wrestling / News

Mick Foley Recalls Lying to Vince McMahon About Hell in a Cell Match

April 20, 2018 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas

– Mick Foley spoke with Sports Illustrated and recalled his 1998 Hell in a Cell match, working with Andre the Giant in Japan and more. You can see some highlights below:

On deceiving Vince McMahon ahead of his 1998 Hell in a Cell match with Undertaker: “I told Mr. McMahon two of the biggest lies of my life that day. I told him I had been on top of the cell earlier that afternoon, and I told him that I felt completely comfortable up there. Had I gone up there for a walk-through, there would be no twentieth anniversary because I would have realized that getting thrown off was a terrible idea.”

On how the match changed his state of mind: “It was that that made me finally believe in my own mortality. That cleared the way for a very different Mankind character who feuded with and later teamed with The Rock. … I was really so caught up in preparation that I didn’t call home before matches, I always called home after matches. I did that on every occasion except for this one, but I thought I had a legitimate excuse for not calling home because I was unconscious. I later heard from WWE agent Dave Hebner, who said my family was very upset. When I did call, I got an earful from my wife, who wasn’t thrilled with my decision-making. I could have used a sympathetic ear, but what I really needed was someone to tell me that I couldn’t continue to do the things I was doing if I wanted to see my children grow.”

On working with Andre the Giant: “We had a couple of tag matches in Japan in 1991. He was moving slower at the time, but the audience was so respectful. Everything he did got a huge response. It was a great honor to be out there with him, even if it was only for a couple nights.”