Mick Foleys most well-known persona is undoubtedly Mankind -- a name suggested by Foley after being told his character was to be called The Mutilator. Prior to his debut, WWE aired a series of vignettes to hype Mankinds arrival. The video packages portrayed Mankind as a deranged, psychotic, mutilated freak. However, while Mankind was all of those things, in a way he was more the embodiment of all that is wrong with mankind -- not the man, himself, but the collective human race. His hatred and psychosis was created by us, as we shunned people like Mankind in favor of a more docile existence. This is all implied through Mankinds promos and never explicitly stated. Furthermore, he frequently talked to his pet rat, Georgie and seemed to find the local arenas boiler room to be the most comfortable surrounding. As the years went on, more reality was infused into the Mankind character. Mick Foleys real life was slowly incorporated into Mankinds reality. Somehow, this infusion of real life made the characters backstory even more complex. ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LR5hAx1GZU As a kid and teenager, Foley always felt a bit of an outcast. He was especially timid around women and created a wrestling persona to help him feel more comfortable. This character, Dude Love, was then incorporated into Foleys repertoire of personalities. Later, a third gimmick was added -- that of the hardcore specialist, Cactus Jack. Together, these were known as the Three Faces of Foley, allowing Mick to switch between them at anytime. As time continued, however, Foley reverted back to the Mankind persona. By that time, however, Mankind began to lighten up and become more of a comedic figure. He frequently used a tube sock named Mr. Socko to win his matches. This new Mankind went on to team with The Rock to form the Rock n Sock Connection -- a popular and at times funny duo.
Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.
