WWE Hall Of Famer Refused Chair Shot On Jimmy Kimmel Live

Although he embraced violence in the ring, a WWE Hall of Famer did have limits.

In 2003, Mick Foley appeared as a celebrity co-host on five episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live, following in the footsteps of Mike Tyson, Snoop Dogg, Method Man, Monica Lewinsky, Slash, and more.

During an appearance on the No-Contest Wrestling Podcast, Foley looked back at this period of his career during which he returned to the WWE fold. After appearing on Jimmy Kimmel in September, Foley kickstarted his famous feud with Randy Orton, having initially returned to the company in June.

While discussing his run on the talk show, Foley revealed that he refused to take a chair shot to the head as he felt it was too dangerous.

“It was actually on The Jimmy Kimmel Show. Back when he had co-hosts for the week, he explained to me that it was tough to book guests because you didn’t know which co-host were going to work with you.

I knew from wrestling that it is Jimmy’s show, I’m here to help him, I’m not here to overshadow Jimmy Kimmel on The Jimmy Kimmel Show, not that I could if I wanted to anyway. But, there were other people who didn’t know that. They would talk over the guests and it was pretty hard to book people. They wanted me taking a chair shot with a gimmick chair.

The problem was the edges of the chair weren’t gimmicks, like the lip. The lip is usually what does the damage. He goes, ‘No, it’s not going to hurt’ and I go, ‘What if he hits me with this part?’ He goes, ‘What do you mean?’ I go, ‘It’ll split me open like a can of sardines on your show. Does he have any experience doing this?’ ‘No.’ I said, ‘I can’t do it.’”

WWE Legend Mick Foley Reflects On Challenges Of Being Mankind

After establishing himself as one of wrestling’s most unhinged performers under the name Cactus Jack for several promotions in Japan, as well as in WCW and ECW, Foley arrived in the WWF in 1996.

In true WWF style, upon signing with the company, Foley was given a new character, and the deranged Mankind was born. However, before all was said and done, Foley would go on to wrestle as Cactus Jack and Dude Love as well as under his own name while with the promotion.

During a different interview, Mick Foley admitted that playing Mankind was by far his toughest assignment, commenting that it required him to go to a “very dark place.”

H/t to Fightful