Guest NANIWA* Report post Posted January 3, 2004 I'm watch Royal Rumble 2000, and have just gotten to the highly praised Street Fight between HHH & Foley. As I watch the video package recapping the feud, which the WWE film crew once again works it's magic, I can't help but remember how much I liked the raw emotion and hatred Foley brought to this match, and the entire feud as a hole. You really felt just how much Foley hated Hunter throughout the story, and the pain he went through living with the fact that no matter how much he tried. He still fell short in claiming victory over his nemesis... Anyway, I'm getting a little off my main point of this post. Which is... Is Mick Foley the best wrestler ever to bring raw emotion and storytelling to a match/feud? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corey_Lazarus 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Definitely one of. Perhaps in the Top 5 of men that could display such great emotion in their matches. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavishingRickRudo 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Foley is the best promo-man that I have ever heard. The whole montage for the RR00 match gives me goosebumps whenever I see it. Foley definitely brings emotion to his matches. As for *in* the match, I can't recall anything in particular that he does that makes him stand-out as leader of the pack. I found/find Hogan to be a great dramatist, I enjoy Kenta Kobashi's selling and to another end of the spectrum Toshiaki Kawada's - both, in their own way, bring emotion to their matches. I'd put those 3 above Foley, in terms of in-ring drama. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BifEverchad 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Definitely one of. Perhaps in the Top 5 of men that could display such great emotion in their matches. Yeah, Foley is up there for sure. Although, I'm a big fan of Shawn Michaels' and Ric Flair's style of storytelling and raw emotion in classic matches. Just watch any one of Ric Flair's major title wins, or his match with HHH on RAW this past May. Michaels also captures the fans interest in big matches, like those against Austin, Mankind and Jericho. Not to mention his highly praised performance from the RAW Survivor Series match.... Who else would be on everyone's top 5 list? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iliketurtles 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Foley makes what seemingly looks like crap, brings up history so it makes sense, and adds emotion and credibility to ANY storyline or match. He's bar for the greatest at it. And that's not even counting what he does in the ring. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Corey_Lazarus 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 My top 5 for emotion (in no particular order): Raven Tommy Dreamer Mick Foley Ric Flair Shawn Michaels Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Amazing Rando 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Yes. Even a few weeks ago with Orton. Not to bring up the Orton bashing...but he made me care about an Orton match... for two reasons... 1) because I mark for Foley no matter what 2) as he walked down and then eventually walked out...all i could think was "oh my god...what is happening...what is going on..." etc etc...and it did exactly what the writers wanted it to do... it made me want to watch the next show... Even if you go back and watch....say..... Taker vs. Mankind with the Boiler Room Brawl... ...by the time Paul turns and joins Mankind....you just want to strangle that demented creepy bastard (and i mean Mankind) for causing so much pain to Taker... It is one of the main reasons I mark out for Foley so much...because he makes me give a shit about what I am watching Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jobber of the Week 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Some Hogan feuds have had the most amazing matches. The problem is that such a vast majority of the guy's career has been filled with foregone conclusion thanks to his 80s God Push and his backstage politics. Hogan/Rock 2002 returned a level of energy in the guy's career only previously seen in Hogan/Andre and Hogan/Warrior. Foley is up there, but is unique because he works through sympathy. Any guy that could take the kind of bumps he does would probably have some kind of toughman "bring it on" gimmick, but Foley's such a lovable guy that it just seems wrong to see him get brutalized so much. Flair's old-school heel character with the women, limos, and tinted glasses is genious and is what The Rock should have done if McMahon wasn't playing stupid last year. The guy was a scoundrel who was completely unfaithful and untrustworthy, and even when crowds majorily booed it for him, there was always that small heel section cheering for Flair. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Myxamatosis 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 The two men I would put up there also would be Arn Anderson and Jake Roberts. Through nothing more than just promo work, they could make a mediocre feud into something mildly desirable to watch. For example, Arn's promo work for the Arn/Dustin Rhodes - Bunkhouse Buck/Dick Slater feud. It's a sense of legitimacy I get from his words I guess. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
iggymcfly 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Yeah, Foley's definitely toward the top. I'd say that Austin, Rock, HBK, and HHH are the only ones capable of matching his level of emotion. However, while all of those guys have gotten to that level on occasion, none of them can do it as consistently as Foley did in his prime. And I don't own any wrestling DVDs, but I know if I saw the hype tape for HBK and HHH at SS 2002, it would give me crazy goosebumps in a second. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jack_Bauer 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 I think for in ring charisma, The Rock, Steve Austin and Mick Foley HAVE to be up near the top. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deancoles 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Randy Savage was pretty good at this as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mystery Eskimo 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Foley doesn't match up to Flair. Flair can make crowds love him, hate him or both at the same time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheOriginalOrangeGoblin 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Hogan up there for me. He can make the simplest(ie. worst) match mean something throughs in match actions. Look at Hogan/Andre. And in his promos he knows how to convey whatever the point of the feud is perfectly. I mean look at his promos for Orndorff, Andre, Savage, etc. And as a heel(although his matches were putrid) he sure knew how to draw heat. Savage was also great at this. Especially in the feuds with Jake Roberts and Flair. The intensity and hatred he brought to those feuds is unmatched. And in all his matches(especially in the 80's) he had this look in his eye which always made it seem like it was real and he was legitemately fighting for his life. Most probably won't notice this but I have a few times. Plus he single handedly handed Warrior his best match and made people care. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
godthedog 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 promo-wise, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who could be more moving than foley. i've seen flair match him twice, but foley could do it consistently and effortlessly. in the ring, it's all about ricky steamboat. no wrestler could make you stand up and root for him like steamboat could. well...kobashi could, and kawada could. i'm shocked austin hasn't been mentioned yet. heel or face, when he wanted to win, he wanted to win. benoit, when he's not in "detached killer" mode, is also very good at this. at his unforgiven & rumble matches with angle, you could feel his desire to win. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
razazteca 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 Mick Foley Raven Randy Savage Austin Brett Hart Ric Flair Kurt Angle Shawn Michaels HHH Rock The Top 4 can cross the line of emotion to near insanity. The next 3 offer storytelling through techinical prowness and intelligence. The bottom 3 can preform if and when they are not lazy and/or injuried or preoccopied with hollywood. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest NANIWA* Report post Posted January 3, 2004 All this talk about how great Foley was, and the recent viewing of RR 2000, has got me all hyped for his Greatest Hits & Misses Double DVD Set coming out in a few weeks. I know I'll be one of the first people in line at FYE to get my copy! OK, I'll probably be the only one in line, as I'm sure this isn't going to be the hottest DVD on the market, but I can see it being close to the Ultimate Flair Collection in terms of sales overall when it's all said and done... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted January 3, 2004 He's on the of the top but not the best. Hogan is still the best for getting the best responses out of a match. You could put Iron Mike Sharpe in the ring with Hogan and he would get the most heel heat that night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brett Favre 0 Report post Posted January 3, 2004 He's on the of the top but not the best. Hogan is still the best for getting the best responses out of a match. You could put Iron Mike Sharpe in the ring with Hogan and he would get the most heel heat that night. Heck, you could even put Randy Orton with Hogan and he'd get heel heat. But yeah Foley is probably top five in my opinion. Shawn Michaels is also another person that gives you tons of emotion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RavishingRickRudo 0 Report post Posted January 4, 2004 I completely forgot about Randy Savage - he's definitely in the top 5. One of the best sellers in WWE history, and even though he was small, he'd still make you hate him like he was a bully. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Dynamite Kido Report post Posted January 5, 2004 I think as far as emotion goes, Terry Funk should get a nod as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deancoles 0 Report post Posted January 5, 2004 Ricky Morton should get a mention as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest deadbeater Report post Posted January 5, 2004 Foley is the best entertainer in wretling history, period. Without him, the WWE would have had only Type-A wrestlers, and would have burned out quickly. With him, the WWE is still aflame. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
