Mick Foley On Upside To Scripted Promos, Disagreements With Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon Special
On episode 87 of Sam Roberts' Wrestling Podcast, Mick and Noelle Foley were guests on the show. 'The Hardcore Legend' joked that the highly scripted WWE environment probably allows talent to enjoy their time at home more. Foley talked about his WWE Network interview with Shane McMahon and said he was picked as the interviewer because of his background in journalism and has a Hell In A Cell bump in common with 'Shane-O-Mac'. Also, Foley indicated that Vince McMahon respects the fact that Foley has remained vocal and passionate about the WWE product.
According to Foley, WWE's performers today probably enjoy their time at home more than the talents from his generation because they do not have to think about promos on their off time.
"I think I went 10 years without listening to my wife because I was cutting promos in my head. The downside to today's more structured WWE environment is that people aren't thinking for themselves as much. The upside is maybe the guys might listen to their significant [others at home] and maybe leave it at work. It's not a 24/7 thing where you're escaping into an alternate reality. Your eyes are blinking. Your fingers are twitching. And my wife would go, like, 'you're cutting promos aren't you?' I'm like, 'yeah, yeah.'"
When asked how he got 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin's spot for the WWE Network interview with Shane McMahon, 'Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy' claimed that the decision likely had to do with his journalism background and his iconic trip through the announce desk at King Of The Ring (1998), courtesy of The Undertaker.
"Steve Austin had just had shoulder surgery and when I asked him if he was okay with it, he said, 'hell yeah, kid. The last thing I want to do is to be walking through an airport with shoulder surgery. Go out there and have a hell of a show.'" Foley continued, "and I think [Chris] Jericho was actively on the roster and I think Mr. McMahon [and] Kevin Dunn thought that I had some background as a journalist and I was writing my books and thought that I had the respect of the boys and the respect of Shane. And we had the cell in common. If Vince gets an idea in his head, [or] a gut feeling that I'd be good in this interview, he just sticks with it."
Foley, who has been openly critical of the current WWE product, stated that Vince McMahon respects that he has opinions, though he does not necessarily agree with them.
"There was another time when I showed up on RAW in October 2014. I had a really good segment with Dean Ambrose and it was thought that I had heat with the company then. And during a meeting, the writing team was wondering what they might be able to do to make that segment special and Mr. McMahon said, 'well, how about bringing Mick Foley in?' And they said, 'I thought he had heat with the company.' Vince said, 'I don't give a damn if he has heat with the company. Can he make the segment better? Give him a call!'" Foley continued, "[Vince] is the best and deep down he respects my opinion. He says he doesn't always agree with it. He respects that I have one and that I'm still passionate about it."
Click here to check out the show. If you use any of the quotes that appear in this article, please credit Sam Roberts' Wrestling Podcast with an H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
Source: Sam Roberts' Wrestling Podcast