Mankind and Paul Bearer - WWF Monday Night RAW [8/19/1996]

After turning on the Undertaker the day before at SummerSlam, Paul Bearer aligned with Mankind and spent part of this particular promo hailing the demise of The Phenom.

Great shot.

For All Mankind: The Life and Career of Mick Foley Cover Revealed

The books! Those boots!! That sock!!!

Great cover — this DVD and Blu-Ray Set will be available in stores on April 16th.

Jakks Pacific WWF Buried Alive Collector’s Set [1997]

Not only was this set specifically meant to recreate the In Your House: Buried Alive PPV match where the Undertaker and Mankind tried to bury each other in a dug-out grave, but it also was the only way for you to get your hands on The Executioner figure. On television, the Executioner was played by Terry Gordy (former member of the Fabulous Freebirds), but you couldn’t really tell that based on that pitiful looking figure there.

Fun fact: Terry Gordy as the Executioner only had two televised WWF matches, one on Monday Night RAW against Freddie Joe Floyd and the other against The Undertaker at the In Your House: It’s Time PPV.

Mankind Signs a Fan’s Sign - WOW Magazine #4 [August 1999]

I don’t know what I like about this photo more — the crudely drawn sign that Mick Foley is signing or the fact that Mama Foley’s baby boy is wearing a WWF necktie that features himself on it.

Mankind Wins the WWF Championship - WWF RAW is WAR [12/29/1998]

When it comes to the Monday Night Wars, this photo captures the moment in time when wrestling fans overwhelmingly tuned into the World Wrestling Federation’s RAW over World Championship Wrestling’s Monday Nitro. In an effort to keep fans locked in WCW, Tony Schiavone announced that Mick Foley would win their championship that night as WWF RAW was taped on the 29th, to be aired on January 4th. Unfortunately, that bit of news ended up making close to half a million viewers switch over to WWF in order to see Mama Foley’s Baby Boy win the ultimate prize in professional wrestling.

The one part about this story that’s always forgotten about is that WCW’s main event for that night was historic as well (for all the wrong reasons). The newly-crowned WCW Champion Kevin Nash was set to take on Goldberg in an epic rematch from their bout at Starrcade 1998. Due to Miss Elizabeth (kayfabe) accusing Goldberg of stalking, he was arrested and taken into custody for questioning. This lead to WCW adding a new main event, a match that everyone now loves to lovingly refers to as the “Fingerpoke of Doom” incident. The moment where Kevin Nash sold a single finger-tap to his chest as if he was hit with a sledgehammer, the event where Big Sexy laid down for Hulk Hogan in order to reunite the New World Order, the single day when WCW completely lost any chance they had at beating the WWF in ratings ever again.

The Kevin Nash vs Hulk Hogan main event scored a 4.1 rating, while Mick Foley winning the WWF Championship against The Rock scored a 6.2, a ratings record for the WWF.

Mankind Debuts - WWF RAW is WAR [4/1/1996]

Even though I might not have been completely into wrestling at this time (I believe I started watching religiously near the end of 1996), I do remember coming across this character while watching the PPV promotional adverts that just ran on a constant loop. I’d usually watch these wrestling infomercials on early Sunday mornings when there was nothing on (don’t judge — we lived out in the country and we just got cable!!), and I remember heavily disliking this Mick Foley character.

To me, my dislike for Mankind was specifically due to how lame his finisher was. To a twelve year old, there was something so goofy and unrealistic about his Mandible Claw. It looked like something that was so easy to get out especially when it was applied by a heavy, out-of-shape guy like Mick Foley.

Eventually, I’d come around to being a fan of Mankind once I actually started to watch wrestling on a weekly basis and cheer him on whenever he had WWF Championship matches.

The Undertaker vs Mankind -WWF In Your House 11: Buried Alive [10/20/1996]

This match was a first of it’s kind where the only way to win is to bury your opponent alive. The novelty seems a bit silly now, but it was something that had never been done in wrestling. I remember wondering how they could manage doing such a thing and what exactly “buried alive” meant.

Weird, fun match that had one of the goofiest moments in wrestling history where the Undertaker ended up being completely buried but returned from death after having lightning strike the tombstone. The shot of Undertaker’s hand shooting out of the dirt, straight Night of the Living Dead style is one of my favorite moments regarding the Phenom’s career. So, so dumb.

Cactus Jack - WCW Magazine Collector Series Special #3 [December 1992]

“‘This is gonna hurt you more than it’s gonna hurt me! Bang, bang!’

Cactus jack’s countenance is definitely frightening, but that may be the least frightening thing about this wildman from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico!

When Jack steps into the ring, things thought to be impossible and unlikely suddenly seem possible and inevitable: flying ellbow-smashes from the ring apron to the arena floor, suplexes on concrete and clothelines that send both competitors hurtling over the ropes!

Recklessness is the hallmark of this 6’4”, 297-pounder, but don’t for a minute think that equates with carelessness. There is a method to Jack’s madness, as evidenced by his ability to have remained at or near the top of the WCW ratings for over a year, and his unpredictability affords him a significant psychological advantage over anybody who happens to be courageous enough to step into the ring with him.”

It’s almost comforting to see exactly how little Mama Foley’s Baby Boy has changed over the years. Bang, bang!!

Beyond the Mat Advert [1999]

When it comes to wrestling documentaries, this one is still the king. Even if the footage and the settings are all dated by now, there’s something completely honest about this look into the world of professional wrestling that’s STILL compelling to the viewer. I watched it again recently, and I had forgotten about how much of The Wrestler with Mickey Rourke takes from the real-life story of a broken down Jake “The Snake” Roberts.

It might still be on Netflix Instant, if you haven’t seen it. Great film.

The Rock and Mankind Play Wrestlemania 2000 - Incite Magazine #1 - December 1999

Here’s another photo of The Rock ‘n Sock Connection with Nintendo 64 controllers. There’s just so much awesomeness happening in this photograph.