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Mick Foley is one of the greatest performers in professional wrestling history, with his WWE career in particular making him even more of a legend in the business. Within WWE, most of the iconic superstars have huge matches and moments at WrestleMania - WWE’s biggest show of the year. However, for Foley, he is someone who, for whatever reason, just didn’t find himself in the right spots to truly have a special WrestleMania moment. This is quite a surprise given the Hall of Fame career he carved out, but he did get one particular moment which fans will remember forever, and it came during a feud against Edge.
Mick Foley Had An Up And Down Time At WrestleMania
Mick Foley had made a name for himself outside of WWE initially, but when he was brought in, he rose to prominence under the “Mankind” gimmick. It took a while to catch fire, with the earlier iterations of the character not seeing him pushed as a top guy. His first WrestleMania match was indicative of this, as he and Vader fought to a frustrating double count out against the Tag Team Champions, Owen Hart and The British Bulldog. For four legends, they didn’t manage to pull off anything special.
By the time WrestleMania 14 rolled around, he was wrestling under his Cactus Jack persona, teaming with Chainsaw Charlie in a Dumpster Match, although aside from being a bit of fun, it didn’t offer too much more than any other hardcore style of match would have done. He would win the Tag Team Titles, but it wasn’t presented as a huge moment which people would remember forever. WrestleMania 15 was around the time in which the Attitude Era began to pick up steam, with Foley being a hugely popular part of it. However, despite being a former WWE Champion and one of the most over names in the company, he battled Big Show in a very lackluster match, which was just a precursor to the main event, as the winner would be the Special Guest Referee.
At WrestleMania 16, Foley would compete in the main event, but he was very much overshadowed by other names like The Rock, Triple H, and all of the McMahon Family at ringside. A four year hiatus took place before his next match at the Showcase of Immortals, as he and The Rock teamed up against Evolution. The pair would lose the bout, putting over younger names like Batista and Randy Orton in a fun yet simple match, which once again didn’t offer a career defining moment.
A Feud With Edge Brought Mick Foley Back For WrestleMania 22
At the start of 2006, Foley made an appearance in WWE to act as the Special Guest Referee for a match between Edge and John Cena. Cena would emerge victorious as the WWE Champion, to which Edge blamed Foley for this defeat, attacking him in the aftermath of that bout. This kickstarted a feud between the pair which would once again coax Foley out of another supposed retirement and back into the ring, right in time for WrestleMania 22.
It was another example of Foley working with a younger talent to help get them over - something which he very often tried his best to do. The stage was set for a Hardcore Match, in what would ultimately become Foley’s final ever match at WrestleMania, so aside from some surprise returns here and there over the years, this was his last true chance at creating a WrestleMania moment.
The Flaming Table Spot During Mick Foley Vs Edge Is An All-Time WrestleMania Moment
The match started off in a great way, with Foley wrapping himself secretly in barbed wire to injure Edge in his attempts to spear him. From there, the pair battled with an array of weapons, including further barbed wire, thumbtacks, and more. Lita would get involved too, adding to the match, with her even taking a barbed wire wrapped Mandible Claw courtesy of Mr. Socko. The match was a violent and bloody encounter, and ended with an insane spot.
Both Foley and Lita took turns covering a table with lighter fluid, before setting it alight outside the ring. Edge would then spear Foley through the ropes and off the apron, crashing through the flaming table in one of the most memorable spots in WrestleMania history. That spot alone created a timeless moment, and it was likely the exact type of “WrestleMania” moment that Foley would have always wanted, with him being a hardcore legend. Edge would win the match following this, getting put over in a big way. Importantly, Foley finally managed to be a part of a WrestleMania moment that would last forever, even if it took WWE far too long to make it happen.