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WWE: There Is Always a Place in the Ring for Mick Foley

Posted: Feb 2nd 2012 By: mikeiles

Mick Foley, a man of cheap pops, broken bones and alter egos, has devoted his body to the wrestling business for more than 25 years.

He's been thrown off cages, put through flaming tables and slammed on piles of thumbtacks. He's even missing half his ear thanks to a 1994 mishap in the ring.

So if Foley, who has wrestled as Mankind, Dude Love and Cactus Jack, chooses to continue to put his body through that kind of punishment, who are we to tell him no?

When Foley steps in the ring now, his showings are different than when other aging legends lace up the boots.

Foley's matches aren't a sad reminder of how far he's slipped from his prime, like say, Ric Flair's are.

Maybe because Foley didn't have very far to fall.

Foley can be likened to an aging baseball pitcher, who never had a blazing fastball to rely on in his youth and thus easily adapts to old age since he's already accustomed to getting by on guts and guile alone.

Foley's never been in good shape, and he's never been known for his hour-long marathon matches, so it's easier for him to replicate his past glory.

The reputation Foley has built as the "Hardcore Legend" can be useful in putting over younger stars, as a win over Foley in a hardcore brawl can help add an extra edge to a character.

Take Randy Orton, for example, who defeated Foley (as Cactus Jack) in a hardcore match at Backlash 2004.

Orton began the match running scared from the barbed wire bat wielding Foley, but after surviving being tossed onto thumbtacks, thrown off the stage and having his head raked by barbed wire, Orton became a man.

In his sporadic appearances, Foley has proven that he is still immensely popular and highly entertaining.

Foley's 6:34 in the Royal Rumble last Sunday yielded some of the more enjoyable moments of the night, such as his face off with Santino Marella when Mr. Socko and the Cobra came head-to-head.

So, if Foley has any desire to come back to the WWE and wrestle, the company should welcome him.

It's guaranteed to be exciting, regardless of which persona he chooses to play.