10 Best World Title Celebrations In WWE History
2. Mankind (Raw, December 29th 1998)
Mick Foley is one of the most beloved performers in wrestling history, but things didn’t really start clicking for him as a WWE main eventer until 1998. The Three Faces of Foley had been winning WWE fans over through the course of his two-year run with the company, and while he’d become one of the company’s biggest folk heroes, the idea of him holding the WWE Title still seemed like a far-fetched dream.
Two weeks after knocking The Rock out at In Your House: Rock Bottom, Foley (as Mankind) faced off against the Corporation’s champion with the crowd firmly on his side. With both the Corporation and DX at ringside, the no disqualification match was never going to be pretty, and when Mankind locked Rocky in his signature Mandible Claw, Ken Shamrock hit the ring to set off a massive brawl all around the ringside area.
Glass shattered, the crowd erupted, and Stone Cold Steve Austin tore the wrestling world apart by cracking The Rock with a steel chair, and placing Mankind on top of him. The referee made the pinfall, and for the first time in his life, Mick Foley was WWE Champion.
WCW infamously tried to ruin the occasions by spoiling it live on Nitro. Expecting the bulk of WWE’s audience to immediately turn the television off, WCW’s plan backfired spectacularly, and over 600,000 WCW reviews immediately changed the channel to witness Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy’s crowning glory.
Mankind’s celebration came straight from the heart. With the title in his hands, Foley sprinted around the outside of the ring in complete and utter jubilation, celebrating with the fans, then letting DX hoist him onto their shoulders. While not as grandiose as some of the celebrations we’ve seen over the years, it’s hard to take away from the sheer catharsis of seeing Mick Foley celebrate his title victory before a furious Vince McMahon.