There had been other hardcore wrestlers in the WWF before Mick Foley, but nobody popularised gimmick wrestling quite like the risk taking Mankind did. He made big bumps and violent spots the in vogue thing for the late nineties, in turn creating a huge imprint on the Attitude Era and success of the WWE in general. Foley's willingness to be thrown off cells and slammed on to thumbtacks set a violent precedent in mainstream wrestling. By the early 2000's, you even had Vince McMahon and Hulk Hogan doing Foley style spots at WrestleMania 19. Even today, when chairs to the head banned, Foley's influence is clear to see. For example, when Rollins and Ambrose fell from the cell at Hell In A Cell 2014; or in any No DQ match from Raw any given week. Foley popularised mainstream hardcore and it has been here to stay ever since.
