Mick Foley Explains Why He Connects With the Underdog Spirit of AEW & Tony Khan, How AEW Doing Well Helps WWE

During a recent interview with The Ariel Helwani Show, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley spoke about connecting with the underdog spirit of Tony Khan and AEW. Foley was asked after being the underdog during the prime of his career, connects with that in AEW now that he’s been backstage and seen “the other side of the fence.” Below are some highlights:

Mick Foley on If Being the Underdog Helps Him Connect With AEW and Tony Khan More

“That’s a really good question. I do, I think I do connect with a guy like Tony, who’s a little bit different. You know, I gave the Promo, uh, about Darby because I knew he was a guy who was different. And a lot of people find comfort in professional wrestling because they may not be as comfortable with themselves, you know, outside of that world. And the biggest, I think the best move I ever made in wrestling was having the confidence to believe that I could speak to fans who were outside of the fans we were marketing to, like, I remember thinking, not everybody’s hip and slick and cool, I knew for a fact I’m not hip and slick and cool. I remember thinking to myself, there’s a lot more of me out there than there is of them. And that’s why, uh, let me see. Trying to think of the time zone, the Summer of 98. After the [Hell in a] Cell match. I took a bet.

“I gambled on believing there was an audience that would be open to a kinder, gentler type of wrestler. You know, we still get in the ring and do what needed to be done, but somebody who said, please. And I remember Vince McMahon, one time when i drove into drove into the parking lot for my empty arena match with Dwayne Johnson. And, I said, thank you to the driver. And he was like, thank you, thank you. Because at that point, like, Steve Austin was so big, and that’s great. But there’s a reason why he became Steve Austin, because he was a singular character. But what I saw in the locker room was a lot of people trying to be Steve Austin-lite, which meant nobody was actually kind of heart, gentle in the least. You know, you’d have somebody, a bad guy, come into the babyface dressing room and say, ‘Hey, I’d like to talk to you for a second.’ The good guy would start beating him up in the dressing room. I was like, ‘That doesn’t seem like something a good guy would do.’’

“And I just took a gamble, and I believe that’s why wrestling in general reaches people who don’t feel like they quite fit in. And I think my character, in particular, reached out to those people and made them feel like it was okay not to be like everybody else. So, in that same vein, I see guys, guys like Darby Allin, I see a handful of guys that I might be able to take in as a stable of sorts, you know, who don’t look like what wrestlers are supposed to look like or act or think like they are. I just think there’s room for everyone. And in AEW, I really do.”

On How AEW Doing Better Makes Things Better for WWE Talent

“And, hey, it goes without saying that the better AEW does, the better it is for WWE talent. And in the end, I’m all about wanting the men and women to make money and save money as well, and live happily ever after.”

Right before Mick Foley made his AEW debut at Double or Nothing, Tony Khan announced that Foley was officially signed to the company.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit The Ariel Helwani Show with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.