Mick Foley knew the original Mankind character was working because WWE once asked him to stop participating in Make-A-Wish visits.
While speaking with Inside The Ropes, Foley looked back on the interview segments that helped fans see a different side of Mankind. WWE wanted him to open up about his real life, similar to the emotional interview pieces Dustin Rhodes had done while talking about Goldust, his family and living in Dusty Rhodes’ shadow.
Foley understood what WWE wanted, but he argued that Mankind did not need to be stripped of his mystery. As far as he was concerned, the character was already doing exactly what it was supposed to do.
“There had been a really effective, up-close and personal interview with Dustin Reynolds where he spoke to the crowd. I don’t remember who did the interview, and it was a multi-part, multi-segment interview that was edited into multiple segments over the course of four or five weeks.”
“He said, ‘My name’s Dustin Reynolds. I have a character named Goldust. I’m trying to remove myself from the shadow of my very famous father.’ He talked about his daughter and his wife, and that’s what they wanted me to do.”
Foley told Vince McMahon that Mankind was already connecting with people, even if that connection was based on fear. He then pointed to the most extreme example possible: WWE had specifically asked him not to take part in Make-A-Wish visits because the children were terrified of him.
“I said, ‘Vince, I understand that, but this character is effective. I can prove it was effective because, in the history of WWE, I was the only wrestler ever specifically asked not to participate in Make-A-Wish events.’ And that’s true.”
The request crushed Foley because he genuinely wanted to meet the children. Since nobody was specifically asking to see Mankind, Foley would sometimes try to join visits involving other top stars. That did not go well.
“It broke my heart. Then Dave Hebner said, ‘Brother, you have to understand, this is supposed to be one of the best nights of their lives, and you’re making it one of the worst.’”
Foley said he would ask stars such as Bret Hart whether he could come along during their Make-A-Wish visits. The problem was that some of the children reacted to Mankind exactly the way television had taught them to react. They ran.
“I would ask Bret Hart or somebody who had a wish visit, because nobody was requesting me specifically, ‘Hey, can I join your visit? I’d like to meet the kids.’ Apparently, some of them were fleeing in terror. So, the character was effective.”
That fear was proof to Foley that the original Mankind presentation had completely landed. The mask, the appearance and the disturbing behavior had convinced young fans that the man they saw on television was someone they needed to get away from.
WWE still wanted viewers to learn more about Foley, so he suggested a compromise. Jim Ross could ask him personal questions without giving him advance notice, and Foley would answer honestly while staying in character as Mankind.
“Then Vince said, ‘Well, I’d really like people to know you.’ I said, ‘What if JR asks me questions I’m not aware of? I give 100% honest answers, but I do them in the character of Mankind.’”
“He said, ‘You think you can do that?’ And I looked at him and said, ‘I know I can.’”
Those interviews ended up changing Foley’s WWE career by making fans sympathize with Mankind. Before that shift happened, though, the character was so convincing that WWE believed putting him near children during Make-A-Wish visits could ruin what was supposed to be one of the happiest nights of their lives.
What do you think about WWE asking Mick Foley to stay away from Make-A-Wish visits because children were afraid of Mankind? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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