My god, are still to listen the same jum s versus the show stop,
Oh Covid and the lock in the same way you will never take my
place and the head of the table the game said, Oh my god,
god mine does tix sting us damn all. It will be the roll be
Austin, get a the lave Amable. Hey, what's going on guys now?
Welcome back to WWE Retro on the WWE Podcast on this Friday, June
twenty third, as I'm actually recording on the twenty second, but by the
time you guys are gonna be hearing it, it will be the twenty third,
as we are just one week away from the money in the Bank event.
The Bloodline Civil War a great tagline, great marketing, as Matt and
I have discussed in the past week, and it is shaping up to be
a pretty good card. Albeit you wish World the World Championship where the World
Tell is actually being defended, but you would wish that the Undisputed Championship would
have been defended on Roman Rains as side. But it is one of those
situations where the storyline is taking precedent over the championship and you know what,
you could let it slide sometimes and instances like this, although you do want
the most prestigious title in the company to typically be defended on pay per views.
But we're not here to talk about that. We are here to talk
about rivalries or not rivalries. Oh my god, we're throwing it back a
back to my old show rivalries, which I mean, I guess we could
talk about rivalries on retro retro costs more of a broader net, but we're
not talking about rivalry today. We are talking about Mick Foley's post in ring
retire mint career. So what does that mean. Obviously, Mick Foley had
matches well into the two thousands, but he actually retired in early two thousand
and his final match or I think he was actually when he faced Triple H
at the Royal Rumble in two thousand. But then he came out of retirement
for the fatal four way match McMahon in any court, in every corner at
the Wrestling A two thousand event. So all for just like so we have
a hard kind of benchmark here. We are going to be covering everything from
Mick Foley post two thousand, and we're knocking to get into his TNA stuff
were probably will touch on briefly what happened in the two thousand and tens,
but it's mainly going to be from two thousand all the way into about two
thousand and seven, when he would come back periodically for some events. Well,
the first thing that mc foley did in his post for in his post
in ring career was really get involved as the commissioner in WWE. And if
you remember, in the pre general manager world, there was the WWE commissioner.
You had Sergeant Slaughter, you had Sean Michaels, and then in the
year two thousand you had Mick Foley. And Mick Foley didn't last long as
commissioner. He certainly was a lovable, non heelish type of authority figure,
which was a nice change of pace, especially after we were so accustomed to
Vince McMahon after all those years as the heel authority figure as the on screen
and real life owner. But Mick Foley brought a different element, a nice
element, a charming element, a lovable element. And I will always remember
one of Mick Foley's biggest biggest impacts as a general manager or as the commissioner,
I should say was when he came out at fully loaded two thousand and
that's a match that we don't talk about. The main event rather is a
match we don't talk about, and that was The Rock against Chris Benwol for
the WWF Championship. And it was actually the first time Chris Benwolf had won
a world championship, or so we thought until mcfoley had something to say about
it. Right, freaking cock must like the here, he must good,
the rocks casts break and the coup the class place, the revers got on
here, the the gentlman, the er off as a resolver, one of
this wall of potation, ROAs biggest cup, the Brie, the m of
the Rockey must in tire, and one of the rocket was City. And
then America is over and the rockets in the clean the eyes. It must
in terre from City. So, just for context, this the stipulation of
this match was if ben Waugh won by disqualification, the title would still change
hands. So that's why the Rock got disqualified because Earl Heavener thought that he
hit the Heavner with the steel chair, when in fact it was shame McMahon.
And you know we covered it last week A bit, but sham and
Ben was always just a thorn in the rock side, and here he's managing
Chris ben Wah. He gets involved, the Rock gets blamed for what he
did hitting the rev, and ben Waugh is walking away with the WWF Championship.
The Rock now busted open, bloodied because of shame McMahon him with the
steel chair, and then outcomes Commissioner Mick Foley wongs be a chair in a
superlong it's the go hither room my commission. I did put playing any book,
but I restarted that never insisted with the morn over. Think it's got
to be trying to Musian. He got a publicly it's not the plays apple.
I don't know what he's done here former, but he didn't do change
a bit long you're going mom is leading on the day, sir, thenvesting,
so it all could change on a disqualifaication. But I'm sure sir didn't
see the squali vacation. No nobody anytime Texas this fallaison. The commissioner,
I'm all right, this match continue. And that's kind of mcfolian, a
nutshell, right, the greater Good, always looking to do the right thing,
and he get he restarts the match and the Rock retains the WWF Championship,
and that was kind of mcfolian a nutshells the ww commissioner, you know.
He also makes the Armageddon Helen a Cell, the six man match with
the Rock, Steve Austin, Triple h Rakishi, Kurt Angle and the Undertaker,
and Vince McMahon was trying everything in his power to stop that match because
of all the risk that would come with his investments with his superstars. And
when Vince comes out with that pickup truck to try and drag down the cage
or the Cell, and Mick comes out throws him out, and it was
just it was a nice run for mcfoley as the WWF commissioner and a role
that he stepped away from, I believe in late two thousand. In two
thousand and one, he resurfaces to be the special guest referee between Shane and
Vince McMahon. He resurfaces in the Invasion Angle to be the special guest referee
at the Invasion pay per view, in the Broun Panties match and in the
Earl Headner Verse Neil nick Patrick match. The ref versus ref matches, he
was considered impartial as he had been a wrestler for wwf WCW and ECW.
Then mcfoley kind of went away for a bit, you know. I mean,
I'm sure maybe he popped up here and there, but Mick foley kind
of had sporadic or non existent appearances from two thousand and one all the way
to two thousand and three and two thousand and three. In late two thousand
and three when Austin first popped, or was when Austin was the GM of
Monday Night Raw. He would be removed as the CODEGM following Survivor series two
thousand and three. And then this is when mcfoley briefly was brought in as
the COGM as well in two thousand and three, and it didn't last long,
but there was one specific moment where he had a run in with none
other than the tag team known as Elabrasis Styles Destruction. What yea of their
fighters as well? I'm on you see, Mick, Eric fisched off going
to shoot us that our jobs are safe. So now it's our turn to
humiliate you, starting with you saluting the French flag a couple. I'm on
right here, right now, but Eric Gushupstead loves it doesn't get your jot
so to meet you. When I'm be in, we will introdu to a
behavior French style. I'm gonna say, how let me get this straight.
You want me to salute the French flag right here, right now, Let's
make a bet on that. Listen, man, you know I have nothing
against French things. So I like French fries. I'm like, I like
French toast. Yeah, I like I like French's mustard. But I don't
like you. So if you think you to beat the crap out of me,
you go ahead. But I'm sure it's I'm not gonna stand here and
I don't like California United exchange the part that's a little that damn flag.
You're thinking you beat the cop out. You're pretty out now, not not
solutely the French flag. Listen, I need think for me. You have
little problems, he say, kicking your eyes here gets flat like that.
Oh he's like bracking his hair. I so it's you know, it always
comes back to the rock with Mick Foley a bit. But obviously Lawer's stones
about to do a two on one beat down with mc foley, and the
rock comes out. They have a nice little segment the Rocks makes fun of
Lawer's stones and then they put a beat down on Lawrs' stones to send the
crowd a home happy. And then you know, you go over the next
several months that followed this event and you have mcfoley start his program with Randy
Orton. And this was the first major wrestling program that McK foley had been
involved with in four years, ironically enough, with Randy Orton's mentor at the
time, Triple H back in two thousand and four. And you have Mick
Foley, you know, get his ass beat by Evolution on several occasions,
kicked down the flight of stairs at Madison Square Garden. You have him,
you know, beaten down and catering and power bomb through a table. It
was always a three on one event, and this kind of led to a
point where Mick Foley had to challenge Randy Orton. But he knew that he
could never actually get Randy Orton one on one. And that's why when Randy
Orton challenged him to a match at the WrestleMania twenty event, Mick Foley had
other plans. A my choice, So I'm gonna be clear on one anymore
player, it'll be three my two. What's you gonna be back? Nick,
I'd realize. I realize is that you gotta know friends in the back
that you're gonna need a special partner. And I've heard the rumors, and
from the sound of it, these people have heard the rumors too. What's
you go ahead? You go ahead, Nick, You go to a paintball.
You go to a paintball. You call mister big shot, mister Hollywood.
You tell him that you two for hord. And then while you're on
the phone with the Nick, do you the favorite, tell mister walking Tall
that after Rustle made uh, neither of you two podcasts are gonna be walking
after we're talking with you go ahead and they go back, call up,
tell him, tell him that I'm gonna call him now. Now you call
up, you tell him what I said. Wait, wait, wait,
wait, I think I've got a little bit better idea. You're seeing.
Instead of me going back there and telling him on the phone, won't you
telling yourself home to him? Tell him to his face. You see ornament,
you see flaw, you see what they stopped. Don't damn min I
said that fully? What's coming back? To row, I never said Nick
Foley's coming. So once again, Mick Foley gets himself into dicey waters in
an outmatch situation and is bailed out by The Rock. And you're probably saying,
why does every clip that you're putting in include The Rock here, Well,
it's simple. It's because to this point he mcfoley had really only been
involved in physical altercations when it featured The Rock or it featured someone else,
and that had kind of been the story for the last four years since he
retired from in ring competition, And that was until WrestleMania twenty when he and
The Rock teamed up to face Evolution, a match that Evolution would come out
on top. Now, after this, he would have a one on one
match with Randy Orton at Backlash, a match that he would ultimately lose,
a match that was for the Intercontinal Championship. So now four years post his
in ring retirement, mcfoley had gotten his first match under his belt in the
tag team capacity and his first singles match under his belt against Randy Orton,
one that he lost. Two more years go by, or about a year
and seven to eight months, I would say mcfoley resurfaces in early two thousand
and six and starts his program with Edge and Lo and Behold. This would
lead to Mick Foley's first WrestleMania match, a singles match, I should say,
his first singles match at WrestleMania since nineteen ninety nine, so a seven
year layoff, because his prior one at Wrestling at twenty was a tag match,
and the one before that was a fatal four way with the Big Show,
The Rock and Triple Age. So his first one on one match at
wrestlemanian seven years, and this time in an extreme rules capacity, And I
gotta tell you, him and Edge left it all on the line in this
match. You guys know the story, you guys know the ending, but
when you really listen to it, it hits all that much differently. Yea.
So now mc foley had yet another match under his belt, this time
a hardcore fashion. He came back, he looked like he had lost some
weight, He looked like he was just overall better, you know, and
he put on a really gruesome match with Edge. You know, he ends
that match through going through a flaming table, and you think, okay,
is Mick Foley gonna ride off into sunset like he did two years prior in
similar fashion against Randy Orton on the heels of an extreme rules, hardcore whatever
match you want to call it, street fight, a match that had no
constraints. But no, he stuck around and he continued his program with Edge
and they were scheduled to have a rematch, a rematch of a hardcore in
a hardcore fashion in May. Mick Foley comes out and he says, we're
gonna inject some ECW into this match, and he says it's gonna be a
triple threat between him, Edge and Tommy Dreamer. And this is where Mick
Foley took a turn that we had never really seen before and one that kind
of signaled that, Wow, this is a different version of Mick Foley marking
to stay outside. And I called it from behind was remember some threeman from
Stain game fully blasted Tommy Dreamer the back of that bark one covering baseball back
and it's here remember himself, hands down and bally looking at he said,
it's only get the head for bullies equipment here. What what does bully been
to war right clock face Tommy Threemer? Well, whever what we seeing here
to hear what we're seeing, Tommy Briger get hit the face. Look you
know who died met Folly. That's the barmark coming right down the holy dribbing
at three hundred pounds and the bark wire to the bloody face of Tommy Treemer.
I don't get this, blinded, Mike, and Tommy Driver does this
turning fright? And remember the hard four rules rules you can in this qualify
and Dreamer as letting profusionally and that he is quite brantly a vote fully and
edge. And I don't understand what we're doing here. I mean it's it's
almost as if the kids and Folly are working in concert here. Half of
that? How would that be out of that? I don't understand nothing.
Our mind goes not a DC doctor man, what got another against DC?
The card at the so called mister and I'm gonna lead, but the bean
the ring legally bothers, no rules, buy something, mister sun gone and
Dreamers but much to burn and pulling down the bendable club, mister summer Dreaming
spear taking down Dreamer from cover. And just like that you have a heel
mcfoli on your hands. And one that you probably hadn't had since the Mankind
in nineteen ninety seven, nineteen ninety eight. And the next week he beats
the hell out of Terry Funk, his idol at, his former tag team
partner, someone that he looked up to, and Wow, like this brand
new sadistic heel version aligned with Edge mcfoli, and this, honestly, looking
back, this really made Edge. This made Edge as a main eventor yeah,
he had already cashed him money in the bank. Yeah, he was
already, you know, a bona fide star. But in my mind,
this really broad Edge out the feud and then the subsequent alliance with mcfoli.
They would go on to face Tommy Dreamer and Terry Funk at the One Night
Stand pay per view, and it was the promo that Mick Foley cut before
the pay per view that really kind of lets you or before the match rather
that really lets you know that this guy had changed, you know, saying
that the best owner of all time for ECW was death Ny McMahan and all
that, and then you the match gets under way and the way it finished
really kind of told the story about where they were positioning Edge moving forward here
in WWE, but also the bump that Edge was getting from mcfoley. God,
yeah, talk didn't save the body. You go to the fire and
doing stupid and that's a massive win for mcfoli and Edge, and you know,
their partnership would you know, go on for oh, I don't know
how much longer, because Edge would get back into the w w E Championship
scene and Rick Flair and mcfoley would actually start to get engaged in a program
that I think that's spilled all the way into Impact Wrestling as well. But
this kind of was more or less the closing of the book on the whole
Edge and mcfoley angle. As you know, Edge would go on to bigger
and better things with the WWE Championship, his feud with John Cena over the
course of the summer, and then ultimately forming Rated Arco later No. Six
and getting involved with that D Generation accident. As for mcfoley, you go
away again. And this is right around the time, like I stopped watching
wrestling. There was a point from around mid oh seven until twenty eleven where
I was really checked out. But I'm pretty sure mc foley had a stunt,
a stint rather on the SmackDown commentary team alongside Jim Ross, so there
was that to note. And then in two thousand and ten or I believe,
he went to Impact Wrestling, and obviously never watched Impact Wrestling, but
I believe he rekindled his rivalry with Rick Flair over there. But in twenty
sixteen he would make his return to the company, firstly at Wrestling at thirty
two, where he Sean Michaels and Steve Aouston would beat up the League of
Nations and then have a bit of fun with the New Day and then he
would become the Raw General Manager under Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon, and that was
a good little run that he had all the way up until I believe it
was the lead up to Wrestling at thirty three, where Stephanie and Triple H
would fire him. But I thought he could have had a better run as
Raw GM. He always played the baby face authority role pretty well, I
must say. But since being fired obviously on screen from his role as Raw
General Manager six years ago, we haven't seen much from Mick Foley. But
just to show you that he kind of did all that he could have you
could have expected him to do after retiring in two thousand. You know,
he was the baby Face Commissioner, came back as the COGM, had a
tag team match alongside The Rock, his longtime friend, several one on one
matches in hardcore fashion against the likes of Randy Orton, an edge in a
lot of ways, making those guys along the way, then having a heel
turn aligning himself with Edge, going against the grain and his heritage and a
double or ec W. I should say, hey, you know SmackDown Commentary
Team back as RAGM. Mick Foley really kind of dipped his toe in a
lot of things, but in after retiring in two thousand. But all this
to say, I think he had a pretty memorable run, even if it
was on and off and spread over the course of seventeen years or so.
Anyway, guys, that's all I got for you today. I hope you
enjoy the review of Mick Foley's career post retirement in two thousand. As always,
you can get me on Twitter at a to mark with twenty five.
You can get Matt on Twitter at Wrestling Underscore Audio, or you can email
him each and every week for the WWE podcast mail Bag. Any Hey guys,
enjoy your weekend. If you're in Quebec, enjoy the long weekend of
Saint Jean Baptist and if not, just enjoy your regular weekend first weekend of
summer. I will be talking to you next week. Thanks for listening to
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