10 Pivotal Mick Foley Moments From The Monday Night Wars
WCW didn't want him. WWE couldn't have done without him.
Legends loomed large during the most competitive period in wrestling history.
There were era-defining stables competing against upstart factions. We had immortal icons battling breakout talent. Repackaged mid-carders fought against homegrown heroes. It was easy to get lost in the mix when so many of wrestling's biggest stars made or cemented their names during this unique time in Sports Entertainment history.
Few can provide such a unique standpoint as Mrs Foley's baby boy however. Not only did Foley wrestle for all three of the largest American companies at the time, but his efforts and sacrifice for one after being undervalued by another would help propel the Monday Night Wars to their eventual conclusion. You can argue that there were bigger stars, bigger draws, bigger mainstream talents with little difficulty. But the wrestler who gave the most to his company's cause? You're looking at him.
In just a few short years Foley would have more pivotal moments than most wrestlers would have in their entire careers. From coming off the cage to 'Cactus Jack is back', here's the Micker's ten most pivotal moments during the Monday Night Wars...
10. Trolling The ECW Fans
By the time Nitro went head to head with Raw in September 1995, Mick Foley had already left WCW having grown tired of bashing his head against their glass ceiling. Worried that he'd never be more than a mid-card heel, Foley gambled against all advice from family and colleagues alike by heading back to the independents.
Driven by his daredevil style, he worried that he wouldn't be around for long so was determined to force the hand of fate by not stagnating in a company that didn't view him as a top guy. WCW was built around wrestlers who were already stars, not those who wanted to become them.
Mick Foley's Cactus Jack persona found a home in ECW next, where his bumping skills and hardcore approach fit perfectly with their punk rock aesthetic. The flipside of fitting in so well was the anchor around his neck however. It would take something a little different to make a mark with fans who were used to seeing wrestlers be crash test dummies each and every week.
The ultimate antidote was to give them the exact opposite of what the blood-thirsty Philadelphia faithful wanted. Out went thrilling ultra-violence. In came headlocks. Lots and lots of headlocks. Even though it wasn't the plan, Foley was already eroding the Cactus Jack character to make way for a new one altogether.