There is absolutely no denying the fact that Mick Foley was a key piece in WWE's victory over WCW in the Monday Night Wars that stretched from September 1995 until March 2001. Without the rivalry between he and Undertaker, which began the night Foley made his debut as Mankind in April 1996, Foley would have never achieved the level of success that he did. It was that program with the Deadman that established him as a legitimate, main event talent and helped him connect with fans in a way he never had before. Sure, the masked man was a deranged freak but he was a tough, deranged freak and the audience respected him for it. Whether he was falling off ladders on to the cold, hard concrete in the bowels of the building or battling it out with the Phenom in the first-ever Buried Alive match, Mankind proved himself the equal of WWE's most enduring star. Together, they brought a new style of hard-hitting violence to WWE that the cartoonish show had never seen before. Undertaker and Mankind would battle throughout the second-half of 1996 and into 1997 before a babyface turn by Mankind brought an end to the barbarism and brutality. Then, in the summer of 1998, Mankind returned to the dark side and battled the Deadman inside Hell in a Cell at the King of the Ring. That match not only ranks as one of the most memorable and breathtaking in WWE history, it also was the match that took Mankind (and the man behind the mask) from stardom to icon status. His willingness to endure the pain and punishment that he did, for nothing more than the enjoyment and entertaining of the fans, was admirable and earned him the love and admiration of the fans.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
