Foley vs. HHH at WrestleMania XX: Mick’s Vengeful Day Could Be Near
If the rumors swirling around the Internet have any grain of truth to them, there is the off chance that Mick Foley could not only make his return to a WWE ring but he may do so in a match at WrestleMania XX against Triple H.
Now, I don’t believe that this will happen just yet. However, if this rematch is in the works, I can’t resist the temptation to comment on a few things that have bothered me as a Mick Foley fan since his retirement.
You see, I am a firm believer in the theory that without Mick Foley’s generosity in passing the proverbial torch to Triple H during Mick’s final few matches, Hunter would not have nearly as much status and credibility as he does today. If you have listened to WWE programming over the past two or three years, you must have noticed the long-winded Triple H promos where he talks about being the best in the business, being The Game, being the man, etc. Sprinkled in during some of these promos have been comments about how Triple H is the man who retired Mick Foley, who ended Mick’s career, who rid the WWE of Mick Foley, etc.
Every time I hear one of these comments, despite the fact that they are spread throughout a few months these days, it just pisses me off to no end that Mick Foley jobbed to HHH and really made him a superstar. I know that Mick would not be the man he is without being a selfless individual, but just once, I would have liked to see one last Mick triumph before he hung up the boots.
Flashing forward to today, I would love it if Mick Foley had at least one more match in his system, and I would love for it to be against Triple H. This time around, however, I am praying against the odds that perhaps Hunter will show some balls and be as selfless as Mick once was towards him. I am calling upon Triple H to go against his ego and give Mick the match that he deserves, with the outcome he deserves.
We all know that Foley is God but we also know that Hunter loves to play God in the wrestling industry. One more time, I would like to see the real hero emerge victorious.
Feedback Galore!
My previous column featured my personal twenty favorite wrestling characters of all-time. I received a ton of feedback on this piece, which I appreciate immensely. Many of the emails I received asked me why I left out names like Roddy Piper, Bret Hart, HBK, the Undertaker, Kane, Raven, even Perry Saturn. Below is a rundown as to why I left these certain wrestlers off my personal list of favorites:
On Piper The reason Piper fell short of my list is because the only feelings I’ve ever had towards the Hot Rod are that he is more irritable and annoying than interesting. He was definitely one reason that Hulk Hogan was successful in the early- and mid-80s, but to me that was not enough to give him a top 20 spot. Another reason I shied away from Piper is that over the past few years, he had made comebacks in WCW, NWA and WWE that were anything but impressive. Like the Ultimate Warrior, Piper is more nonsensical than marketable these days, and I guess for me he’s hung out a bit too long for me to view him fondly.
On Bret Hart Now, Bret Hart was a very sound technical wrestler. However, the Hitman was never great at cutting promos, and usually it took other wrestlers good at promoting matches to get the fans riled up enough to care about them in the first place. He was at his best when he was part of a faction or wrestling a charismatic opponent, and inside the ring Bret was definitely one of the best in the business. He would probably be #22 on my list of favorites, just outside the top 20 that I posted a couple of weeks ago.
On HBK If Bret Hart would be #22, HBK would be #21 on my list of favorites. He doesn’t crack the top 20 for me because HBK, like the Hitman, was great at telling a story in the ring. Outside the ring, however, Michaels’ promos (outside of his stint with D-X) were not very entertaining, in my opinion. He gets the one-up on Bret here merely for his super-kick on Marty Jannetty, which sent poor Marty through the infamous plate-glass window during a segment at Brutus Beefcake’s Barbershop.
On the Undertaker Okay, here’s my problem with the Undertaker’s character. Simply put, the Dead Man was one of the most well conceived characters of all-time, worthy of top 10 contention. However, this whole biker dude gimmick, which has now lasted several years, has turned me off so much so that I just can’t put Undertaker in my top 20 anymore. I am actually hoping that Vince does bury the Undertaker alive at Survivor Series, especially if it means that the Phenom will return with his old persona and theme music.
On Kane I think Kane’s character has gotten better and better as of late. The dinner with Shane segment, in my opinion, was different and actually kind of creepy in that calm before the storm sort of way. It took WWE and Glen Jacobs a long time to really develop and perfect Kane’s nuances, and one strike against Kane in the entertainment department is that at times, his feuds get really old really quickly. His association and fallout feud with X-Pac was dragged out way too long, for instance, and we all know the disaster that was the Katie Vick angle. With that said, Kane is showing me something lately, in the sense that he’s been keeping my interest more than many of his fellow superstars. For that alone he should be applauded.
On Raven Raven is definitely a cerebral, dark character that is usually either hated or revered. I fall somewhere in the middle with Raven, because while he has showed so much grit and potential over the years, he had a very disappointing run in WWE. This obviously isn’t his fault, but he languished for a long time under Vince’s reign and that was enough for me to take him out of the top 20.
On Saturn Any character who wants to do it with a wooden mop over Terri Runnels needs to get bitch-slapped rather than praised. Not to mention his stiff wrestling style and the fact he wore a dress for an extended period of time in WCW. Sorry, Perry, try again next time.
Well, I hope these explanations served to elucidate a few things here and there. Thanks for the feedback, and, as always, thanks for reading.
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And Doris from Rego Park is on the FAN (Tribute)
I don’t know how many of you listen to WFAN 660 radio in NY, but on this past Monday, at around 12:55 pm, sports talk radio hosts Jodie MacDonald and Sid Rosenberg closed their show with the unfortunate news that Doris from Rego Park – one of the FAN’s most loyal callers and a very intense Mets fan – died of complications associated with cancer.
I was really upset to hear the news of Doris’ passing, because she was so passionate about baseball and ever since I can remember listening to WFAN’s late nite programming, Doris was ready to talk Mets baseball year-round. She wasn’t the most insightful caller, but she more than made up for it with her unrivaled dedication to her favorite team.
Personally, I don’t call WFAN that much, but every day I listen to parts of Imus in the Morning, Mac and Sid, Mike and the Mad Dog, the “Schmoozer” Steve Somers, and Joe Benigno on the overnights. I listen to the FAN at least three or four hours a day, and the regular callers and the on-air talent really have become a community that I know I can count on to be there for me when I want to talk sports or just hear some familiar voices.
I hate the fact that people are saying that some day regular radio will be obsolete, because in all honesty, the radio is what keeps me going when I am at Hofstra University doing work or what wakes me up when I am home on the weekends. I love the radio more than I even love television, and the atmosphere emitted from WFAN is, in my opinion, unrivaled in the sports talk arena.
I can listen to WFAN and recite Joe Benigno’s “Umberto’s Clamhouse” promo word for word. I can listen to WFAN and tell that Sid is upset because when he does his Aamco (double A, M, C, O) promo he doesn’t go bonkers on the last O. I can listen to WFAN and become awestruck by Steve Somers’ perfectly scripted opening monologue, which he always opens with something along the lines of “Well good evening to you and how you be on the FAN New York City, Steve Somers here and you there.”
Whatever the case may be, WFAN is a very special place for me, and I really couldn’t imagine my days or nights without it.
To find out more about Doris from Rego Park, you can click here to read WFAN’s official statement about her life and what she meant to the radio station. I will say here that she was the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and suffered her entire life from a rare condition called Neurofibromatosis, and yet every day she had the courage to call the FAN despite struggling with a chronic cough.
Doris, you will always be remembered by this very upset Mets fan. Just like the way you always ended your calls, I would like to say Doris, thank you for your time and courtesy.
That’s all for now Peace.
-Chris Biscuiti
Chris Biscuiti is a fan of the Mets, Jets, Knicks and Islanders. As a result, his only salvation comes when the Yankees lose in October, the Dolphins in December, and the Rangers anytime.
