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Michael Francis Foley was born on June 7, 1965, on East Setauket, Long Island, N.Y., the son of an athletic director and a teacher (who became a full-time mom).
Upon graduating from Ward Melville High School, Foley enrolled at the State University of New York at Cortland in upstate New York.
A lifelong wrestling fan who once hitchhiked to Madison Square Garden to see Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka take on Don Muraco in a steel cage, the seeds of his future career were planted while he was a college student. One night, Mick met up with a girl he had a crush on, and he wound up walking her home. They kissed, and afterwards, she responded with "the words that buried my heart, but launched my career: 'Good night … Frank'."
A dejected Foley returned to his room and decided to document his misery. He and his college buddies came up with a photographic essay they called "The Legend of Frank Foley" (it was later filmed on an eight-millimeter camera). As part of the production process, Foley took a dive off his bed onto a Teddy bear, and spit out a mouthful of red food coloring.
In his book, "Have a Nice Day!" Foley describes what happened next:
Again my wind was knocked out, but even in my pain I heard a female voice cry out, "Ooh, that's the most disgusting thing I've ever seen." I vividly remember thinking, "I've got to get some more of that response."
In September 1985, Mick met former World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champion Dominic DeNucci through a Long Island wrestling promoter. Still in college, Mick in early 1986 began driving 400 miles from Cortland to Freedom, Pa., each weekend to train at DeNucci's school. He would sleep in the back of his car and eat peanut butter sandwiches to save money. After months of training and working in independent promotions (where he competed as Cactus Jack), Mick got the opportunity to work at a few World Wrestling Federation television tapings -- and to be squashed by well-known Federation Superstars, including the British Bulldog. He wrestled under his real name and was what can politely be called an "enhancement talent." For fear that he would become a full-time jobber, Mick began declining invitations to attend TV tapings when fans started recognizing him.
In the summer of 1990, Mick was handing out flyers for an upcoming independent show he would be wrestling in on Long Island when he met a beautiful model named Colette Christie. It was the woman he would go on to marry.
Over the years Mick competed as Cactus Jack all over the world -- mainly in Africa and Japan -- and also in WCW and ECW. In 1996, the day after WrestleMania XII, he made his debut in the Federation as Mankind.
Since then, he's been Mankind, Dude Love and Cactus Jack. Whatever the persona, Mick Foley is one of the most respected competitors in the history of sports-entertainment. He has the reputation for enduring more pain that anyone. His maniacal personality is not just on display in the ring. Consider that he wrote his own autobiography -- but since he doesn't own a computer or even a typewriter, he filled up 760 pages of notebook paper writing freehand! That book would go on to become a No. 1 New York Times bestseller.
Mick Foley lives in Florida with Colette, as well as his young children Dewey and Noelle. He enjoys going to amusement parks, eating ice cream in bed and watching Nickelodeon.
The day after WrestleMania XII proved to be one of the most monumental days in World Wrestling Federation history.
On that date -- April 1, 1996 -- a mysterious superstar made his debut. Making his way to the ring to the sounds of haunting music, Mankind appeared in the Federation for the first time. After making quick work of Bob Holly (now known as Hardcore Holly), Mankind would return later in the night to brutally assault the Undertaker.
It was an odd choice for the newcomer to make -- to attack the Phenom of the World Wrestling Federation. But Mankind proved he wasn't in over his head -- far from it. In fact, Mankind pinned the Undertaker at that year's King of the Ring -- and then defeated him again in a Boiler Room Brawl at SummerSlam when the Undertaker's manager, Paul Bearer, joined forces with the maniac.
The character of Mankind was haunting, devilish and evil. But after the man behind Mankind -- Mick Foley -- did a series of interviews with Jim Ross on Federation programming, he was allowed to expose a different side of himself, a fun side which fans loved.
In June 1998, Mankind was part of the most infamous match in the history of the World Wrestling Federation. Competing against the Undertaker in Hell In A Cell, Mankind put in a legendary performance, including two hideous falls and a bag of thumbtacks. The images from that battle still live in the minds of Federation fans everywhere.
The following month, Mankind formed an alliance with Kane, and the duo twice won the Federation Tag Team Championship. But as the leaves changed, so did Mankind. When Mr. McMahon announced that he was seeking a corporate champion to topple Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind answered the call. He started wearing a shirt and tie, and tried to become what Mr. McMahon described as an ideal champ. He even called the evil chairman "Dad."
At the 1998 Survivor Series, Mankind made it to the finals of the "Deadly Game" tournament. It seemed like Mr. McMahon had set up the brackets to make things easier on Mankind -- until the finals. In the ultimate corporate screwjob, Mr. McMahon made a fool of Mankind as The Rock was crowned Corporate Champion. Mankind vowed revenge.
The revenge came on a cold, winter night in Worcester, Mass., on Dec. 29, 1998. As the Corporation and DX watched at ringside, Mankind pinned The Rock to become World Wrestling Federation Champion! Tears flowed from Mankind's eyes, as his boyhood dream became a reality!
Mankind and The Rock traded the title over the first few months of 1999: The Rock regained the belt in a brutal match at the Royal Rumble, Mankind won it back in an Empty Arena Match at Halftime HEAT, and The Rock regained the title in a Ladder Match on RAW.
After a feud with the Big Show, who cost him the title in the Ladder Match, Mankind was put out of action following a brutal sledgehammer attack by Triple H. Mankind would be out of action for three months, before finally returning to ruin Triple H's big day at SummerSlam 1999!
"The Game" vowed that SummerSlam would be his crowning moment, when he would win the Federation Championship from Stone Cold Steve Austin, and special referee Jesse "The Body" Ventura would raise his hand in victory. But Mankind managed to sneak into the match as a third participant, and when the night was through, he was a three-time champion! The reign would be short-lived, however, as Triple H stacked the deck against Mankind and won the title the very next night.
After their bitter feud earlier in the year, no one ever thought that Mankind and The Rock would become allies, but that's exactly what happened in September when the two found they had common enemies in the Big Show and the Undertaker. The "Rock 'n' Sock Connection" would go on to become three-time Federation Tag Team Champions!
In what Mankind has since called his finest accomplishment, he penned his autobiography late in 1999. Entitled "Have a Nice Day! A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks," the book reached No. 1 on the New York Times hardcover non-faction bestseller list!
Following that achievement, Mankind would go on to win the Tag Team Championship with his friend Al Snow, before Al turned his back on the Boiler Room Dweller.
As the McMahon-Helmsley era began in December 1999, Mankind was the first superstar to step up against the alliance. The ensuing punishments brought out Mick Foley's most maniacal persona, Cactus Jack. Mankind has not been seen since then.
Will Mankind return to make us laugh again? Probably. The only question is when.
WANNA SEE ME NOW?!?!?!?! (Mankind's Video Clips)
Mankind falls off the top of the cage at King Of The Ring: 28.8K 56K 100K 300K
Mankind falls through the cage at King Of The Ring: 28.8K 56K 100K 300K
Mankind falls on a bed of thumbtacks at King Of The Ring: 28.8K 56K 100K 300K
Mankind wins the WWF Title: 28.8K 56K 100K 300K
Mankind regains the WWF Championship in the Empty Arena Match: 28.8K 56K 100K 300K
Mankind becomes a three-time WWF Champion at SummerSlam: 28.8K 56K 100K 300K
Rock 'n' Sock Tag Team Champions: 28.8K 56K 100K 300K
Cactus Jack represents the most sick, the most twisted, the most delusional side of Mick Foley's personality.
The "Cactus Jack" character has been around for years. In his best-selling book, "Have a Nice Day," Mankind explains how he first got the name:
"I wanted to be Dude Love," writes Foley, "but I knew that I just didn't have the experience or the talent to be Dude Love yet … In the meantime, I needed another name … I thought back to a wrestling fantasy game that I had ordered a few years earlier, in which I had been Mick 'Big Train' Foley, and my dad had been Cactus Jack … so when [ring announcer] Hank [Hudson] asked me my name, 'Cactus Jack' was the answer that came out."
Foley then picked the fictitious hometown of Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, which he says fit the character like a glove. Soon after, he added his famous catchphrase "Bang bang!" to the mix.
Working in Texas, Japan, and everywhere in between, Foley gained a reputation as a Hardcore superstar. Knowing that he didn't have the traditional wrestling look, his deranged and maniacal attitude set him apart from the pack. Indeed, Cactus Jack was known worldwide for his toughness and his daring ways.
After stints in nearly every organization in the world, Foley finally packed his bags and headed to the World Wrestling Federation in 1996. But Foley was re-packaged as Mankind. But Cactus Jack never graced a Federation ring. Until September 1997, that is.
The event was a live RAW at Madison Square Garden. And Foley's opponent was Triple H. The two superstars had been in a huge feud every since Hunter defeated Foley in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament, and Triple H was set to face Mankind that night in a street fight.
But as Hunter stood in the ring, Mankind appeared on the TitanTron and said he wasn't in the mood to compete that night. And neither was Dude Love. So the man who would face Triple H was … Cactus Jack!
After a dynamic brawl, Cactus actually delivered a piledriver through a table to secure the win.
Fans thought that would be the last time we ever saw Jack in the Federation, until later that year, when Cactus developed an issue with the New Age Outlaws. Cactus brought in his friend Chainsaw Charlie, and the two men started a few with the Outlaws, which culminated in tag team gold at WrestleMania XIV.
After that, Cactus Jack disappeared for a long while, as Foley instead competed as Dude Love for a few months before reverting back to his Mankind persona, a persona that helped him secure three World Wrestling Federation Championships and numerous tag title reigns in the ensuing months.
In May 1999, Cactus Jack was brought back for a night when Commissioner Shawn Michaels decreed that Cactus would have a one-night-only performance against Mideon and Viscera in a Handicap Match. Cactus won the match and then disappeared.
But on the Jan. 13, 2000 edition of SmackDown!, which aired just days after Mankind was badly blooded by Triple H, Mankind said he wasn't ready to take on Triple H in their scheduled Street Fight for the Federation Championship at Royal Rumble. But he said the fans deserved a substute, and peeling off his Mankind mask and white button-up shirt, he named him -- Cactus Jack!
Cactus and Triple H battled in an incredible and brutal match at the Royal Rumble, which ended when Triple H Pedigreed Jack onto a bed of thumbtacks.
The war between Triple H and Cactus wasn't done after Rumble, however. Jack still wanted a piece of both Triple H and the main event at WrestleMania. Declaring that an appearance in WrestleMania's main event was the one and only goal he was yet to accomplish, Jack put his career on the line at February 2000's No Way Out in the Hell in a Cell. If Jack won, he'd get to go to WrestleMania as the WWF Champion, and finally take part in the main event. However, if Triple H won, Cactus agreed that he'd retire. The match that saw Cactus fall through the Cell and break through the canvas below; it featured barbed wire, fire and lots of bloodshed. In the end, a Triple H Pedigree ended Cactus' career -- as well as the other faces of Foley. Even though his career in the squared circle has come to an end, Cactus has created a legacy that won't be forgotten. |
MICK FOLEY'S BIOGRAPHY
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 297 pounds
From: East Setauket, Long Island, N.Y.
Finishing Move(s): Mandible claw, Double-arm DDT
Favorite Quote(s): "Have a Nice Day!", "Bang! Bang!", "Oooowww... Have Mercy!"
Career Highlights: Federation Champion (3), Tag Team Champion (8) THE ORIGINAL HARDCORE CHAMPION
Whatever the persona, Mick Foley is one of the most respected competitors in the history of sports-entertainment. He has the reputation for enduring more pain that anyone. His maniacal personality is not just on display in the ring. Consider that he wrote his own autobiography -- but since he doesn't own a computer or even a typewriter, he filled up 760 pages of notebook paper writing freehand! That book would go on to become a No. 1 New York Times bestseller.
With his last match being at WrestleMania 2000, Mick's in-ring career is in the history books, but hopefully, someday, Foley will return once again to his home at the World Wrestling Federation. |
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