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Mick Foley Interview from ITV.com

Posted: May 4th 2007 By: CMBurnham

ITV: How are you enjoying your time here in the UK?

Foley: Well I just got in last night so I am a little bit jet-lagged, but I always like it over here
I have always felt welcome and comfortable in the UK. If it wasn't for the fact that I am going to three countries in four days, I probably would have brought my wife along. She loved it when she lived here in the 1980s.

Part three of your autobiography ?The Hardcore Diaries' is out now, what can we expect from it?

It is different from other wrestling books ? I would not have written a book if I thought it was just going to be just another wrestling story. It was actually (World Wrestling Entertainment owner) Vince McMahon who suggested writing a third memoir, I had actually wanted to write a behind-the-scenes look at Wrestlemania through his eyes. When it became apparent that I was going to be a participant in the 2006 Wrestlemania I mentally shelved the idea, and Vince said: ?Why don't you write another memoir?? I thought he was kidding at first. It's surprising in it's not a book with a happy ending, but is probably the most honest wrestling book you'll ever read.

You've been on the New York Times bestseller list four times now, can we expect to see you moving in more literary circles?

I contemplated getting some front teeth when I first started writing fiction, but there are a lot of things wrestling fans will accept and a lot of things that they won't. The fans accepted me with short hair, they accepted me with a shirt and tie ? but they would not accept me getting my teeth and ears fixed ? and I would never alienate the people that made me who I am.

Are you writing solely for wrestling fans or will your book touch a wider audience?

I could capture a wider audience, whether or not the non-wrestling fans are reading it, I don't know. The behind the scenes world of WWE is mesmerizing, certainly anyone who liked the Lord of the Rings trilogy would find our alternate universe to be just as fascinating.

You've suffered for your art over the years, how is your body holding up?

Well I guess you feel all the major bumps in some sense, but the current sticking points are my knees, they're pretty bad.I am trying to train for another comeback, but have to keep in mind that my body won't take the same punishment it has before.

How would you go about training for a steel chair shot to the head?

You can't train for that, you have to rely solely on the adrenaline rush that you get when the camera light is on. Thousands of fans will make me a lot tougher than I would be in private (laughing).

You're a proud father, how would you feel if your children wanted to get into the professional wrestling as well?

Well I would never forbid it, if I did they would do it anyway just to spite me.
I would however strongly recommend that they don't get into the industry, as it is a hard business to be in. The chances of succeeding are low whereas the chances of getting hurt are very high. If my son wanted to do it I would tell him he needed to finish college first or train while he was going to university, that's the way I did it.

Did you always want to be a writer?

No, not at all, but my mum found some of my old college writing and thought it was interesting that one of my professors had written: ?you really ought to think about doing this for a living? on an essay I had written. At the time I would have seen that and laughed, I never would have guessed that wrestling was just my way of having cool experiences which I could write about later.

You don't have the classic muscular wrestler physique - did you find it hard to get into the business?

What do you mean by that? (Laughing) I started out setting up wrestling rings, an old wrestler called Dominic Denucci would work with me when we were done, which meant he would tie my body up in unnatural ways. After several work outs Dominic realised I wasn't going to get tired of this, he then offered to train me in Pittsburgh. At the time I didn't know how far away Pittsburgh was from New York, if I had known I may not have done it (laughing). That was how I got into the business, it is a lot harder these days as wrestlers all seem to have a certain look ? a certain look that I don't really possess.

You've had a number of classic matches over the years, how did you prepare for the infamous Hell in the Cell with the Undertaker?

It was a pretty sombre occasion really, it seemed on that afternoon when I was getting ready for the match that everything was going dark ? it was weird. I don't know if the lights had actually changed or it was just my mood that was dark. I had no way of knowing that the match was going to turn out as good as it did. The match was intense - I was thrown off a 40 foot high steel cage through a table and was slammed through the cage onto the floor below. I lost the feeling in my foot, my hand and I threw up on the way home because of a concussion - but it could have been a lot worse. People seem to think I get off on pain, but I really don't. There have been a few times however, where I have accepted that there is a price to pay or a risk to take for a match to be great, but I don't enjoy it or anything.

Can we expect to see you back in the squared circle anytime soon?

Yeah I think I will be doing another match, it may take a few months though. I am in training at the moment - well I know it doesn't look like I am, but I am (laughing). I have been watching what I eat and hitting the gym. Any time I show up in the gym people start whispering: ?he must be making a comeback? which is quite funny, but this time I will be back in the ring ? one more time at least.