There has never been a character with a more twisted sanity than Mankind. He was the poster child for insane wrestling characters, and arguably the most complex gimmick ever pulled off by Mick Foley. He squealed throughout his matches, lived in a boiler room, pulled his own hair out, and seemed to generally enjoy being in pain. So much so, that, after falling through the top of the cell at King of the Ring 1998 (unintentionally), taking a bump so dangerous that many thought that he was actually dead, the first shot of Mankinds face that the fans get this one, in which hes smiling like a maniac: The fact that Mankind was willing to take part in such a stunt demonstrates the man's (and the character's) nearly inhuman endurance. A person who embraces pain as a companion shouldve been welcome in the WWE. But Mankinds personality demonstrated that he was a tortured soul, looked down upon by society, and thus behaved in a way that made him feel happy, whether that made him sane or not. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf9fVGi6pFQ Mankind truly embraced pain as though it were a friend and companion to him. He explained in a series of interviews with Jim Ross (the last episode of which is in the video above), that he wished pain on those who mocked him, didnt believe in doctors, and that if he (Mankind) were sick, hed be the first to know. Spoken like a truly insane man. Thanks for reading. Be sure to check out other articles posted on WhatCulture. And as Mankind himself would say, Have a Nice Day.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
