10 Wrestlers Better Off For Having Worked With Mick Foley
5. The Rock
From the moment The Rock uttered the words, "if ya smell what I'm cookin" during a sit-down interview with Gennifer Flowers at WrestleMania XIV, it was clear that he was going to be the man to carry WWE into the new Millennium, its shining star and the first real hope at a crossover phenomenon.
He had that special "it" factor that is so often discussed in pro wrestling, a mix of charm and arrogance that wins over fans while reminding the world that they are the best at what they do.
He was missing one crucial element of his performance, though. One that would hold him back from ever truly fitting in as the top star in the Attitude Era unless he discovered it.
He did, while working with Mick Foley in late 1998 and well into the new year.
Feuding with Mankind over the WWE Championship, hand-picked corporate champion The Rock was forced to dig down inside of himself and pull out a nastiness and aggression that fans had never seen from the brash star.
He had to become the most vile and ruthless performer possible to firmly entrench himself in the main event scene. He did, in memorable fashion, at the 1999 Royal Rumble, where he savagely bashed Mankind in the face 12 times with a steel chair and essentially leaving him unconscious.
Fans had never seen such a blood-thirsty Rock before, someone determined to do bodily harm if it meant regaining the WWE title. With that element of his character in place, he was free to become the mega star that he did.
Without Foley, and the character of Mankind, dragging that out of him in one of his most unforgettable matches, there is no telling how high Rock would have peaked.
Even with the complete backing of Vince McMahon.
Couple that with the fact that Foley added a human element to The Rock later on, during their Rock and Sock Connection tag team days, and the affect Foley had on The Great One is immeasurable.