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Why Mick Foley Should Stay out of the Ring Even If He Stays with WWE

Posted: Feb 1st 2012 By: mikeiles

It has been great seeing Mick Foley back in the WWE fold and on TV once again. Not everything has turned out the way fans have hoped, but the nostalgia that he brings is enough to forgive any hiccups in his performance.

The only problem is that he has started putting himself in matches again.

Part of being a fan should be wanting to see beloved performers walk off into the sunset relatively unharmed. Foley is past that point, being the hardcore legend that he is. He isn't taking the spills he used to, but it takes one botched move to give someone a permanent injury.

But that isn't the only reason that Foley should stay out of the ring.

Last week Foley made an appearance at the Royal Rumble coming in at No. 7. While it was exciting to hear the car crash that starts his theme song, it was painful to watch him make his way to the ring.

Foley was never the most athletic wrestler, something that endeared him to the audience even more, but he was always capable.

He wasn't last week.

It was hard not to wince as a slightly out of shape Foley hobbled to the ring.

Once he got there, it was a different story. It was the Foley of old, and his showdown with Santino Marella's cobra was hilarious.

While that moment was great, it was a relief to see Foley quickly ejected from the Rumble and sent on his way.

That isn't to say that Foley doesn't have anything to offer the WWE. He was able to get fans to support him and believe in his multiple personas.

The ability to do that with wrestling fans is something unique and special.

It speaks highly of Foley that he was able to psychologically get the crowd behind each of his incarnations. He was able to do all that while not looking like the stereotypical wrestler.

He wasn't chiseled, and he wasn't blessed with model good looks. He just had a charisma that drew people to him.

He could teach that to a generation of wrestlers who haven't been able to travel to different regions and experience different decades of wrestling. He could help grow a new breed of superstar for the WWE.

He could even be the General Manager for RAW again.

With his abilities he could help the WWE in front of the camera or behind it.

He just shouldn't do it in the ring.

Matthew Hemphill writes for the MMA and professional wrestling portion of Bleacher Report. He also hosts a blog elbaexiled.blogspot.com which focuses on books, music, comic books, video games, film, and generally anything that could be related to the realms of nerdom.