Today, Mick Foley is a world renowned wrestler, a performer whose lovable personality is as celebrated as his three world championships and countless classic matches. He is also known as "that guy who flew off the cell," fair to his reputation or not. What today's fans tend not to remember are the incredibly violent matches that Foley competed in prior to arriving in Vince McMahon's company. His wars with Terry Funk, which went as far as to include explosives, were the stuff of tape trading legend. Die hard wrestling fans would seek out the matches, then sit in mesmerized silence as they watched Foley (under the guise as Cactus Jack) sacrifice his body for the sake of building his legacy. Foley would have to drastically adjust his style when he signed with WWE. The crazed and maniacal Cactus Jack disappeared and in his place was Mankind. While Foley would continue to inject hardcore into the company, it was slightly more subdued than before. And it certainly was not as frequent. He would be forced to approach each match with a more cerebral take, using crowd psychology and character traits to get over rather than barbed wire and fire. Sure, the street fights and Hell in a Cell matches are memorable but they are the exception rather than the rule when reliving Foley's WWE stint
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
