Posted in: Mr. Tito
Tito Rising - The Appreciation of Mick Foley and his WWE Years
By Mr. Tito
Nov 16, 2011 - 11:33:21 PM

CONTACT MR. TITO - Email: [email protected] - Twitter: @titowrestling - Join LoPForums.com: Feedback Thread

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Welcome, one and all, to the rebranded pro wrestling column of choice by Mr. Tito entitled TITO RISING. In the past, you probably knew me from my Blog is Tito. In recent weeks, things have been reorganized here at LordsofPain.net and it's a matter that I'll just have to deal with for my pro wrestling Mr. Tito fix. No need to discuss the drama behind the change, for you, the readers, do not care.

But what you do care about is pro wrestling and if you didn't know, there is no other wrestler who cares more about the industry than Mick Foley. To much of the newer pro wrestling audience, those born during the 1990's who didn't watch Mick Foley's "peak" WWF years from 1996 to 2000, Mick Foley was just a WWE veteran making an appearance on RAW this past Monday to take a Rock Bottom from the Rock. Maybe to some of the newer fans, he was that older wrestler in TNA Wrestling who actually had some decent contributions to the TNA product (even wrestling) in his early 40's. Much of the younger audience might be aware of Mick Foley as a veteran, but to have watched Foley's rise during the 1990's was an absolute treat and an honor to view.

During a column that I wrote before Wrestlemania 27, I wrote about the "Fab 4" of the WWE and how they were each contributing to Wrestlemania 27 for the first time since 2004 or Wrestlemania 20. The Fab 4 were the top WWF Main Eventers during the late 1990's and early 2000's: The Rock, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Undertaker, and Triple H. As you'll recall, the Rock hosted Wrestlemania 27, Steve Austin was the referee for Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole, and Triple H vs. Undertaker was a 5-star classic that I presently have 2nd on my "Match of the Year" list. However, for each of the "Fab 4" to become great, they needed a stepping stone to get there or a wrestler to push them to their limits.

That man was Mick Foley. I would seriously argue that Mick Foley was the GLUE of the WWF during the late 1990's.

For example, when the Undertaker was feuding with himself, Mabel, Yokozuna, or anybody who was either tall or fat during much of the 1990's, there was a psychopathic wrestler named Mankind (Mick Foley's debuting WWF gimmick) who debuted in 1996 and aggressively went after the Undertaker. Mick Foley pushed Undertaker to the limits and instead of the Undertaker struggling to get through a Big Man match, he now had a guy who would bump like a champ for him. His work was so impressive during 1996 that it actually earned him a WWE Title shot at In Your House: Mind Games 1996 against Shawn Michaels and damn that was a great match. Later, I thought that infamous King of the Ring 1998 not only made Foley impressive for his extreme bump taking, but I thought it made the Undertaker look strong by delivering the punishment.

I would argue that Mick Foley helped establish Triple H not once, but twice. During 1997, Mick Foley, with multiple personalities (Mankind, Dude Love, Cactus Jack), feuded with Triple H in a pretty aggressive midcard feud. The feud, in my mind, not only helped give credibility to the person behind the Cactus/Dude/Mankind gimmick with fans, but it strengthened Triple H as a heel. It was needed, provided for Triple H, provided his Wrestlemania 12 destruction at the hands of the Ultimate Warrior and then getting depushed for exposing the business via the "Curtain Call". Foley pushed Triple H to the limits and by the time Degeneration X was about to launch, Triple H was now deemed credible enough to team up with Shawn Michaels, the main heel during late 1997. Then, of course, when Triple H needed an opponent to help firmly establish himself as WWE Champion during late 1999, Mick Foley stepped up to the plate. Their Royal Royal 2000 match is the stuff of legends.

Though not as well known, I'd argue that Mick Foley was very important to "Stone Cold" Steve Austin after Austin won his first WWE Title at Wrestlemania 14. Austin couldn't exactly wrestle Vince McMahon after Wrestlemania and Shawn Michaels was now out of the picture due to a back injury. Thus, Vince McMahon needed a "flunky" to do his dirty work and Mick Foley stepped up to be the corporate suck-up that Steve Austin refused to be. Foley gave Austin some good matches and helped bridge the in-ring wrestling gap between Shawn Michaels and later Undertaker to help firmly establish Steve Austin as a megastar.

And then there was the Rock. Rocky won the WWE Title during Survivor Series 1998 but the WWE had dreams of having Steve Austin vs. the Rock at Wrestlemania 15. Thus, the Rock needed someone to feud with during 3-4 months in between these Pay Per Views. Foley stepped up to the plate and gave the Rock some great main event matches that I'll never forget. In particular, I remember the empty arena match during the Superbowl Halftime in early 1999 and then the devastating chairshots delivered to Foley's skull during Royal Rumble 1999. The feud gave Foley his first WWE Championship opportunity, but I thought it really established the Rock as a strong heel main eventer. It paid off, as Wrestlemania 15 was headlined perfectly by Austin vs. a very credible Rock.

In later years, Foley came out of retirement to give Randy Orton a match at Backlash 2004 and Edge a battle at Wrestlemania 22, both matches I'd argue were very important in establishing both Randy Orton in his early years and Edge as a main eventer.

Yet today, you just see Mick Foley as a former WWE veteran who recently appeared for TNA Wrestling because for all of you newer fans know, all former legends of wrestling end up in TNA...

The sad fact is that Foley's peak WWF years were only for 4 years from just after Wrestlemania 12 in 1996 through Wrestlemania 16 in 2000. It's an absolute shame that Vince McMahon didn't recognize the talent or hard work ethic of Foley until 1996 when Vince was in desperate need of talent. Before 1996, and even during his WCW stint, Foley wrestled absolutely brutal matches, some of which are the most violent matches of all time (especially in Japan). Foley was probably only able to give the WWF 4 good years because of the damage done before 1996. Once in the WWF, Vince McMahon gave him a brilliant gimmick in Mankind (though Vince wanted to call him "Mason the Mutilator" at first) and allowed Foley's personality to shine in addition to being wrestling's best bump taker. Vince made a lot of money from Foley assisting other stars to be great.

Part of the charm of Foley is that he wasn't going to win a bodybuilding contest anytime soon, nor would he win a beauty pageant. Foley had the cards stacked against him in a wrestling world that now preferred bodybuilder looks, but he did it through drive and determination. Mick Foley "wanted it" and he busted his hump until eventually Vince McMahon took notice in 1996. I see someone like a Chris Masters complaining about his recent WWE cut as if the WWE "wasted him" but it makes me wonder how much Masters truly "wanted it" or how much he thought he was entitled to the pushes he thought he deserved. Ditto for the many other wrestlers using social media like Twitter or going on interviews where they ****, ****, **** about not being properly used. Mick Foley wasn't exactly used properly for all of his career but it only pushed him to great. When things weren't going well for him in WCW, he moved on to other promotions to prove WCW wrong. Chris Masters would be better served to bust his ass and join TNA/Ring of Honor to prove the WWE wrong. Stop complaining and work hard.

As I look at Mick Foley here in 2011, I'm happy that he's working with the WWE again. I can't but be sad that he's probably physically impaired from the many years of entertaining me as a wrestling fan. I hope he does well for the rest of his life. Thus, when you see Foley make his next WWE appearance, understand that he helped make the WWE great as well as assisting in making many stars become bigger.

But I have a great suggestion for the 45 year old Mick Foley... Give us Mankind the Manager... He would be a tremendous asset to the WWE by portraying the psychopathic Mankind character but in a managerial to put over wrestlers in need of a voice and someone who knows enough about the old school managers to portray it well. The Mankind character is one of my favorite personas of all time and it would be a pleasure to hear Mankind talking down his employer's opponents. Maybe debut someone new from Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) with a dark character that could use Mankind as the mouthpiece. It sounds perfect to me.

10 Things I Think


Credit to Peter King @ Sports Illustrated for the 10 Things I Think idea.

1) I won't back down on "CM Punk was Buried", even if CM Punk wins the WWE Title at Survivor Series. Just because I'm no longer blogging about it daily, doesn't mean that I'm backing down my belief. Since Money in the Bank PPV, CM Punk's momentum was purposely cooled in favor of (a) sticking with the plans to push Alberto Del Rio and (b) wanting to get Triple H over in a non-wrestling role as "Chief Operating Officer". That, and I don't think WWE Management particularly likes CM Punk, the former proclaimed "King of the Indies". Sure, if he wins the WWE Title at Survivor Series, it will be nice... But since Punk won the WWE Title at Money in the Bank PPV during my current "Match of the Year" candidate for 2011 against John Cena, the WWE Title's credibility calls into question... 2 WWE Titles merged at SummerSlam with Cena's foot on the ropes, Alberto cashes in his Money in the Bank Title at SummerSlam, WWE Title plans centered around Del Rio being champion for the Mexico trip in mid-October, and the ongoing joke the methodology for title contenderships.

Honestly, I would hold off a WWE Title run until Wrestlemania 28 after CM Punk wins Royal Rumble 2011...

2) Wrestling is no longer cool on television. Some are pointing out that the 3 Hour edition of Monday Night RAW was a "success" its 3.3 rating for all 3 hours and 3.4 rating for the last 2. I actually disagree. WWE has been averaging around 3.0 lately and a 3.3 or a 3.4 rating isn't all that statistically different from a 3.0. Worse yet, Vikings vs. Packers was uncompetitive on Monday Night. RAW was 3 hours long, had the Rock appearing on the show, and was against lighter NFL Football competition... I would worry about that if I were the WWE as even adding the Rock, the interest in the WWE product isn't growing overall...

3) Chris Jericho is not retiring... I smell a work, especially as I don't believe much of what wrestlers Tweet anyway. With due respect to Jericho, and I overall like the guy... But he can't resist the profession that made him richer than anything he's done with FOZZY, working with VH1, or Dancing with the Stars. Eventually, Vince McMahon will need his star power and Jericho will need a quick avenue for face time on wrestling. With the way wrestlers are working fans on their Twitter accounts, Jericho might be returning soon...

4) Here are my quick Survivor Series 2011 Predictions (card pulled from WWE.com):

-Beth Phoenix retains Divas Title over Eve Torres. Why? I like Eve, but I don't sense the popularity is there as a face like Kelly Kelly.

-Dolph Ziggler retains U.S. Title over John Morrison. Why? John Morrison is on the way out and the WWE won't give him a Pay Per View win at Madison Square Garden to help his career elsewhere.

-Big Show defeats Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Championship. Why? What else are you going to do on Smackdown? Big Show is always a credible opponent and this will allow them to continue their feud through Royal Rumble 2011 for Mark Henry to regain the World Title and then possibly lose to Sheamus to put him over huge at Wrestlemania 28. Seems like it's all falling into place...

-Team Randy Orton defeats Team Wade Barrett. Why? I always go with faces in traditional Survivor Series matches.

-Alberto Del Rio defeats CM Punk. Why? Just hearing talk of the WWE wanting to possibly allow CM Punk to win the Royal Rumble 2011 makes me think that they'd want him to not be WWE Champion just yet. We'll see...

-Rock/John Cena defeat Miz/R-Truth. Why? I like R-Truth's recent work with the Miz, but he's the only non-WWE World Champion in this match. Thus, he's taking a Rock Bottom or an Attitude Adjustment. As the Main Event in front of a "hot" Madison Square Garden crowd, the WWE will want to send fans home happy... Rock and Cena will play up their issues AFTER the match.

Should be a decent show overall...

5) I Told You So on Sin Cara? When I first saw his height on the television screen and then his not-so-perfect debut match, I sensed that Sin Cara was in "over his head" in the land of the wrestling giants, the WWE. I was just amazed at how the Sin Cara vs. Sin Cara just didn't matter... Be sure to tell your favorite Tito how correct he was on this call... I just had to cash that one in, provided how much crap I took by simply stating that Sin Cara was too small and worked of a different style to not be the "second coming of Christ" that marks hyped him to be upon his arrival.

6) I'll give the WWE Network Props. I actually like some of the brainstorming that the WWE Network is presenting to wrestling fans as well as considering television packages to include free Pay Per View broadcasts upon purchase of the WWE Network. I think if the WWE models themselves after the NFL Network, which is an absolute homerun with its current and past content mixed perfectly, the WWE Network could work. Ultimately, I sense that it will be a 24/7 infomercial for current WWE Pay Per Views, which is why I predicted it would "fail" in addition to television possibly peaking already in favor of other electronic devices and content providers other than cable/satellite television. I would love any WWE show where former wrestlers just sit around and talk about their times on the road. I eat that stuff up... What a pro wrestler has to go through to be a pro wrestlers is remarkable.

7) WWE Stock = "BUY"? I'm looking at the WWE stock right now with a closing price of $9.82... Ehhhh, that's not bad for a "buy low, sell high" if you're into cheaper stocks as I assume that the WWE stock will at least rise to $15 once Wrestlemania 28 profits start rolling in... I'm greatly worried about the European Markets plunging, and thus officially putting other economies, including ours, back into recession. We are teetering now, and I'm greatly worried, too, about rising Oil prices in recent days... You should take Chris Rock's advice when you're pumping gas (if you've seen his comedy specials, you'll know what I mean).

8) Finger Eleven's Kane Theme is still Awesome. When it comes to my iPod, I have terrible ADD when it comes to the songs stored on that device... Thus, I'm constantly looking for new music. The band Finger Eleven has a handful of songs that I liked over the years and stumped one night to add new songs, I started scouring the WWE song libraries on iTunes... And there it was, "Slow Chemical" by Finger Eleven. What an awesome song as they perfectly mixed the style of Kane's theme into an actual song that sounds great.

Speaking of music, I can't get enough of the Foo Fighters's "Wasting Light" album... It's quite possibly, their best album to date... Not a single clunker on the the album (yes, I bought the whole thing off of iTunes) and it's a perfect mixture of hard rock and good melodies. In my opinion, songs like "Walk", "Rope", "Bridge Burning", "These Days", and "Arlandia" should be automatic adds to any iPod/iPhone device, but the rest of the album is damn good as well. I saw them on September 23rd in Pittsburgh and they played a badass 27 song set that was worth every penny to see.

9) Pray for a few wrestlers. For those who have been in rehab lately (Scott Hall, Matt Hardy) or those who have been injured recently (Shane Helms), hope that all of your favorite stars can pull through and then lead great lives. The pro wrestling business can chew you up and spit you out. Sure, the money sounds great, but let Income Taxes eat into those 6-figure salaries that might occur for a WWE star for a period fo 10 years if they're lucky. Being a pro wrestler isn't cheap, either... If you meet a WWE star, ask them what their own personal travel expenses are and they'll probably get pissed. Thus, always keep your favorite stars of yesteryear in mind... We've lost too many great ones.

10) Still seems to be worth it. Outweighing the positives and negatives of the recent events, I like writing, the Mr. Tito character, and LordsofPain.net more than I dislike the negatives of the success that those bring... Thus, I'm here to stay for the moment and to quote Ric Flair, "whether you like it or you don't like it, learn to love it! Whoooooo!"

Thank you, as always, for reading and affording me the opportunity to continue being Mr. Tito.

JUST CHILL... 'TIL THE NEXT EPISODE!

CONTACT MR. TITO - Email: [email protected] - Twitter: @titowrestling - Join LoPForums.com: Feedback Thread

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