Smark Out Moment

On this second edition of SUPERSTAR SCORES, we break down Mrs. Foley's baby boy himself, Mick Foley (with all of his personas combined, naturally).

If you're unfamiliar with how the segment works, here is a quick breakdown: Each edition, a wrestler will be put under the spotlight and rated on a 0-100 scale based on 10 categories that have been broken up into 5 umbrella sections: In the Ring Skills, On the Mic Skills, Appearance, Backstage, and Crowd Reaction. The rating scale is as basic as you can get: 0-1-2-3-4 | 5 | 6-7-8-9-10. It follows the Three-Count Critique method of green being the good, yellow being in the middle, and red being the bad. A perfect 100 is the goal.

So let's dive into the Hardcore Legend himself...


Update: On March 20, 2020, we did a recalibration of points for a 25th episode special. In that episode, nearly every wrestler saw some adjustments. Below, you'll see the original scores on the left and then the updated score on the right, with the original description for the original score underneath. For explanation on the updated points, check out the 25th edition podcast.

IN THE RING SKILLS

Athleticism: Does the person have a good signature moveset and finisher? Can they perform a wide variety of moves on a regular basis and not botch them?

My Rating = 2 / 3
Obviously, Mick Foley is not known for hurricanranas and high-flying moves. He was not as immobile as some people like The Great Khali, who would score a 0, but Foley still ranks really low on this section.

Psychology: The wrestler's ability to tell a story in the ring. Do they make you believe it's real or do they forget to sell their injuries properly? Can they make a long match stay interesting and not get boring?

My Rating = 7 / 10
Not the best, but he could pull the job off. I deducted some potential points due to the fact that most of his storylines in his matches were just about him wanting to beat the other person and being able to put up with a lot of punishment in the process, but you still felt for the guy when it happened every single time.

ON THE MIC SKILLS

Charisma: If they get a mic, can they cut a promo without stuttering? Are they repetitive or do they keep things fresh?

My Rating = 9
If there's one thing other than the tough punishment that Foley does great, it's talking.

Character: Is their gimmick(s) interesting? Can they pull off being both a heel and a face?

My Rating = 8 / 10
Credit where credit is due, Mick Foley's had multiple personalities in wrestling. Points are deducted for Cactus Jack, as he really serves no purpose, and Dude Love was admittedly a rather stupid character, but Foley still managed to make everything entertaining for his gimmicks no matter what. Mankind is easily his best in my opinion, but I enjoy him as Mick Foley most of all.

APPEARANCE

Physique: Are they in the proper shape for their gimmick or are they out of shape? (note: someone like Mabel isn't supposed to look like John Morrison, but Matt Hardy gaining weight deducts his points).

My Rating = 2 / 3
Sorry Mick, but this is a pretty standard type of answer for this and there's really no way around it.

Entrance: Their music, the pyro if they have any, whatever taunts or actions they do to make it interesting.

My Rating = 5 / 8
Foley's entrances were pretty standard overall. There wasn't much in terms of pyrotechnics, the music he used was always instrumental and although the car wreck is identifiable for an introduction sound, none of it is beyond generic. 

BEHAVIOR

Backstage: Are they a locker room leader or do they cause problems behind the scenes? Are they bogged down in politics? Do they put other people over or screw people over?

My Rating = 9
Other than Ric Flair's comments and the rumors that Triple H is down on him, find me examples of people that say negative things about Mick Foley. I'd give him a 9.5 if I included half scores on this and the only reason he doesn't get a 10 is because of those two I just mentioned.

Public Relations: Is this wrestler a public relations problem with arrests and such, or are they someone that promotes the company well, does charities, talk shows, etc?

My Rating = 9 / 10
He's not marketable in the sense that he can be on billboards promoting the product in a sexy way or anything of that sort, but he's incredibly marketable for public relations. Mick Foley is a great talker who is involved in tons of different charitable organizations and other avenues that are beneficial for WWE. He keeps himself clean, he does events to get his name and WWE's name out there, etc.

CROWD REACTION

Popularity: How loud are the cheers and boos for them? Do they sell merchandise? Are ratings up or down when they're on screen? How many Twitter and Facebook followers do they have?

My Rating = 8
"Foley is God" posters. The idea of a cheap pop is now synonymous with this guy and people start cheering before he even finishes by just saying "right here..."

Credibility: Is this person someone you would see as a main eventer and a future legend or are they doomed to forever be a jobber?

My Rating = 6
A downfall of Foley's credibility was purely how WWE booked him. They didn't want him to be a flagship person, so they never allowed him to be more than a part time player in the main event. He loses more often than he wins, but he's still someone that at multiple points in time has been a champion and back then, he could have beaten anyone realistically.

TOTAL SCORE: 65/100 - 76/100

FINAL THOUGHTS: There were three main reasons why I chose Mick Foley for the second edition of this. First, both he and Shawn Michaels (the first edition) are two of my favorites, so I wanted to talk about them more than the other people that I'm not as big of a fan of. Secondly, whereas Shawn Michaels is someone that you can break down technicalities for and see how great of a superstar he was, Mick Foley is quite the opposite. He doesn't seem that great on paper according to this list, but we all know that he is quite the contrary. Mick Foley is an amazing person outside of the ring and he's a legend inside it. Lastly, I chose Mick Foley because of his imminent induction in the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2013, which is well deserved. Congrats Mick! Smark Out Moment may give you a 65/100, but we give you 2 "bang bang"s and will always wish you a nice day.