12 Things WWE Owes To Mick Foley

11. Advising On Mankind Character

As Mick Foley himself has stated on numerous occasions, Vince McMahon's original vision for his WWF character was horrible. The wrestler wasn't exactly enthused about wearing a mask to begin with, but he was willing to do so if the gimmick was strong enough. Sadly, this was 1996, and McMahon was still in 'cartoon land' when it came to creating characters. Thus, 'Manson/Mason The Mutilator' was born, and Foley hated the idea. Fearing he was going to go the same way as other WWF abominations like Mantaur, the Long Island Native instead pitched that 'The Mutilator' part of the name be dropped, and he instead go by 'Mankind'. At first, Vince was a little frosty towards the idea, but he decided to trust the newcomer. It's a good thing he did, because Mankind went on to become a highlight of Federation programming. Less than a full year into his run, Foley had proved so effective under the guise that fans started to cheer him. That's because Mankind was unquestionably entertaining, something which may have been more difficult had Foley not advised on the character.