Randy Orton Believed Hardcore Spot With Mick Foley Was ‘A Bad Idea’

Though Mick Foley is almost always the one to bring thumbtacks into the wrestling ring, he almost always ends up laying in them. There are, however, a few occasions where "The Hardcore Legend" was on the opposite end of that problem, and one of those examples came at WWE Backlash 2004.

During that pay-per-view, the WWE Hall of Famer faced a young up-and-coming Randy Orton who was trying to establish a name for himself with the company. Though many viewed Orton as someone who was gifted his spot on the roster given his third-generation lineage, "The Legend Killer" wanted to wrestle a hardcore match to prove he could make it on his own.

When it came time for Thumbtacks to be introduced in the match, Orton was the one to do so, foreshadowing his ultimate downfall. Foley reversed Orton's patient RKO and threw him into the tacks, providing WWE fans with one of the greatest real-life shock scenes from the face of Orton.

"You can't fake the shock that he was in," Foley said, during the latest episode of "Foley is Pod." "His eyes were just wide open. I bring him up to the ramp and throw him off the ramp, which also gives me a little bit of time to rest up as that camera goes over and over.

"Mike Chioda goes to check on Randy, and all Randy can say is, 'Chioda, those tacks were a bad idea.' He's really feeling it and now. I come off that ring apron with what I think is the best elbow of my career, partially because it's captured with that low-angle shot; I couldn't have dropped a better one in my life."

Orton has been on the record stating how that match was a turning point in his career and was a passing of the torch moment from Foley to him. "The Legend Killer" also stated the match made the fans realize he was a true contender who was willing to put his body on the line to entertain the fans. As far as how painful the thumbtacks were, Orton said he still has the ones that were stuck to his boots, a souvenir from someone who helped him so much that memorable night.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Foley is Pod with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.