Mick Foley Recalls Paul Heyman Not Wanting Him Losing In WCW While Winning In ECW

Before debuting in WWF as Mankind in 1996, Mick Foley spent the '90s competing in other high-profile companies around the world, the most notable of which were WCW, ECW, and IWA Japan. While he left WCW in 1994 to become a freelancer, the prospect of working occasional dates for his former company enticed him.

Foley explained on "Foley Is Pod" that his run as an independent performer was rather lucrative. "[I was] bringing in a very low six-figure income ... and I was doing it on my own, there was a special sense of pride in that." 

However, the idea of working with WCW to further improve his family's financial well-being was something that Foley was also interested in at the time. 

"I wanted to reach out to WCW and see if they'd be open to having me on their Nitro shows," Foley recalled before mentioning that Paul Heyman advised him not to do it. "Paul told me, 'Cactus, we can't have you losing matches on WCW and being a top guy here.'"

Foley went on to note that beyond Heyman not wanting one of his top stars to lose on weekly television, the ECW figurehead also saw a brighter future for the hardcore competitor than what Mick was aiming for. "He was the first person to believe that WWE might be interested in me," Foley said.

WWE eventually did sign Foley following his run as a freelancer, but he made sure to finish his dates in Japan when he did, something that made a very good first impression on Vince McMahon. "[Vince] said, 'That's the kind of guy I want working for me,'" Foley said.