Personal Information
Full Name | Michael Francis Foley Sr. |
Date of Birth | June 7, 1965 |
Nationality | American |
Height | 6'2'' |
Mick Foley Videos
Mick Foley: A Brief Biography
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley is an American actor, author, comedian, retired professional wrestler, and color commentator signed with WWE. Foley is a former world champion and best known for his work with WWE as Dude Love, Mankind, and Mick Foley.
Professional Wrestling Career
Early Years (1983-1996)
Foley began his formal wrestling training in Pennsylvania and debuted in New York in 1983. Foley worked for several independent promotions, such as UWF and CWA, before moving to WCW.
In WCW, they initially used Foley as an enhancement talent and worked as a jobber for years. In 1992, Foley started performing as Cactus Jack and feuded with several high-caliber wrestlers, such as Sting, Vader, and Harley Race. After a few years, Foley left the company and moved on to different promotions.
After WCW, Foley expanded his horizon and started working for ECW in the USA and IWA Japan. Foley won several championships in ECW and legitimized himself as a hardcore wrestler. In 1996, Foley signed with WWF and his last match in ECW at Big Ass Extreme Bash.
WWF (1996-2001)
Mankind and Dude Love
After WrestleMania XII, Mankind had his in-ring debut on RAW and defeated Bob Holly. Mankind started his feud with The Undertaker. At SummerSlam, Mankind defeated The Undertaker in the first-ever Boiler Room Brawl match which was created by Mankind.
The feud continued at In Your House event, where The Undertaker won in the first-ever Buried Alive match. The feud continued at Survivor Series and In Your House event, where The Undertaker won.
After being called a freak by Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind changed his character and emerged as Dude Love. At Royal Rumble 1998, the three faces of Foley, Mankind, Dude Love, and Cactus Jack entered the rumble but were unsuccessful. Foley turned heel when the fans supported Austin over him. He faced Austin but failed to win the feud or the championship.
Foley's most memorable moment came when he reverted to Mankind and faced The Undertaker in a hell in a cell match. The Undertaker tossed Foley from a 16-foot high cell and into the announce table. Foley continued the match and was thrown again at a 13 feet distance from the cell to the ring canvas.
WWF Champion
After the match, Foley won several accolades and rose to the top, and became a major superstar. Foley began teaming up with Kane and won the WWF Tag Team Championships on two specific occasions. During a storyline with McMahon, Mankind created Mr. Socko, and it became a hit. Mankind rose to the top and entered the finals for the WWF Championship at Survivor Series.
At Survivor Series, Mankind lost to The Rock after McMahon's screwed Mankind. Mankind became a huge baby face and began feuding with The Rock. After feuding with The Corporation and The Rock, Mankind defeated The Rock to win his first WWF Championship. He lost the title back to The Rock at Royal Rumble in an "I Quit" match.
Mankind won the title back from The Rock at Halftime event and lost it to The Rock in a Ladder match on RAW. At WrestleMania XV and Backlash, Mankind defeated The Big Show. A few months later, Mankind and The Rock formed a tag team called Rock n Sock Connection.
The pair became extremely popular and won the WWF Tag Team Championships on three different occasions. The "This Is Your Life" segment hosted by Foley for The Rock is the highest-rated segment on RAW.
After three months of absence, Foley returned and began feuding with Triple H. At SummerSlam, Mankind defeated Triple H and Steve Austin to win his third WWF Championship. Mankind began feuding with The McMahon-Hemsley faction for the rest of the year. At WrestleMania 2000, Mankind lost to Triple H in a fatal 4-way match for the WWF Championship.
Foley was facing several issues due to the injuries suffered in matches throughout his career. He transitioned from a wrestler to the commissioner of RAW. By the end of 2000, Vince fired Foley during their storyline. At WrestleMania XVII, Foley was a special guest referee for the match between Vince and Shane McMahon.
WWE (2003-2008)
After his initial departure, Foley returned to WWE in 2003. He began feuding with Batista, Randy Orton, and Ric Flair. At WrestleMania XX, Rock n Sock Connection lost to the Evolution. At Backlash, Foley lost to Randy Orton in a hardcore match.
In 2005, Foley began working with the rebranded ECW show, where he had sporadic wrestling appearances and became a special guest referee in several matches. At WrestleMania XXII, Edge defeated Foley in a hardcore match.
In 2007, Foley had more sporadic appearances and faced John Cena for the WWE Championship and lost. Foley commentated for RAW and SmackDown during his last days with the company.
TNA (2008-2011)
In 2008, Foley signed with TNA. They initially used Foley as an on-screen personality. In 2009, Foley began wrestling full time and defeated Sting at Lockdown to win his first TNA World Heavyweight Championship. At Slammiversary, Foley lost the title to Kurt Angle. In June, Foley won the TNA Legends Championship from Kevin Nash.
After losing the title to Nash, Foley began feuding with Abyss. At Bound for Glory, Foley lost to Abyss. In his final years with TNA, Foley began feuding with Immortal and Fortune. He created a stable with former ECW Superstars called E.V 2.0 where they defeated Fortune at Bound for Glory.
Return to WWE (2011-Present)
After returning to WWE, Foley made several rumble appearances and Hall of Fame inductions. Foley made sporadic appearances on RAW, SmackDown, WrestleMania, and SummerSlam. In 2016, Foley became the RAW General Manager and introduced the Universal Championship. In 2017, they fired Foley as RAW General Manager. In 2019, Foley appeared on RAW to introduce the 24/7 Championship.
Filmography
Year | Title | Role |
1999 | Beyond the Mat | Himself |
2000 | Big Money Hustlas | Cactus Sac |
2007 | Anamorph | Antique Store Owner |
2009 | Bloodstained Memoirs | Himself |
2015 | Dixieland | Himself |
2016 | Chokeslam | Patrick |
2019 | The Peanut Butter Falcon | Jacob |
2020 | 12 Hour Shift | Nicholas |
2020 | You Cannot Kill David Arquette | Himself |
Championships and Accomplishments
Championship | Number of Times |
CWA Tag Team Championship | 1 |
ECW World Tag Team Championship | 2 |
IWA World Tag Team Championship | 1 |
NAW Heavyweight Championship | 1 |
NWL Heavyweight Championship | 1 |
TNA Legends Championship | 1 |
TNA World Heavyweight Championship | 1 |
WCW World Tag Team Championship | 1 |
USWA World Tag Team Championship | 1 |
WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship | 1 |
WCWA World Tag Team Championship | 2 |
WWF Championship | 3 |
WWF Hardcore Championship | 1 |
WWF Tag Team Championship | 8 |
WWE Hall of Fame | 1 |