WWE Throwback Thursday: Mick Foley Wins His 1st World Championship

There have been many nights throughout WWE's long history that define the company, but few were as important as January 4, 1999.

WCW had been beating WWE in the ratings for nearly two years at this point thanks to its NWO storyline, poaching talent from Vince McMahon and being broadcast live.

Raw was still being taped in advance, so Eric Bischoff would have the commentators spoil the results of the show, giving viewers less reason to switch between Raw and Nitro.

However, this was the one time when it backfired. Tony Schiavone announced the results of Raw's main event, and for the first time, it had the opposite effect. Thousands of people switched the channel to see Mick Foley defeat The Rock to win his first WWE Championship.

There are several reasons why this moment is important, but since we already talked about the ratings war, we'll start there.

WCW Nitro overtook Raw in 1997 as the top wrestling program on television and kept that spot for nearly 100 weeks.

WWE veterans were jumping ship for a higher paycheck, but all that did was force McMahon to build new stars to replace guys like Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Bret Hart, Hulk Hogan and many more.

It was during this time when Triple H, The Rock, Steve Austin and Kurt Angle ascended to the main event scene alongside Shawn Michaels and Undertaker.

Then there was Foley. He wasn't the kind of guy who was supposed to win world titles. He didn't have a good physique, wasn't classically handsome and his character was as unconventional as they come. When McMahon took the risk of putting the WWE Championship around Foley's waist, he inadvertently saved his company from being dominated for another week.

What did WCW do for a main event that night? Hogan and Nash performed the infamous Finger Poke of Doom.

The combination of Foley's unexpected victory and the worst booking decision in WCW history turned the tide in the Monday Night War and gave WWE the edge it needed to take the lead and never let go.

The ratings win was great, but that night was also important because it broke a pattern that had existed in WWE for many years.

Foley had put his body on the line countless times by the time he won the title, but he was never the kind of guy you thought would win the big one.

Seeing him hoisted on the shoulders of D-Generation X and running around the ring with the belt was a moment no fan could ever forget.

He was never classified as an underdog, but his is a true underdog story. Defeating The Rock and winning the title validated all the bone-breaking bumps he had taken over the years.

Several documentaries have been made about Foley and the Monday Night Wars, and they all single out the night Mankind shocked the world by winning the WWE Championship as the moment everything changed.

If you have the WWE Network, go relive this incredible moment and remember how you felt when you saw Foley with tears in his eyes as he celebrated the biggest win of his career.

Thanks for reading, and follow me on Twitter @BR_Doctor.