10 Risks That Could’ve KILLED WWE Careers

4. Mankind Is Dude Love

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It's easy to forget that Mick Foley introduced the world to Dude Love just one year after debuting as Mankind in the summer of 1996. Yes, one year. That isn't really enough time for somebody to cement themselves as a Teflon type who could withstand serious creative wobbles, is it?

Foley was a unique cat, to be fair. Viewers were immediately swept up in Dude fever, and everyone loved the way Mick was showing off his childlike love of wrestling on the biggest stage. It's perhaps only Mick's endearing qualities and his prior work as Mankind that made the Dude Love spin off tolerable.

This would not have flown as a first gimmick in the WWF, let's be real.

Foley was taking a colossal risk by temp-shelving the grittier Mankind guise in favour of a colourful 1970s-inspired hippie. Imagine WWE tried this today with someone like Kevin Owens. It seems impossible, but Mick somehow pulled off his outrageous alter ego.

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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.