Mick Foley’s name has been tied to AEW, but fans may want to pump the brakes before assuming the Hardcore Legend is Tony Khan-bound.
The Takedown on Sports Illustrated stated that AEW has shown “real” interest in working with Foley in 2026, with his WWE Legends contract approaching its expiration next month. That opened the door to plenty of talk about Foley possibly appearing for AEW, whether as a one-time attraction, a special guest, or something more involved.
However, an update on Wrestling Observer Radio made one thing clear: there is interest, but that does not mean Foley is already on his way to AEW. Garrett Gonzales brought up Foley’s future during the AEW portion of the show and asked whether Foley could go to AEW or at least do something with the company. Dave Meltzer said he could see it happening, but he made it very clear that he has not heard a deal is done.
“Yes, I actually do. I mean, it’s nothing that I’ve heard. I mean, in the sense that it’s a done deal, but the way everything lays out, kind of. Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. He’s so on the road on this, doing those tour shows, those comedy shows or whatever the speaking shows, but I think he would like to, you know.”
That is the important part. Foley is not confirmed for AEW. Meltzer did not say he heard Foley is going there. He said the situation lines up in a way where it would make sense, while also pointing out that Foley is busy with touring dates, comedy shows, and speaking appearances.
So, for now, this is a wait-and-see situation. AEW may have interest, Foley’s WWE Legends deal may be nearing the finish line, and Foley may be open to doing something. Still, there is no confirmed agreement at this point.
The Foley discussion also took an emotional turn when Meltzer brought up Foley’s connection to late Beyond the Mat director Barry Blaustein. Blaustein had been scheduled for a Q&A at a screening of the documentary in Southern California before his pancreatic cancer diagnosis forced him to pull out.
“I guess I had this in the Observer. But you know what happened with Barry Blaustein and him, Mick wrote this, but what happened was just recently, they were doing a screening of Beyond the Mat in Southern California near where Barry Blaustein lived. And Barry Blaustein was gonna do a Q and A. And then, once he got the pancreatic cancer thing, which was only a month ago, I mean, when he got it, it was like, that’s it, you know, and it’s gonna be quick, and it was.”
Foley had a day off, so he flew to Los Angeles to replace Blaustein at the Q&A. Afterward, Foley visited Blaustein at his home and later sent him a personal letter overnight. Sadly, Blaustein passed away before he received it.
“And so he had to pull out. He couldn’t do it. So Mick had a day off that day. So he flew into LA to replace Barry Blaustein to do the Q and A at the thing. So after he did the Q and A, he went to Barry’s house and saw Barry. And, you know, I guess he was so moved by everything, he wrote Barry a long letter and mailed it overnight and made sure Barry got it the next day. And Barry died before he got the letter. He died in his sleep. And the letter came eight o’clock that morning right after he died. So, wow. Yeah, that was kind of a sad thing.”
Meltzer also recalled Vince McMahon’s old reaction to Beyond the Mat and how Vince once warned Foley about Blaustein. Foley’s long friendship with Blaustein proved that warning wrong.
“He mentioned, because I remember this very distinctly, that Vince, you know, obviously hated the movie, and Mick was never negative on the movie and never negative on Barry Blaustein. And, you know, he made the remark that — and I remember this remark because I remember him telling me this twenty-plus years ago, twenty-six years ago — that Vince goes, ‘Just remember that Barry Blaustein is not your friend.’ And basically Mick said, Vince told me that, and it’s like, boy, was he wrong, because they remained on very good terms all through.”
Meltzer also praised Blaustein while looking back on him.
“And like I said, Barry Blaustein was a really smart guy, really personable guy, really good guy. Really liked him a lot.”
Foley’s AEW future is still open, but this update is more about clarification than confirmation. AEW interest may be real, and the timing with Foley’s WWE Legends deal is hard to ignore, but nobody has confirmed that Foley is headed to AEW. For now, it sounds like a possibility — not a done deal.
Do you think Mick Foley should make an AEW appearance if his WWE Legends deal expires, or should he stay tied to WWE? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
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