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WWE Champion/Performer Mick Foley Coming To The Comedy Club

WWE Champion/Performer Mick Foley Coming To The Comedy Club

Posted: Jan 9th 2014 By: CMBurnham

Mick Foley goes by many names.

The three-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion ? who has wrestled under the names Cactus Jack, Mankind and The Three Faces of Foley ? is often referred to as The Hardcore Legend for his ability to sustain brutal physical injuries. Once he had his ear ripped off during a match and another time he fell from a 16-foot cage, rendering him unconcious and with one of his teeth lodged in his nose.

Yet Foley has also made a name for himself as a two-time New York Times No. 1 best-selling author and a comedian/spoken word performer.

In all his roles, he is first and foremost a storyteller.

"There are two types of people drawn to wrestling: the competitors and the entertainers. I was really never competitive," he said in a phone interview from his Long Island home.

"I just lived for reactions. When I started writing, and I'd read my stories aloud to my fellow wrestlers, I was getting those same reactions from them," he says. "And now that I'm onstage, it's really the closest thing I've ever felt to being in the ring."

Foley will bring his story-based show to The Comedy Club in Webster on Friday and Saturday. Expect a PG-13 show revolving around memories and observations rather than one-liners.

The storytelling started for Foley when he began work on his first autobiography, Have a Nice Day. He was working with a ghostwriter and wasn't satisfied with the "mediocre" results.

"I dreaded the idea of having a really boring autobiography on the shelf with my name on it. And I was stunned that you can become a best-selling author without writing a word. It just seemed very fake to me ? even coming from the world of wrestling," Foley says.

"And I honestly felt I could tell the story better than this writer," he says. "He hadn't been there. He didn't know what it was like."

So Foley took his pen and legal pad to the top deck of the Tallahassee Civic Center before a show in 1999 and set out to tell the story himself. The result was 200,000 handwritten words completed in 50 days.

Since 1999, Foley has penned a total of four memoirs, four children's books and two novels.

After the first memoir became a best-seller, Foley was soon flooded with offers to speak on college campuses.

"I found I really enjoyed gravitating to the humorous stories, while still trying to have some kind of a substance to the overall message, because I was in collegiate setting," he says.

But the offers started drying up in 2007. "I realized I didn't have to wait for a college or university to come calling; I could kind of create my own shows."

But don't call it comedy.

Foley still shudders at the word after taking his stories to the stage five years ago and calling it stand-up comedy. His fanbase made it clear they were not interested in hearing Cactus Jack tell jokes.

It's taken some time and word-of-mouth, he says, to get the idea across that he's putting on a story-based show.

"It's not a vast departure from telling funny stories on a page," Foley adds. "The same skills that went into making the pages come alive are the same that make the show onstage come alive."

In addition to taking his stories on the road, Foley carries reminders of his wrestling past with him everywhere he goes. He doesn't move very nimbly these days, he says, and cringes at the thought of climbing down a steep flight of stairs.

What does he miss most about wrestling?

"I don't really miss it because I have these shows that fill that void ... and I can kind of come back any time I want to. I was just on the stage in front of 15,000 people a couple weeks ago. And honestly, it was no more gratifying than being on the stage in front of a couple hundred people in a club," he says.

"You just want to look at faces and see that they're enjoying themselves."

Shengulette is a Rochester-area freelance writer.

If you go

What: Mick Foley.

When: 7:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Where: The Comedy Club, 2235 Empire Blvd., Webster.

Cost: $20.

 

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Spotlight in History

  • 1954 Frenchy Roy became the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 1971 Toru Tanaka def. Johnny Valentine for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 2004 Shadow of Death def. Terry Montana for the TPW Hardcore Title
  • 2011 Ryan Reed def. Rolling Thunder for the UWE United States Title
  • 2011 Ray Martinez def. Ryan Reed for the UWE United States Title
  • 2016 Ray Martinez became the SRPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 2022 Clayton Bloodstone def. Ky-Ote for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
  • 2023 El Gallardo/El Vaquero def. Cappuccino Jones for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 2023 Heavyweight Grappling (Dan Webber & Morrison) def. Subject To Death (Cade Fite & Leo Fox) for the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles

Week of Sun 04-26 to Sat: 05-02

  • 04-26 2008 Jerry Bostic def. Joshua Smith for the 3DW Violent Division Title
  • 04-26 2008 Shane Rawls def. Ky-Ote for the 3DW Heavyweight Title
  • 04-26 2014 Buster Cherry def. Bud Barnes for the SWCW All-American Title
  • 04-26 2014 Chaz Sharpe def. Kevin James Sanchez for the SWCW Heavyweight Title
  • 04-26 2014 Sam Stackhouse def. Warhammer for the SRPW Heavyweight Title
  • 04-26 2024 Miranda Gordy def. Sgt. Slice for the CPW Women’s Title
  • 04-26 2025 Deacon Hendrix became the RWE Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-26 2025 Family Affiliated (Athan Sorrow & Rika Wildlee) became the RWE Tag Team Champions
  • 04-26 2025 Gluttony became the RWE United States Champion
  • 04-26 2025 Bishop Simon became the RWE Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-26 2025 For God And Country (Pastor Brent & Corporal Punishment) def. The Main Characters (Sean Ryan & Daniel Aaron Michalles) for the WAH Tag Team Titles
  • 04-27 1978 The Assassin became the TSW Louisiana Champion
  • 04-27 1981 Junkyard Dog & Dick Murdoch def. The Grappler & The Super Destroyer for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 04-27 2003 The Sharpe Brothers (Chaz Sharpe & Rich Sharpe) def. John O'Malley & All-American Aaron for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 04-27 2003 Se7en def. Aaron Neil for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 04-27 2008 Tyrone def. Jerry Bostic for the 3DW Violent Division Title
  • 04-27 2019 Brandon Groom def. Brian Dixon for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 04-27 2019 Doc Black became the BCW Heritage Rivalry Champion
  • 04-28 1954 Red Berry def. Whitey Whittler for the TSW Tri-State Title
  • 04-28 1976 Ted DiBiase & Dick Murdoch def. Buck Robley & Bob Slaughter for the TSW United States Tag Team Titles
  • 04-28 1980 Kevin Von Erich def. Toru Tanaka for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 04-28 1989 The Simpson Brothers (Steve Simpson & Shaun Simpson) def. Beauty & The Beast (Terrance M. Garvin & The Beast [2nd]) for the WCCW Texas Tag Team Titles
  • 04-28 2000 Heather Savage def. Jenna Love for the OPW Oklahoma Womens Title
  • 04-28 2002 Summer Rain became the OCW Oklahoma Womens Champion
  • 04-28 2007 Eric Rose def. Jersey Devil for the UWF06 Light Heavyweight Title
  • 04-28 2007 Joe Herell became the UWF06 Violent Division Champion
  • 04-28 2017 Brandon Groom def. Sam Stackhouse for the BPPW Oklahoma Title
  • 04-28 2018 Dusty Gold def. Wesley Crane for the UWE United States Title
  • 04-29 2006 AWOL def. Michael York for the TPW Heavyweight Title
  • 04-29 2006 Natural Born Sinners (Appolyon & El Lotus) def. Pretty Young Things (Cade Sydal & Mitch Carter) for the ACW Tag Team Titles
  • 04-29 2006 Rexx Reed def. Carnage for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 04-29 2006 Carnage def. Rexx Reed for the ACW Hardcore Title
  • 04-29 2007 Aaron Neil def. Tyler Bateman for the MSWA Oklahoma Title
  • 04-29 2007 Brad Michaels def. Ryan Davidson for the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Title
  • 04-29 2007 Bad Boy & Outlaw became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
  • 04-29 2011 The Unknown & Johnny USA def. Michael H & Mr. Big for the NCW Tag Team Titles
  • 04-29 2011 Mr. Big became the NCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-29 2012 Sam Stackhouse def. Prophet for the BYEW Heavyweight Title
  • 04-29 2012 Rage Logan became the MSWA Mid-South Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-29 2012 Nemesis (Damien Morte & Damon Windsor) became the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champions
  • 04-29 2017 Aaron Anders became the ComPro Oklahoma X Division Champion
  • 04-30 1954 Frenchy Roy became the TSW Oklahoma Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-30 1971 Toru Tanaka def. Johnny Valentine for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 04-30 2004 Shadow of Death def. Terry Montana for the TPW Hardcore Title
  • 04-30 2011 Ryan Reed def. Rolling Thunder for the UWE United States Title
  • 04-30 2011 Ray Martinez def. Ryan Reed for the UWE United States Title
  • 04-30 2016 Ray Martinez became the SRPW Heavyweight Champion
  • 04-30 2022 Clayton Bloodstone def. Ky-Ote for the NCWO Choctaw Nation Title
  • 04-30 2023 El Gallardo/El Vaquero def. Cappuccino Jones for the BPW Lion Heart Title
  • 04-30 2023 Heavyweight Grappling (Dan Webber & Morrison) def. Subject To Death (Cade Fite & Leo Fox) for the BPW Oklahoma Tag Team Titles
  • 05-01 1981 Super Destroyer def. Jim Garvin for the MSW Louisiana Title
  • 05-01 2016 Skylar Slice def. Nikki Knight for the MSWA Ladies Title
  • 05-01 2021 Fuel def. Derek James for the UWE Heavyweight Title
  • 05-02 1969 Johnny Valentine def. Fritz Von Erich for the WCCW American Heavyweight Title
  • 05-02 1975 Mad Dog Vachon def. Billy Graham for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Title
  • 05-02 1977 Stan Hansen def. Dick Murdoch for the TSW North American Title
  • 05-02 1984 Krusher Khrushchev became the MSW Television Champion
  • 05-02 1984 The Rock-N-Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson) def. The Midnight Express (Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey) for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Titles
  • 05-02 2009 Ozzy Hendrix def. Shank for the SWCW Luchadore Title
  • 05-02 2015 Gail Kim became the IWR Diamonds Champion
  • 05-02 2015 Kareem Sadat became the BCW Independent Hardcore Champion
  • 05-02 2021 Drake Gallows def. Blade [2nd] for the AIWF National Title
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