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Have a Nice Day: Former WWE superstar Mick Foley excited for new venture

Posted: Feb 21st 2015 By: Michael Warerloo - FlipSidePA.com

Foley brings stand-up show to Harrisburg on Tuesday, Feb. 24

"Good God almighty! Good God almighty! That's killed him. As God as my witness, he's broken in half!"

Those are the legendary words from then-WWE announcer Jim Ross when Mankind was thrown off of the top of the cage by the Undertaker in their 1998 Hell in a Cell match in Pittsburgh, crashing his near-300-pound body through the Spanish announce table. It's one of the most memorable matches in history, and Mankind suffered legitimate injuries, including a separated shoulder, concussion, dislocated jaw and knocked out teeth.

It was just another day for the Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley.

Foley, who played the roles of Mankind, Dude Love and Cactus Jack during his time in the wrestling business ? even all three in one Royal Rumble match ? enjoyed a long, illustrious career, which saw him earn the WWE title, WWE hardcore title and WWE tag team title.

Now, he's hanging up his tights, but he's keeping his microphone turned on for his new venture ? stand-up comedy or as he likes to call it, stand-up storytelling.

"The first thing that I want to say is that I don't do stand-up comedy. It scares people away. It's an evening of great wrestling stories and storytelling. They'll have a great time at the show," Foley said about his upcoming performance at the Harrisburg Comedy Zone on February 24 via a phone interview. "I take real-life experiences and mix them in with thoughts on today's wrestling product. I sprinkle in some exaggeration with it.

"There's a lot of hard work and practice that goes in to my shows. The result is a good time for fans and non-fans alike. I take pride in putting on the best show I can."

It's been the story of his career, actually. Foley took pride in his work as a wrestler, as he entertained millions of people around the world.

With his experience in the ring and on the microphone, Foley was able to make a pretty smooth transition to his latest venture.

"There's no doubt the time I had with the microphone helped me. It's a different skillset from five minutes to increase interest in a match and show, however," Foley said. "It's different to do it for 80 minutes to take them on a journey. It definitely helps to be comfortable in front of a crowd."

Being in front of a large crowd is what the Hall-of-Famer Foley is used to.

Being in front of a smaller audience, however, has a different feel to it.

"When I first started, I used to get really nervous, even in front of small crowds. I would go to small places to do unadvertised shows to get experience," Foley said. "I don't get hecklers. I get over-enthusiastic fans yelling things at me. That is diminished by not doing my shows on Friday and Saturday nights. It's far more fun to work the non-traditional nights, such as the show I'll be doing in Harrisburg."

It's not Foley's first venture outside of the wrestling business that he's found success with. In 1999, he wrote the New York Times bestselling novel, "Have a Nice Day: A tale of blood and sweatsocks,"which debuted at No. 3 on the charts and reached No. 1 in December, 1999.

"This show roots in the first book that I wrote in 1999. That allowed me a way of connecting to an audience that wasn't really as physical," Foley explained. "It was a way of showing myself I was capable of doing different things. In the past 15-plus years that the book has been published, I've succeeded with some projects and failed in others. I've reached places that I wouldn't have reached if I didn't write that book."

Along with doing his stand-up act, lacing up his boots and penning the No. 1 book in the country, Foley also has had his hand at acting and producing a documentary on the men who portray Santa Claus on Netflix called "I am Santa Claus."

But regardless of what he does and how much success he has with it, he'll always be Mick Foley, the Hardcore Legend.

And he's OK with that.

"It really doesn't matter what I want. I've accepted it many, many years ago that I'll be the WWE guy. I'm fine with that. I've been a host of the robot show, an on-stage performer and an author, but I'm really comfortable with my legacy as a wrestler," Foley said. "Pretty much everything I have done since then has come as a result from that success. My son also wanted me to point out I was on TNA week on Family Feud, too. If a woman in her 40's looks at me and recognizes me, but doesn't know from where, the next words out of my mouth are 'Wife Swap.'"

With his notoriety, the big fans of Foley will often ask questions that don't always go with his show.

Yes, including questions about Mr. Socko.

"I usually have two sessions per day. That makes every night a unique experience," Foley said, with a laugh. "But I've learned enough from watching Meet the Press. If the questions aren't good ones, I can turn them into stories that are entertaining."

When asked where his journey might take him next after his "Hardcore Legend: An evening with Mick Foley Tour" concludes, he isn't quite sure, but he's unlikely to follow suit with his former colleagues Chris Jericho and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who are creating their niche in the podcast industry.

"I thought about it, but it's a crowded field. I think it's a field that's doing fine without me," Foley said. "I like being a guest on those shows."

Foley still pays attention to the wrestling industry, and he made an appearance late last year leading up to the Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, as he appeared on the company's flagship show, Monday Night Raw, to talk to Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose prior to their much-hyped match.

"I was there in October. I enjoy the product, and I watch with my family," Foley said. "I have things I like, some more than others, but I'm still a fan, and I enjoy WWE's NXT a lot. It's the stars of tomorrow putting on as good or better show than the stars of today."

NXT is the former FCW, which is presided over by WWE's Executive Vice President and former full-time wrestler, Triple H (real name Paul Levesque). It's based in Florida at Full Sail University, and over the past couple of years, it's gained steam as a weekly program on the WWE Network.

In fact, at the program's last big show, NXT Takeover: Rival, Foley was there as Kevin Owens defeated Sami Zayn for the NXT title.

Well, kind of.

"I had the distinction of being in the parking lot of the building when Kevin Owens won the championship. The show was sold out, and my oldest son got a few tickets an hour before the show, so I was picking them up," said Foley.

But why wasn't he there?

"I took the other kids to see 'The SpongeBob Movie,'" Foley said, with a laugh. "It was pretty good."

While Foley confirmed that he won't lace up his boots again to step into the square circle ? while throwing in a plug for the company that you can watch his matches on the WWE Network for only $9.99 ? it doesn't mean that there won't be a Foley family member in the ring sometime soon.

His daughter, Noelle, confirmed that she wants to enter the business that her dad lived for.

"My take is that I arm her with the best information possible so she can make the best choices for her. The best way to ensure there isn't any family friction is you can't force her to do anything," her father said. "I want her to be wary of the dangers, but if she interested, I'll support any decision she makes."

More information on Foley's sold out 8 p.m. show in Harrisburg is available at www.realmickfoley.com.

Those who have a ticket will see a different side of Foley, but it won't be 100 percent different from what they remember seeing on their TV.

"It's a huge similarity. The thing that binds comics and wrestlers are that you get your best memories from the worst shows. The best memories are the shows that have everything going against it. You make the best of a bad situation. I've had plenty of bad situations," Foley said. "When things are going right, it feels like being in the ring. It really does. I work hard on it. It's not an accident when it goes well. Some nights are different than others. On really good nights, it's the closest thing to being in the ring. Well, without the late-night emergency room visits."