Mick Foley on WWE Career: 'I Exceeded Everyone's Expectations'
For many wrestling fans, Mick Foley will always be known as Mankind, Cactus Jack or Dude Love, but he has become so much more than just a WWE legend since he hung up his boots.
Foley is a multi-time New York Times bestselling author, has worked as an advocate for several causes and is a devoted family man. If that wasn't enough to fill his time away from the ring, he is also immersing himself in the challenge of portraying Santa Claus.
Being Santa is harder than it looks.
In a recent interview promoting the release of his new book, Saint Mick: My Journey From Hardcore Legend to Santa's Jolly Elf, on October 17, Foley spoke to Ring Rust Radio about publishing his new story, asking Stephanie McMahon to write the foreword and Vince McMahon's thoughts on him when he first arrived in WWE.
Wrestling fans have enjoyed Foley's autobiographical work through his previous releases, but his new book focuses more on his desire to keep the Christmas magic alive for the children he meets on his travels.
While writing a memoir of his journey to become Santa, Foley didn't know if he would publish his latest story, but an important WWE executive helped him decide the book was worth releasing.
"In this case, it's something I really wanted to do," Foley said. "I didn't think there was an audience and at a certain point, I was just really intent on self-publishing like 100 copies for family and friends and then a couple of key people, Stephanie McMahon being one of them, convinced me it might deserve a wider audience."
From an on-screen perspective, Foley's last run with WWE ended with a brutal relationship and eventual firing from Stephanie McMahon, but the two are friends off air.
Not only did the WWE chief brand officer help to give Foley the confidence to publish the book, he also asked her to write the foreword.
Looking for the correct time to ask McMahon to write the foreword, Foley waited until after one of the most heated promos of their storyline—one in which Stephanie's character verbally destroyed him—before asking to speak in private. That's called perfect timing, folks.
"When it was done, I said I would like to talk in private if I could. She knows I'm professional and I'm not going to yell at her over a promo," Foley said.
"It was hard because it is a tough thing to ask, but I asked her if she would wonder consider writing the introduction to my book and it caught her completely flat-footed. She was kind of speechless for a second like she wasn't expecting that. Then she told me she would be honored to."
As wrestling fans, it's always interesting to hear about how Superstars—especially those battling against each other—interact behind the scenes when the cameras aren't on. McMahon and Foley have a long history, and their friendly relationship is one of the reasons they have worked so well together over the years.
While Stephanie and Shane McMahon are long-time proponents of Foley, there was another McMahon who wasn't always sold on the Superstar: Vince McMahon.
"There's a really great quote from Jim Ross' book Slobber Knocker and I read an excerpt from it today where he talked about how little faith Mr. McMahon had in me when I arrived,” Foley said.
"He was basically agreeing to the hire just so JR could find out what it's like to have his heart broken by a character you believed in that won't turn out to be anything. For a guy who wasn't as it turned out to be, brought in to be a big deal and who was in sense brought in to fail, I not only thought I exceeded everyone's expectations, but I thought I got plenty of credit. I really do."
Over the course of his career, WWE Chairman Vince McMahon has been right about a lot of things, but he missed the mark when it came to judging Foley's future.
As one of the most popular Superstars in WWE history, Foley has every right to feel he exceeded expectations and proved his doubters wrong.
Now that his in-ring career is over, he can turn his attention to what makes him happy, spreading the joy of Christmas to people around the world.
The WWE Universe is always happy to see Foley back on television in any form or fashion, so as long as he is willing to return, wrestling fans will be waiting with open arms.
Until then, it's time to enjoy Foley becoming Santa, just as he became Mankind, Cactus Jack or Dude Love in the past.
For more wrestling talk, listen to Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics or catch the latest episode in the player above (some language NSFW).
