In an exclusive interview with CasinoBeats, Ex-WWE star Mick Foley reveals his surprising match up for Wrestlemania 41 and speaks on how he made more from a meet & greet in Manchester than he did headlining Madison Square Garden.
We are up in Manchester at ‘For the Love of Wrestling’ convention with WWE Hall of Famer, the Hardcore Legend himself Mick Foley! It’s a pleasure to talk to you Mick. I’ve seen a constant stream of fans at your table today! How has the UK been treating you?
Mick Foley: Yeah I keep it really busy. It’s really nice to know people still care, especially care enough to spend money. It’s one thing to say hello, it’s another thing to come to the table. I spend time and I’m lucky I appreciate people saying hello too. But I appreciate the people coming to the table a little bit more.
Your legacy is huge and you’ve got this 40 years of Mick Foley tour coming up. How did that come about and how are you feeling about it?
MF: I feel really good. I mean, I started talking. I guess the fact that I’d written some books by myself and that a few of them had done really well, made me a credible college speaker. So over the course of about seven years, I probably spoke to maybe 50 colleges, including colleges like Notre Dame, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, some really great institutes of higher learning. And then when that dried up, I had an opportunity to pursue stand up comedy and , through trial and error, I realized that it was my stories as a wrestler that made me stand out. , that there were lots of people doing observational comedy and I would have had to have worked for them. A decade to become as good as them, but as far as telling stories, I had something I could do and it’s like anything else, the more you work at it, the better you get. I love doing them. I also love taking a break in between tours and thinking of concepts and stories. And so I’m going to be raking out some stories I’ve never told before, relying on a few golden oldies. And then every show is different because there’s a 45 minute Q&A. Sometimes the questions themselves lead to stories I otherwise would not have even thought of telling.
Wrestling has evolved since you were at your peak in WWE. How do you feel about the evolution of wrestling and the way it has toned down, becoming a bit more PG?
MF: Well, I mean, wrestling is always evolving and we have to for survival. If WWE didn’t make the moves they had in the 80s, things that really annoyed the wrestling purists, then we would have been trampled underneath by UFC. And instead, there’s a huge crossover and people seem to appreciate both of them but when you say toned down, I think the matches are better on a whole than they’ve ever been. And I see danger in a different way. I see things like the fast moves coming off the ropes are things that can hurt ligaments and things like that. So these really quick moves that require lightning speed and strength, they’re dangerous for your joints and your ligaments. But also I know how frustrated we were in the Attitude era that our ratings were through the roof and we couldn’t get sponsors like nobody would touch us. So I definitely understand why WWE moved in the direction they did. They made it more accessible to people, not only in the United States, but around the world and so worldwide, wrestling and WWE has never been more popular.
Do you feel you were somewhat undervalued during your time in WWE?
MF: Well, I’m never going to begrudge anybody who gets what they deserve but yeah, maybe if I’d come along at a different time, but if I come along at a different time, maybe I wouldn’t have been utilized as well. I was kind of an outside the box type of wrestler and I was lucky that when I got to WWE, the powers that be saw something in me and used me really well. But I’m lucky that I can come to Manchester and have people waiting in line to see me. I mean, I haven’t wrestled full time in 25 years. I seriously thought I had a 18 month shelf life before everyone forgot about me. If you would have told me that I’d be making more money for a signing in Manchester than I did by ‘main eventing’ at Madison Square Garden, I would have thought you were crazy.
I suppose your legacy is so larger than life because of the characters you created. People love them all but of Cactus Jack, Mankind, Dude Love, Mick Foley which did you enjoy wrestling as the most?
MF: Oh man, I hate to say it but I am going to be fence sitting big time. I came to realize that the latter day Mankind really connected with people, especially people who didn’t feel like they fit in. And over the years, at first I started getting comments from people like Hey what you did, the stuff I did with Dwayne Johnson as the Rock and Sock Connection really made people laugh, took their minds off their problems. When it came to the big matches, I’m a Cactus Jack guy. Dude love was always the distant third until I started doing cameo videos and I just kind of reinvented him. Like I went downstairs and I saw this guy literally wearing a jacket made out of action figures so I said hey, come over to my table, I have an idea. And I did need to look at the lyrics of Coat of Many Colors, but I did my version by Coat of Action Figures, which my mama made for me. Dude Love can, he can do silly stuff and goofy stuff and sing songs and do Christmas carols and things like that. So I love all the characters.
The video of you and The Undertaker watching your Hell in Cell match back is great because it’s interesting to see your insight on it. Was your idea to get thrown off the top of the cage and choked slammed through the roof or did it just happen organically?
MF: Oh, that’s on a need to know basis. Do I strike you as someone who would be stupid enough or brave enough to be thrown willingly off the top of something? Maybe we’ll just leave that to the imagination of our viewers. Viewers, do I look that stupid? Yes I am. Getting chokeslammed through the ring? The chokeslam was an ad lib on the cages part because there was no way to protect myself. So I’m really lucky I didn’t get hurt much worse than I did. Funny thing is for people at home like, Isn’t that a terrible look? [Shows his missing teeth] I’m missing my bottom teeth and the top teeth but the bottom teeth were the ones that were knocked out that night. And so they serve as a reminder. So I don’t need a house full of memorabilia because I’ve got a smile that tells me what I did for a living.
The WWE kind of commemorated your hardcore attitude by presenting you with the Hardcore Championship belt not long after that?
MF: I think in the storyline, it was supposed to look like a piece of junk. But the way that I embraced it and the way that the other superstars in WWE and Al Snow like we really made a big deal out of it. And so I would say by far, like 5 to 1, I’ve signed more hardcore titles, replica titles, than I have any other title. People love that title, and they miss it. It’s sad it’s been retired. Do you think they should bring it back? I don’t know, because we can’t get away with the things that we used to do. And then you normalize that kind of wild stuff, and that takes away from the special stipulation matches that make pay per views special.
I believe you bumped into Logan Paul backstage at the Royal Rumble in January. How did that conversation go and how do you feel about his contribution to WWE so far?
MF: All I want from someone who comes from another world is for them to respect it. They don’t have to love it, but they have to respect it. And he was like, he said he grew up a big fan and he wanted to do stuff like I did. And I said, I knew when I was doing what I did. That other people would come along and add the natural athleticism that I never had. And so guys like Jeff Hardy did it and Darby Allen and AEW and Logan’s doing a great job. So I don’t have any problem with people coming in. Bad Bunny obviously took it very seriously. I think you have to. There’s some real wisdom to what Mr. Miyagi said to Daniel LaRusso. He said, if you stand on one side of the road, you’re fine. Stand on the other, you’re fine. Stand in the middle, you get squashed like a grape. And so that was what I kept in mind when I did the wild stuff in Japan. You either don’t do it, or you go for it. But if you stand in the middle you risk getting hurt worse or you risk not making an impression on anybody. And so we’re all about making impressions.
Do you reckon the WWE will ever induct specific matches into the Hall of Fame like the UFC do and if they did what matches would get in?
MF: I have to tell you I’ve never heard of that before. The NBA Hall of Fame does that or. Your Hell in a Cell would definitely be the first one in. I’m pretty sure everyone would be in agreement on that. I don’t know if it would be the first one in, but I think it would be a, be part of the first intake, I would like to think so at least. I think that Cell match is the only match in wrestling history that people celebrate the anniversary of. Like they remember where they were and they like to relive it. It’s got its legacy of its own, which not many matches can say to be fair.
You never wrestled Hulk Hogan which might surprise a few people. Why was that?
MF: No, I did a couple of in-ring promos with Hulk, and it is a big deal. I think there’s two types of people in the wrestling world; those who will admit that it’s a big deal to be in the ring with him, and those who lie about it. And it makes me wish that I had stayed in Impact Wrestling just a few months longer, because I think if Hulk and I had had a match, we could have had a pretty good match. I mean, it would’ve been a little on the methodical side, but I believe we could have told his story and gotten a great reaction out of it.
It was nice that he finally apologised to you about the Terry Funk comparison comments.
MF: He did. What I said to him was, I appreciate that it was not necessary, but it was very much appreciated.
Uso vs. GUNTHER is currently the only official match for WrestleMania 41. What other matches would you like to see on the bill?
MF: I would like to see Dirty Dom get his comeuppance from Rhea Ripley. I would love to see an Intergender match. I mean, I know some people would think she’s beyond a stipulation match of that type but I would personally like to see that. I’d like to see the return of Becky Lynch. Either at Mania or before Mania. She’s doing good as a mom. She has a new contract and I think they’re just waiting for the right time to bring her back.
It’s John Cena’s final year in WWE. What do you hope he achieves before he walks away?
MF: I sang a birthday song of my own writing to John Cena, and he had tears. It was John Cena Senior. It was John’s dad, but he was still John Cena. And it was the day after his 81st birthday, and I sang my version of My Way, which I changed to Birthday. If you want a little bit of it? Singing >> The years go by so fast, at every stop, you cheered me on, son. That night at Worcester Mass, I won the belt, I beat Dwayne Johnson. To think you saw all that. You saw Mankind in its best and worst ways. And now, mankind sees you on your birthday! << It was just time for a new version and happy birthday to you has run its course, it’s been sung billions of times, it was time for a new classic, so I wrote one.
I read that you said you think Shane McMahon is fearless. Do you think he was born fearless or do you think he just kind of trained his mind to not feel fear?
MF: I don’t know. I hear from the Mean Street Posse that he was always kind of fearless. One of them, Pete Gas, said they used to go out and he’d be car surfing at 60 miles per hour. You wouldn’t get me on the top of a car at all. Of course, I couldn’t balance up there. So I don’t know if it’s always been in him, but since his teen years, I think he’s been pretty fearless. Maybe if something was to earn his dad’s approval maybe a rebellion, but I think he was always a thrill seeker.
The Undertaker and yourself kind of have opposing views politically, which has been documented. You’re certainly no fan of Donald Trump but what have you made of the start of second term as President of the USA?
MF: Well I’m not happy about it but I can’t go around holding a grudge against 70 percent of the men I run into. I saw what I saw on January 6th and I think a lot of people forget what they saw and instead saw what they hoped they saw after the fact. I mean if you would have taken a poll of the nation at that time, it would have been a ridiculously small number that said, yeah I’m voting for that guy who tried to overthrow a duly elected president. Short memories. I mean, it’s a shame because it’s not just in the United States, but the world in general, like you can’t go backwards on global warming, but we are. Why that ranked 22nd among American voters in importance, over the price of eggs which they think was more important than global warming. So it’s a shame, but I remember in 2016 when he won I just said, man we’re going to need more happiness in the world and I’m going to try to spread it. So I don’t ask someone when they say hello to me who they voted for before I take a photo with them or anything like that. So I’m just trying to see if we can all get along. Big, big mistake in my opinion, but the people of America voted and made their voice heard and we’ll see what happens in the future. To wipe out USAid because five guys with no government experience said there was fraud? Well let’s see that and how much fraud is there and is it worth having thousands of people and famine affected countries die. I just don’t understand and I think it’s very short sighted. And I don’t know how no one picked up on the fact that Trump mispronounced Kamala Harris’ name when there was a 400 pound black wrestler who was supposed to be a Ugandan savage named Kamala. I think he knows that and that’s why he did it. Because even if people don’t realise it, he’s planting that seed of association. Kamala Harris, who’s a beautiful woman, is not Ugandan.
Will Ospreay is a British wrestler with huge potential. Where do you see his future?
MF: I’m laughing because my daughter was on the Jericho cruise and she said Will is quite the character, which I didn’t know. But he’s phenomenal. I was so impressed since I saw him and Ricochet just doing some amazing stuff. So yeah, I mean, his future is pretty much limitless at this point.
Now that Tyson Fury is retired from boxing, do you think another WWE run could be on the cards?
MF: Oh he is? I didn’t know that. Tyson Fury’s made for our world. He really enjoys it. Another guy who respects it. I met him and he was a big wrestling fan and he didn’t just bring a lot of fun to it, but he brought a lot of talent. I mean a guy that size just the way he was moving away and dodging punches, kind of like Muhammad Ali with the quickness and the head movements were unbelievable. Amazing stuff.
What about Conor McGregor? Can you see him getting a shot?
MF: I mean, I’d have to see how big Conor is when he’s not cutting weight. I mean, you have to really love it and I don’t know what the incentive would be unless he wants the spotlight. I’m sure he would find a way to be really good at it. But let’s face it, what he did was take WWE and bring it to UFC. Like he even has the Vince McMahon walk. I mean even Muhammad Ali admits that he got his schtick, in fairness it wasn’t schtick, it was much more than that, from watching Gorgeous George. So a lot of people have borrowed from what we do and used it in their realm of sports or even politics. Conor would do very well if he put his heart into it.
If Tony Khan came calling with the offer of maybe like a managerial role in AEW, would you be interested?
MF: Well, what’s funny is I met with Tony Khan for lunch years and years ago and I would occasionally, back when I was on Twitter, I’d occasionally DM him like ‘Hey, see if you can get the music to Thunderstruck for Thunder Rosa, just little things like that for. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to travel every week to do a show. I really like what I’m doing now. I like being able to pick or choose and I do keep busy. But I like the idea that if I don’t want to be on the road, I just don’t take bookings for a week or two, and then I have myself two or three weeks off. When I was the general manager, on paper it doesn’t sound like a lot of work, but it’s not one day of work. It’s three, it’s one day traveling there, one day at work, one day back, and you can never ask for a day off. And so I’m a guy that likes to go to amusement parks and go and see things and you couldn’t do that.
Vince McMahon has had such a huge impact on the wrestling world. Can you remember your initial reaction the first time you met him and how that went down?
MF: Yeah, I remember he was calling me Mike! Yeah, we want to know what’s best for Mike. I feel like saying what’s best for Mike is to be called Mick. I didn’t know until after I’d recorded my initial vignettes that he really wasn’t that familiar with what I did. So everyone liked the initial Mankind vignettes except the guy who needed to like them. And so I had to kind of dig myself out of a hole and find my way, with that character to his liking. And luckily for me, when I did, he strapped the rocket to my back, as we say in the business.
Was there any kind of storylines or angles that he was suggesting that you weren’t keen on, or you tried to actually push back against, or did you kind of just go with the flow?
MF: Yeah, I wasn’t hesitant. There was one time in particular where Vince and the company wanted me to do a heel turn but it was shortly after the Mankind babyface turn. This is in 1998 and I sensed that this was real. I’d been in wrestling at that point for 13 years. And I sensed that it was working on a level that very few performers are able to connect on. So I pleaded with him, just keep me a babyface, please, please, like this is working. And so Vince would call me a yucky babyface. But I was really glad that I really spoke up about that because I’m not sure if people would be here like they are now at these events if I hadn’t had that longer run.
Was this the era where all the Mr. Socko signs were in the crowd?
MF: Yeah. It would have worked in the short term. I could have had one or two big pay per views as heel Mankind but I think it would have flattened out pretty quickly after that.
Who’s the most charismatic wrestler you’ve ever wrestled?
MF: I mean Ric Flair had endless charisma, but there’s a reason why The Rock’s the biggest star in the world. He was just able to segue what he had done in wrestling into Hollywood. I would say seemingly effortlessly but anytime something seems effortless, it’s because somebody’s put a lot of hard work into making it look that way. So he’s always been the hardest worker in the room and deserves all the success he can get. And he’s the first person to respond to me when I send out my Santa videos. He is a big fan of the Foley Santa videos.
What about the most underrated wrestler that you’ve wrestled with?
MF: Man we always say Brad Armstrong from the famous Armstrong family was a really underrated wrestler. Bobby Eaton, probably historically underrated. If you gave me a list of people, I could probably say who I felt was overlooked. Al Snow! Al Snow was underrated. But those are a couple off the top of my mind.
The favorite match you ever competed in?
MF: My favorite match I ever competed in was Backlash against Randy Orton.
What about your WWE Mount Rushmore?
MF: I was just asked about my Mount Rushmore earlier but it was not a WWE Mount Rushmore. Okay, what is the general Mount Rushmore? My general Mount Rushmore would be Terry Funk, Shawn Michaels, Bruiser Brody and Tommy Billington, the Dynamite Kid. Those are unusual choices, but no one says ‘nah they don’t deserve to be there’. If it was a WWE Mount Rushmore, I’d go with Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Your daughter was training to become a wrestler but she unfortunately suffered a concussion on a roller coaster. That must have been a tough time for her.
MF: It’s been really tough because I was talking with Shane Douglas about it saying, look how many times we had our brains jogged. She had one serious concussion and it changed her whole life. She’s still undergoing treatment for it, but she’s coming around and she’s doing better. She was on the Jericho cruise, which she never could have done a year or two ago and just fingers crossed prayers being said that she’ll continue to heal.
