Mick's Favorite Things: Top Ten Matches

Hello! Not surprisingly a lot of fans ask me about my favorite things, from books to movies to coasters to wrestling matches. I figured I'd start a series on this called Mick's Favorite Things. With sincere apologies to Julie Andrews, here is a promo I cut way back in 1991 to the tune of her iconic song from "The Sound of Music."

"Steel chairs and trash cans, and hard wooden tables
Landing on concrete as long as I'm able
Dropping an elbow on poor helpless Sting
These are a few of my favorite things."

Alright, alright. Maybe I'm not exactly a tune smith. Anyhow, onward to answering a question I've gotten many times: What is your all time favorite match? Well, I don't  have just one, but I do have a top ten list:

1.) Cactus Jack vs. Randy Orton, "Backlash", April 18, 2004, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I think every wrestler should have one legitimate "comeback" match after retiring. After that, everything is going to be at least partially a grab for money. So, after being disappointed with my performance at Wrestlemania XX - feeling like I'd played it too safe, I let it all hang out in this wild bout that did wonders for both Randy Orton's career and my self-esteem.

2.) Mankind vs. Shawn Michaels. "Mind Games" - September 22, 1996. Philadelphia, PA. I watched this match in January 2008 for the first time in several years, and wished I'd studied it more during my active years with WWE. Not only would I have been better off staying around that 280 pound mark, but there was so much innovative stuff in this one. If memory serves me correctly, this was my first real match with Michaels - I think I'd done a run-in or two on his matches - and the in-ring chemistry was instantaneous.

3.) Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk. January 29, 2005. Guma, Japan. The more time passes, the prouder I am of this one. It's tough to really fathom the lengths we were willing to go to for the sake of our little promotion.

4.) Mankind vs. the Undertaker. "Hell in a Cell", Pittsburg, PA. June 28, 1998. Just because I'm tired of talking about this match doesn't mean I don't appreciate its significance. At least 90% of all match comments or questions I receive from fans concern this match.

5.) Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk. "King of the Death Match". August 20, 1995, Kawasaki, Japan. The final match of the longest day of my life. 42 stitches, second degree burns…and a can of soda as a bonus from the boss - as a bonus.

6.) Cactus Jack vs. Eddie Gilbert. "Two Out of Three Falls". August 3, 1991. Philadelphia, PA. Who knows what Eddie Gilbert could have done if he'd had a national platform to perform on. In my book, Eddie was one of the top heels of all time.

7.) Mick Foley vs. Edge. "Wrestlemania XXII". April 2, 2006. I finally had my great Wrestlemania moment in this brutal battle with one of the very best in the business. Edge's back must have been killing him for days after carrying me through this hardcore extravaganza. This is the fourth of the "Winter" matches on my top ten list.

8.) Dude Love vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. "Over the Edge". May 31, 1998. Milwaukee, WI. Yes, the Dude makes the list! This was another one I saw in 2008 for the first time in years, and I thought it held up really well. Pat Patterson, Gerald Briscoe, and Vince McMahon (in the tightest referee shirt of all time) all played integral roles in this one, and Stone Cold was just about to hit his absolute zenith as a performer.

9.) Cactus Jack vs. Sting. "Beach Blast". June 20, 1992. Mobile, Alabama. Like many of the matches on this list, this one was symbolic of accomplishment that extended beyond the ring. In this case, it was my triumph over whooping cough.

10.) Mick Foley vs. Jonathan Coachman (with Hornswoggle as referee) November 2, 2007, Uniondale, NY. Hey why not? After all, it’s a list of my favorite matches, and if I think the memory of my own son booing me makes up for the giant stench we left behind, then that's my prerogative.

Comments

[Greg]

Great to see a updated list of matches Mick! The one surprise is there isn't any Triple H matches on the list. I haven't watched some of your ECW, Japan and Indys stuff in a while. But out of your WCW, WWE and TNA matches. This is my list of favorites

1. Mankind vs Rock-Royal Rumble 99. I know you personally probably don't like this match much. But I loved it because of the story it told. With it being a I Quit match, and 4th Rock/Mankind match in a month and half. It needed to stand out from the other three and give the fans something different. You guys made this match seem real(maybe too real for you), and people seeing you take that beating and not quitting. I think really made them get behind your character even more. I don't think I have seen a I quit match as good as this since.

2.Mick Foley vs Randy Orton- Backlash 04- Great action, great story told and I loved every minute of it. Almost to the point where it kinda depressed me. Only because I knew it would be the last match I would see out of you for a while and I wanted more.

3. Mankind vs Shawn Michaels- MindGames 96- Great match and will always been seen as one of your best performances.

4.Triple H vs Cactus Jack-No Way Out- Personally I thought this was the better Hell in the Cell match of your career.

5.Undertaker vs Mankind-King of the Ring 98. Biggest bumps ever taken in a wrestling match IMO. Plus it's a pretty good match on top of that. Even though I think the Triple H match is better overall.

6.Sting vs Cactus Jack-Beach Blast 92- Great match between two future Legends.

7.Stone Cold vs Dude Love- Over the Edge 98- I was just becoming a wrestling fan during this time, and was one of the few people who liked Dude Love and disliked Stone Cold. Great brawl between you guys. I also liked the Unforgiven match as well.

8.Triple H vs Cactus Jack-Royal Rumble 00- Classic MSG match with Triple H, that fans will never forget. Which is why I think the fans went nuts when they saw you guys going at it during the 08 Royal Rumble.

9.Mick Foley vs Edge-Wrestlemania 22- You guys stole the show and did it on Wrestlemania. It doesn't get any better then that. It was a very good hardcore match, and I hope you and Jeff Hardy can do something like this in TNA.

10.Vader vs Cactus Jack- Halloween Havoc 93- I had a hard time deciding what Vader match was the best. But since this was your guys big PPV showdown I decided to go with this one.

Some honorable mentions, Mankind vs Undertaker-Buried Alive,King of the Ring 96, Summerslam 96, Survivor Series 96 and Revenge of the Taker 97. Cactus Jack vs Triple H on Raw 97 at MSG, Mankind vs Triple H at Summerslam 97, Dude Love vs Stone Cold Unforgiven 98, Mick Foley vs Terry Funk Raw 98, Mankind vs Rock- Rock Bottom 98, Mankind vs Rock- Valentines Day Massarce, Mick Foley vs Ric Flair Summerslam 06, Mankind vs Rock vs Ken Shammrock- Breakdown 98, Mick Foley vs Jeff Jarrett TNA Impact 2010

[hector Acosta]

Mick,

As an aspiring writing, I would be really interested in how you go about writing and plotting. I remember reading Tietam Brown when it first came out, and as much I loved(and still do) your first autobiography, the tale of Andy and the ending, the ending! stuck with me a lot more.

Any chances of more fiction books out of you?

[Ariel]

The last match made me laugh. I remember watching that match, actually. And oh, I really loved the one with Edge, that was an awesome match. I have that on some WWE DVD somewhere.

I like the idea of having "Mick's Favorite Things". Can't wait for more. :)

[Simononly]

Some great matches on the list Mick, always good to hear your view on past matches.

Looking forward to seeing you back on Impact! soon btw!

[Todd Lorenz]

I pretty much stopped watching wresting after your first retirement and haven't really gone back since. However, I did recently have the chance to watch the Orton match from 2004 and it was *intense* and entertaining. But, kind of a funny thing happened with me before your first retirement...I realized I didn't enjoy watching folks take insane bumps. I suspect it's the result of finding out about the injuries you sustained during the Cell match in 98 and being genuinely concerned for your well being. I remember being really freaked out when you subsequently went through the cage into the "gimmicked" ring during the cell match with HHH, but being relieved when I realized that the ring had, indeed, been rigged to make the fall less dangerous.

In any case sir, I look forward to reading Countdown to Lockdown, and I hope that you mange to stay in good health for the rest of your days.

[Account Deleted]

Great choices, Mick. I love that song you have in the beginning. It was very funny when you sang it in front of JB, Styles, and Lauren at the Christmas parade.

My choices would somewhat follow yours with the exception of one...the last one. Although, I did enjoy JC getting his butt kicked. Another I would add would be: Mick Foley vs Kurt Angle Victory Road, 2009.

This match was phenomenal, Mick. You should really be proud. You seemed so focused, and I think it turned out quite well. Definitely your best match in TNA. You have done things that you haven't done in a long time. My favorite was the modified cobra clutch leg scissors with the Mandible Claw. The interview you had before it was great, and the one after was very nice. Your son has a true talent with that under arm symphony.

By the way, I love the Tweet and Tweak Connection! You and JB couldn't get much more funny. Hope to see you return in TNA soon!

[Rev/Mrs Diana Holliday]

I think your Promo Song Lyrics are GREAT!
It'd be a funny addition to your comedy shows & I know your fans would laugh hard if you put up some back ground pics to emphasize your meaning! (Not that you need my advise)
You Are AMAZING!

With Love & Respect Always,

[Garrett Kidney]

Mick, with all due respect how could you possibly leave out what was your best match to date? This was a colossal collision of two world renowned champions. A battle we thought we'd never get to see. A match so amazing that it completely changed my outlook on pro wrestling. The match I'm talking about is the epic contest between yourself and Rocky Balboa.

Now THAT was a classic. I think Don West did a great job of setting the scene and establishing the importance of this match. It was a match I will most certainly never forget and a match which should break the list of top ten matches for anybody. Do you not agree that it deserves inclusion in your list?

[Retro Jordans]

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[Hppazos4]

Man I LOVED your Dude Love match against Austin. It was a pure awesome brawl with chaotic, unpredictable elements. If I remember correctly that was the first WWE PPV I ordered and I ordered more after that because of this and other matches, some including you. Not enough people give you credit to the contribution you made during WWE's 2nd rise to the top of pop culture. Not to mention Dude Love was a genius, hilarious character. I don't think anyone will ever be able to pull off 4 wrestling personas as believable and as well as you have. You being in the Royal Rumble a bunch of times with your different gimmicks was so entertaining.

I can see why you are sick of Hell in a Cell, regardless of how awe-inspiring it was to watch. I have never seen a sport where something doesn't go as planned like that and you should have been taken to medical help immediately but you INSISTED on finishing the match. We already had our money's worth by that point and you truly went that extra crazy mile to give the fans the absolute best you could give them. That was the 2nd WWE PPV I ordered and I will never forget the shock and awe that match provided as a young new wrestling fan. My mother's attitude of "it's fake" absolutely changed after witnessing that live. Unbelievable. At the same time, you have contributed so many matches that it must be tiresome to be "typecasted" so to say because of that one match. I think it was your biggest match in some ways but you've had just as good and better matches before and after.

Orton vs. Cactus at Backlash was so amazing. Not only did you help Orton prove he could step up to solidify himself as a big player but you proved to the fans that Foley was indeed still GOOD, actually GREAT. Definately up there in one of my favorite matches of all time. It was brutal and the story behind it was so powerful. No doubt you gave Orton that rub he needed and he has since blossomed into arguably the biggest player in the game right now. I think of Cena vs. Orton at Wrestlemania and I see shades of Austin vs. Rock at WM17, both in the height of their popularity. Big face vs. face matches don't happen much anymore and it's MONEY IN THE BANK. No pun intended. :)

You vs. Edge at WM was definately the true defining WM moment you were looking for since you were a kid in the Garden. I had never actually seen someone go through a flaming table before and now it's an iconic moment etched in WrestleMania history. Me and my friends MARKED OUT like we were new wrestling fans allover again. You and Edge have always had good chemistry (and Christian and Angle) since before they were even huge names. To see Edge as the main event player he was destined to be against the Hardcore Legend in top form was one hell of a pleasure to watch.

I gotta say I am surprised that Cactus vs. HHH at the Rumble wasn't on there. It was an amazing match that I will never forget. You brought the best out of Triple H and by the time your feud was over with him, you had helped establish him from new main eventer to top-tier main eventer.

Also, I'll never forget your Empty Arena match with the Rock during Halftime Heat. "NEEDS MORE SALT!" You and Rock had so many matches in such a short time but they were ALL great. In fact, it's funny because I don't think the Rock had any better chemistry whether teaming up with or fighting against than you. You guys were truly the "Odd Couple" of the attitude era and you made it work so well. 7.4 RAW rating doesn't lie.

I wasn't watching wrestling in the early to mid 90s and I am definately going to check out your earlier matches, especially with STINGER.

And I gotta say that your match against Abyss was out of this world and in my mind at least considered a dream match I never thought would happen in a million years. Abyss reminded me of a hybrid Kane-Mankind and you two beat the crap out of eachother.

There's just too many GOOD Mick Foley matches to cover and so many I haven't even seen yet from your earlier years. You put your body through hell and I sure as hell hope that you and Flair are cool because as much as I love Flair, you were a ton more than a "glorified stuntman." Can't forget about ring psychology and chemistry. You are a glorified WRESTLER through and through!

Thanks Mick!

[Mick Foley]

Thanks so much for all your great responses. You are right; the internet can be very cynical and it's nice to hear from a real fan with such a flair for words.

[Asics shoes]

The encounter, 'friend, The process of communication, understanding friend, Keep contact, a friend forever. There is concern of sending, friends of warm, There are only part of the action of gratitude, friends, There are encouraged, supported the closest friends, A happy laughter, happy friend, True, there are intimate friends.

[Douglas Penland]

My most favorite match involving you Mick is the Mankind vs The Rock match in Royal Rumble 1999, you guys kept me glued on my seat and made me forgot what should I do on that day (I remembered that I have to place the food I bought at the Murfreesboro, TN supermarket at the fridge after I went on a dental checkup at the dentists).

Back to the match, yours is the best of all "I quit" matches that I've ever watched in my life as a wrestling fan, since every shot and every exchange of words kept me wanting for more.

[John-Paul Kesseler]

I, and other wrestling fans of the same age, are incredibly lucky that Pro Wrestling grew up at the same time that we did. I was 13 in 1996 and just entering my teenage years when my family decided to get Cable for the first time. This was an exciting time for me as it meant I was going to have access to Sky Sports and therefore Premiership games and more importantly the (at the time) WWF. By a stroke of coincidental luck the day the workmen came to install it into our house was the day replays of the previous nights big show was being shown after school finished at 4.

That show was the King of The Ring.

My first ever major show that I saw in the time frame it was originally shown (as opposed to videotape much later) turned out to be what could arguably be described as the most important ppv in wrestling history. Two reasons for this; Austin 3:16 and the small matter of Mankind vs. The Undertaker.

While the emergence of Austin is obviously the focal point of retrospectively looking at the show, as you've pointed out before it was the uninhibited and brutal nature of your match which signaled the start of the maturing process that was to take place within the WWF.

Instantly I became a real, daresay hardcore fan. Transformed from an enjoyment to a pastime I couldn't miss week in week out - which is with me to this day - and like every member of my generation of wrestling fans grew through my teenage years at seemingly the same rate Wrestling was. What makes the parallel even more astounding is that once we'd finally traversed the minefield of our teenage years and into a calmer Adulthood, the (now) WWE did the same, jettisoning the majority of it's immaturity and becoming a calmer version of what it had been.

1996 to 2011, 15 years of joy, hurt, ecstasy, pain, shock, despair and any other emotion you care to name.

But in all those 15 years I've only ever once forgotten what I was watching. That is to say, I forgot the Entertainment aspect of Sports Entrainment. While I can name literally over a hundred matches that I've loved, been emotionally involved in and would gladly watch over again, only once has the notion that it was two or more people working together for the enjoyment of the watching audience.

That reason is while it might not appear on your list - for very understandable personal reasons - my favourite match of yours, and for that matter of all time, is Mankind vs. The Rock, I Quit Match, Royal Rumble '99.

If Pro Wrestling in it's truest form really is two men using their bodies to tell a story, on that night you created a Dickens.