10 Wrestling Facts We Didn't Know Last Week (Aug 19)
2. Mick Foley Suffered Freak Pain Before SummerSlam 1999
As WWF SummerSlam 1999 faded to black, fans were left with the visual of Mick Foley (as Mankind) celebrating his third WWF Heavyweight Title victory. Coming out on top following a Triple Threat bout against both Steve Austin and Triple H, Foley was suffering from some unusual pain during the match.
The day before the pay-per-view, Foley made a celebrity guest appearance at a Minnesota Twins baseball practice. Telling FOX Sports all about the ordeal, Mick says he didn't take into account the fact he hadn't swung a bat since he was a child. As a result, his hands became sore quickly, and the pain hadn't subsided by the time SummerSlam rolled around.
Even though he managed to get through the main event, Foley couldn't properly celebrate his big title win. Backstage, everybody wanted to congratulate Mick with a hearty handshake, but the wrestler couldn't grip properly to shake back.
For a guy who has broken bones, fallen off the top of Hell In A Cell and competed in brutal matches involving fire, barbed wire and explosions, this pain must have felt completely random.