Every WWE Gimmick Match And The Wrestlers That Defined Them
8. Anything Goes, Various - Mick Foley
Incorporating No Holds Barred, Street Fight, and Extreme Rules matches - anything goes, essentially, including whichever descriptor Vince McMahon deems the most marketable that given month - Mick Foley elevated the genre into both gloriously unhinged spectacle and genuine star-maker.
Foley was the quintessential hardcore wrestler because he was a vastly underrated storyteller, even without the addition of weapons; with weapons, his very essence was equipped with the perfect dramatic intersection of sadism and masochism. On offence, he looked like a killer. Even surviving his deranged onslaught enhanced the aura of Sting, Triple H, Edge, and Randy Orton. When he sold, he sold like death, and he shifted through both modes so seamlessly. These awesome wars shaved years off Foley's career, but added years of prestige to his main event opponents.
Selfless in his pursuit of elevating stars and of our bloodthirsty entertainment, Foley altered the complexion of the genre, as a credible mainstream proposition - and, in turn, WWE itself.