Your Favourite Foley Match?

Dan E. Inferno

Strange things are happening to me
The title says it all. It can be from any promotion, from any time period and can be any face of Foley you like. It doesn't necessarily have to be one his hardcore matches either, although I figure they'll be a popular choice.

To kick things off, I'll state mine and that is his hardcore match against Edge at Wrestlemania 22. Although this is alot shorter then many of his other hardcore matches, I think that's understandable because it featured on a pretty stacked Wrestlemania card. More to the point, I think that time was used really effectively and the two produced a great match. It had everything you'd expect in a Foley/Cactus Jack match, with the use of thumb tacks, barbed wire and what's more, a flamming table. It also had a very clever spot where Foley wrapped himself in barbed wire and allowed Edge to spear him. Overall, just a brilliant match.

So, what's your favourite Foley match? Don't forget to explain your choice.
 
Cactus Jack vs Triple H for WWE Champion at Royal Rumble 2000 in Madison Square Garden.

What a match. You could tell this match was going to be da bomb when mankind transformed into cactus jack, witnessing live on ma tv screen, and one of the best matches I have ever seen in the "E".

It was a shame he didn't win, but this match helped Triple H carry the title longer and showed he could work hardcore matches, as we all know the next ppv No Way Out.

There are many great matches with Foley in them, but this one I liked in particular.
 
Of course its the HIAC at NWO 2000 with HHH. This match was unbelievable and competitive the whole way, this was really the match whee HHH proved he could hang with the hardcore wrestlers. Not to mention we saw foley slam him self into the cell breaking it, flaming barbed wire bats and oh yea foley went through the top of the cell and through the ring It was a bloody, violent war.
 
This is a very hard choice to make as far as favorite Mick Foley match. The easy answer might be to say Hell in a Cell against The Undertaker at King of the Ring, but that wasn't so much a match as much as an insane exhibition of the human will to entertain.

But as far as an actual match is concerned, I would probably have to go with his match as Dude Love against Stone Cold Steve Austin at Over the Edge in 1998. I remember that match being very out of control and extremely entertaining. You had Foley working the corporate Dude Love gimmick, Austin had just become WWF Champion a couple months back, Vince McMahon was the guest referee, The Stooges were in other roles as well, and The Undertaker was at ring side peering over McMahon's shoulder in case he tried to screw over Stone Cold. Foley and Austin were wrestling all over the arena tearing the PPV set and ring area apart. My favorite moment from that match was when Austin destroyed Foley's dentures, which was put over the top when Lawler said "Dude has lost his smile."
 
I would have to say the Royal Rumble 2000 vs Triple H was his best all around match. It had some hardcore elements, but it was more of a match than a brawl with a a few huge bumps like a lot of his memorable matches were. Like his Hell in the Cell match with Undertaker.
 
The most popular choice to be is the HIAC match with the Undertaker,
Off the top of the cage,through the top of the cage,thumbtacks...
You name it!!

A memorable one for me,RAW at MSG against HHH,
When he brought back the mad man himself,Cactus Jack!!

HHH is standing the ring waiting...then dude love comes up on the jumbotron
Saying he won't face HHH
Mankind comes on and says he same....they introduce HHH's opponent...
Cactus Jack!!
the place goes bonkers!!
You could smell the brick HHH shat all the way at your home!!
 
It seems like the HIAC vs undertaker is the more popular choice, and it probably one of the most famous matches in the WWE.

As far as i can remember watchign wrestling i can only remember from late 2000 or early 2001 (my first wm was 17 that could give you an idea). if i were to go wiht my favorite foley match from my time watching wrestling its much limited, and its definatley mic foley vs edge at wm 22 in a hardcore match, this is one of my favorite wrestlemania matches, that could be overrating it but i dont care. it was very violent, one fo the best hardcore matches ive seen, i loved the way the edge was shaking and covered in blood after he pinned foley after spearing him through a table set on fire. this is something i miss about tv-14 but im not gonna rip on that. not to rip on tna either (i like tna also) but tna's overuse of blood makes blood seem unnesesary
 
Kicking it way Old School and going to say The entire King of The Deathmatch tournament from the IWA promotion out of Japan. Believe it was done in 1995? All of Foley's tournament matches were pretty good, but the grand finale of the tournament, the C4 boards, barbed wire ropes, exploding ring, tables, ladders, chairs match, (HOLY SHIT!) between Cactus Jack and Terry Funk should be a much watch for every hardcore wrestling fan.

And while the match is brutal as hell, what really sells it is the chemistry between Mick and Terry and the awesome promos and in ring psychology. Just a classic. Hunt it down if you can, well worth watching.
 
A couple of Foley matches stand out in my mind like Terry Funk/Mick Foley Falls Count Anywhere from Raw; Untertaker/Mankind from Revenge of the Taker (which was a pretty stiff match); and HHH/Manking from King of the Ring 1997, but, by far, my favorite match that Mick Foley did was vs. the Undertaker at King of the Ring 1996. He brought out an intense brawler in the Undertaker, the likes of which hadn't been seen. The build-up was excellent and he even managed to beat the Undertaker, which was rare back then. I found the match very entertaining and somewhat hardcore before hardcore was cool in the WWF/WWE.
 
Hell in a Cell. Enough said. That match against The Undertaker redefined risk taking in a business that was, at the time, all about taking risks and, well, hoping it worked. Foley proved once again he was demented and more than willing to take a beating from hell. And The Undertaker? Well, he was there to do what he does best and that is to kick ass and take names. I'll never forget that sick smile Foley had while his tooth hung on his cheek caught up in his facial hair. I find myself re-watching that match time and time again on the Hell in a Cell DVDs to relieve the golden age.
 
Obviously The King of the Ring match vs The Undertaker is one of the best/most popular Foley matches ever. But my favorite Foley match was the Dude Love/Steve Austin vs British Bulldog/Owen Hart match because you saw Austin taking a beating w/ no partner at first, then Dude Love coming to the rescue. Just great storyline leading to a decent match
 
God the Hell in a cell with taker was without a doubt a classic, but whilst watching that match it had this feel that wwe was just trying to get the oh s**t factor going. The number one foley match that i will never get tired of watching though is Mankind vs The Rock in the I Quit match. I just loved the storyline they had going on with the corporation and how foley wasn't championship material. That match just brought it in many different ways and the controversal ending was phenomonal.
 
For me it's Cactus Jack vs. Triple H from Royal Rumble 2000. This match saw some brutal moments and was back and forth and Jack taking that Pedigree into the tacs is vicious. The aftermath is also great. That match showed what Mick Foley was willing to do to entertain the fans by putting his own body on the line. It's a classic and I suggest to watch it to anyone.
 
so i've read all the responses thus far and would agree with every single one of them. and this is a tough choice because there are so many great matches with the three faces of foley.

speaking of, what about royal rumble 98 when he participated in the royal rumble match as all three of his personas? that was freaking classic! too bad he lost all three times.

so just to give a different choice for consideration, not to mention that foley himself has listed it as one of his favorite matches of all time, i'd have to say Mankind vs. HBK at Mind Games 96.

foley was in great shape and went all out with HBK for the world title. incredible match from start to finish and we all know that both of these men are masters of in-ring psychology and mind games. it was just a perfect set up. i remember thinking at the time "why in the world does this new guy Mankind get a world title shot, especially when there's no history between these two?" and then i saw the match. and i got my answer. two all-time great competitors doing what they did best.
 
So many great matches with all three of his personas to choose from. This question really makes you realize his contribution to the business and how many great battles he has had over the years. I can't pick one, so I will give my top three--

1. Cactus Jack vs. Randy Orton, Backlash 2004- This was a brutal hardcore match for the IC title, that without a doubt helped launch Randy Orton to superstardom. Orton took two insane bumps, first was Foley countering the RKO and throwing Randy onto thousands of thumbtacks. The entire arena marked out at that moment, and it's certainly one of my favorite moments of all time. Second was when they were battling by the entrace way, and Foley tossed Orton off the ramp down into a pile of wood, which had to be about a 10 foot drop. And then Foley followed it up with a flying elbow. He lost the match, but he totally put Orton over on this night.

2. Mankind vs. Shawn Michaels, Mind Games 1996- One of Foleys two favorite matches of his career. Mick actually showed some technical expertise in this match, as well as his great brawling. The backdrop from the top rope through the announcers table was sick for that time. Just an incredible back and forth battle.

3. Cactus Jack vs. Triple H, No Way Out 2000- This Hell in a Cell match was overshadowed a bit in his career because of the Undertaker cell match in 98, but this was a phenomenal contest that was supposedly Foleys retirement match. The Royal Rumble street fight between these two a month prior usually gets all the pub, but in my opinion this was a better overall match. The backflip through the cell down to the ring, caving in the canvas was just insane. This is my second favorite Hell in a Cell of all time. Like with Orton in 04, I feel Foley had a big part in catapulting Triple H to that next level, and these two matches were a big part of it...

Great question...
 
Great topic...it made me sign up to this forum just to chime in...

all of the matches listed are great, but lately i have been going back, via youtube, to some of Cactus Jack's WCW matches and have discovered a whole universe of brutality i had missed in the mid 90s...his matches against the likes of Vader, the Nasty Boys and others are insane...not to mention a lot of his matches in Japan in general...

what is most amazing is the powerbomb he took from Vader to the cement floor that gave him a legit concussion...also the fact that a sunset flip off the turnbuckle to the cement was part of his standard move set for a while back in those days!

and of course the famous move where he would get knocked off the ropes back first with his head simply hitting the cement really hard!!!! Those moves are just so legit looking (because they are) that it added such a depth to those old matches...when you think about the abuse the guy took to make those moments on a regular basis it's astounding...

It's too bad that some of the younger guys will only see his really limited matches of the past 5-8 years...sure there's a few good ones, but the man literally has about 100+ true classics under his belt. and probbaly a few hundred more less than classics that still had some sick bumps hahaah!

-The Regulator
 

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