10 Brilliant WWE Success Stories That Should Have SUCKED
2. Mr. Socko Takes Off
The guy even got a f*cking sock over!
"Mr. Socko" debuted as a throwaway gag during a hospital segment with Mr. McMahon in 1998, but something magical happened soon thereafter: WWF fans brought Socko signs to arenas with them, and the footwear started popping up on fan hands like Hulk Hogan's foam fingers in the 1980s.
Even Mick himself has admitted that this was preposterous. His rejigged Mankind character, which was less frightening and more bubbly (if a hardcore icon can accurately be described as such), nonetheless ploughed forward with a sports sock on his mitts. Foley even drew a wee face on the thing, and spoke to it like his best mate.
This formula was so successful that WWE revisited it several times. Perry Saturn's "Moppy" would be the prime example, but Santino Marella's "Cobra" could also be considered a homage to Socko. What did the intro say? Sometimes the strangest things get over in pro wrestling? Yep.