10 Incredible Transformations From Jobbers To WWE Champions

7. Mankind

Kokina Yokozuna
WWE

It took Jim Ross' best sales patter to convince ardent critic Vince McMahon that Mick Foley was worth the money and time in 1996, but The Chairman should have just re-watched a match he called a decade earlier if he needed proof of 'The Hardcore Legend's commitment to the cause.

A young "Jack Foley" got such a vicious beating from the British Bulldogs during a Superstars taping that he would have been forgiven for walking away from the industry entirely, rather than spending half of a legendary career absorbing blows just as brutal. Davey Boy Smith nearly sent him through the canvas with his running powerslam, while Dynamite Kid dislodged his jaw with a clothesline from somewhere lower than whatever corner of Hell JBL frequents.

As Mankind, Cactus Jack and Dude Love, Foley was almost all things to all fans during a legendary run, but he thankfully never paid any of this bullying bullsh*t forward. As selfless a performer as there was to reach the pinnacle of the industry, McMahon ended up fortunate to have him as his Champion after years of resisting the urge. His son-in-law was a made man forever in its wake.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett