10 Surprising Hidden Meanings Behind Famous Wrestling Attires

7. Forever

CM Punk Randy Savage
WWE Network

When Mick Foley allowed himself to take a huge plunge through the Hell In A Cell structure down to the ring below at February 2000's No Way Out pay-per-view, he did so with the genuine intention of retiring as the stipulation had required.

Long before he'd make numerous (usually well-intentioned) comebacks though, a definitely-the-last-time return at WrestleMania a month later was simply too good to refuse. As a concession to the retirement, he elected to neglect his alter-egos Cactus Jack, Mankind and Dude Love to wrestle simply as 'Mick Foley'.

The company had ran a 'childhood dream' story for Foley as Mankind a year earlier, increasing the stakes around his efforts to referee the WrestleMania 15 title match between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin just to even be a part of the topliner, and the pathos had held another year to add gravitas to his final chance.

Emerging in blue flannel instead of his traditional red, Foley assuaged the typical 'Wanted: Dead' t-shirt for an ultra-rare 'Forever Cactus Jack' one, showing his three personas merged together one more time as he prepared to say goodbye. Though he donned his popular look several more times in diminished returns, he never wore the shirt to wrestle in again.

Contributor
Contributor

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