Mick Foley Discusses The Varying Reactions He Got From WWE Hell In A Cell Match
As much as professional wrestling is about feats of athleticism, it's also about storytelling. Comedy, drama, shock, and awe all play an important role in a match, and can become an important factor in making an event memorable. For example, fans are still talking about the Hell in a Cell match featuring Mankind and The Undertaker 25 years after the classic bout.
However, Mick Foley has had a plethora of feelings about this iconic moment from his career since he went sailing off the cage and through the Spanish announce table back at King of the Ring 1998. After rewatching the fabled match with "The Phenom" and providing new commentary for WWE, the "Hardcore Legend" continued the discussion about it on his podcast, "Foley Is Pod," where he shared that he didn't initially cherish their performance as much as he does now. But thanks to "The Deadman," perspectives were shifted around a bit.
"I resented the match for years to follow," Foley said. "It was a long journey for me to accept it and to appreciate it and come to love it. It just overshadowed everything else I did and it was the only thing people wanted to talk to me about ... My route to appreciating it was in part when Undertaker came to my event in Austin, Texas. I think it was 2013 ... He goes, 'What you and I did that night will outlive us both.' ... I remember driving back to my hotel feeling like a weight was off my shoulders. He'd put it and framed it in such a way that I realized this was something to really be proud of and appreciate ... We don't get to choose what touches other people, so I have come to appreciate it."
Rest In Peace
In addition to reframing their rivalry years later, Undertaker was also comforting to Foley immediately after the match. "The Lord of Darkness" was the one making sure that his opponent was fed and hydrated in the days following their legendary bout. The former Cactus Jack was also suffering from a concussion, but didn't report it along with the laundry list of other ailments that he suffered from due to the match. When they watched their handiwork in catering the next day, the locker room showed its appreciation by giving them a standing ovation. However, the Foley family (especially his wife) felt very differently about what their patriarch just went through.
"I called [my wife] and she was yelling at me," Foley said. "'You can't do this to us! The children thought you were dead!' She puts me on the phone with Noelle. It's past midnight, Noelle in '98 is five years old. And she was the first, but not the last, to ask the question, 'Did it hurt ?' It really changed my own perception of myself as being someone who could take anything to somebody who realized I'm kind of on borrowed time here."
By the following year, Mankind had evolved into a more lovable and friendly character that brought clowns to Mr. McMahon in the hospital, and made friends with The Rock and Mr. Socko. While it was probably done to extend his career a bit, his family's reaction to the version of the character that appeared in Hell in the Cell likely played a large part in the changes made by Foley, and his feelings toward one of the defining moments of his career.
Don't Cross The Boss
After going through the reactions of his opponent, his family, and even himself, Foley touched on Vince McMahon's feelings on the infamous match. First, he recalled the Chairman paying him "well above and beyond what I'd ever received before and certainly what I expected" for his performance in Hell in a Cell. But more importantly, he wanted to ensure the safety of "Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy."
"Vince walked into the dressing room when it was all said and done," recalled Foley. "He said, 'You have no idea how much I appreciate what you've just done for this company, but I never want to see anything like that again.' Then he told me he was going to place a governor on me. I didn't know what a governor was. It's a device that prevents a car from going too fast so it'll prevent further damage. That's what he was placing on me. Eventually, I'd go on to do some wild stuff, but for a while I was on double secret probation when it came to the wild stuff."
Thankfully, the beloved WWE Hall of Famer survived some additional wild stuff and came out the other side to share his stories about Hell in a Cell and beyond with generations of fans.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Foley Is Pod" and provide a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription