Mick Foley’s legendary career allowed him to become a top tier icon in WWE history. Fans remember Foley right after Steve Austin and The Rock when thinking about the biggest success stories of the Attitude Era. Foley’s reputation was positive for getting along with others, being easy to deal with and providing a respectable example as the face of the company.
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We will look at some of the more shocking stories about Foley’s world behind the scenes. Some of the backstage stories are more entertaining than the booking or writing of the shows on television. Foley clearly had a few fascinating moments out of the ring. Find out more about the life and career of the hardcore icon. The following backstage stories will help you learn more about Foley.
10 Vince hired him to punish JR
Vince McMahon had no interest in signing Mick Foley despite Jim Ross vouching for him. Ross has shared the story quite a few times about Vince agreeing with the intent to teach him a lesson. McMahon felt Foley would fail and JR would learn the lesson of having a talent break his heart.
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Foley instead proved Vince wrong by becoming a huge superstar. The portrayal of Mankind gave him a great rivalry with Undertaker. Foley eventually won the WWE Championship with his own persona getting over even more.
9 Went to Triple H with one recommendation in recent years
Triple H’s power in WWE has allowed him to hire or even rehire a few talented names on the free agent market. Drew McIntyre was among the more talented wrestlers to get released without having a respectable run.
Mick Foley saw a couple of Drew’s matches and promos after he left WWE. McIntyre clearly showed his passion and his untapped potential quickly into the free agent run. Foley recently revealed he texted Triple H with a rare message about looking at a free agent so he can return.
8 Used to sleep at fans' homes
Mick Foley had a reputation for being one of the cheapest wrestlers in the business. Despite making main event money in the Attitude Era, Foley would do anything possible to save a few bucks. One unusual idea was inspired from Owen Hart.
Foley would follow suit by sleeping at the homes of fans when in town for events. The other wrestlers paid money for hotel stays and privacy, but Foley would risk sleeping at the homes of people he barely knew. It helped him save money that added up at the end of his career.
7 Boycotted WWE night after Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob was one of the most controversial moments in WWE history since Vince McMahon changed the finish of a match without informing the wrestler. Bret Hart left WWE that night, but a few people considered boycotting Raw the following night.
Mick Foley was the only non-relative to no-show Raw along with Bret’s relatives Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith. The boycott lasted one week before Foley returned to work. Davey Boy and Neidhart moved to WCW, but Foley had to return to work eventually.
6 Punched Bubba the Love Sponge stiff on behalf of TNA locker room
TNA clearly made a few mistakes when Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff gained power. Hogan’s former friend Bubba the Love Sponge was a radio personality brought in to conduct backstage interviews. Bubba developed issues with various wrestlers and got into a fight with Awesome Kong.
Mick Foley was one of the many wrestlers fed up with the changes. The final moment of Foley in TNA saw him hitting Bubba during an interview before walking out. Foley reportedly put some extra action into the punch to teach Bubba a lesson.
5 Was offended at Dean Ambrose's promos during miscommunication
Dean Ambrose almost debuted in a singles feud with Mick Foley before his eventual call-up with The Shield. The angle was going to see Ambrose confront Foley for inspiring a generation of dangerous wrestling that he paid the price of.
RELATED: 10 Facts About Mick Foley We Learn From His Books
Ambrose reached out to cause friction with Foley at events and on social media. Foley revealed he was upset with Ambrose for making comments about Mick’s children without stopping. It turned out that Ambrose was overseas without phone service. The two made peace, but Foley’s health prevented the feud from happening.
4 Was hurt by Tony Schiavone's comments
Tony Schiavone delivered the infamous quote mocking Mick Foley’s taped WWE Championship win on Raw. WCW bosses made him mock Foley by sarcastically saying “that will put a lot of butts in seats.” Foley watched the Nitro replay after Raw and was upset about the comments.
It was more heartbreaking that a friendly voice like Schiavone would say something so hurtful to him. Foley held a grudge for a short while before realizing the line was forced on Tony by Eric Bischoff. The comment still hurt Foley on the night of his biggest win.
3 Ric Flair fighting him
Ric Flair had a feud with Mick Foley on WWE television that was inspired from real-life events. The two legends took issues with each other making comments in their respective books. Flair started it by calling Foley a stuntman that hurt the wrestling business.
Foley returned the favor in his book calling out Flair’s personal actions. The latter resulted in Flair attacking Foley backstage with a punch before it was broken up. Foley and Flair got on the same page to have a program together and have become friends throughout the years.
2 Biggest regret was taking kids to infamous show
The documentary Beyond the Mat was outstanding for a rare look inside of the wrestling business. Mick Foley was the biggest star featured during his WWE career. It showed his young children Noelle and Dewey crying towards the end of Mick’s “I Quit” match with The Rock.
Foley was handcuffed when taking a shocking 11 unprotected chair shots to his head. The moment lives in infamy with the documentary still receiving views on Netflix today. Mick revealed he did regret bringing his kids to witness such a violent match and prevented this in the future.
1 Undertaker tried to talk him out of Dude Love gimmick
The Undertaker was the wrestler to most help Mick Foley after the two worked together. Mankind was the character of Foley that became the perfect rival for Undertaker. The moment of Paul Bearer turning on Undertaker in favor of Mankind essentially made him a top heel.
However, WWE wanted Foley to portray other characters from his past like the chick magnet character he portrayed as a teenager called Dude Love. Vince McMahon loved the concept, but Undertaker tried to talk Mick out of it. Foley revealed on the WWE Network series about the Attitude Era that Undertaker was very unhappy about Dude Love.
NEXT: Mick Foley: 5 Best Matches He Wrestled as Cactus Jack (& 5 As Mankind)
