Mick Foley on His Fundraising Efforts to Benefit ODB, His Thoughts on Matt Riddle, Current State of Wrestling

– WrestlingInc.com recently interviewed WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley for the WINCLY podcast. Foley discussed helping the campaign for ODB, his thoughts on Matt Riddle, the current state of wrestling, and more. Below are some highlights for WrestlingInc.com.

Mick Foley on ODB: “I really believe one of the challenges we face in our business is finding something that makes us feel like we did when we were in the ring. For me, I’ve worked hard and found that when I’m on stage telling my stories. I think for ODB she found that in her food truck. ODB is a one-man show. She prepares it, serves the food, does meet-and-greets all day long. She found her calling, so when I heard the truck had burned down, I initially made a donation. But I thought there would be far more that I could do in terms of creating awareness, getting the word out, and trying to make our wrestling community feel something they can be a part of.”

Foley on his support for the fundraiser to benefit the daughter of Ashley Massaro’s daughter: “When I got involved for the fundraiser for Ashley Massaro’s daughter, both Alexa and Barbara, her mom, were so flattered by the sheer number that got involved. They didn’t say, ‘Wow, look at all the money that came in.’ They thought, ‘Wow, look at how many people cared enough to make a difference.’ I think in the end it was something like 2,300 people either donated or bought a shirt or helped on top of tens of thousands who got the word out.”

Foley on why ODB is a great worker: “She is a great character and great worker. Al Snow told me when he was in charge of OVW, WWE would ask which women were ready. He would always say ODB. And that wasn’t something, unfortunately, WWE thought the audience wanted to see back then. I’ll go on record and say they were wrong. She would have gotten over and been huge. She has this second chance to do something she loves, and I hope people will get behind it.”

Foley on his new stage show Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks: “I’m talking about subjects I’ve never dealt with on stage. A lot of the formative years and crazy stuff that happened along the way. I didn’t have a single note and never got out with a plan. I just see what unfolds. It’s a lot of fun. For example, at the Wichita Falls at the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame, I just decided to make it a tribute to Terry Funk. So, there were stories about his influence in my career. Other nights it might be the WCW/WWE years. We always open it up to a Q&A, so if I don’t hit on subjects fans wanted to hear, they can ask me questions. I love the fans that I draw are really respectful and knowledgeable. My mind is constantly turning on to how to turn one of their questions or stories into that tone F-bomb I drop at the end of each show.”

Foley on why it’s a great time to be a wrestling fan: “I think to quote RJ City who said, ‘It’s a great time to be a fan. It’s not a great time to be the romantic partner of a wrestling fan because quite a bit of time is taken up.’ In 1983 to 1986, I watched anything that was on there. Some of it wasn’t all that good. I would be forcing myself to watch, and I don’t want to say which promotion. There were some promotions that were tough to watch, and I felt I had to watch it because I was a wrestling fan. All these products are really good. I want to see the studio wrestling NWA is doing. It just sounds exciting. I loved wrestling in studios. It has a feel that you can’t mimic in the bigger arenas. It’s something I hope works for everyone. I heard Impact had a great event. I still need to check them out. Of course, I need to continue watching WWE on USA and Fox. My son is working for the NXT show, which is really exciting. AEW has their own thing going, and I hope it’s a big success for everyone involved…I completely forgot ROH and the independents, who also rarely put on a bad show.”

Mick Foley on Matt Riddle: “I hadn’t seen the ‘Original Bro.’ I take some time off where I didn’t watch a lot of wrestling until the Wednesday night wars started. I’ve been really impressed with him. And it kills me to say this, but Rhea Ripley has a huge future. I’d be hard pressed to find someone who has not impressed me. There has never been a deeper roster in general.”