10 Wrestlers Who Nearly Died
2. Mick Foley's Germany Hang-Ups
It's possibly easier to count the matches where Mick Foley didn't nearly die than the ones in which he did, such is Mankind's predilection for masochism. But there was one particular occasion which came a bit too close for comfort - and for a change, Foley hadn't flung himself in the line of fire.
His 1994 match opposite bruiser Big Van Vader in Germany is infamous today as the one in which Foley - then competing as Cactus Jack - had most of his ear ripped off from the side of his face. Had he not lost his aural appendage, he could very well have lost his life.
Whilst attempting a hangman spot in one of the corners, Foley became inextricably ensnared in the ropes - which had been excessively tightened between matches after complaints from other workers.
"I knew enough about the human anatomy to know that if the pressure continued on my carotid arteries, which run alongside the neck, I would soon pass out, and then, without exaggeration, could suffer brain damage and even death," recalled Foley. With the referee's assistance, the stricken performer desperately struggled to escape his grave situation - sacrificing his ear in the process. Foley being Foley, he postponed immediate medical attention, and instead continued the match.