8. Mick Foley Can't Hide Delight At Becoming WWF Champion (1999)
Over on WCW's Monday Nitro during the January 4, 1999 episode, Tony Schiavone encouraged fans to dismiss the idea of switching channels to the WWF's Raw Is War broadcast. The show had been pre-taped, and the WCW announcer chuckled as he gave away the result of the main event. Mick Foley, performing as Mankind, was just about to win the WWF Heavyweight Title for the first time in his career. Schiavone's words proved to be a mistake, millions changed over to see Foley have his moment. There was a simple reason for this, Mick came across as a genuine pro wrestling fan. Never hiding the fact he had a lifelong passion for the industry, Foley was somebody fans wanted to see succeed. His years of hard graft were written all over his face when he held the belt aloft. Glassy eyed and seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening, Foley looked like he had been plucked from the audience and handed the biggest belt in the industry. In essence, that's exactly what happened, but fans had been with him every step of the way. 'Mrs. Foley's baby boy' couldn't hide his excitement, noticeably breaking character to rejoice with the fans.
Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.
