WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley revealed how his character as Cactus Jack did not take a shine to Vince McMahon at first.
For a long time, Vince McMahon has been the head of the creative team which means every new thing that has to be introduced on WWE TV needs his approval first. From superstars’ change in character to their roles as performers on TV, everything has to go through the boss.
Mick Foley is a man who has played multiple roles and has worn a lot of hats in the company. As a wrestler, Foley had different alter egos or avatars in the ring. Foley wrestled as Dude Love, Mankind, and Cactus Jack. When Foley made his debut in the WWE, he had to drop his Cactus Jack gimmick because Vince didn’t approve.
However, Foley was attached to that gimmick as he played that role for the longest time in his career in ECW, IWA, and other wrestling promotions. Foley was introduced in the WWE as Mankind. A troubled masked man with a dark past.
Initially, Foley was not happy with the mask but he was able to sink his teeth into the character eventually. Speaking on Foley is Pod, Mick explained how he detested the masked man’s character.
“I hated the mask,” Foley stated. “I was hoping what we did was strong enough that I could segway into a Cactus Jack run, but I realize what we had done was pretty substantial.”
After having a successful run in the WWE as Mankind, Vince McMahon became more accommodative with Mick which led him to later introduce the Cactus Jack character in a street fight with Triple H. Foley stated on Sports Illustrated that he believes by allowing a character like Cactus Jack, WWE embraced ordinary yet outlandish characters which later rose to fame. Some similar characters were Daniel Bryan and CM Punk.
“In so doing? in allowing a guy who (in his opinion) didn’t look like a star, Mr. McMahon just may have opened up the possibility that other unlikely prospects might find a home, and stardom inside the WWE,”
Although Mick was Cactus Jack, a man with horrible fashion sense at heart, he made a name for himself as Mankind, a deranged basket case masked man.
Highlights of Mick Foley’s career as Mankind
Mankind is the pinnacle example that made Mick Foley a legend in the WWE. Some of the iconic matches that Mick partook in was as Mankind.
His monumental match with The Undertaker in Hell in a Cell is still remembered to this day as one of the most extreme moments in WWE history. Mankind’s character was that of a lunatic, reckless man who took pleasure in self-affliction. Mankind later had classic feuds with big names like The Rock and Kane. On December 29, 1998, Mankind was crowned as the WWE champion after he defeated The Rock.
Mick Foley is one man with a lot of faces in wrestling. A consummate legend. He was later inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.
