Mick Foley has led a legendary career as a professional wrestler with multiple personalities, forged from a childhood love for rasslin. Is the new Face of Foley: not a fan? Removed from the squared circle, he has added yet another, this time as a vocal critic of the current product. Is he right?
On November 23rd, Mick Foley shared his thoughts about the Monday Night RAW after the Survivor Series Pay-Per-View. In a post he titled Final RAW for Foley? the man formerly known as Cactus Jack pulled no punches and went hardcore on the WWE product. Speaking as a fan of WWE, Foley shared his thoughts about what he believes to be wrong with wrestling today. In a nutshell, he believes that, despite Vince McMahon’s call to Superstars to grab the golden ring, there is a lack of creativity and freedom amongst the wrestlers and the creative team. This lack of wiggle room in the delivery of promos has in essence created a lack of connection between the wrestlers and the audience.
After this post, Foley was invited to be a guest on The Steve Austin Show talk about his thoughts. Both men spoke about the lack of storytelling and real heat. Despite having the forum to gripe about the product as two grizzled veterans could do, they spoke highly of NXT and gave credit to the wrestlers who are doing the job of telling stories in the ring. Some time was spent criticizing the attempt to have the Authority replicate the Corporation/Austin storyline and the WWE’s use of Roman Reigns, but they both offered suggestions for improvement instead of just bashing the product. Both men have valid points about the state of wrestling, and as legends from the WWE’s arguably most successful era, perhaps some of what they have to say should be heeded by those in charge now.
After the next Monday Night RAW, Foley reversed course on his previous comments regarding his continued viewership.
I enjoyed this #RAW. I asked them to give me a reason to keep watching – and they did. https://t.co/o7f5fEanId
— Mick Foley (@foleyispod) December 1, 2015
However, it was his change of opinion that created a stir. Shortly after his post, news broke that Dewey Foley, his son, was hired to be a part of the WWE creative team. With rumors that his daughter Noelle may be brought on as a backstage interviewer, Mick’s intentions were called into question. Had he reversed course simply to make his children’s dreams come true? Foley came right out and addressed these concerns in a post titled Son of Gun. According to the Hardcore legend, his son was hired two months ago, so his original comments were made after Dewey was already hired.
The truth is, Vince has always gone into business to make money, even with people who have had their issues with him in the past. Dewey has been blogging about improvements that can be made with the product for a while now and it’s his different ideas that got him a job. That his father would feel the need to be supportive of the product is nothing more than the unfortunate timing of the news being released. Foley has never been quiet about what he likes or dislikes and does anyone really disagree with him?
The WWE is in the process of a change necessitated by a stale product. Moves were made to go in a different direction after the outcry heard in response to Survivor Series and the subsequent Monday Night RAW. Being a true fan of anything-whether it be professional wrestling, a television show, or even a sports team invariably elicits a strong response for the positives, as well as the negatives. Foley has been a wrestling fan all of his life and as such, experiencing both the high and lows that all fans do. I’ve vowed not to watch the Mets and Jets countless times, only to grow excited as the new season looms. Like a three game winning streak can sway a fan base’s opinion, a better episode of RAW can reignite the hope all true wrestling fans keep beneath their “smart” complaints. Thusly, Foley’s change of attitude should be attributed to nothing more than a fan trying to see what he loves in a positive light: it’s just Mankind being human.
