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One Dude That Fans Really Love: Mick Foley

Posted: Jun 9th 2008 By: CMBurnham

This guy's had more alter-egos than Sybil.

Whether you know him as Mankind, Dude Love or Cactus Jack, if you're a wrestling fan, Mick Foley has taken his lumps in the cause of entertaining you.

It was the "Ouch!" heard 'round the world when — during a 1998 match called "Hell in a Cell" — Foley took a 16-foot fall that, shall we say, didn't go exactly as planned; he was knocked unconscious and lost a tooth.

Now a wrestling commentator, Foley has written eight books, including three memoirs and three children's books. He is anticipating a June 21 appearance at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood. "I'm a huge baseball fan," Foley tells CELEBS. "I only get the chance to be a guest at a couple of baseball games a year, so I'm really looking forward to this one."

The Indiana native, 42, spoke with CELEBS via telephone.

CELEBS: In Lakewood, you will be a "celebrity barber" cutting volunteers' ponytails for Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a group that makes free wigs for women who lose their hair to cancer treatment.


FOLEY: I feel great about it. I'm involved in a lot of groups that work with people who are facing some pretty tough challenges. Both my wife and my daughter have cut their hair for Wigs For Kids. I intend to do the same thing, although I'm not sure if I'm going to do it on June 21st or not.

CELEBS: Well, you can only do that once in a great while.

FOLEY: Exactly (laughs). Actually, my goal was to grow my hair out long enough that I can clip the 10 inches and still have some left over.

CELEBS: This month 10 years ago, you took a 16-foot fall in perhaps your most famous match. How certain were you that you were going to walk away from that?

FOLEY: You know what, that was a really wild night. I went back and watched the match in its entirety for the first time in a long time just a few days ago. I don't think I could ever do something like that again. It may not have been the smartest thing to try, to begin with. But for some reason, 10 years after the fact, it's really stuck in our fans' memories.

CELEBS: So re-watching it as a more mature person, it now looks riskier than it did when you were younger?

FOLEY: No; I realized how risky it was once I climbed up on the top and looked down (laughs). I wasn't confident or fearless at all. I was scared to death. But the odd thing about that match was the fall through the cage, which came as a complete surprise. That actually hurt me far worse than being thrown off of the cage.

CELEBS: Mick, if I turn the wrong way in the shower, my neck may be shot for a week.

FOLEY: (Laughs) Right.

CELEBS: How are your aches and pains these days?

FOLEY: Well, like a lot of people who performed in athletically based professions, I've got a lot of pain in my knees, a little bit in the neck and back. But all in all, it wasn't too large a price to pay for everything that being involved in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) gave to me.

CELEBS: Good for you, Mick. Where do you stand on the (WWE honcho) Vince McMahon issue? Is he the greatest entertainer since P.T. Barnum? Is he a megalomaniac?

FOLEY: You know, Vince is a lot things, and I believe most of them are really good. I've often said — even when I've been at odds with the company — that I consider him on the level with U.S. presidents. Certainly, I've had some differences of opinion with him. I've been pretty open about expressing them. But he and I are on very good terms right now.

CELEBS: Is there anything in the world of current events that has got your attention?

FOLEY: My heart really goes out to the survivors of the cyclone in Myanmar (on May 2) and the earthquake in China (on May 12). I was just in Shanghai last summer. Events in developing countries are very close to my heart. As a matter of fact, when I appear in New Jersey, I will have just gotten back from Sierra Leone (in West Africa), which is one of the poorest countries in the world. Those things weigh pretty heavy on my mind. Hopefully, whoever wins this presidential election will be able to pay a little closer attention to developing countries.

CELEBS: Thanks for those words, Mick. Now that I've spoken to you, I am my nephew's hero.

FOLEY: Well, I'm glad I could help out with that.

Tags: Mankind, Dude Love, Cactus Jack, Mick Foley, WWE