Mick Foley Reveals Vince McMahon’s Thoughts On Popular Raw Segment
Mick Foley has revealed that Vince McMahon didn’t like one of the most popular Raw segments from WWE’s Attitude Era.
There was a legendary segment on the September 27, 1999 edition of Raw as Mick Foley (as Mankind) presented “This is Your Life” to The Rock. The segment featured people from The Rock’s past as a way to celebrate The Rock’s life, but in typical WWE fashion, The Rock insulted all of them and it ended miserably although it was very entertaining.
The ratings for the segment were massive with an incredible 8.2 rating at a time when WWE was beating WCW regularly, but with ratings like that, WWE was really dominating the competition. It was also a long segment in the middle of the show because they went nearly 30 minutes without a commercial break, which meant that everything that followed it was rushed before the end of the show.
Mick Foley was featured in a WWE digital video talking about great moments in his career. When talking about This is Your Life with The Rock, Foley revealed that WWE’s Chairman Vince McMahon didn’t like it because of how long it went.
“There’s a phrase I use, it’s called embracing the ridiculous. Some people, they’re just a little short of being able or willing to do that. I think it’s those that embrace the ridiculous, who sink their teeth into every opportunity that they are given that really make a difference. Rock was always in the zone, I’m not sure how neither one of us laughed during this scene, I don’t know. Looking back on it now, he’s the biggest star in the world and I got to be two feet away from him. I really wanted this to go well.
“What people don’t know about This Is Your Life, almost everyone loved it, one person decidedly did not like it at all and that was Mr. McMahon. Keep in mind, I think we had 14 minutes slotted and we went 26 on live, national television. Prime time TV. They brought in some local actors to portray the coach, the teacher, the former girlfriend.
“Yerple was discovered in Michigan when we visited Mr. McMahon in the hospital. She and her husband had a place called Yerple and Jojo’s Fun Time Palace. One of the heartwarming aspects of the story is to this day, Yerple and I are in contact.”
Mick Foley Said That Segment Gave Them More Freedom
As he continued, Mick Foley referenced the big ratings the segment got and said that Vince gave them more freedom after that.
“There have been other attempts to try to recreate that, and I don’t think anyone’s ever gonna get it like that, because part of the beauty is that it was so loosely produced. So Dwayne did have the chance to just make it such a star vehicle, and with so little effort. When it was clear that we had not tanked, but instead done the exact opposite, we went in bold pursuit of Mr. McMahon and that’s when we walked away with the agreement that we could do whatever we wanted from that point on.”
In that same interview, Mick Foley also talked about his first time winning the WWE World Title over 25 years ago. Foley said it felt like a lifetime achievement award when he first held the gold.