbed to the top of
the business on sheer hard work. He did as he was asked, and walked away at the top of his
game, knowing that there was no more he could ever give. That, in my book, makes Mick
Foley a legend over Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, and even Ric Flair. And Mick….if
you’re reading this…..no ‘one night comebacks’….please.
Scott Newman: scott.newman@ntlworld.com
AOLIM: thesuperstar24
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