Mick Foley Discusses How Vince McMahon Didn’t Want To Bring Him to WWE Originally, How He Ended Up With Mankind Mask That Was Designed for The Undertaker

In an interview with Inside the Ropes, Mick Foley discussed how he was not supposed to become a star in WWE, noting that Vince McMahon was against bringing him in, and when he finally agreed, said he wanted to cover up his face, leading to Foley getting the Mankind mask which was originally created for the Undertaker to wear when he was working with a broken orbital bone. Highlights are below.

On how Vince McMahon didn’t want to bring him in to WWE: “I was not supposed to be a star in WWE. I have it on good faith that Mr. McMahon wasn’t a fan of mine, at all, and I think the direct quote was, ‘Cactus Jack will never step foot inside a WWE ring.’ So as Mick Foley, I stepped inside as Mankind, and even then, it was just a concession to Jim Ross. Bruce Prichard told me this about four years ago, JR would bring up my name at every booking meeting as a potential talent, and finally Mr. McMahon in the fall of 1995 slammed his hands down on the table and said, ‘Alright, I’ll bring him in, but I’m covering up his face.'”

On how the Mankind mask was originally a prototype designed for The Undertaker to wear: “He was waiting for a look and a way he could cover my face with style. The Undertaker, in one of many instances showing enormous fortitude, when he fractured his orbital bone working with Mable, instead of taking time off like a normal human being would do, he worked with a broken, fractured orbital bone. They didn’t want to put him under that hockey mask, they wanted something fancier for him. So they had the creative team come up with some prototypes for some masks and they ended up going with an almost Phantom of the Opera type of mask. One of the prototypes they did not use that Mr. McMahon liked was the mask that ended up becoming the Mankind mask. So not only would I not have gotten my break in WWE had it not been for the Undertaker, had I not been paired with the Undertaker for that initial run, I might be any number of places, but there is no way I am here.”

If using any of the above quotes, please credit Inside the Ropes with an h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.