{"id":148887,"date":"2025-12-23T07:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-12-23T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=148887"},"modified":"2025-12-29T17:10:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T22:10:45","slug":"5-best-matches-of-mick-foleys-wwe-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/12\/23\/5-best-matches-of-mick-foleys-wwe-career\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Best Matches of Mick Foley&#8217;s WWE Career"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is a legend in the professional wrestling business. However, the three-time WWE Champion announced that he won&#8217;t be renewing his Legends contract with WWE when it expires in June 2026, due to the company&#8217;s ties to President Trump. Furthermore, the Hardcore Legend won&#8217;t feature with WWE while Trump is in power, but Foley&#8217;s legacy has already been cemented with a catalog of fantastic matches in WWE.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"m1q9Zlm3sA\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/12\/16\/mick-foley-wont-renew-wwe-legends-contract-for-foreseeable-future\/\" target=\"_self\">Mick Foley Won&#8217;t Renew WWE Legends Contract For Foreseeable Future<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; visibility: hidden;\" title=\"&#8220;Mick Foley Won&#8217;t Renew WWE Legends Contract For Foreseeable Future&#8221; &#8212; Last Word on Pro Wrestling\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/12\/16\/mick-foley-wont-renew-wwe-legends-contract-for-foreseeable-future\/embed\/#?secret=x5g7kRLay0#?secret=m1q9Zlm3sA\" data-secret=\"m1q9Zlm3sA\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The Three Faces of Foley&#8221;: Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love are Foley&#8217;s personas. He&#8217;s found success in WWE with all gimmicks and won championships portraying all three.<\/p>\n<p>Also, Foley, wrestling as Mick Foley, has built up some strong matches in his catalog. Hardcore style matches are Foley&#8217;s bread and butter, and he has a high threshold of pain. Some of the greatest matches that he&#8217;s featured in are some of the most violent matches in history.<\/p>\n<p>Only five of Foley&#8217;s iconic matches will be featured. An honorable mention goes out to his WWE Championship match with Steve Austin as Dude Love at Over the Edge: In Your House, 1998. His first WWE Championship win over The Rock on January 4, 1999, was another memorable moment.<\/p>\n<p>His &#8220;I Quit&#8221; match with Rock at the 1999 Royal Rumble for the WWE Championship, and his Hardcore match with Edge at WrestleMania 22 are also honorably mentioned.<\/p>\n<h2>5. Mankind Vs. The Undertaker &#8211; King Of The Ring 1998<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: The Undertaker vs. Mankind \u2013 Hell in a Cell Match: King of the Ring 1998\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/89BPNcsL7QI?start=60&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>If there is a wrestling match to introduce to a new wrestling fan, it&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/05\/21\/greatest-wwe-matches-attitude-era-edition\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Mankind and The Undertaker&#8217;s Hell in a Cell match<\/span> <\/a>at King of the Ring 1998. Mankind and Undertaker renewed their rivalry on June 1, 1998, as Mankind cost Undertaker the chance at becoming the number one contender for Steve Austin&#8217;s WWE Championship.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, they wasted no time in their Hell in a Cell match by starting at the top of the cell. The two super-heavyweights clashed, with Mankind bringing a chair to the top of the cell.<\/p>\n<p>Within minutes, the Deadman launched Mankind off the top of the cell and through the broadcast table. Somehow, Mankind found a way to continue the match. He took more punishment as he returned to the top of the cell, and Undertaker chokeslammed Mankind through the top of the cell, and he crashed below into the ring with the cell giving way.<\/p>\n<p>Both men shed blood, and Mankind crashed and burned into the thumbtacks. For sure, it wasn&#8217;t a technical masterclass, but the brawl was immense. Ultimately, Undertaker brought an end to the proceedings with a devastating Tombstone Piledriver.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>4. Mankind Vs. Shawn Michaels &#8211; In Your House Mind Games, 1996<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind | WWE Title Match: In Your House: Mind Games\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QUKhSNr7_tM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Just five months into his WWE career, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/03\/18\/wwe-greatest-matches-new-generation-edition\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Mankind found himself challenging Shawn Michaels<\/span> <\/a>for the WWE Championship at In Your House: Mind Games in September 1996. Mankind proved that he was more than capable of hanging with the top guns by putting in an excellent performance.<\/p>\n<p>His unorthodox style worked, and Mankind dominated their WWE Championship match. However, the reigning WWE Champion relished the challenge that was presented to him.<\/p>\n<p>Mankind looked poised to put Michaels through a broadcast table with a back body drop. However, Michaels countered it, and Mankind crashed through the broadcast table. The match resulted in a disqualification finish when Vader interfered and attacked Michaels, protecting both men with the Heartbreak Kid retaining the WWE Title.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>3. Cactus Jack Vs. Triple H &#8211; No Way Out 2000<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: Triple H vs. Cactus Jack \u2014 Hell in a Cell Match: No Way Out 2000\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mX_nXGK4908?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Mick Foley portrayed Cactus Jack again in 2000, reigniting his rivalry with Triple H. The Game&#8217;s WWE Championship was at stake with Mrs. Foley&#8217;s Baby Boy seeking his fourth WWE Championship reign. However, Cactus had to prevail not just to win the WWE Championship, but he&#8217;d retire if he failed to win the title.<\/p>\n<p>There was tons of pressure on Cactus&#8217;s shoulders, but once again, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/09\/19\/best-and-worst-hell-in-a-cell-matches-in-wwe-history\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Cactus and Triple H knocked it out of the park in a brutal Hell in a Cell match<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Cactus fell through the side of the cell at the hands of Triple H, and he crashed and burned below through the broadcast table. That didn&#8217;t put Cactus off in the slightest, as his never-say-die attitude was there for everyone to see.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, Cactus retaliated by nailing the reigning WWE Champion in the face with a barbed-wire baseball bat that caught fire. For sure, Cactus put up a great fight, but his career came to a halt for a short while as Triple H retained the WWE Championship with his patented Pedigree.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>2. Mick Foley Vs. Randy Orton &#8211; Backlash 2004<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: Randy Orton vs. Cactus Jack | Intercontinental Title Hardcore Match: Backlash 2004\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-6Rv9KuZdJg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The WWE Intercontinental Championship was a title that eluded Mick Foley, but it was an afterthought in his rivalry with Randy Orton. At Backlash 2004, Foley and Orton collided over the Intercontinental Championship in a No Holds Barred, Falls Count Anywhere match.<\/p>\n<p>The Hardcore Legend has a knack for helping others get over, and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.thesportster.com\/wwe-randy-orton-matches-cemented-hurt-legacy-cactus-jack-alexa-bliss-fiend-triple-h\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">this was a star-making night in Orton&#8217;s WWE career<\/span><\/a>. The Legend Killer proved that he was capable of handling Foley on his own with Evolution banned from ringside.<\/p>\n<p>Foley and Orton hit a home run in arguably the match of the night. Both bled profusely, and Foley showed no mercy by throwing Orton off the stage. Orton refused to give up with his Intercontinental Championship on the line. The 24-year-old champion learned a lot that night, and he paid his dues by having thumbtacks etched into his back. Nevertheless, Orton found a way to win by executing the RKO directly onto the barbed-wire baseball bat.<\/p>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h2>1. Cactus Jack Vs. Triple H &#8211; Royal Rumble 2000<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FULL MATCH: Triple H vs. Cactus Jack \u2013 WWE Title Street Fight: Royal Rumble 2000\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2uUGE_VGUAA?start=206&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Mick Foley and WWE Championship matches at the Royal Rumble have been brutal affairs. Foley dropped the WWE Championship to The Rock at the 1999 Royal Rumble in a hard-to-watch &#8220;I Quit&#8221; match.<\/p>\n<p>Twelve months later, Foley, in his Cactus Jack gear, challenged Triple H for the WWE Championship in a Street Fight at the 2000 iteration of the Royal Rumble. This time, Cactus had the hometown support with the Rumble emanating from Madison Square Garden in his home state of New York.<\/p>\n<p>Cactus and Triple H brought out the best in each other, and yet again, it was an enthralling match between the pair of three-time WWE Champions. The Game showed his toughness, as a chunk of wood was etched into his leg. Ultimately, the brutality continued with Cactus executing a piledriver on the broadcast table.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_149217\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-149217\" style=\"width: 214px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-149217\" src=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/12\/Mick_Foley-214x300.jpg\" alt=\"A photo of WWE legend Mick Foley.\" width=\"214\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/12\/Mick_Foley-214x300.jpg 214w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/15\/2025\/12\/Mick_Foley.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 214px) 100vw, 214px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-149217\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo Credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Mick_Foley#\/media\/File:Mick_Foley.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Public Domain<\/a>, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=823602<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Nevertheless, Triple H, drenched in blood, weathered the storm as a couple of Pedigrees with the second one directly onto the thumbtacks, which was enough <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/10\/31\/wwe-wrestlers-have-the-most-ppv-wins-in-history\/3\/\" target=\"_self\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">for the Cerebral Assassin to remain as the WWE Champion<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><b>More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/b><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><em><i>Header photo \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/Category:Mick_Foley#\/media\/File:Foley_TNA.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/a> \u2013 Stay tuned to the <\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_self\"><em><u><i>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i> for more on Mick Foley and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em><i>You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/title\/81788927\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usanetwork.com\/wwe-friday-night-smackdown\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cwtv.com\/shows\/wwe-nxt\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/tubitv.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aetv.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>A&amp;E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>\u00a0(WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/wwe\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/i\/events\/1773457579022155776?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em><u><i>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a><em><i>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley is a legend in the professional wrestling business. However, the three-time WWE Champion announced that he won&#8217;t be renewing his Legends contract with WWE when it expires in June 2026, due to the company&#8217;s ties to President Trump. Furthermore, the Hardcore Legend won&#8217;t feature with WWE while Trump is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5695,"featured_media":149216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7205,2192,4,3],"tags":[901,7737,1019,201],"class_list":["post-148887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-cactus-jack","tag-dude-love","tag-mankind","tag-mick-foley"],"modified_by":"Marilee Gallagher, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5695"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=148887"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148887\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":149497,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/148887\/revisions\/149497"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=148887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=148887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=148887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}