Scott,
Was Mick Foley planning on retiring in early 2000, or was that always just going to be an angle? He waited a good two years before getting back in the ring, but it seemed like he really was hanging it up in 2000. After becoming champ in '98/'99, did he decide he better hang it up or was it just an angle to get HHH over?
I have only read Mick's first book, so apologies if this stuff was all answered in one of these others.
He was really planning on retiring in 2000, and in fact you can tell because he pretty much let himself go by Wrestlemania. And yeah, he talks about it in his later books.
The Vince vs Shane match at WrestleMania X-7 was originally supposed to be Foley vs Vince (playing off the whole Vince firing Foley as Commissioner the previous year) but Mick turned it down because he wanted to stick to his retirement. He later admitted that he regrets that now since he ended up coming out of retirement later on anyway.
ReplyDeleteHe also discusses this on the "For All Mankind" DVD that was recently released. The match selection on this is a little weird (although the few alternate commentaries from Foley and Joey Styles are awesome) but the documentary is excellent.
ReplyDeleteIn one of his books he says he started to have serious memory issues around the fall of 1999. Once he told Vince that, Vince said he was done and that Survivor Series would be his final match. Mick petitioned to have one more run to help put over Triple H as well as go out on a better note than the mess he was for most of 1999. So, he whipped himself into shape and gave us the awesome 2000 run.
ReplyDeleteThis just reminded me, I emailed Scott a related question recently after reading the bonus chapter of Foley's first book recently for the first time in years, might as well re-post it here and see if anyone else knows: he mentions telling his wife to not be surprised if the Fatal Four-Way at WM2000 sucked and he didn't sell much, because of "philosophical differences" with someone in the match. Any idea who it was and what the issue was?
ReplyDeleteThankfully, Triple H learned a lesson from Mick and on the wind down of his career he's put over a TON of people.
ReplyDeleteRight like the time he put over... uhm... seriously when was the last time he lost to someone other than Brock or Undertaker?
ReplyDeleteI don't think HHH has put anyone over since Batista. I'm not counting Cena who was already made.
ReplyDeleteHad that Backlash match a month later headlined WM, like it should have, then we might have a new match to compete for best WM main event ever
ReplyDeleteThat match wouldn't have been anywhere near as much fun with Foley in place of Shane. I'm not saying it was a wrestling clinic or anything, but it always felt like it was overbooked in just the right ways.
ReplyDeleteThe aftermath, of course, is questionable (Shane and Steph leading the invasion), but the kickoff was great.
Quasi-related:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cagesideseats.com/wwe/2013/5/28/4374008/mick-foley-is-happy-he-never-got-to-have-that-feud-with-dean-ambrose
Much like Edge, doctors agree...Mick is done. Hence the Hall of Fame this year.
I'm going to assume someone already posted this, but I want to feel smart to.
ReplyDeleteHe announced his retirement in November 1999 after a chat with Vince about his deteriorating health but agreed to put it off a couple of months because they found out Austin would be out for a year around the same time. He announced it on Off the Record and I'm fairly sure it did air.
That and supposedly it pissed Vince off and Vince may have given him an intentionally closer to the head chairshot than had been agreed upon.
ReplyDeleteCurtis Axel, last week on RAW. Please keep up.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm biased towards this because I'm such a big Foley fan, but I've always thought of criticism of him regarding the un-retirement very harsh, considering the state of his body at this time.
ReplyDeleteAin't that the truth!
ReplyDeleteLet's take a look: http://www.profightdb.com/wrestlers/triple-h-193.html
ReplyDelete-Vengeance 2011 in the tag match w/Punk vs. Truth/Miz
-Extreme Rules 2010 to Sheamus
-Handicap tag match on RAW in March 2010
-Tag match on RAW March 2010
LOL just look at his W/L record from 2008-2013 excluding Lesnar and Underweartaker matches. Man, Big Nose just refuses to do the job!
This is why I never feel bad for buying the WWE's 276th repackaging of Mick's matches on Blu Ray. When your body is so beat up that neurologists are telling you to hang it up (even for one-off matches), and you've given everything you've ever had to the fans...hell, you can have my $20. Gladly.
ReplyDeleteAre you planning for an early retirement? For me, I want to take a rest earlier and get to enjoy my hard work in the future that's why as early as now, I have been checking out the best 55 and over communities on long island to invest in. I've heard a lot of good feedback in that community.
ReplyDelete