Mick Foley knew at an early age that despite his best efforts, he would never be able to be the heartthrob character that he aspired to be when he was diving off of his rooftop into mattresses. He knew in order to make a name for himself, he would have to take his wrestling style to the next level. It’s why even the “simplest” bumps he tweaked a little - a suplex with his leg smashing into the steps and the famous Cactus Clothesline are two shining examples.
In Mick’s effort to make fans feel the way he felt watching Jimmy Snuka leaping off of the steel cage, he tried to make a lot of epic hardcore moments in his career, which led to some of the wildest bumps of all time.
9 Vs. Paul Orndorff (Super Brawl III)
Mr. Wonderful’s best days might have been behind him in the ring and Cactus Jack’s best days were certainly in front of him. But the two met in a Falls Count Anywhere match at Superbrawl III. Orndorff and Cactus tear into each other before even getting into the ring, and with the mats up, Cactus delivered a Sunset Flip from the apron to the floor. But that unique spot paled in comparison to a suplex that Orndorff nailed Cactus with a few moments later - the small of Foley’s back smashed into the guard rail, leaving Cactus to fold up like an inverted accordion.
8 Vs. Shawn Michaels (In Your House: Mind Games)
According to Mick Foley, the match against Shawn Michaels at Mind Games was one of his best ever. It’s also a match that saw HBK take a lot of punishment but also deal a lot too, undoubtedly some of the nastier spots were Foley’s demented idea.
One such spot involved Mankind looking to deliver a belly-to-back suplex to HBK from the second rope to the outside and right through a table. Michaels instead at the last moment twisted his body to make sure that Mankind broke his fall and all of Foley crashed through the table.
7 Vs. The Rock (Royal Rumble 1999)
"The Hardcore Legend" Mick Foley is a lovable and wonderful human being. But he definitely has a dark masochistic side to him. Look no further than the seemingly unending barrage of chair shots that he took from The Rock at the 1999 Royal Rumble. While The Great One did deliver a few more shots than planned, the spot itself was originated by Foley and had been done years before in ECW when he and Shane Douglas did the same handcuff-chair to the face spot.
6 Vs. Triple H (No Way Out 2002)
Cactus Jack’s last stand would wind up with a bump that encompassed the Hardcore Hall Of Famer’s career. Facing Triple H on top of the Hell In A Cell, Cactus was able to get The Game to a weakened enough state that he thought he’d have time to light a barbed wire two-by-four as he had in so many Death Matches over the years. However, The Cerebral Assassin would counter with a backdrop that sent Mick Foley through the top of the cage and nearly right through the ring, evoking the encounter with The Phenom. It was a fitting final bump for the Icon.
5 Vs. Big Van Vader (WCW Munich House Show, 03/12/1994)
The battles and brutality Big Van Vader and Cactus Jack showed one another were epic. Vader was so devastating that his beatdowns of Cactus turned the maniacal heel into a sentimental babyface. Before Mick Foley’s fame was forever synced with Hell In A Cell, his Munich house show match with Vader brought forth his most famous bump. One of Foley’s most famous spots was getting his neck caught in the ropes. But on this night, the ropes were too tight and Deutschland wound up claiming Foley’s ear.
4 Vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (SummerSlam 1997)
Not all bumps Mick Foley took he was on the receiving end of. At SummerSlam 1997, he would suffer a doozy at the hands of Chyna but also live out a lifelong dream. As Mankind faced off against Hunter Hearst Helmsley in a steel cage, as he was about to escape through the door, The Ninth Wonder Of The World swung the door right for the fences, nearly decapitating Foley.
Towards the end of the match though, Foley got to be a kid again. Instead of escaping the cage, he pulled down his Mankind shirt to reveal a Dude Love heart and leaped off the cage, like he once saw Snuka do years ago, right onto Helmsley.
3 Vs. Mil Mascaras (Clash Of Champions X)
Foley faced off with many legends in his career. One of the earliest encounters in Cactus Jack’s career was against legendary Luchador, Mil Mascaras at the tenth Clash Of Champions. Foley’s penchant for hurting himself to make himself famous was quickly apparent in probably the eeriest spot on this list. With nothing but concrete to break Cactus’ fall, Mascaras delivered a big dropkick that sent Cactus to the floor back first, and then his head bounced off the cold concrete as well for good measure.
2 Vs. Edge (WrestleMania 22)
Despite being retired for several years, Foley still enjoyed helping the young guys like Edge get over. He too, also never really had a big WrestleMania moment. The Rated R Superstar was more than willing to oblige in giving it to Foley.
The end of their hardcore match was the first and only time flaming tables were introduced to The Show Of Shows as Edge speared Foley right into one to end the match.
1 Vs. The Undertaker (King Of The Ring 1998)
The Undertaker launching Mankind off of Hell In A Cell lives in infamy as a heart-pounding, time-stopping moment. There aren’t many fans that can’t quote verbatim JR’s infamous commentary. But after nearly being taken away on a stretcher, Mankind climbed back up the cage, only for The Phenom to chokeslam Foley right through the cell!
Foley has commented in years since that had he been able to get enough height like he normally would for a chokeslam, he would have landed in a very bad way instead of the only sort of bad way he did to take the bump.