Black Widow
06-19-2009, 04:53 PM
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Mick Foley hopes more people show up to his autograph signing at Charleston Town Center than the wrestling match he had in Poca several years ago.
The "Hardcore Legend" recalls gazing out to the Poca High School crowd and counting the number of fans in attendance - 26.
"A lot of my matches in my early years were in West Virginia," said Foley, who became known for swinging barbed-wire baseball bats and a finishing move that involves putting a sock puppet on his hand and shoving it into the mouth of his doomed opponent.
But there's one place that has carved out a special home in the grizzled superstar's heart.
"My favorite is in Poca, home of the dreaded Poca Dots."
That was long before Foley earned his place in the mighty spandex-clad annals along the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock and The Undertaker during the pro wrestling boom of the late 1990s.
Foley is the current Total Nonstop Action world heavyweight champion and a former three-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion.
Unlike his counterparts, Foley wrestled successfully as three different characters - Mankind, Cactus Jack and Dude Love - that were each unique and popular with fans.
Speaking of fans, Foley surely has more than 26 of them nowadays in the Kanawha Valley area.
He wants to wish them all to have a nice day from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Macy's Court at the mall. Autographs are limited and interested fans are urged to call Collectibles Inc. at 304-720-6964.
Too bad school's out for summer. Foley, who made his debut in 1986, said he would've paid a visit to Poca High School if classes had been in session the day of his appearance.
"I remember wrestling Shane Douglas (a Pittsburgh native) and having a good match, considering the few people that were there," Foley said in a telephone interview from a hotel room. "Every match I wrestled in those days was the best match I could possibly have. Based on my won-loss record over the years, I'm sure I was not the winner. But no doubt, it was a moral victory."
In his first autobiography, "Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks," Foley wrote about the Putnam County town and accidentally misspelled it "Polka."
"Maybe the low point of my career was our big event in Polka, West Virginia, at the Polka High School, home of the Polka Dots," Foley wrote. "Yes, the team's name was the Dots. Now that must have sent a shiver down the spines of countless opponents."
The book also features other adventures, or misadventures, in West Virginia such as driving 150 miles of back roads to get to Hundred, where he was surprised to see a gym packed with 1,000 screaming fans.
"Apparently, Hundred, West Virginia, didn't believe in pooping in peace, as the toilets were unsheltered in what seemed to be the middle of the dressing room," Foley recounted.
He also speaks of his first-ever match, a battle royal, in Clarksburg, the town where his Cactus Jack character was created.
Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy isn't sure which, if any, persona he'll transform into for his mall appearance. On recent TNA episodes, he has been dressed to the nines carrying around his championship belt as a pompous heel.
His trademark attire, however, consists of a flannel shirt, sweatpants and sneakers.
"I'm not sure how tough it is to find a flannel in June in West Virginia," he quipped.
When you consider his wardrobe with his physical features - a scraggly beard, long hair and toothless grin, Foley looks like a heftier long-lost relative of Charles Manson living somewhere in the woods.
In fact, Foley took on the moniker "Cactus Jack Manson" in his early days of wrestling.
Based on appearance, he doesn't fit the intellectual type.
Yet he is a multiple-time New York Times bestselling author. In the last 10 years, the 290-pound madman has penned three memoirs and five fiction books, three of them geared toward children.
He had plopped down on his bed ready to take notes for a fourth memoir at the time of this interview.
The working title is "Crossing the Line," which he says will chronicle the days heading up to his championship win over Sting at the TNA Lockdown pay-per-view in April.
The format will be similar to his "Hardcore Diaries," a journal entry-based book that focused on his involvement in WWE in 2006.
Unlike "Hardcore Diaries," Foley said "Crossing the Line" has a happy ending.
His recent years with WWE represented a "frustrating time," he noted.
"This is a period of time when I'm doing my best interviews and my feedback is really valued," Foley said. "I'm not having the creative carpet pulled from under me."
Foley's last gig in WWE was as a color commentator on the Smackdown program. He reportedly grew disgruntled with that job because WWE owner Vince McMahon yells commands into the headsets of his announcers while they're doing commentary.
"After a 13-year relationship (with WWE), there really was nothing more I could do of any value," Foley said. "There were times I enjoyed doing commentary, but I went from caring to phoning it in. I don't want to be remembered as that guy."
Daily Mail
The "Hardcore Legend" recalls gazing out to the Poca High School crowd and counting the number of fans in attendance - 26.
"A lot of my matches in my early years were in West Virginia," said Foley, who became known for swinging barbed-wire baseball bats and a finishing move that involves putting a sock puppet on his hand and shoving it into the mouth of his doomed opponent.
But there's one place that has carved out a special home in the grizzled superstar's heart.
"My favorite is in Poca, home of the dreaded Poca Dots."
That was long before Foley earned his place in the mighty spandex-clad annals along the likes of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock and The Undertaker during the pro wrestling boom of the late 1990s.
Foley is the current Total Nonstop Action world heavyweight champion and a former three-time World Wrestling Entertainment champion.
Unlike his counterparts, Foley wrestled successfully as three different characters - Mankind, Cactus Jack and Dude Love - that were each unique and popular with fans.
Speaking of fans, Foley surely has more than 26 of them nowadays in the Kanawha Valley area.
He wants to wish them all to have a nice day from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Macy's Court at the mall. Autographs are limited and interested fans are urged to call Collectibles Inc. at 304-720-6964.
Too bad school's out for summer. Foley, who made his debut in 1986, said he would've paid a visit to Poca High School if classes had been in session the day of his appearance.
"I remember wrestling Shane Douglas (a Pittsburgh native) and having a good match, considering the few people that were there," Foley said in a telephone interview from a hotel room. "Every match I wrestled in those days was the best match I could possibly have. Based on my won-loss record over the years, I'm sure I was not the winner. But no doubt, it was a moral victory."
In his first autobiography, "Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks," Foley wrote about the Putnam County town and accidentally misspelled it "Polka."
"Maybe the low point of my career was our big event in Polka, West Virginia, at the Polka High School, home of the Polka Dots," Foley wrote. "Yes, the team's name was the Dots. Now that must have sent a shiver down the spines of countless opponents."
The book also features other adventures, or misadventures, in West Virginia such as driving 150 miles of back roads to get to Hundred, where he was surprised to see a gym packed with 1,000 screaming fans.
"Apparently, Hundred, West Virginia, didn't believe in pooping in peace, as the toilets were unsheltered in what seemed to be the middle of the dressing room," Foley recounted.
He also speaks of his first-ever match, a battle royal, in Clarksburg, the town where his Cactus Jack character was created.
Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy isn't sure which, if any, persona he'll transform into for his mall appearance. On recent TNA episodes, he has been dressed to the nines carrying around his championship belt as a pompous heel.
His trademark attire, however, consists of a flannel shirt, sweatpants and sneakers.
"I'm not sure how tough it is to find a flannel in June in West Virginia," he quipped.
When you consider his wardrobe with his physical features - a scraggly beard, long hair and toothless grin, Foley looks like a heftier long-lost relative of Charles Manson living somewhere in the woods.
In fact, Foley took on the moniker "Cactus Jack Manson" in his early days of wrestling.
Based on appearance, he doesn't fit the intellectual type.
Yet he is a multiple-time New York Times bestselling author. In the last 10 years, the 290-pound madman has penned three memoirs and five fiction books, three of them geared toward children.
He had plopped down on his bed ready to take notes for a fourth memoir at the time of this interview.
The working title is "Crossing the Line," which he says will chronicle the days heading up to his championship win over Sting at the TNA Lockdown pay-per-view in April.
The format will be similar to his "Hardcore Diaries," a journal entry-based book that focused on his involvement in WWE in 2006.
Unlike "Hardcore Diaries," Foley said "Crossing the Line" has a happy ending.
His recent years with WWE represented a "frustrating time," he noted.
"This is a period of time when I'm doing my best interviews and my feedback is really valued," Foley said. "I'm not having the creative carpet pulled from under me."
Foley's last gig in WWE was as a color commentator on the Smackdown program. He reportedly grew disgruntled with that job because WWE owner Vince McMahon yells commands into the headsets of his announcers while they're doing commentary.
"After a 13-year relationship (with WWE), there really was nothing more I could do of any value," Foley said. "There were times I enjoyed doing commentary, but I went from caring to phoning it in. I don't want to be remembered as that guy."
Daily Mail