10 Times WWE Wrestlers FINALLY Broke Character (And Why)

Now for something completely different.

1997 marked a real shift in presentation for the WWF. Gritty reality started to overtake the cartoonish gimmicks of before, and the promotion seemed more willing to peel back the curtain. Case in point: Mick Foley, still as Mankind, discussing his real life childhood with Jim Ross.

Those sit-down interviews were stunning pieces of business, and they showed a human side to the previously-monstrous Mankind character. Before them, Mick stayed firmly in-gimmick by playing up to the tortured, psychopathic tendencies of the masked nightmare he was tasked with playing. The chats with JR changed that forever.

Suddenly, fans could relate to Mankind's journey. That seemed so impossible before, but there was something so lovable about Foley's real personality. These skits were a concerted effort to make the character endearing and sympathetic for the first time.

He was a wrestling fan just like everyone else.