Mick Foley is very aware that a lot of his WWE triumphs were a team effort.
Foley has frequently stated that he was never seen as the top guy and was never intended to be a WWE Superstar. So much so that the only reason Vince McMahon hired Foley was so that the Head of Talent Relations at the time, Jim Ross, would know what it was like to have his heart broken.
Defying all the odds, The Hardcore Legend would go on to have one of the most famous wrestling matches of all time at King of the Ring 1998, win the World Championship on multiple occasions and go on to main event WrestleMania. While Foley’s matches were good, fans were more drawn to the Hall of Famer’s character work, especially during his Mankind persona. According to Foley, one name on the creative team who is often criticised deserves some credit for the rise of Mankind.
Foley discussed his friendship with McMahon in the lead-up to Survivor Series 1998 on Foley is Pod. While discussing the many memorable moments during the alliance, Foley stated he wouldn’t have been as successful if it were not for Vince Russo:
Look, you know, a lot of it was Russo. A lot of it was Russo letting me run with ideas and then I was definitely pitching in ideas. But I don’t think, I would not have had that run with WWE had it not been for Vince Russo because he was such a big believer in the character. You know, maybe I had my little you know, arguments or differences of opinion when it came to Cactus Jack versus Mankind.
But this was some really strong stuff and I think part of being a good writer is knowing the strengths and negatives that the characters you’re writing for have. There were a few times when I did a word-for-word recital of a promo but not many. You know, I had a lot of freedom. I can’t tell you for sure if Twister was my idea or Russo’s but we were working pretty closely together to make that character come to life.
Russo is one of the more polarising figures in wrestling history. Focusing more on promo segments and shock angles, it has been debated whether he did more harm or good for the industry as a whole. While the This Is Your Life segment with The Rock and Foley is a Russo success, the same can’t be said about The Brawl For All, The Kennel From Hell and Beaver Cleavage. Russo became so infamous with his booking that there has been a long-standing conspiracy that McMahon sent Russo to WCW to kill the brand once and for all. Although this was never proved, Russo was a part of WCW when Bash at the Beach 2000 took place.
Mick Foley Praises Hollywood Actor
Before being known as The Hardcore Legend, Foley began his journey as many other aspiring wrestlers do on the high school amateur wrestling team. Not the only famous face to be a part of the team, Mick Foley recently praised a Hollywood actor for making his WWE dreams a reality.
If you use any quotes from this article please credit Foley is Pod and leave a h/t to Inside The Ropes.