40 Greatest Stories Wrestling Ever Told
11. The Three Faces Of Foley (WWF, 1996-1998)
Privately, Mick Foley feared the worst when the WWF's creative services envisioned him as 'Mason The Mutilator' in 1996. He could easily have become the next Mantaur, but Mick made some tweaks to the formula, turned into Mankind, embraced the contorted masked look and became an icon.
Mankind caught fire as a character, but it was actually the man behind it all that fans wanted more of. Mick's real life passion for pro wrestling had given birth to some cringeworthy teenage creations. Enter "Dude Love", who was a hip and happening babyface the ladies couldn't get enough of. It was all played for laughs, of course.
Foley also brought his chaotic Cactus Jack persona to federation screens in 1997, and he began blurring the lines between all 3 "Faces Of Foley". Truthfully, there were actually 4 faces, not just 3 (Mickster himself being the fourth), and paying punters couldn't get enough of Mankind's endearing weirdness, Dude's overt silliness or Jack's violence. Then, hidden in amongst it all was Mick's true personality cuddling all 3 wrestling creations under the same blanket.
He was so charming regardless of costume that Foley's origin story became the focal point. A bestselling book followed, so did WWF Title reigns, and "Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy" became a household name in the industry. His success would haunt Tony Schiavone and WCW too, which honestly goes to show just how big an impact Mick had on WWF business and wrestling as a whole.
This was an 'odd underdog' story with serious juice. Ow, have mercy!