Hero Worship: Mick Foley

It is unclear to me exactly why the sight of a man throwing himself twenty feet from the roof of a metal cage onto a table should elicit my instant and everlasting respect. Perhaps it’s something to do with sacrifice. When Mick Foley landed on that table at WWF’s King of the Ring pay-per-view in 1998 he dislocated his shoulder and knocked himself unconscious. It was crazy. Idiotic. Dangerous.

Worth it.

Foley gave every single fan in that arena and watching at home a moment of sheer exhilaration that they will never forget, but more than this, he redefined his chosen art form. He took wrestling by the neck and squeezed. He didn’t need to jump. He didn’t need to take the pain. But when a picture comes into your mind; when an idea forms; when art reveals itself to you, reason must take a back seat. He didn’t need to jump. He had to.

But Foley is not a one trick pony, famous only for this questionable act. He is a loving husband and father. An intelligent and erudite family man, known for his generosity and charity work. His autobiography went to number one in the New York Times bestseller list, putting paid to the ludicrous and insulting myth that wrestling fans can’t or don’t read and paving the way for a new wave of wrestling literature.

If you haven’t heard of Mick Foley, regardless of your feelings towards professional wrestling, do yourself a favour and check him out. I guarantee your life will be richer for knowing him.