100 Greatest WWE Royal Rumble Moments Ever

56. The New Hardcore Legend Faces The Original (2004)

Mick Foley Royal Rumble 2004
WWE Network

Randy Orton’s Legend Killer schtick was a whole bunch of fun, seeing the rookie getting to interact with all-time greats such as Harley Race, Jake Roberts, and Shawn Michaels. But no legend did more for the career of Randal Keith at that time than Mick Foley.

Orton spent the end of 2003 labelling himself the ‘new’ Hardcore Legend and trying to coax the Micker out of retirement for one more match, with Foley experiencing somewhat of a crisis of confidence at this prospect. Being the cocky young prick heel, Randy called Foley a coward and spat in his face.

So, when Mick Foley was a surprise entrant in the 2004 Royal Rumble at the same time one Randy Orton happened to be in the match, the OG Hardcore Legend immediately went after the Evolution youngster - to the point that Foley hit one of his patented Cactus Clotheslines to eliminate both Randy and himself.

The physicality didn’t stop there, with Mick continuing to put a beatdown on Orton around the ringside area, which would nicely lead to Foley and Rock taking on Orton, Batista, and Ric Flair at WrestleMania XX, before we then got Foley vs. Orton in an excellent, brutal war at Backlash that June; a brutal war that did a heck of a job of legitimising Randy Orton and showing a tougher side to the then-24-year-old.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.