Former WWE Champion believes he "opened the door" for Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt to become stars
Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt are two of WWE's most popular superstars today. WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley recently claimed that his contributions to wrestling paved the way for the performers of today, such as Owens and Wyatt.
Owens, Foley, and Wyatt's physiques could widely be coined as the not-so-typical WWE style. With no chiseled jawlines and rock-hard pecs, the three stars used their charisma and in-ring skills to get over with the fans.
Speaking on his podcast Foley is Pod, the WWE Hall of Famer stated how his work in the late 1990s helped open the door for both former Universal Champions.
"I think I expanded — opened the door for guys to follow, like Kevin Owens, like Bray Wyatt, who might not have gotten a look as a star. I’d like to think my lasting contribution is that I think I treated people well when I was on top." (H/T Yahoo Sports)
Much like Foley, both Owens and Wyatt have won world championships in WWE, and are currently two of the biggest stars on both RAW and SmackDown.
Mick Foley wanted to have matches with Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt
While The Hardcore Legend made his name in a different time period, that hasn't stopped him from fantasy booking matches with the two current WWE Superstars.
In 2017, Mick was asked on a Reddit AMA which performers from today he would like to face, with Foley naming both Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt in response.
"In my prime, I think I could’ve had really good matches with any number of WWE superstars. I think the cactus/Owens match could’ve been great, or a mankind/bray Wyatt match could’ve had some amazing build up." (H/T WrestleZone)
This past April, Kevin Owens faced off against one of Mick Foley's old rivals, Stone Cold Steve Austin, in the main event of WrestleMania 38 Night 1, in what was a career-defining match for the Canadian.
Which version of Mick Foley was your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.