411’s WWE Rivals Report: The Rock vs. Mick Foley

-There were quite a few new articles I wrote that were dropped yesterday: WrestleMania VII Review, LFG Episode 5, and Greatest Moments: Steve Austin.

-Gabriel Iglesias is our host and is joined at the table this week by JBL, Sean Waltman, Natalya, and Kevin Owens.

-JBL notes The Rock and Foley are polar opposites. Mankind is something out of a horror movie and The Rock is the popular jock.

-Steve Austin’s first impression of Mick Foley is he is one tough SOB. Jim Ross as a talking head is fun though it’s likely old footage. We see highlights of Mankind and HHH calls him a crash test dummy and violence personified.

-To the Rock as Kevin Owens notes Rock was not accepted when he first debuted. The Rock, from 2011 says it wasn’t authentic, and fans could see through it.

-Their first meeting was Cold Day in Hell in 1997 and my review is here. Mick says that match had the biggest face pop he ever received as the heel Mankind. Mick remembers telling someone they might want to pull the plug on Rocky Maivia and cut their losses. He didn’t see how they could recover.

-Fast forward a few months as The Rock goes heel and joins The Nation of Domination. Foley says they were watching a Nation promo in the back and they realized Rock had something when he cut off Ron Simmons with “with all due respect, The Champ is talking.”

-The Rock was on the rise and they knew it was going to be Rock/Austin at Mania, but they needed Mick to get Rock to that level in the Fall and Winter. The Mankind character evolved and was not getting sympathy from the fans. We see Mankind visiting Vince in the hospital and the debut of Mr. Socko.

-Mankind is so gullible he thinks he is being hand picked by Vince McMahon and at the same time Vince has an issue with The Rock, who is not getting cheered by the fans even though he hasn’t changed.

-Survivor Series 1998: Deadly Game WWF Championship Tournament. The Finals come down to Mankind vs. The Rock. Kofi notes you had a hard time cheering as The Rock was so cool and you felt bad for Mankind.

-Commercials!

-Back to Survivor Series as The Rock puts Mankind in the sharpshooter and Vince yells to ring the bell and we have a double turn. The Rock is the new WWF Champion and is The Corporate Champion, while Mick is confused and sad.

-We have four months before Mania, so The Rock vs. Mankind rivalry continue. Nattie says Mick had a connection with the people and KO says it is easier to relate to looking like Mankind vs. someone like The Rock.

-Rock Bottom PPV: It’s Rock/Mankind IIII: Foley talks about how the bad guy was now the guy carved out of stone and the weird, scary guy with a mask was now the good guy. Personalities makes the match-ups per Foley and he notes they had great chemistry together. We get a screwy finish where Mick puts Rock out with The Mandible Claw, but Vince clarifies you can only win the Title by pin or submission. That’s so awful but perhaps that was the point. Mick says he was okay with it as it only built more sympathy.

-RAW: Jan 4, 1999: Rock/Foley: This is the famous taped episode that went up against a live Nitro from the Georgia Dome. The Corporation and DX are ring side to keep each other at bay. Austin’s music hits and it’s one of the loudest pops you will ever here. He blasts Rock with a chair and Mankind gets the pin to become WWF Champion. Kevin Owens says he was screaming so loud he woke up people in his home. Waltman was there and notes it wasn’t planned to carry Mick around the ring, as it just came to them to do it because he deserved it.

-This sets up am I Quit rematch between the two at The Royal Rumble.

-Commercials!

-Foley says he knows it’s Rock vs. Austin and he embraced the idea that he needed to get Rock ready for that money match. He convinced Rock to bring out a mean and vicious streak. This might be recent footage with JR. Perhaps he has a deal to do these talking head appearances. Brian Gewirtz notes he has been a wrestling fan before a writer and was at The I Quit Match in Anaheim.

-Royal Rumble 99: I Quit: Rock/Mankind V. They note it was a match that started out fun and then got uncomfortable. Foley going off the balcony and have sparks flying from electric equipment is usually the the end but not here. Foley says the match got carried away in a way he hopes no match ever does. He says he did encourage everything that happened. He seems to have a better perspective then he had in his box. JR notes it was too violent, but Mick did it in the spirit to make Rock look stronger. Just a brutal match that will never happen again in today’s WWE. So many unprotected head shots to Mick, who says at the time he felt Rock didn’t appreciate what he did for him. They talked about it one day, hugged, and have been tight ever since.

-Commercials!

-Halftime Heat! Yes! A genius idea as WWE opted to have a match during halftime of Super Bowl XXXIII (Broncos drubbed Atlanta). They gave the spot to Rock and Mankind and Foley suggested the idea of an empty arena match. We see video from the famous Lawler/Funk empty arena match and Mick got Rock a copy. Rock told Mick they had a problem as that match sucked. Mick tries to convince that it is a classic and again, Rock tells him it sucked. Mick notes that even Terry told him later that the match was terrible. That’s funny! They were already tied into the empty arena match, so they had to figure it out now and were told they could not have a single drop of blood. This is why Mick had so many bandages all over his head. It was to keep his cut from coming back open.

-Empty Arena Match: Didn’t even need a pandemic for this match. It was another physical match, but they used their charisma and creativity to have a fun, silly match. Rock providing running commentary is just awesome. Just one liners all over the place as he was trying chewing up all the scenery. Mick notes it was the first WWF Cinematic Match, and I say not really, as Piper vs. Goldust in the Backlot Brawl happened first. Heck, Mick vs. Taker in The Boiler Room Brawl predated this match as well. Mankind gets the win and is a two time WWF Champion!

-St Valentine’s Day Massacre: Last Man Standing: Mankind/Rock VII. It is pretty wild how many times they ran this match is such a short period of time. Interesting note about this show as it was headlined by McMahon/Austin in a Steel Cage and was the last time WCW beat WWF in PPV buys in the same month. Hogan/Flair SuperBrawl did a huge number that topped this show. Perhaps due to it being on Valentine’s Day Night. I know I spent the afternoon with my girlfriend and we had lunch before I went home to watch the PPV. She wasn’t happy. Oh the match? It ends in a double knockout because this feud is not done yet.

-RAW: Feb 15, 1999: The next night it’s Rock/Mankind VIII in a Ladder Match. Foley notes he was banged up by their chemistry was so good they couldn’t have a bad match. Austin notes Mick didn’t have selfish bone in his body and it earned the respect of everyone. Rock climbs the ladder and regains The WWF Championship and can now move on to Steve Austin.

-We jump to 1999 and The Rock N Sock Connection is formed when Mankind offers to become Rock’s partner against Undertaker and Big Show for the Tag Titles.

-Commercials!

-The Rock accepts Mankind’s help and they win The Tag Titles. Owens notes the best rivals often make the best partners and he would know a thing about that. We see some of the highs points of The Rock and Sock Connection and how Mick got show his comedic timing and how Rock played off him. Foley says they were having the time of their life. THIS IS YOUR LIFE! Mick notes the run of the team was about two months put it left a mark.

-Rock goes off and becomes a Hollywood Star. It seems Gewirtz pitched the idea to Mick of The Rock being his partner at WrestleMania XX against Revolution. Mick says it made him feel warm and fuzzy because he didn’t know The Rock thought that highly of him.

-WrestleMania XX: MSG: Rock N Sock vs. Evolution! This match was a fantastic party match that had the place going crazy. Rock and Flair were having a blast out there against each other. Orton pins Foley to to continue their issue.

-Foley brings up Young Rock having a Christmas episode that Mick inspired. He watched the episode in a hotel room and was fighting off tears. He knew it was all a sign of respect and love from The Rock and it meant everything to Mick. That’s great!

-This was heartwarming to watch because of how everything ended between the two. The story behind the feud is what we saw with Mick a lot. There is a list of guys that were either on their way up the card or had just become World Champion and Mick was there to put them over and give them an edge and toughness they needed to show. That list includes Sting, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Undertaker, The Rock, HHH, Randy Orton, and Edge. Fun stuff with this episode. Thanks for reading!