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WWE: Mick Foley is the Most Underrated Wrestler in Company History

WWE: Mick Foley is the Most Underrated Wrestler in Company History

Posted: Dec 7th 2013 By: mikeiles

COMMENTARY: It's hard to say that a man who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame is underrated, but if there is anyone in that sacred club who doesn't get the respect he deserves its Mick Foley. While names like Steve Austin, The Rock, HHH and The Undertaker get credit for "The Attitude Era," Foley is treated like the proverbial "sixth man" during the WWE's hottest years.

But in fact he was one of their top talents.

Whenever the WWE needed someone to put a younger guy over to give him credibility or add toughness to their character, they turned to Foley. On the flip side, if they needed someone to provide a laugh or a light-hearted moment, there was no one better than Mrs. Foley's baby boy. Whether he was Mankind, Cactus Jack or even Dude Love, Foley was a key member of the WWE roster.

Foley's WWE career started with when he engaged in vicious feud with The Undertaker in 1996. At the time, Taker's character had lost a lot of steam and the WWE needed a fresh opponent for The Phenom. Enter Mankind, whose brawling, physical style was the perfect complement to Taker.

The two engaged in heated battles for the next eight months that added a new level to Taker while establishing Mankind as a threat to anyone in the WWE.

Months after feuding with Taker, Mankind was the guy who brought out the mean streak in HHH who was portraying a snobbish Greenwich aristocrat at the time. Their battles throughout the summer of 1997, made HHH look tough in the fans' eyes.

Two years later, Foley was the guy who dropped the WWE Championship to HHH after SummerSlam 1999. A few months later the two engaged in a classic at the Royal Rumble which once again established HHH as a vicious heel.

Foley did the same thing in late 1998 and early 1999 when he battled The Rock in a series of matches over the WWE Championship. One of the most memorable moments in WWE history was the night Foley defeated The Rock for the title. The two met in a handful of matches over the course of four months that elevated Rocky from mid-card wrestler to main eventer.

Even more important for the two, was later in their careers when they formed The Rock N' Sock Connection. Entertaining in both the ring and on the microphone, Foley and The Rock remain one of the top tag teams of all time. The duos "This is your life segment," was one of the highest rated segments in company history.

His creation of Mr. Socko became an instant classic and led to Foley becoming more of a lovable goofball than a maniacal brute.

Foley is one of the best in the business at getting a laugh, but could just as easily deliver a promo that made fans buy into what he was saying and make them want to spend money on what he was selling. His interview segments with Jim Ross in 1997 remain as some of the best interviews ever given and showed a side of Foley fans had never seen before.

After his in-ring career was finished, Foley's run as the commissioner of the WWE was simply brilliant. His interactions with guys like Kurt Angle, Edge and Christian were must see TV and remain funny to this day.

Foley is no doubt a legend in the business but he is often looked at as one of the background guys to some of the other stars of the late 90s. While he may have never been the top guy, he was maybe the most important figure in helping establish the guys who did get to be on top.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 2005 Phillip def. Se7en for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 2018 Joe Cuedo def. Brock Baker for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 2024 Pastor Brent def. Daniel Aaron Michalles for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 2024 Daniel Aaron Michalles def. Pastor Brent for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 2025 Billie the Kiid def. Dan Webber for the ASP Heavyweight Title

Week of Sun 06-21 to Sat: 06-27

  • 06-21 1982 Junkyard Dog def. Bob Roop for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 1987 Al Perez def. The Dingo Warrior for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 2003 Kitty def. Manservant for the TPW Womens Title
  • 06-21 2008 Tim Rockwell def. El Super Colibri for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-21 2008 Li'l Joe def. Xavior for the GPCW Cruiserweight Title
  • 06-21 2014 Buster Cherry def. Havoc for the SWCW All-American Title
  • 06-21 2024 Big Sed def. Sam Adonis for the TexPro Heavyweight Title
  • 06-21 2025 Dan Webber became the LCW Lionheart Champion
  • 06-22 2005 Phillip def. Se7en for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-22 2018 Joe Cuedo def. Brock Baker for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-22 2024 Pastor Brent def. Daniel Aaron Michalles for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-22 2024 Daniel Aaron Michalles def. Pastor Brent for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-22 2025 Billie the Kiid def. Dan Webber for the ASP Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1972 Billy Red Lyons def. The Spoiler for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1980 Mr. Hito & Mr. Sakurada def. Jose Lothario & Tiger Conway Jr. for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 06-23 1982 Ted DiBiase def. Junkyard Dog for the MSW North American Heavyweight Title
  • 06-23 1984 Gino Hernandez became the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-23 1989 The Stud Stable (Robert Fuller & Brian Lee) def. Jeff Jarrett & Mil Mascaras for the WCCW World Tag Team Titles
  • 06-23 2001 Big Daddy Moore def. Adam Lacroix for the OPW Oklahoma Television Title
  • 06-23 2001 Grenade became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-23 2009 Joshua Michael & Epic became the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 06-23 2023 Dustin Tibbs def. Thrash for the WFC Prime Title
  • 06-24 1972 Stan Stasiak def. Red Bastien for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Title
  • 06-24 1974 Bull Ramos def. Rip Tyler for the TSW North American Title
  • 06-24 1977 John Studd became the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 06-24 1985 The Dynamic Duo (Gino Hernandez & Chris Adams) def. The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) for the WCCW American Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2000 Great Bolo [2nd] def. Ichiban [2nd] for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 06-24 2000 Ichiban [2nd] became the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-24 2005 Spoiler 2000 became the NWA-U Television Champion
  • 06-24 2006 Prophet SteVens became the AACW Television Champion
  • 06-24 2007 Matt Garza became the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 06-24 2016 Dynamic Shields (Justin Dynamic & Shawn Shields) def. Terry Montana & Mighty Mouse for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2016 Seth Angel def. Steven Cruze for the ComPro Showtime Title
  • 06-24 2016 Adrian Dell def. Nathan Estrada for the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Title
  • 06-24 2017 Drake Gallows became the ASP Heavyweight Champion
  • 06-24 2017 Excellence Personified (Duke Swellington & Dustin Heritage) def. Shawn Hendrix & Aaron Anders (substituting for Anthony Andrews) for the ComPro Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2017 Dynamic Shields (Justin Dynamic & Shawn Shields) def. Big Smooth & Zakk Sinizter for the UWE Tag Team Titles
  • 06-24 2018 Shawn Sanders def. Chaz Sharpe for the ASP Inter-County Title
  • 06-24 2018 Canadian Red Devil def. Adam Patrick for the ASP Mid-American Title
  • 06-24 2020 Warren Powers def. Giganto for the BPW 365 Title
  • 06-24 2023 Stage Dive Mafia (Rook Tyler & Axel Savage) became the BCW Tag Team Champions
  • 06-24 2023 C. M. Burnham def. Lunchador for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-24 2023 Lunchador def. C. M. Burnham for the WAH Hunger Dojo Title
  • 06-25 2011 Sam Stackhouse def. Shane Morbid for the BYEW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-25 2011 The Sons of Ireland (Devan Scott & Shane Scott) def. The New Age Syndicate (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) for the BYEW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-25 2011 Chris Chaos became the BYEW Caution Champion
  • 06-25 2011 The Future Hall of Famers (John O'Malley & Brad Michaels) def. Bernie D & Aaron Neil (subbing for Max McGuirk) for the IZW Tag Team Titles
  • 06-25 2016 Brian Breaker def. Zakk Sinizter for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 06-25 2017 The Cub Scouts (Grizzly Gates & Brock Landers) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
  • 06-26 1961 The Bolos (Great Bolo 1st & Mighty Bolo) became the TSW Southwestern Tag Team Champions
  • 06-26 1987 Frankie Lancaster & Eric Embry def. The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) for the WCCW World Tag Team Titles
  • 06-26 1999 Tarantula def. Original Renegade for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Title
  • 06-26 2005 Li'l Joe def. Phillip for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 06-26 2009 Brandon Groom def. The Handsome Spoiler for the TOPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Title
  • 06-26 2009 Kevin James Sanchez def. Bobby Starr for the BYEW Entertainment Title
  • 06-26 2021 Most Wanted (Dan Webber & Reese) def. Los Loco Moscas (Elijah Sparks & El Greengo Loco) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 06-26 2025 Microman def. Mini Abismo Negro for the EDW Heavyweight Title
  • 06-27 1969 Wahoo McDaniel & Thunderbolt Patterson became the WCCW American Tag Team Champions
  • 06-27 1971 Johnny Valentine def. Toru Tanaka for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-27 1976 Jose Lothario def. The Mongolian Stomper for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 06-27 2009 Randy Price def. Dustin Heritage for the IZW Impact Division Title
  • 06-27 2009 Martin Justice became the OECW Southwestern Champion
06-22
  • Athena Jun 23rd
  • Juan Sebastian Jun 24th
  • Gabe Wilder Jun 24th
  • Don Kent Jun 24th
  • Kody Lane Jun 25th
  • X-Storms Jun 25th
  • Jax Samuel Jun 26th
  • D. K. Bradley Jun 26th
  • Paul Rodriguez Jun 26th
  • Sylvia Richmond Jun 26th
  • Kuda Jun 27th
  • Dan Barnhart Jun 27th
  • Jason Kirby Jun 27th
  • Reckless Jun 27th
  • Ignition Jun 27th
  • Malico Jun 28th
  • Kenny Mack Jun 28th
  • Damian Kincaid Jun 28th
  • J. J. Blake Jun 28th
  • John Tidwell Jun 28th
  • Doc Hearon Jun 28th
  • Claire Jun 28th
  • Boris Malenko Jun 28th
  • Bill Dromo Jun 28th
  • Barbara Galento Jun 29th
  • Voltio Santiago Jun 29th
  • Ed Lewis Jun 30th
  • Kenneth Caine Jun 30th
  • Terry Funk Jun 30th
  • Li'l Joe Jul 1st
  • Sung Yung Kang Jul 1st
  • Jake Hollister Jul 1st
  • Tim WarCloud Jul 1st
  • Rex Andrews Jul 2nd
  • Dalton Smith Jul 2nd
  • Crowson D. Calhoun Jul 2nd
  • Wrangler Rhett Jul 2nd
  • Ray the Bae Jul 3rd
  • Arman Hussein Jul 3rd
  • Joe Sloan Jul 3rd
  • Rachael Starz Jul 3rd
  • Greatest American Bolo Jul 4th
  • Bree Ann Jul 4th
  • Blake Wilson Jul 4th
  • Bob Sweetan Jul 4th
  • Barry Windham Jul 4th
  • Roland Kirchmeyer Jul 5th
  • Richard Pierce Jul 5th
  • Little Tokyo Jul 5th
  • Terry Kage Jul 5th

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