"I didn't create it" – WWE Legend Mick Foley talks about the origins of Mandible Claw
WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley talks about the controversial origin of his finishing move, Mandible Claw.
The Hardcore Legend had some gruesome performances in the ring. Mick Foley, throughout his career, was surrounded by weapons and often injured himself due to the extent he went for his matches.
Mick's death-defying stuns and matches against The Undertaker & Triple H are what caused him to retire at an early age. On a recent episode of Foley is Pod, the 57-year-old talked about the origin of his finishing move and how he came up with it:
“I didn’t create it. [The Mandible Claw] I brought it back at the suggestion of Jim Cornette. [He] Probably gave it to me in 92, I was like Jimmy man, you know, this elbow is a tough thing to do on house shows shows and plus you got to either accept the count out or roll a guy in... Man, I needed something I could do that wasn’t going to have me dropping elbows all the time. Corny brought up the idea of the Mandible Claw laid out the history of Dr. Sam Shepard upon whom the TV show and the movie The Fugitive was based." (H/T: ITR)
25 YEARS AGO TODAY!
JUNE 8, 1997
The #KingOfTheRing final.
My 1997 feud with @TripleH came on the heels of my landmark interview with @JRsBBQ
I always loved working with HHH. https://t.co/2ju10XfqIR
It was interesting to see Foley adapt to Mandible Claw as it attained iconic status in wrestling. Later, the move became a character of its own called Mr. Socko. The character was also used in the tag team name with The Rock called Rock 'n' Sock Connection.
Mick Foley on convincing McMahon to use Mandible Claw
Often wrestlers come up with their characters, moves, and promos, which they pitch to the promoter before they can perform on the show. If the promoter shoots the pitch down, the superstars must go back to the drawing board.
One such instance was with Foley, whose idea of using the Mandible Claw was shot down when he took the matter to the WWE CEO. In the same episode, Mick Foley recalled how he convinced Vince McMahon to allow the move:
"When I brought up Vince, I think he said well, ‘why wouldn’t someone bite your fingers?’ I explained it to him anatomically, it goes underneath the tongue nerves. Your thumb pushes up on the nerve. I said nothing about it. It’s very visual...I don’t know if he approved it right away because at that time, especially in the second or third meeting, I was pitching a lot of ideas, and he was doing a lot of writing. So I didn’t know how much of it would come to fruition.” (H/T: ITR)
SHOWDOWN!
Things got a little heated today at @NFComicCon when the Sock and the Cobra renewed their legendary rivalry!
@milanmiracle https://t.co/QoZHNHruXe
It worked out well for Mick Foley as he wasn't comfortable performing an elbow drop every week. The Mandible Claw became synonymous with Foley over the years and made him a star.