Mick Foley is one of the most unique, creative talents in wrestling history. Able to successfully portray not one, not two, but three characters over the course of his career - Cactus Jack, Mankind, and Dude Love (not to mention later just appearing under his own name) - Foley was a fountain of ideas during his career, a master of crazy bumps and killer promos. And while his characters were very much his own, there was certainly a bit of inspiration taken from the movies in them. Look no further than the original Mankind character (before Socko). Vince McMahon wanted to call him Mason the Multilator, and he owes as much to Leatherface as he does to Hannibal Lector, though both are arguably referenced. The early Mankind had a habit of grunting like a pig when excited, the mask is clearly reminiscent of the horror icon, and then there's the fact that, you know, he's basically played-up as a psychopath. While this was altered over time, there's enough early on to kindly say that Mankind "borrowed" a fair bit from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre character. Although hanging out in boiler rooms is more of a Freddy thing.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
