Mick Foley spoke to Sports Illustrated’s “Extra Mustard” section about his Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker at the 1998 King of the Ring and wrestling with Andre the Giant. Here are some of the highlights:
Lying to Vince McMahon before the 1998 HIAC match:
“I told Mr. McMahon two of the biggest lies of my life that day. I told him I had been on top of the cell earlier that afternoon, and I told him that I felt completely comfortable up there. Had I gone up there for a walk-through, there would be no twentieth anniversary because I would have realized that getting thrown off was a terrible idea.”
How the HIAC match changed his mentality going forward:
“It was that that made me finally believe in my own mortality. That cleared the way for a very different Mankind character who feuded with and later teamed with The Rock. … I was really so caught up in preparation that I didn’t call home before matches, I always called home after matches. I did that on every occasion except for this one, but I thought I had a legitimate excuse for not calling home because I was unconscious. I later heard from WWE agent Dave Hebner, who said my family was very upset. When I did call, I got an earful from my wife, who wasn’t thrilled with my decision-making. I could have used a sympathetic ear, but what I really needed was someone to tell me that I couldn’t continue to do the things I was doing if I wanted to see my children grow.”
Working with Andre the Giant:
“We had a couple of tag matches in Japan in 1991. He was moving slower at the time, but the audience was so respectful. Everything he did got a huge response. It was a great honor to be out there with him, even if it was only for a couple nights.”
Foley also discussed his relief efforts for Puerto Rico. You can check out the full interview by clicking here.
