Views from the Hawke’s Nest: Mick Foley’s Greatest Hits & Misses – Disc 2

 

Mick Foley introduces his WWF career. He didn’t think it was necessary for him to drop the Cactus Jack together, but that it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Foley says his Mind Games performance was the best of his career (at least at the time of this DVD). I think he’s since given interviews where he says the Randy Orton match is the best of his career.

 

WWF Mind Games

September 22, 1996

Shawn Michaels© vs. Mankind (w/ Paul Bearer) [WWF Heavyweight Championship]

They ended up on the floor very quickly, and Shawn had the advantage. Mankind needed the power of the urn at one point. THE URN. Mankind got all of the urn he needed apparently, and they went back to brawling. Shawn went after one of Mankind’s knees. Mankind dropped Shawn on the ropes and then worked him over. That went on for a good bit. Shawn came back after forcing Mankind into steps and a ringpost. Mankind was getting choked by the ropes, but he still managed to apply the Mandible Claw. Shawn attacked the Mandible Claw hand with a steel chair. He then bit the hand and stomped on it. “Not your hand!” Paul Bearer is great. Mankind came back after sending Shawn to the floor. Mankind tried to put Shawn into a casket. It’s not a casket match, but it would have a great metaphor (I suppose). Shawn escaped though and made a comeback. Mankind tried to back superplex Shawn through a table on the floor, but Shawn kind of reversed it into a crossbody through the same table. Shawn then jumped off a chair to kick a chair into Mankind’s face. Vader ran in for the disqualification.

Paul hit Shawn with an urn after that. Psycho Sid then ran off Vader. Mankind went to roll Shawn into the casket, but The Undertaker came out of it and ran Mankind off.

Despite the real shitty ending, this was a fantastic brawl. Michaels’ various strategies for attacking and weakening Mankind were great. Attacking the Mandible Claw hand was probably my favorite part of the match, and the match may have been even better if that idea was truly expanded upon. Great effort by both men.

Match Rating: ****1/4

 

WWF Raw
September 22, 1997

Cactus Jack vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) [Falls Count Anywhere]
HHH was supposed to face Dude Love, but a video aired when Dude’s hit. Dude Love said Falls Count Anywhere wasn’t really his thing. He hints that it’s Mankind’s thing though. There is an incredibly goofy (in a good way) video where Mankind showed up and told Dude that someone else was better suited for this match. HHH freaked the fuck out when Cactus Jack showed up on the screen. HHH sold more for Cactus Jack’s name than the majority of his opponents in the last fifteen years.

Jack and HHH immediately strated to brawl around the ringside area. Jack was completely in control. Chyna got involved. HHH seemed on the verge of getting control, but Cactus then sprayed him with the fire extinguisher. Cactus eventually missed a diving elbow to the floor, and Chyna then sent him into some stairs. HHH was in control after that. After a commercial break, Jack hit the sunset flip off the apron nearfall spot. HHH tackled Jack into Chyna to take her out. HHH remained in control for a few minutes. He went to pedigree Jack through a table on the ramp, but Jack gave him a low blow. Jack then gave him a piledriver through the table: 1…2…3!

You can really see how much greener Triple H was at this point compared to how much comfortable he would look in his matches with Mick in 2000. Mick also brought a level of intensity and focus here that was missing from the ECW brawls on this set. I would speculate that spacing out plunder brawls (as he would have had to have done in the WWF) would make his performance stand out more at the time. If you’re just doing the same plunder brawl every show, you would naturally get a little complacent about your performance.

Match Rating: ***3/4

Watch this match right here.

 

WWF Raw
May 4, 1998

Mick Foley vs. Terry Funk
According to Foley, this is one of the few matches ever where he was billed as, “Mick Foley.”

Stone Cold did commentary for the match. Pat Patterson was the referee for the match. I hope JR does some homophobic jokes on commentary! They quickly ended up on the floor, and Terry killed him with some chairshots. Foley came back and got control somewhat. They ended up in the crowd, and Terry was building some momentum. Terry climbed up a level and did a moonsault on a group of people that included Foley. Foley came back with a piledriver through a table. They brawled backstage during a commercial break. After the break, Foley gave Funk a DDT on the ramp for a nearfall. Foley was in control as they returned to the ringside area. Foley eventually finished him in the ring with a piledriver on a chair.

Foley attacked Funk some more after the match. He then gave Patterson the Mandible Claw. Austin went in looking for a fight. Patterson went to hit Austin, but Austin gave him a stunner. The Dude Love music hit. Vince McMahon came out with the Dude-ettes. Foley embraced Vince and accepted the Dude Love gear.

I thought the work they did was pretty good especially considering Funk’s physical limitations at this point in his career. They went a little long for me and the crowd, but that did not bring down the crow all that much.

Match Rating: ***1/4

 

WWF Over the Edge
May 31, 1998
Steve Austin(c) vs. Dude Love [WWF Championship]

The Undertaker came out to start the match. Okay! Vince McMahon is the special guest referee.

They stayed in the ring longer than I remembered. They got to the floor soon enough though. Dude Love was finally able to get some offense after that. Once they got back in the ring, Austin made a comeback. They started brawling on the floor, and Vince decided to make it a No DQ match. They ended up in the crowd. Vince then made the match a Falls Count Anywhere match as Dude and Austin brawled up the ramp. Dude backdropped Austin onto a car. Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson were now there. Austin went for a stunner on top of a car, but Dude sent him off the cars. Austin got busted open. He went for a piledriver on the floor, but Dude backdropped him. They got back to the ring. Dude Love was in complete control. He couldn’t put Austin away though. Austin killed him with a chairshot to the head, but Vince refused to count. Dude accidentally hit Vince with the chair. STUNNER TO DUDE! Patterson pulled out the second referee. Mandible Claw to Austin. Patterson went to make the count, but Taker gave him a chokeslam through a table. Brisco went to make the count, Taker gave him the same treatment. Austin then gave Dude a low blow and a stunner. Austin moved Vince’s hand for the three count.

This was such a great brawl that really captured the booking tendencies of the “Attitude Era” at its best. Sure, it was excessive in just about every way, but the WWF was occasionally able to execute those excesses perfectly. There were dump bumps, wacky spots with the entrance set, Vince McMahon goofiness, ref bumps, great spots with the goons, etc, etc. This might be the in-ring peak of Austin’s initial run on top (’98-’99).

Match Rating: ****1/2

 

WWF King of the Ring
June 28, 1998
Mankind vs. The Undertaker [Hell in a Cell]

Mankind decided to climb to the top of the cage before the match even started. Taker climbed up to do battle. Mankind actually started to attack him before he made it all the way up. They gingerly walked on the top of the cage. Taker eventually tossed him off the cage and through the Spanish announce table. Kevin Dunn actually missed the landing, ffs. Terry Funk, Vince McMahon, and Sgt. Slaughter checked on Mankind with some other officials. The cage was being raised with Taker still on top so that the EMTs could reach Mankind. Mankidn was stretchered out, and the cage was lowered again. Taker started to climb down, but Foley got off the stretcher. Everyone looked panicked and tried to stop him. Taker brought a chair with him back on top of the cage. Taker chokeslammed Mankind through the  cage and onto the mat. The chair fell onto Foley’s faced on the way down. Everyone dove into the cage to check on Mankind.  Terry was crawling on his hands and knees to get to him. Taker dropped down to the mat. Terry yelled at him, and Taker gave him a chokeslam. Terry Funk literally got chokeslammed out of his shoes. Amazing. That moment was all spur of the moment to buy Mankind some time to recover, and it added so much to the match. Can’t put over Terry Funk enough for his presence in this match.

Mankind somehow remained alive and even crotched Taker on an Old School attempt. Gotta love Taker doing “Old School” after Foley’s two bumps off a cage. “Well, he didn’t die. Suppose I better start working over the arm.” Taker hit him with the steel steps and then missed a tope suicida. He crashed into the cage on that one. Has Taker ever done a tope suicida other than this match? Mankind came back with a piledriver on a chair. Mankind emptied a bag of thumbtacks. He then applied the Mandible Claw. Taker dropped Mankind onto the thumbtacks though to escape the hold. CHOKESLAM ONTO THE THUMBTACKS! TOMBSTONE ONTO SEVERAL THUMBTACKS: 1…2…3

Taker walked to the back, as medical personal worked with Mankind.

I have always considered this to be one of the very best matches in the history of wrestling. The common complaint I see about this match is “it’s just two big spots and nothing else.” First of all, that completely undersells two of the most memorable highspots in wrestling history. Secondly (and more importantly), those two spots kick off an amazing story. Mankind surviving those two moves and everything that happens after that makes for one of the most compelling spectacles that I’ve seen in any art form.

Match Rating: *****

 

WWF Raw
January 4, 1999

The Rock(c) (w/ The Corporation) vs. Mankind (w/ Degeneration-X) [No DQ match for the WWF Heavyweight Championship]

Shane McMahon came to the ring with a referee’s shirt on.

They started brawling on the floor right away. The Rock was dominating the action. Mankind started to fight back when Rock lost focus and taunted him. Rock came right back with a Rock Bottom through the commentation station though. Back in the ring, Mankind started to fight back. Rock hit him with the belt for a nearfall. Mankind gave him the DDT onto the belt for a nearfall of his own. Mr. Socko on Rock! Shamrock hit Mankind with a chair! DX and The Corporation went at it! SHATTERED GLASS! Stone Cold ran down and killed Rock with a chairshot. He placed Mankind on Rock: 1…2…3

This was okay and basically all about the finish. The finishing sequence is just electric and completely elevates a nothing match.

Match Rating: **3/4

 

WWF Royal Rumble
January 23, 2000
Triple H(c) vs. Cactus Jack [Street Fight for WWF Championship]

They quickly started brawling on the floor. Jack mostly had the advantage until HHH hit him with the ringbell. He then killed Jack with a chairshot to the head. Jack came back though, and they ended up in the crowd. Jack and HHH went back and forth for a good while. Jack won the battle and had the time to take out a 2×4 wrapped in barbed wire. HHH low blowed Cactus and hit him with the 2×4. Cactus came back and yelled at the referee for taking away the 2×4. Nice little touch. HHH accidentally took out the ref and then ate a 2×4 shot to the face. HHH was now busted open. Jack went to piledrive HHH through a table, but HHH backdropped him. The table only kind of broke. HHH’s face was a crimson mask. HHH was always a great bleeder. HHH got control shortly after this. HHH pulled out handcuffs and locked Jack’s hands behind his back. HHH destroyed him for several minutes. Eventually, The Rock showed up and killed HHH with a chairshot. A cop unlocked Jack. Jack came back with a piledriver on the table, and it did not break. Jack brought HHH and a bag of thumbtacks into the ring. Stephanie McMahon ran down to the ringside area. HHH backdropped Jack into the thumbtacks though. PEDIGREE: 1…2…NO!  PEDIGREE ON THE THUMBTACKS: 1…2…3

HHH was being stretchered out, but Jack went and brought him back to the ring. Just a perfect way for a heel to win clean, but to also have the babyface look strong enough for a rematch.

This match is still great and did/does a ton to make HHH look like a great main event heel. By having HHH world a Mick Foley-style match and hanging in there with him every step of the way, Foley was able to transfer over some of his credibility to HHH as a performer. In other words, this accomplished exactly what it set out to. It’s not as hot as I remembered, but it remains just as interesting.

Match Rating: ****1/2

 

SPECIAL FEATURES

We got a series of vignettes and promos from Foley’s career.

 

Watch free Mick Foley matches!

Mankind vs. Shane McMahon [NUTTY Attitude Era programming]

Dude Love & Steve Austin vs. The Hart Foundation

Mankind vs. Kane [Hell in a Cell]

Cactus Jack vs. Triple [Street Fight]

The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection vs. The Undertaker & The Big Show [BURIED ALIVE]

The Rock ‘n’ Sock Connection vs. The New Age Outlaws

Mankind vs. Triple H

Mankind vs. Big Bossman [Ladder Match]

Mick Foley vs. Sting vs. Kurt Angle vs. Jeff Jarrett

Mankind vs. Bob Holly

Mankind vs. The Big Show

Cactus Jack Manson vs. Mil Mascaras

8.5

The final score: review Very Good

The 411

Disc 1 is not good overall, but Disc 2 is one of the best overall discs in WWE DVD history. It shows you Foley's best WWF match with some of the biggest names in nineties wrestling (well, it's not his best match with The Rock, but that was his first title win at least). Disc 1 was a major disappointment though, and a lot of those matches were not enjoyable to revisit. Overall, this was a great set. You got some insight into Foley's feuds in WCW and ECW (even if some of the matches were disasters), and you get to revisit some of the very best matches of his WWF career. This was one of the first WWE DVDs that I ever purchased, and I was happy about taking another look at it.