Foley had a very interesting 1998 year… He started off by teaming up with Chainsaw Charlie (obviously Terry Funk) but once that was over, he became a corporate stooge for Vince McMahon. Steve Austin’s first feud, fresh off of his Wrestlemania 14 title win, was against Foley. He became a corporate stooge and dressed the part as well. After that feud, his Mankind character became confused and kept wearing the white dress shirt.

Two major pivotal moments happened to really push Foley to the moon during 1998:

(1) Introduction of Mr. Socko. Wasn’t so much the sock, but the moment of Vince McMahon being in the hospital and Foley was there to entertain him. Foley would then begin using the sock for the mandible claw and it reduced the intensity of that move. Perfect babyface move, too, and WWE sold extra merchandise as well.

(2) King of the Ring 1998 match against the Undertaker. Nobody and I mean nobody has ever taken a beating like that in a wrestling ring. Foley not only got tossed from the top of the cage (which separated his shoulder), but then was tossed through the roof of the cage and landed on a steel chair in the ring. That destroyed him, as it gave him a massive concussion and knocked out teeth that would be later showing from his nose! Crazy enough, Foley actually finished the match with Undertaker and later came out to interfere in the main event.

But then, the masterstroke… Survivor Series 1998, which in my opinion, begins this incredible storyline arc that takes us all the way to Wrestlemania 15.

The WWE Title was up for grabs and Survivor Series 1998 was a single night tournament for the vacant title. Foley was playing up his corporate stooge stuff again, and it appeared he would be the McMahon pick to win the tournament. This was further enhanced by referee Shane McMahon screwing Steve Austin HARD during the semi-finals match between Mankind and Austin. Shane was playing a babyface, back then, who was demoted to referee by Vince… But it was a plot to screw Austin, as Shane began to count 1, 2, but then flipped off Austin. Brisco and Patterson then interfered with a chair and Shane counted Mankind for the win.

Thus, it was thought that Foley was the one that the Corporation was hoping would win the Survivor Series 1998 tournament. After all, the Rock was RED HOT during this period of time and getting away from his heel ways… Rock, himself, made it to the Finals of the tournament to face Mankind for the WWE Title. It was thought that the Rock had the decks stacked against him, but that was not true… Rocky was about to join the Corporation, as Vince McMahon ordered the bell to be rung after Rock had Mankind in the sharpshooter. Rock was the new WWE Champion and celebrated as being the new “Corporate Champion”.

This screwjob gave sympathy to Mick Foley who again, had significant events happen to him throughout 1998. The Rock, for his part, was a vicious heel. If you think that the Rock was cold and calculating during last Thursday, he was a bastard during this time especially to Foley. With Wrestlemania 14 months away, the Rock needed someone to feud with to help him get used to the Main Event and to toughen him up as champion. Foley was perfect, as he could make Rock’s offense look great while again, gaining major sympathy as a babyface character.

But then, one of the biggest title changes ever happened. On Monday, January 4th, 1999, it was a TAPED WWE Monday Night RAW (they taped every other week) versus a LIVE WCW Monday Nitro. Because RAW was taped, WCW used that opportunity to reveal to viewers the results of the Rock vs. Mankind match that was going to main event RAW. WCW expected fans to stick with Nitro and watch the Kevin Nash vs. Hulk Hogan match, but instead, they flipped it to RAW to see Mick Foley win his first ever World Title. Like I said, 1998 built major sympathy for Foley. The viewership switch was massive and proved to be highly disappointing to WCW who were putting their WCW Title back on the aging Hulk Hogan and reforming the NWO once again.

After years upon years of blood, sweat, and tears, Mick Foley made it to the very top of the wrestling mountain. It was a proud moment that not only put over Foley, but made Austin an even stronger babyface wrestler by helping Foley win the title. Thus, it created a great link for the transition for the Rock of feuding with Foley to begin feuding with Austin later during 1999.

Rock vs. Foley’s rematch happened at Royal Rumble 1999 which was an “I Quit” match. If you watch the RAW after the January 4th, 1999 edition, you’ll see the Corporation demanding a rematch but Foley wouldn’t budge until the right stipulation was added. This Royal Rumble match was VIOLENT… It is quite cringeworthy, as Rock handcuffed Foley’s hands behind his back and smashed his head with at least 20 chairshots. The documentary Beyond the Mat captured the brutality of this match and Foley’s family reaction to it as it happened, but then the aftermath backstage. The Rock won back the WWE Title at this match thanks to a recording of Foley saying “I quit” playing in the arena.

But their rematch after the Rumble match is what we’re discussing today, as today is SUPER BOWL SUNDAY.

WWE tried something new during early 1999, as they taped and had an empty arena match between the Rock and Mick Foley as a “Falls Count Anywhere” match. The show was called Halftime Heat and the first one was held on January 31st, 1999 and was just over 25 years ago. For those who boldly watched it live at Halftime of Superbowl 33 (Denver Broncos vs. Atlanta Falcons), do you feel old yet?

The show was actually recorded on January 26th, 1999 before the RAW taping held to air on February 1st, 1999. The match was preceded by Mick Foley being dropped off by a random car, while the Rock enters by limo. The Rock was continuing to wear the track pants and the shirts as a look during this time, covering up the pectoral surgery that he had at the time (he was almost ready to lactate!). Foley, on his end, is wearing a bandage to sell the Royal Rumble match that happened on January 24th, 1999. Rock was accompanied to the ring by Vince McMahon, with Michael Cole hosting the match while Kevin Kelly and Shane McMahon were on commentary (Vince joined them and took over duties).

What was great about Halftime Heat is that it was DIFFERENT than anything tried by the WWE before. And they took a major chance by having an actual WWE Title change happening here.

The match was quite violent, as it heavily incorporates and innovates much of the brawling techniques, outside the ring, that you see today. Brawling in the crowd (but nobody was there), fighting around the announcer’s table, throwing someone through barricades, etc. All before their time. What made the match especially great was Rocky trash talking during the ENTIRE match. Without crowd noise, it was silent but the Rock more than made up for it. On the other end, Mankind was full of aggression and selling that he was legitimately pissed due to the Rumble match chairshots.

I still cringe when I see Foley rolling down the arena stairs… They went all over the arena, including the kitchen and using a big bag of popcorn as a weapon! They fought in front of the WWE crew in catering, fought through an arena office (where Rock famously answered the phone), through hallways, before making their way to the loading dock. They made their way to around the forklift where Mankind took the upper hand with the mandible claw and then took over the forklift from the operator. We then get this hilarious sequence where a camera is shown on Rock’s face as the kids with kegs on them are lowered onto the Rock from the forklift. Mankind sits on the kegs, on top of the wooden skids, that trapped the Rock and the referee counted 1, 2, and 3 for Foley to win his 2nd ever WWE Title.

Foley would actually survive the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Pay Per View match between the Rock, as their “Last Man Standing” match resulted in a draw. However, he lost the Ladder Match with the Rock later that month. From there, they’d go their separate ways as Rock would fully begin his feud with Steve Austin that headlined Wrestlemania 15. Foley had an OK rest of 1999, but his luck would turn for the better as Triple H needed an opponent to “toughen up” him as WWE champion, too.

The best thing about the Halftime Heat match was that it’s unique and hasn’t been tried again. WWE had “Halftime Heat” during 2000’s Super Bowl, but it was just a progress report interview on a recovering Stone Cold Steve Austin. During 2019, the NXT brand tried Halftime Heat on the WWE Network and YouTube featuring a 6 man tag match.

But to see the Rock and Mick Foley brawling in an empty arena was awesome. It was another great chapter in their feud that helped build up the Rock further as the top heel in the company. The amount of trash talk that Rock had here is peak level stuff. Many consider his 2003 “Hollywood Rock” stuff to be his best heel work, but the early 1999 Rock was something exceptional and probably the most violent his character ever was. It was quite convenient to have Mick Foley be that punching bag, too, but to the Rock’s credit, he sold anything that Foley threw at him.

If you’ve never seen this Halftime Heat match between Foley and the Rock, someone posted it to YouTube to enjoy while it lasts.

In my opinion, PEAK WWE is from Survivor Series through Wrestlemania 15. It was when the top wrestlers were in peak form, while the storytelling was in peak form as well. Rock, Foley, and Austin were amazing character who were highly entertaining both in the ring and on the mic. Meanwhile, you had all kinds of side characters from Vince, Shane, Patterson, and Brisco while Vince Russo was killing it at this point as lead writer. Furthermore, it was FUN… Rock and Vince were complete bastards as heels, but they always “got theirs” in the end. There were always big anticipated payoffs to great storylines, as wrestling should be.

Yes, Vince McMahon is heavily displayed during this Halftime Heat match, along with much of the Attitude Era. I don’t condone the monster he apparently became, but I’ll forever praise the accomplishments that he, the wrestlers, and supporting WWE crew did back then. You cannot erase my memories of enjoying these times, as it would be a crime for Peacock, Netflix, or future owners of the WWE Network to go back and censor Vince. The right action was performed by having Vince McMahon resign from TKO/WWE and that’s the end of it. Rock and Foley worked their asses off in this Halftime Heat match, so why ruin the finished product by censoring any moment involving Vince? It’s a slippery slope… Just don’t mention Vince McMahon, moving forward, but keep the past video recorded moments of the WWE in tact.

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Since this match, there have been many matches that had dangerous stunts and even drops from higher altitudes than what Mick Foley felt. HOWEVER, what happened to Foley was real and weren’t planned stunts by the WWE company. Quite the opposite, as Foley kept his plans quiet from WWE management and the Chokeslam drop through the ceiling of the cage was 100% unplanned. THAT is the difference, as everything now is planned ahead of time and obviously safety precautions are taken. Hence, why all of those matches are forgettable and why Foley vs. Undertaker from King of the Ring 1998 is still talked about to this day.

Prior to 1998, the Undertaker and Mick Foley (as Mankind) had a great feud through 1996 and in my opinion, it woke up the Undertaker from the “fighting with many hosses and giants” nap that his career was taking during most of the 1990s. Foley was different, as he was a violent character with Mankind but willing to take the punishment. Thus, the Undertaker looked better when wrestling Mankind because the Undertaker could easily slam a smaller Mankind than say Giant Gonzalez, Yokozuna, or Mabel. As Cactus Jack previously, Foley was bumping for everyone like a champ and taking high risk spots (like powerbombs on concrete floors) whether it was in WCW or ECW. While Undertaker debuted with the WWE during late 1990, it is my opinion that his peak years began in 1996 thanks to Foley.

And remember, during the Foley feud from 1996, Paul Bearer would eventually turn on the Undertaker. Then, Paul Bearer would introduce Kane, the long-lost brother of the Undertaker who was thought to be dead from a funeral fire. Following Foley’s feud with Steve Austin, where Foley wrestled as a heel Dude Love, Foley returned to the Mankind character but with the Corporation influenced white shirt to show him as a confused character conflicted on where he’d go next. After the Austin feud, Mankind would team-up with Kane and we’d have a mini-feud between Undertaker/Steve Austin versus Kane/Mankind. This feud spun off into a “First Blood” WWE Title match between Kane and Steve Austin and the Hell in a Cell match between Undertaker and Mankind.

Sadly, not many people remember what else happened on this WWE King of the Ring 1998 show besides Foley’s match with the Undertaker in the Hell in the Cell. Overshadowed are moments like Kane actually winning the WWE Title over Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock winning the King of the Ring Tournament and defeating the Rock in the Finals, a fun match between X-Pac and Owen Hart, and the New Age Outlaws defeating the NEW Midnight Express (OK, I’m kidding on that last one). As I look back on this show, I’m realizing that TWO former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) legends are working for the WWE with Ken Shamrock and Dan Severn. For the past decade, anyone with UFC credentials gets praised and pushed within the WWE. Oddly enough, this is probably the peak of Shamrock and Severn didn’t make much of an impact.

Everyone remembers Undertaker vs. Mankind at King of the Ring 1998, period. That match is legendary, but it also helped bring attention to much needed safety measures to protect future performers in Hell in a Cell matches or other death defying stunt attempts.

Before the match, reportedly, Mick Foley and Terry Funk were brainstorming ideas on how to differentiate the Undertaker vs. Mankind match from the In Your House: Badd Blood 1997 match between Shawn Michaels and Undertaker. Much of that match was actually inside the ring except when a WWE employee was struck and needed medical attention to cause the door to be opened. Then, Michaels and Undertaker went outside the cage and it was then that Michaels took a dangerous bump when hanging off the side of the cage. Thus, Mick and Terry wanted to one-up that stunt and do something entirely different with the match.

“What if we started the match on top of the cage?”, they thought.

That is exactly what Undertaker and Mankind did. Instead of getting inside the cage, Mankind opts to climb the cage the cage on the outside instead (while also throwing a chair on top of the cage). The Undertaker arrives and follows Mankind to the top. Mind you, they didn’t have pre-cut holes as they’d have in future Hell in a Cell matches, so thus Mankind and Taker are climbing that thing in wrestling boots. As Foley said later, he had worries about climbing down the cage if he had to… But Foley didn’t have to climb down, as we’d find out soon enough. Furthermore, the Undertaker actually had a broken foot for this match. Could you imagine climbing a fence with a broken foot?

While on top of the cage, both wrestlers are beginning to break metal zip ties and the ceiling is beginning to fall apart. This would be Mick Foley’s undoing on the 2nd spot… However, the Undertaker could have taken a dangerous spot, as Mankind tried to suplex Foley but Undertaker countered it. Then, they did the PLANNED spot of Undertaker throwing Mankind over the side of the cage and onto the announcer’s table. When I say planned, this was between the Undertaker and Foley, and maybe loosely with other WWE officials. The spot was highly dangerous and Foley takes a flipping bump that could have been much worse. However, he did separate his shoulder on the fall and from that, the medical officials came down with stretcher to immediately attend to Mick Foley.

As they’re wheeling Foley to the back, he gets off the stretcher and starts to climb that Hell in a Cell cage once again where the Undertaker remains. Then, a major accident happened that could have been much, much worse. After brawling on the top, the Undertaker goes to Chokeslam Mankind. Thankfully, the wrestlers chose to do this spot over the center of the wrestling ring because had this been over a ring post, ropes, or the cement floor, Foley would likely pass away from landing badly on anywhere but a wrestling ring. Furthermore with Foley, he said he was exhausted and poorly sold the Chokeslam. What this means is that Foley didn’t leap upward like you’d normally do, which could have caused the downward impact of the Chokeslam to be much more severe.

As noted before, the ceiling of this Hell in a Cell structure was held together by metal zip ties and weight of two 300+ pound guys walking on each frame of the cage’s ceiling was causing those zip ties to pop. Well, the weight of Mankind crashing down from a Chokeslam actually caused that ceiling frame to get loose and Mankind came crashing down to the right legitimately. Making matters worse, the chair that Foley tossed on top of the cage was positioned exactly where Foley was to be chokeslammed. Not only did Foley fall for real, but that steal chair just crushed him and legitimately knocked him out. It is BRUTAL and the commentary of Jim Ross screaming legitimate concern has been played back and used in many memes ever since. Everyone rushes to the ring to help what could be a dead Mick Foley.

Somehow, and by the power of God or something else in the universe, Foley wakes up and not only finishes his match with the Undertaker, but also appears later to help interfere with the Austin and Kane Main Event Match. THAT IS CRAZY! Not only that, Foley had plans to use thumbtacks in the match and during the match, he remembered to pour them all over the ring. The Undertaker chokeslammed Foley onto those thumbtacks but after the match while medics are literally pulling thumbtacks out of Foley’s arm, he asked the Undertaker if they used thumbtacks or not. He was THAT out of it. Foley was concussed but he also lost some teeth, including one that got into his nasal cavity and appeared to stick out of his nose.

After the match, Vince McMahon reportedly told Foley to “please don’t do this kind of match again” and legitimate safety precautions were considered. The ceilings on Hell in a Cell were reinforced, which probably SAVED many wrestlers from harm, and any high risk bumps were planned in advance with extra precautions. Foley would later push the boundaries one more time to Vince’s dislike, specifically the Royal Rumble 1999 where the Rock pounded Foley with multiple Steel Chairshots to his head. Fast forward to Foley’s match with Triple H during early 2000 during a Hell in a Cell match, Foley does go through the top of the cage but it was obviously planned and the ring was adjusted to create a safe landing spot. I think like a year later, Rikishi was on the top of the cage and he took a safe fall from the top.

Foley would retire after Wrestlemania 16, but had several WWE matches after that and also performed for TNA. But to the level of this danger or degree, as seen at King of the Ring 1998, nothing quite as dangerous. The impact of this match is that is not only remembered 25 years later, but it did make Foley a bigger star. Steve Austin disposed of him after their post-Wrestlemania 14 feud and this match put fans on notice. Then, Foley introduced the world to Mr. Socko and was converted into a full babyface. Honestly, the Hell in a Cell match, combined with Foley’s personal story, really boosted the sympathy towards Foley. If he’s willing to nearly kill himself in a match, then he must love performing for fans. And he did.

Rest of 1998 saw Foley grow stronger and stronger as a babyface and then he was placed into an awesome late 1998 and early 1999 feud with the Rock. The storyline and matches were seriously peak Attitude Era stuff and it allowed Foley to become a WWE Champion. Things kept opening up for Foley, as his auto-biography sold well and seriously opened up the door for other wrestlers to tell their life’s story on paper. I personally appreciated that, as disliked reading long novels but found reading wrestler biographies to be a breeze! Then, advertisers started using Foley, such as Chef Boyardee.

The crazy thing about Foley’s dangerous stunts and matches is that he didn’t need to do those wild stunts… He was a great wrestler who cut amazing promos. That said, his ability to withstand punishment and remain not just alive, but able to keep fighting really grew the admiration and respect by wrestling fans. Foley is a complete unicorn when it comes to professional wrestling and Jim Ross really hit a homerun with that signing in 1996 even though Vince McMahon was reluctant about Foley at the time. Then, Vince saw his matches and those one-on-one interview segments with Jim Ross, and he was hooked. Then, the “many faces of Foley” between switching between Mankind, Dude Love, and Cactus Jack created so many storyline possibilities but also helped sell extra merchandise. You gotta get all 3 Jakks figures, guys!

That said, this King of the Ring 1998 match is remembered because it was one of the earlier Hell in a Cell matches, before the concept was overused, and also because of the unplanned disaster that it became. I’m still amazed that Foley not only survived that Chokeslam bump, but was able to function afterward and remain as intelligent as he is. Not just the impact of that ring, but the chair slamming on his head. Just brutal… And then, he finished the match and later appeared during the Austin/Kane match. I don’t know how Foley operates the way he does…

Get this… So I’m tuning into WWE King of the Ring 1998’s Pay Per View with my usual buddies and it was announced that it was in Pittsburgh, PA… Damn it, I was so pissed because I probably would have attended this show, as it’s the most local city to me, had I known the WWE’s travel schedule better back then. I would have LOST MY MIND if I saw this match live in-person, just as a lost my mind watching it on Pay Per View as it happened.

25 years ago, Foley vs. Undertaker took place. Feeling old yet?

The current wrestling industry needs to realize that their hardcore stunts aren’t remembered like the thinks that Foley did. Why? Well, obviously, Foley took that punishment for real and what you see now is planned. But nobody did these dangerous stunts before Foley was around and thus it was unique. When you see people getting thrown through tables during a regular match on RAW, Smackdown, or Dynamite, you’ve seen it a thousand times already and know that it’s a planned safe stunt. Am I saying that wrestlers take more risks and not be safe? NO!!!!!! What I’m saying is “LESS IS MORE” and to quote the Barenaked Ladies, “IT’S ALL BEEN DONE… Before!”. Nothing what WWE, NXT, AEW, GCW, or Indy wrestlers try to day is unique. When something violent happens, wrestling fans are desensitized to it and thus creates a lesser impact. Fans still remember Foley vs. Undertaker in that Hell in a Cell cage.

This is definitely a Pay Per View and match to check out on your WWE Network or Peacock. 25 years ago, the King of the Ring 1998 was held and the Undertaker broke Mick Foley in half.

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We watch for the moments WrestleMania has already given us, and the moments it’ll keep giving us. 

We see the past with rose-colored glasses for a reason. Some of us were teenagers during the Attitude Era and so we’re fond of that time. It was ridiculously entertaining, and I know it would kill some of you to admit it, Vince Russo was a key reason why. 

What else you can take from Russo’s time is that everyone felt like a star. The preshow Heats were worth tuning in to because they sometimes cast doubt on the PPVs. “Would this match still go on”? 

WrestleMania XV

Of all the ‘Mania opening vids, this one has to be my favorite, thanks to Freddie Blassie’s narration. Watch the opening vid to ‘Mania XIV. The difference is night and day.

It was billed as “The Ragin’ Climax”. It’s fitting. Mr. McMadman – something I borrowed from J.R. – had thrown everything at his worst enemy. It was all leading to this.

Steve Austin and The Rock had a very fun match, which played to the strengths of the Attitude Era and the amazing chemistry between its two biggest stars. Back then, kicking out of a finisher carried real weight. Give Russo credit, even he knew better than to mess with finishing moves. The match was sloppy at times.

Mankind won the right to referee the closing match, but as was often the case in ‘99, twists and turns happened. Vince inserted himself as the ref, but Shawn Michaels showed up, reversed his decision, and barred the rest of the Corporation from ringside. Very entertaining segment, but when is HBK not entertaining? 

However, he was still at his worst from a political viewpoint. Russo had successfully pitched to add Mankind in the main event as a challenger, not a ref. For some reason Michaels threw his two cents in and it didn’t happen. While Russo is often full of it, it’s not a leap HBK would play politics. 

If you wanna know why Vince puts so much faith in his son, check his match with X-Pac.

WrestleMania 2000

This was the year they could do no wrong. They got away with an objectively bad WrestleMania, but one that had its moments.

The Tag Team ladder match with Edge & Christian, The Hardys and The Dudleys tore the house down. E&C nabbed their first tag titles. Other than that, Kurt Angle losing his two singles titles to up-and-comers was a good call. Angle was never pinned, which served to protect him AND provide the comeuppance he deserved.

They did not know what they had with Chris Jericho. Imagine if they had gone through with him in the main event.

Steve Austin was missed, but he wasn’t really missed. He spent nearly two years outright dominating the WWF. The Rock’s star rose as high as his, if not higher. His star power was great enough they got away with a fairly lousy ending. We wanted The Rock raising the WWF Championship up high, not Vince McMahon screwing him out of it.

WrestleMania X-Seven

The greatest WrestleMania of all time? Yeah it was!!

It was the only ‘Mania to have Paul Heyman on commentary. Just sayin’. 

Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were the biggest alpha dogs around. Their main event practically wrote itself. Limp Bizkit’s “My Way” was the perfect theme song.

Austin said he needed to be the champion. That should’ve been a dead giveaway, but the idea of Austin “[selling] his soul to Satan himself” was unthinkable. The match kicked ass at any rate.

It followed a Street Fight between the McMahon’s, the greatest TLC match of all time, and a pseudo No Holds Barred brawl between The Undertaker and Triple H. How did the crowd have any energy left? 

You ever wonder why Trish Stratus retired with such grace? Look at the abject humiliation she suffered from Stephanie, but more so from Mr. McMahon: soaked in dirty mop water; stripping; acting and barking like a dog; and playing tonsil hockey with Mr. McMahon in front of his medicated wife. Shane McMahon, Mick Foley, Trish, and Linda made them pay for it big time. 

During this time, Stephanie got hers, a lot. She needed a good pasting during the Authority years.

I spend my weekends during WrestleMania season watching my favorite matches. I save X-Seven for last. Like I need to tell you why.

What came next? 

WCW was done. On the heels of the greatest PPV of all time, all those “What if’s” and dream matches were about to become a reality. 

Or not.

Don’t mess with the X.

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“I hated that character because the mask was so… It really constricted my breathing, you know? With the leather underneath the nose. I needed as much oxygen as I could suck in anyway. But it came about because Jim Ross was a big advocate of mine, and Mr. McMahon was never interested in me. He thought I didn’t look like a star. And finally, my name came up in 1995, in the fall, he slammed it on the table, and he said, ‘Alright, I’ll bring him in, but I’m covering up his face.’ And that’s how I got my foot in the door, and luckily, as time went by, he kind of found out I had an interesting real-life story to tell.

So, I was able to inject a lot more realism into that character and it really was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The stuff that Mankind did with Dwayne Johnson, when he was my opponent and when he was my partner, was really fun and memorable stuff. Luckily, we were taking peoples’ minds off their problems and they still remember some of the stuff 22 years after the fact.” (quote courtesy of WrestlingInc.com)

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