10 Emotional WWE Moments That Made Fans Cry
7. Mick Foley's First WWF Championship
Few professional wrestlers have ever given as much to the business as Mick Foley. Whether competing as Mankind, Cactus Jack, or Dude Love, Foley regularly pushed his body far beyond its limits to entertain the fans. He broke, bent, and distorted just about every bone in his body throughout his career, losing multiple teeth, most of an ear, and several gallons of blood along the way.
He didn’t have the look of a traditional wrestling superstar, but Foley had the heart of a lion. His was a real shaggy dog story, and while he became almost universally beloved among the WWE faithful, it seemed like he’d never get a chance to be champion.
Everything changed on January 4th, 1999. Mankind finally won the big one, pinning The Rock following a run-in from Steve Austin, and the crowd went wild. Foley was one of their own, and the emotional hit was as instantaneous as it was euphoric.
WCW infamously attempted to ruin the occasion by announcing the title change live on Nitro just as it was about to air, but it backfired. 600,000 Nitro viewers immediately switched the channel to witness Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy’s coronation, and one of the most impactful moments in Raw history.