Mick Foley has wrestled under many different names across his long and storied career. He’s been the unhinged Cactus Jack, the bizarre and unsettling Mankind, and the easy-going hippie Dude Love. Under any name, he’s one of the best wrestlers of all time in the sport.
Early Life
Born Michael Francis Foley, the future legend is from Bloomington, Indiana. He was born on June 7, 1965, to Irish parents. His parents moved him and his older brother John to Long Island right after he was born, and Foley grew up there around 40 miles east of New York City.
Childhood
As a kid, Foley attended Ward Melville High School, where he wrestled and played lacrosse. Interestingly enough, he wrestled on the same team as actor Kevin James. He developed a love of physical sports and grew a reputation for being something of a rough-houser among his friends.
Seeing the Legend
When he was attending college at the State University of New York at Cortland, Foley took a trip into the City to see his favorite pro wrestler perform at Madison Square Garden. “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka, a towering and high-flying wrestler, was taking on Don Muraco in a cage match.
Inciting Moment
Foley has said that witnessing Jimmy Snuka’s flying body splash while in the front row of that match is what inspired him to become a pro wrestler. Interestingly enough, video of the exact match Foley attended shows him in full view in the front row—appropriately enthralled by the moves of his idol.
Getting Started
Foley got started by training with Dominic DeNucci at a wrestling school in Freedom, Pennsylvania. Notably, that’s a several hour drive from the university where he was taking classes in New York. He had his debut in June 1986, wrestling under the name “Cactus Jack.”
Early Jobbing
Foley and other student friends of his appear in some late-80s WWF Prime Time Wrestling episodes as jobbers (low-paid wrestlers who are there to lose to the stars). He appears as “Jack Foley” and “Nick Foley” in some of these minor appearances. In a particularly unusual note, one announcer mispronounced his last name as “Faley” before he wrestled Kamala “The Ugandan Giant.”
Taking His Lumps
While working as a jobber in these early days, Foley got a taste for the physical bumps he’d later turn into his trademark. While facing off against the British Bulldogs, he took a gnarly clothesline from Dynamite Kid, who is notoriously rough to jobbers, causing Foley such immense neck pain that he couldn’t eat solid food for a week!
Contract Wrestling
Foley got his first contract gigs wrestling for the Continental Wrestling Association as part of an alliance with Gary Young. This new stable, called the Stud Stable, took the CWA Tag Team Championship in late 1988. In November of that year, Foley joined the World Class Championship Wrestling promotion and went by the stage name “Cactus Jack Manson.”
WCWA and Early Titles
Foley reportedly disliked the new name, as it implied a connection to criminal Charles Manson. Still, while wrestling under this grim moniker, he won the WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship and the WCWA World Tag Team Championship. After a loser leaves town match against Eric Embry, he left the promotion to briefly wrestle in the Continental Wrestling Federation.
Joining WCW
In November 1989, Foley joined the World Championship Wrestling promotion as “Cactus Jack” once more. In his debut match, he wrestled alongside former jobber Rick Fargo against Rick and Scott Steiner, two extremely tough wrestlers who were known to seriously rough up their opponents.
Betraying His Teammate
When the Steiners started knocking Fargo and Jack around, Jack embraced his ring persona’s brutality and turned on his tag-team partner. He delivered an astonishing 12 foot ring apron flying elbow drop into Fargo’s abdomen, impressing Ric Flair and Kevin Sullivan enough to offer him a contract then and there.
An Image is Created
The image of the brutal, traitorous Cactus Jack became a WCW mainstay. With a proper contract finally inked, Foley now had the financial stability he’d been looking for since becoming a professional wrestler. WCW fans got to know this monstrous wrestler as a prickly jerk who would turn on his tag team partners at the drop of a hat.
Tough Guy
Foley got a reputation for being a tough contender during a February 1990 match against Mil Mascaras. Cactus Jack fell backward out of the ring onto his neck, taking a three-foot fall onto concrete. The audience was astonished at how hard he hit the ground, but he never broke character and popped right back into the ring.
Sullivan’s Slaughterhouse
Later in 1990, Foley joined the heel stable “Sullivan’s Slaughterhouse” with notable heel Kevin Sullivan. This also saw the beginning of Foley’s lengthy rivalry with Norman the Lunatic. Shortly after this, Foley was in a car crash in which he lost two teeth, leading to his iconic disheveled and villainous appearance.
All Japan Pro Wrestling
Foley left the WCW in mid-1990 after Ole Anderson critiqued his style. He ended up in Japan to join the All Japan Pro Wrestling promotion and was something of a jobber, losing in the Champion Carnival tournament. He returned to the US after accidentally breaking the elbow of Johnny Ace, a fan favorite wrestler among Japanese wrestling enthusiasts.
Returning to WCW
After a brief stint in independent promotions, Foley’s popularity in the US skyrocketed and he returned to the WCW in August 1991. In an iconic angle, he burst out of a giant box in Clash of the Champions XVI and attacked Sting. He feuded openly with Abdullah the Butcher and Van Hammer, in addition to Sting, while developing an outrageous and unhinged persona.
Cactus Jack Reinvigorated
Cactus Jack took on a much more maniacal edge in the WCW during his second tenure with the company. He developed a new catchphrase, loudly shouting “bang-bang!” while choking opponents. This era saw him creating the iconic Cactus Jack that fans know today, complete with shrieking laughter and unpredictable outbursts.
Face Turn
Cactus Jack made a face turn when he started a feud with Paul Orndorff, Big Van Vader, and Harley Race. Fans started cheering for him to win in this lopsided feud, leading to Jack teaming up with Sting during Clash of the Champions XXII, setting up a heroic arc for the character that made him very popular among fans.
Ongoing Big Van Vader Feud
Cactus Jack continued to feud with Big Van Vader after he allied with Sting. The two were an interesting pair, as Vader was known for his stiff style of wrestling and Jack could take a serious beating. This led to a real-world injury, when Vader power-bombed Jack onto exposed concrete, giving him a real concussion.
Nasty Angle
In a particularly noteworthy match, Vader and Jack faced off during the Halloween Havoc 1993 match during which Race interfered and hit Cactus Jack with an actual stun gun. The match was so notoriously violent that the commentators were stunned into silence, and the WCW was so offended by the level of brutality that they refused to book Vader against Jack in the future.
His Ear Came Off
During a match in Germany in 1994, one of the most outrageous moments of Jack’s career took place. Wrestling against Vader again, Jack’s ear was split while hanging from the ring ropes. Vader traded blows with Jack, inadvertently tearing Jack’s ear off. The ref grabbed the ear and handed it to the ringside announcer as a horrified crowd looked on.
WWF
In 1996, Jim Ross convinced Vince McMahon to sign Foley with the WWF. However, McMahon disliked Foley’s face, so he covered him with a mask and Foley came up with the idea of “Mankind,” the moniker for a mentally unstable cretin who would inhabit abandoned boiler rooms.
Mankind
Mankind was a complete hit with fans, including his odd mannerisms of shouting “mommy,” randomly pulling his hair out, and speaking to a pet rat named George. His signature hold, the Mandible Claw, was a nerve hold that involved grabbing the opponent by the bottom of the mouth and forcing the top of their jaw upwards.
Boiler Room Brawl
Foley’s signature match in this era was the Boiler Room Brawl, a match that took place fittingly in the arena’s boiler room. These notoriously violent matches would involve metal piping, large bolts, and opponents attempting to escape the boiler room. His uncharacteristic and perplexing catchphrase in this era was “Have a nice day!”
Feud with the Undertaker
Given that both the Undertaker and Mankind had dark, bizarre personas, they were instantly matched up by the WWF. They pioneered unusual matches such as Buried Alive matches, and their ongoing rivalry caused Mankind to become a fan favorite even when he was being billed as a heel.
Dude Love
During this era, Foley debuted a third persona, a smooth-talking hippie named Dude Love. He wrestled alongside Stone Cold Steve Austin after Shawn Michaels was injured. Stone Cold wanted nothing to do with Mankind, as he was a “freak,” but was happy to work alongside the cheerful Dude Love.
Bringing Back Cactus Jack
In a memorable vignette before a match against Hunter Hearst Hemsley, Dude Love and Mankind “argued” over which of them should face their opponent. They finally decided to bring back Cactus Jack to battle Hemsley, with the classic character making his WWE debut in the match.
Wrestling as Himself
In 1998, Foley wrestled under his own name at Vince McMahon’s suggestion. The match against Terry Funk was the WWF’s first “hardcore” match, with Foley busting out his normal tricks and winning. McMahon came out to Dude Love’s music and awarded Foley his classic costume, leading to Dude Love getting a shot at Steve Austin’s title.
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Ending Storylines
Dude Love lost the match against Austin and was “fired” by McMahon. Foley brought Mankind back since Dude Love was out and resumed feuding with the Undertaker. Their third Hell in a Cell match became a well-regarded hardcore match, with Foley losing a tooth and Mankind losing to end the feud.
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Retirement and Commissioner Foley
In 2000, Foley retired from active wrestling and portrayed a character named “Commissioner Foley,” making lame jokes and getting cheap pops from the crowd by shamelessly plugging whatever city they were in. He’s since been a huge advocate for the sport and is widely regarded as one of the best hardcore wrestlers to ever participate in the sport.
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