100 Greatest WWE Matches Of All Time (Ranked)
29. Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley (Backlash 2004)
There's a reason this is still one of Mick Foley's favourite matches from a rich and often bloody career.
He was determined to help elevate young rising star Randy Orton up a notch in the eyes of WWE fans during the early knockings of 2004. Selfishly, Mick was also looking to prove he could still put on special hardcore bouts laced with weapons, claret, barbed wire, thumbtacks and more. The grisly deathmatch theatres Foley orchestrated dazzled during his prime, so hopes were high for this Intercontinental Title clash at Backlash.
It was everything Foley, Orton, WWE management and fans watching both live in the arena and at home had hoped it would be going in. Memorable spots included Mick placing a barbed wire bat between Randy's legs and leg dropping his full weight onto Mr. RKO's erm...sensitive area. His nuts. Foley crushed his nuts live on pay-per-view. What a menace!
Randy's big set piece bump onto hundreds (if not thousands) of glittering spiky tacks also got a huge reaction from fans in Canada. This was a true 'coming of age' match for Orton ahead of his sudden World Heavyweight Title win later that same year. He'd have turned a lot of heads behind the curtain for battling through agony and earning his stripes against a true legend.
This is precisely the kind of hardcore war countless fans missed during WWE's PG days. The violence was gratuitous at times, but there was more to the story between Mick and Randy than toe-curling spots. They told the tale of an arrogant young buck dismissing someone who'd paved the way for him, and Foley refused to stand for it.