Mick Foley, Please Don’t Do What I Think You’re Going To Do

January 29th, 2012.

That is the last time Mick Foley was an official participant in a pro wrestling match of any type. On that night, Mick was a surprise entrant in the 2012 Royal Rumble match. After making three eliminations, including both members (Primo and Epico) of the World Tag Team Champions at the time, Mick would eventually be eliminated by Cody Rhodes. Mick spent a total of 6:34 in the match before being tossed out.

August 12th, 2011.

That is the last time Mick Foley was an official participant in a non-battle royal pro wrestling match of any type. On that night, Mick teamed up with Terry Funk to face the duo of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Cowboy” Bob Orton at a Juggalo Championship Wrestling show called Legends & Icons. In a four-minute main event, Foley and Funk would lose the match, ending a night of terrible in-ring work by men who were decades past their physical prime with… terrible in-ring work by men who were decades past their physical prime.

October 7th, 2010.

That is the last time Mick Foley was an official participant in a pro wrestling singles match of any type. On that night, Mick faced Ric Flair in a Last Man Standing Match on an episode of TNA Impact. In a wild, bloody contest that featured barbed wire, thumbtacks, and all that jazz, Mick emerged victorious, even though the ending was poorly done, with Flair getting to his feet before the ten count, only to do the “Flair Flop” and fall down, and that apparently didn’t count as him standing up at all.

Take a look at those dates again. January 29th, 2012. August 12th, 2011. October 7th, 2010. That was a long time ago. Je’Von Evans was seven years old when Mick made that Royal Rumble appearance. Roxanne Perez was nine years old when Mick was working on that JCW show. Nick Wayne was five years old when Mick was bleeding buckets with Ric Flair. I was still living in Hawaii for all three of those shows, had yet to meet my wife, and was still several years away from becoming a father. As I said… it was a long time ago.

Mick has been back in the news a lot recently. First, it was because he distanced himself from WWE due to the company’s relationship, both personally and professionally, with Donald Trump. He let his WWE Legends contract to expire, choosing to stand ten toes down instead of complaining and still taking money from WWE like many people probably would’ve. Right away, there were rumors that he might make an appearance in AEW, and sure enough, it didn’t take long before it was announced that Mick would be the co-host for the AEW Double Or Nothing pay-per-view pre-show, where it would then be announced that he had officially signed with AEW.

This column isn’t about Mick hosting pay-per-view pre-shows, and it isn’t about him being under contract for a wrestling promotion that isn’t WWE for the first time in 15 years.

No, this column is about the other way Mick has been in the news recently.

As soon as it was rumored that he was AEW-bound, speculation was thrown around that Mick could potentially make a return to the ring, even if it’s just for a one-time deal. If you recall, Mick wanted to make a return to the ring last year, to celebrate his 60th birthday. The plan was for him to lose 100 pounds and have one final Deathmatch when he turned 60, but the plans were quickly scrapped when Mick suffered a concussion doing very light work during a training session.

Here we are, more than a year after the plans for one final match were shut down, and it appears that another match for Mick Foley is being discussed again. According to the numerous rumors that are floating around, not only has Mick made up his mind about returning to the ring, but Tony Khan is excited about having said match take place in AEW. On paper, the connection makes sense. Mick wants to have a Deathmatch, and as we’ve seen countless times in the past, AEW has zero problem having those types of matches under their umbrella.

I have to say… I don’t like the idea. At all.

I’ve mentioned this in my columns before, but I used to be a loyal fan of Mick’s podcast, Foley Is Pod. One thing I noticed, though, as the episodes kept rolling in was Mick’s brain activity. Seemingly multiple times every week, co-host Conrad Thompson would ask Mick a question, Mick would begin to answer, then he would stop, apologize to Conrad, and have Conrad ask him again because he forgot where he was going with his response.

Again and again. Week in and week out.

According to Mick, he suffered eight confirmed concussions during his in-ring career, but that number was revealed on the back cover of his autobiography, Have A Nice Day: A Tale Of Blood and Sweatsocks, that was released in 1999. That number of confirmed concussions could’ve been higher before he retired, and he suffered another concussion last year when he was involved in a minor car accident… and then there was the aforementioned concussion that derailed his original plans for one final match. That’s at least ten confirmed concussions, and if you’ve watched his career, you know damn well that he had some unconfirmed concussions, as well. The violent nature of pro wrestling, American football, rugby, and so on damn near guarantees you’re going to get concussed, whether it’s officially diagnosed or not.

It’s not like Mick’s injury history is strictly brain-related, either. A litany of injuries, basically from head to toe, was going to have him wrestle his final match in November 1999 if the first idea went ahead as planned.

Think about that for a moment. In November 1999, Mick felt that his body had gone through enough pain and suffering, and that it was time to walk away. He was already dealing with cognitive issues such as forgetting how to spell simple words. The man was only 34 years old at the time. 34! That’s younger than Ludwig Kaiser (35), Ethan Page (36), and Juice Robinson (37) are right now! Mick would make the decision to stick around longer then he first wanted to, mainly to assist the WWF, who was already without “Stone Cold” Steve Austin due to a broken neck, and retain a bit of star power at the top of the card. The plan then changed to Mick retiring after putting his career on the line against Triple H at No Way Out 2001 inside Hell In A Cell. Mick lost that match… and was then brought back again for a match at WrestleMania a month later, where he lost again and was finally set to ride off into the sunset.

So, to recap… Mick Foley was seeing noticeable cognitive decline nearly 27 years ago, and he still has nearly 100 matches worked since the date that was supposed to be his final match. He’s had concussions since that time, and has had multiple injuries to his body. That’s also not counting the weight that he put on through the years, and what he admits that did to his knees, his hips, and every joint in his body. It’s also not counting the fact that he’s 60 years old with a decade-and-a-half’s worth of inactivity in the books. We’re not talking about 62-year-old Billy Gunn or 57-year-old Dustin Rhodes here. Those are two guys who are currently in great physical condition and are at least semi-active in the ring (at least Dustin was before he underwent double knee replacement surgery last summer). We’re not even talking about Sting, who was two weeks away from his 65th birthday when he wrestled his final match in 2024. He appeared to still be in really good shape, and even though he had his own serious injury that once forced him into retirement (the cervical spinal stenosis he suffered in a 2015 match with Seth Rollins), but even all the way back then, Sting was saying that he wasn’t dealing with the usual symptoms and side effects that people with cervical spinal stenosis usually deal with.

Putting Mick Foley back in the ring in 2026 or 2027 has “bad idea” written all over it.

Let’s say, for starters, that AEW has a Doctor or team of Doctors that will medically clear Mick to wrestle again. When you consider everything going on with Adam Cole and how his hiatus from the sport is being handled, I can’t imagine the path for Mick’s in-ring return is a huge one. For the sake of continuing this conversation, let’s say Mick makes the final decision to follow through with the plan to return to the ring after he is cleared to do so.

What happens then?

Naturally, based on the goings-on that took place at the Double Or Nothing pre-show, fans are already speculating that Mick’s return to the ring would be against MJF. At face value, that makes a lot of sense, but unless it’s something that happens potentially months down the road, do we really need Mick squaring off against the current and reigning AEW World Champion? Even as a one-off thing, it seems like that “spot” would be better served for other people.

What about Jon Moxley?

Back in 2012, it looked like we were going to get a match between Mick and Jon, who was still known as Dean Ambrose in Florida Championship Wrestling. They began a feud online, which escalated into what Mick felt were shoot-like comments from Dean about Mick’s family, and things got really heated for a while. Just when it looked like we were going to get a match between them, the entire thing went away. Would you like to take a guess as to why that happened? If you guessed that Mick failed his ImPACT… a test given out to athletes to determine cognitive scores and brain function… and wouldn’t be cleared for an in-ring return, then you would be correct.

Personally, I think Mick vs Moxley is a lot more interesting than Mick vs MJF, especially with Moxley’s love of the hardcore style and willingness to take things to an insane level to achieve his goals. Does that mean I want to see it, though? No. Absolutely not.

I can think of numerous scenarios that would see me enjoying things when it comes to promos. In my opinion, Mick Foley is the greatest “talker” in the history of the sport, and even if his cognitive abilities aren’t what they once were, I have no doubt that he could still conjure up some entertaining promos in a feud.

Beyond that, though, is something that has me shaking my head as I type this, and it hasn’t even been announced yet.

Let me take this time to address the man himself.

Mick… please don’t do this. We’re all aware of the drug-like high that pro wrestlers get when they’re in the ring and hearing those reactions from live crowds, and because of those highs, it can be incredibly difficult for wrestlers to truly walk away from the business. You’ve done that already, though. You have walked away from the business. On multiple occasions, as a matter of fact.

It can’t be about the money. You’re as notoriously cheap as they come in wrestling, so we all know you saved up a good amount of dough from your in-ring days. You’ve made steady, impressive streams of income from Cameo, the convention circuit, and your one-man comedy shows in the years since retirement. Obviously, I don’t have access to your bank account to know exact numbers, I can’t imagine you and your family are on the verge of bankruptcy or are struggling to figure out where your next meal will come from.

Again, Mick… please don’t do this. You have such a strong legacy and such a strong place in pro wrestling history. Short of you traveling to the Horn of Africa and finding the land of the Macrobians to bathe in their water that assures youth and longevity, I think you know, deep down in your heart of hearts, that a return to the ring will do nothing but hurt that legacy. You would join the long list of wrestlers who didn’t know when to disappear and had people feel bad for them because of how sad they looked while trying to relive their glory days.

I love you for everything you have contributed to the wrestling business. On top of that, as a married man and a father, I love you for the family man that you are and are unabashed to show that to the world. I don’t want to see anything happen to you, Mick. Whether that’s a “normal” injury like a torn ACL, or something like another concussion, I don’t want to witness it. I want you to be able to live the best life you can for as long as possible, and I want to see you in Dewey, Noelle, Mickey, and Hughie’s lives for decades to come.

Please, Mick… please don’t do this.

 

 

Weekly Power Rankings

Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker: A pay-per-view main event quality match, given pay-per-view main event time, in front of a pay-per-view main event crowd. Sometimes, it’s the simple combinations that work out for the best.

Will Ospreay vs Mark Davis: Obviously, these two know each other quite well from their time together in the United Empire stable in New Japan, and it showed here. This was a really nice back-and-forth match, with a spot in the Owen Hart Cup Finals on the line. As I’ve said every year, kudos to the wrestlers of AEW for always working extra hard during the Owen Hart Cup (and the Continental Classic), showing how much it means to them to get the chance to win and advance their careers.

MJF vs Rush: The outcome was never, ever going to be in question, but the match was a lot of fun, anyway. It sure does seem like we can say that about a million matches in both AEW and WWE these days, doesn’t it? Too often, actually. MJF continues an attempt to build momentum for what everyone assumes will be a huge showdown with Will Ospreay at All In(nit) in Wembley Stadium.

Oba Femi vs Carmelo Hayes vs Penta vs Solo Sikoa: A lot of people were down on the idea of the King & Queen Of The Ring qualifying matches being Four-Way bouts, but I’ve enjoyed the format so far. It makes things a little more unpredictable, opening the door for people to “lose” matches without actually losing, and so on. This was a good example of that. On paper, Oba Femi isn’t going to lose this match, but the Four-Way format allows for something like Brock Lesnar showing up and removing Oba from the fall. That didn’t happen here, but the door is open for it happening before the KOTR tourney comes to an end, even though we won’t be having the Four-Way format moving forward.

Kevin Knight vs “Speedball” Mike Bailey: I still don’t think Kevin Knight needed a heel turn, and I REALLY don’t think Kevin Knight needed to be Heel Wrestler #37192 in The Don Callis Family, but here we are. If he keeps his progression in the ring going strong, none of that will matter in the end.

Damian Priest vs Dominik Mysterio vs Bron Breakker vs Trick Williams: Dom picks up the win, and his reward is a one-on-one match against Oba Femi. People are already expecting the aforementioned Brock Lesnar interference, costing Oba the match and allowing Dominik to move on to the Finals of the tournament. If that’s going to happen, I cannot even begin to tell you how much it will piss me off if Brock’s interference leads to Oba getting pinned. It can lead to Oba being counted out. That’s fine. Hell, Brock can run to the ring and immediately deliver an F5 to Dominik, disqualifying Oba. That’s also fine. If Oba gets pinned again, though… my goodness.

Mercedes Moné: It’s good to see her back in AEW. She was the clear favorite to be the Wild Card entry in the Owen Hart Cup once Willow Nightingale was forced to withdraw due to an injury, but that’s alright. The AEW women’s division is better, and stronger, when Mercedes is around. Her match with Alex Windsor just missed the cut from being included here, but it was entertaining, even though… say it with me… the outcome was never, ever in question.

Rey Mysterio & Dragon Lee vs Rusev & “All Ego” Ethan Page: That crowd in Italy sure did love themselves some Rey Mysterio, didn’t they? Sure, he’s a legend and an all-time great, but most of that is due to the fact that the last time he wrestled in Italy was at a house show back in November 2005, less than a week after the tragic death of Eddie Guerrero. That show was a four-and-a-half hour drive away from where Raw was held. To find Rey’s last match in Turin, you’d have to go back to a house show in October 2004. The Italian fans missed Rey, and that love helped make this match more entertaining.

Iyo Sky vs Giulia vs Lash Legend vs Roxanne Perez: Another fun Four-Way to advance to the next round of the Queen Of The Ring tournament. My favorite part was getting to see Giulia look strong in the ring, even though she’s the one who took the fall to lose the match in the end. Her main roster run has been so weird. She’s a two-time Women’s United States Champion, but both reigns are right up there in contention for the worst WWE main roster title reign of the last several years. Will her face turn change things around? We shall see, I guess.

Carmelo Hayes vs Ricky Saints: I don’t care if he wins or loses matches like these on random episodes of television. All I know is that Carmelo Hayes deserves better and continues to be criminally underrated and underutilized. Do better, WWE.

Chad Gable: After his epic performance in the Mask vs Mask match in AAA, he appeared on Smackdown and had a really good reaction from the live crowd. I’m withholding real judgment until I see him appearing in front of crowds in the United States again, because it’s those crowds that have been spotty for him in the past. I’m really looking forward to seeing if the buzz surrounding him is heard and felt in this country, too. If so… watch out. The second half of 2026 could be HUGE for him.

 

 

This Week’s Playlist: “the feeling” by Steve Lacy… “Demons In Your Choir” by The Red Clay Strays… “Revival” by The Red Clay Strays… “Good For Me” by The Paradox… “Cerebral Malfunction” by August Burns Red & Make Them Suffer… “Behemoth” by August Burns Red… “Den Of Thieves” by August Burns Red… “Fading” by Out Of Vision & Letters Sent Home… “Teddy Bear” by G-Wiz… “Save Tonight” by Eagle-Eye Cherry… “Down For Yours” by Nastyboy Klick & Roger Troutman… “Bolaji” by Ro$ama & Monaleo… “Shit Popper” by Ro$ama… “Texas” by BigXThaPlug… “Mmhmm” by BigXThaPlug… “As It Was” by Harry Styles… “Levitating” by Dua Lipa… “Swim Good” by Frank Ocean… “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” by Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack… “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” by Peabo Bryson… “Can You Stop The Rain” by Peabo Bryson… “A Whole New World” by Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle… “By The Time This Night Is Over” by Peabo Bryson… “Beauty & The Beast” by Peabo Bryson & Celine Dion… “I Don’t Have The Heart” by James Ingram… “On The Wings Of Love” by Jeffrey Osborne… “I’d Rather” by Luther Vandross… “Glory Of Love” by Peter Cetera… “You’re The Inspiration” by Chicago… “Will You Still Love Me?” by Chicago