EP.7 - HHH vs Mick Foley - “BANG BANG!"

Episode 7 covers the multi year and multi character feud between HHH and the many faces of Mick Foley.

The Attitude Era of WWE gave us many feuds, often with unlikely pairings. This couple might have looked quirky on paper, but the chemistry between these two legends is undeniable. 

Join us as we roll it back this week to discuss HHH vs Mick Foley on Feud Rewind. 

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Transcript

ep-7-hhh-vs-mick-foley-bang-bang
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Benza Lance: [00:00:00] Hey, this is Ben with Feud Rewind, with a quick word from our first unofficial sponsor. Water. You need some. I need some. We all need some. We're made of it. Guess what? It comes in a bunch of different varieties. Hot, cold, frozen. You can get it flavored, you can get it plain. With bubbles, no bubbles, out of your tap, out of a bottle, out of a box.

The possibilities are endless. Regardless, you need some. Before we get started, go get a glass. I'm gonna get one too. We'll meet back here and start the show. Thank you so much. Water.

January 23rd, 2000. The WWE is holding the Royal Rumble pay per view in Madison Square Garden in New York City. For the better part of 27 minutes, Mick Foley and Triple H have been battering and bloodying [00:01:00] each other all across the arena. These two icons of the Attitude Era Have been circling each other for the better part of two years.

How did we get here? Yep. Once again, we got to roll this back with a rewind.

Hello, this is the Feud Rewind Podcast. This is your host, Benzelance. The feud that we are dissecting this week is a feud that took place in the last half of the 90s between two of the heavyweights from WWE's Attitude Era. Triple H slash Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Mick Foley Slash Mankind Slash Dude Love [00:02:00] Slash Cactus Jack Now before we get started We have to fully understand Where these two characters are At this time, going into 1997 Triple H has already experienced A certain level of Early WWF career He has been the Intercontinental Champion.

There was rumors that the year before, in 1996, he was supposed to win the King of the Ring tournament. However, his inclusion with the backstage group known as The Click, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Shawn Michaels, and Triple H, A group that was heavily involved with backstage politicking for better positioning within the company that the curtain call Where sean michaels and triple h came out and said goodbye to their good friends holla nash before holla nash left for wcw that this Broke [00:03:00] the walls of kayfabe which were still held in very high regards at this point in the 90s It's often suggested that vince was so furious with this perceived lack of respect for the business You That he punished Triple H by not making him the King of the Ring winner in 1996, but instead he made Austin the winner, and we all saw what that did for Austin's career.

On the flip side of our token, we have Mick Foley slash Mankind. At this point in Mick's career, he is a well traveled, road traveled veteran, known for his deathmatch style. Although in WWE, he is not really able to flex his deathmatch muscles, we do see throughout the years that Mick infamously takes all the risks that he's allowed to.

Jim Ross Who is the head of talent relations for WWE at the time of Mick's hiring, [00:04:00] personally hires Mick. Vince sets it up as a challenge, where he sort of wants to see JR's heart get broken by Mick's inevitable failure. Mick is a surprisingly larger man. While he does have a sort of teddy bear like quality to his build, it is often hard to remember that Mick is also really, really tall.

6'5 ish, 280 with his playing weight. A big dude. What this enabled Mick to do is to have an initial feud with the Undertaker when he gets to WWF. That really cements Mick Into an upper mid card to main event level in 96 and into the early part of 97 We do see the infamous three faces of Foley at Royal Rumble And we do have the debut of Cactus Jack versus [00:05:00] Hunter in a hardcore match earlier in 1996 Of course This is all setting us up for the start of chapter 1 in our feud versus Triple H and Mankind Which is the finals of the King of the Ring of 1997 this takes place June 7th At the Providence Center in Rhode Island.

The finals do include Triple H and Mankind. The match itself is pretty good and relatively violent. Triple H is gonna hit a pedigree on the announce desk. Chyna is gonna smack Mick upside the head with the scepter. Near the end of the match, Triple H does throw Mick out of the ring and Mick takes a pretty nasty bump into the sound guy.

Now, one of Mick's traits as a character that really made him beloved with the fans was just his innate, non stop desire to win. This is the character that puts his body on the [00:06:00] line, and not only does he continuously step forward, but he also continuously kicks out. After that nasty bump, Triple H rolls him back into the ring for air.

What should be an easy pin, Mick kicks out.

It takes one more pedigree to finally put Mick down, and Triple H is anointed the winner of the King of the Ring. During Triple H's acceptance speech, he does make it a point to take his new crown and smash it over Mick's back. He continues this beatdown. This not only cements Hunter Hearst Helmsley, at this point a Connecticut Blue Blood, as a top heel in the company, but it also cements Mick's face status in the company.

As even after the match, as Chyna and Triple H are walking back up the ramp, Mick is still trying to fight as he rolls out the ring and stumbles up the ramp [00:07:00] after them. Mick, however, doesn't have to wait too long to get his vengeance. August 3rd, 1997, SummerSlam takes place. Mick gets a rematch in a steel cage.

Mick wins this match, of course, by leaving the cage first. This match itself is pretty decent, not the best match, of course, that we'll see from these guys for sure. What this does though, is it sort of sets our clock at zero and for about two years, these guys are going to spin off and have a couple one off matches here and there.

But the trajectory of these two competitors careers are going to be vastly different. As far as Mick is concerned he's gonna re enter into a feud with the Undertaker that is gonna gift us one of the most iconic moments and calls from JR in wrestling history.[00:08:00] 

Mick will also form a tag team, one of my favorites of all time, of non traditional tag teams With the Rock, known as the Rock and Sock Connection. That's not to say that Hunter isn't getting his flowers either. Just a few short weeks after the 1997 Summer Slam steel cage match with Mick, a new group is formed.

D Generation X. Have you heard of them? Of course, the original incarnation of DX is Shawn Michaels, Triple H, China and Rick Rude. Of course we all remember Rick Rude and DX. That whole five week spam. [00:09:00] Of course. I think most people, as myself, not only prefer, but are more familiar with what I would consider the classic DX lineup of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, China, X Pac, and the New Age Outlaws, which consists of Road Dogg and Billy Gunn.

And for the most part, save a 10 man match at No Way Out in 1988. Mick and Triple H are pretty much going to stay at their own respective courses. Where Chapter 2 for us starts, it's an episode of Raw that took place May 31st of 1999. This is a hardcore rules match between Mick Foley and Triple H. This match goes about how you would expect for a hardcore match on Raw in the 90s.

What happens near the end is really sort of heinous. Chyna, of course, is interfering in the match. Mick is [00:10:00] gearing up to give her Good ol Mr. Sacco, and he does. The crowd is eating this up, Triple H grabs his now iconic sledgehammer, and like Triple H's prime level Bo Jackson annihilating a baseball, he takes a full swing to the outside of Mick's knee.

The sickening thud. That that sledgehammer makes as it connects with Mick's leg is a sound that's stayed with me for 25 years now and rewatching it viscerally made me shudder to my core. Because of this injury, Mick's going to have to take some time off. In fact, we're not going to see [00:11:00] Mick for three months.

During this time, and well before going into this time as well, Chyna has been gaining so much popularity that her rise not only up the ranks in what little women's division WWE has at the time, but she's actually rising up the men's rank. And at this time, rightfully so. She's actually going to form a contentious relationship with Triple H.

Over the fact that they're both vying for the number one contendership on the raw before summer slam August 16th of 1999 China is gonna win a match versus Triple H for the number one contendership with interference from Mick This is the first time we've seen Mick in months and you have to remember The last time we saw Mick, Chyna and Triple H were not only screwing him, but injuring him as well.

Why would Mick interfere in a match to help Chyna [00:12:00] against Triple H? It's actually quite simple. Mick wants that number one contendership. Shawn Michaels, who is the acting GM of Raw at this time, comes down and gives Mick and Triple H a match to determine who the real number one contender is. Quick little sidebar.

It was really really fucking sad going back re watching all of these episodes from the 90s looking at how over China was and just knowing how Completely fucked over she got so I can't seem to go too many episodes without saying this but Screw you Vince. You fucking scumbag getting back on track The next event we have coming up is SummerSlam 1999.

This year's SummerSlam is taking place in the Target Center in [00:13:00] Minneapolis, Minnesota. The main event is going to be a triple threat match featuring Mick Foley, Triple H and the world heavyweight champion Stone Cold Steve Austin with Jesse, the Body Ventura as our special guest referee. This match is going to last in the 15 ish minute range.

Mick is going to pin Austin and come out on top, starting his third reign as WWE champion. Sadly, this reign lasts about 24 hours. As the next night on Raw, Triple H will pin Mick and become champion himself. What's been interesting to note, at least over the first couple years of these two competitors, Triple H and Mankind, Circling each other, is that both of their personas grow.

They both add depth to their character. However, the fundamental aspects of those characters don't really change. Triple H is always, uh, egotistical, [00:14:00] self centered, put himself before anybody else type of person. And Mick, is someone who would put his body in the line before he would put anybody else's on the line.

Mick is the ultimate sweet guy. Triple H is the ultimate guy you sorta just wanna punch right in the face. It's a perfect combination. You can't see right now, but I'm doing the little Italian hand thing because it just hits like a chef's kiss. The rest of the calendar year for 1999 does not really go Mick's way either.

He's gonna compete in a boiler room brawl match. His specialty match, by the way. On SmackDown in September, but the real change for him and for Triple H and for the wrestling world in general, it's going to come in October when we have the Triumphant Reunited DX return in November, we're going to have a, okay.

You know what? There's no two ways around this. So in [00:15:00] November, there is a storyline that's coming to fruition where Stephanie McMahon is marrying wrestler Tess. Midway through the ceremony. Triple H interrupts with a proclamation that him and Steph actually already got married. And he produces a video of him and a passed out Stephanie McMahon going to Vegas.

Now, I know the 90s were a different time. This is still fucking weird and creepy, right? Like, am I the only one? Like, I'm not trying to be, like, soft. There was probably a better way to go around this. Besides doing the whole quagmire roofie colada bit, but I at the time I was 15 And that might have been over my head a little bit regardless The bit does still sort of work because it hammers home.

The fact that triple h is an asshole [00:16:00] Why else would he be marrying stephanie mcmahon for any other reason than to further his own career? Of course vince doesn't like this Vince and triple h have a match You Obsessively for the custodial rights for Steph? Either way, Steph turns on her papa. And as it turns out, she's sort of been on the bit the whole time.

The McMahon Helmsley era officially begins. One of their first orders of business is to It's to tie up some loose personal ends, Mick Foley being one of them. Remember that I mentioned that the Boiler Room Brawl match is Mick Foley's specialty? Well he's ordered to face off in a Boiler Room Brawl match against one of Mick Foley's own personal heroes, Santa!

Not just one Santa though, Mick is going to have to take on five. These five [00:17:00] Santas who end up being The Mean Street Posse and the New Age Outlaws start beating down Mick. A surprise Six Santa shows up, which ends up being Triple H, who finally defeats Mick. Because of this, Triple H and Steph fire Mick Foley.

Not only does the year end with Mick Foley getting fired from WWE, the century and the millennium did. That's how heavy this was. We literally didn't know because of Y2K. And yes, I'm doubting myself by reminding you that there were people freaked out about Y2K. We were going into this without having Mick Foley even being employed, let alone a champion.

It was a goddamn travesty, and honestly, we were all pretty sad [00:18:00] about it. And someone else is sad about it, too. Well, not really sad. More like Pissed. Remember, I mentioned before, about that, non traditional tag team, Mik was in, that was one of my favorites, mhm, the entire locker room, headlined by The Rock, marched themselves down to the ring, on the January 10th episode of Raw.

This is how the show starts. The Rock demands that the McMahon Helmsley faction, Reinstate Mick, or the entire locker room, will walk. Not wanting to lose their entire business, Triple H does reinstate Mick and tries to play it off that it was the plan the entire time.[00:19:00] 

Hey there, this is Benzo with Feud Rewind coming at you with a quick word from our second unofficial sponsor, The Sun. That's right, summertime is here and the living, if your living is like mine, is extremely difficult. But what's not difficult is popping in your earbuds, putting on those headphones, using a little Bluetooth speaker, and going out into the sun while you listen to this podcast.

You and me, let's go get some vitamin D, while we enjoy this podcast. The Son. Thank you, Son. Now back to the show.

As of right now, Mick Foley is back in the World Wrestling Federation.[00:20:00] 

But not, not because you say so. It was already in the works. As a matter of fact, we were going to reinstate him today. Anyway, this is one of those low nuances about triple H's heel work. That's so underrated and sort of flies unnoticed underneath the radar. You really have to go back and watch some of these segments just to truly appreciate the type of subliminal assholery that he was able to pull off.

This January 10th episode of Raw is going to feature an 8 man main event with respective teams featuring Hunter with DX and Mick. Hunter is going to put Mick through the announce table via pedigree later on the January 13th episode of SmackDown. Mick Foley is gonna come out to the ring still wearing his bloody clothes.

He's gonna go into a promo about shirts ruined and how mankind has thrown everything that he can at [00:21:00] Triple H. And obviously that hasn't been good enough. So he might need some help and he knows someone who might be able to help him out. But I think the WWF fans Deserve a substitute in that match.

Substitute? He's chickening out? What I'm going to do, Triple H, is I'm going to name him right now. As a matter of fact I think you know the guy. It

was goosebumps when I first heard it. Goosebumps to this day,[00:22:00] 

10 days later, it is January 23rd, 2000. The world rumble is happening at Madison square garden, New York city. What we're going to witness. Is quite possibly my favorite Street Rules Hardcore match of all time. This is 27 minutes. If I had to give it a rating, I'd give it a nine and a half out of 10. Easily bump it to a 10 because I have no idea how you would top this complete train wreck of a match that happens.

Obviously there is a lot of blood. There's two announced table spots where the announced tables don't break. If you think about it, what's worse than the table breaking prematurely. Is the table not breaking at all, especially when the moves are a Pedigree to Mick Foley and a Piledriver to Triple H, respectively.

There is handcuffs involved about midway through this match and Mick is going to eat [00:23:00] a couple of unprotected chair shots to the head. It just reminds me to be thankful that I live in a time where unprotected headshots with chairs don't happen too often anymore. And when they do happen, they're used to really drive a point home.

This barn burner of a hardcore street fight match in just under 27 minutes. Not only does Mick Foley and Triple H lay seemingly everything on the line, But they keep on driving home that the nice guys finish last.[00:24:00] 

While it does take a couple of pedigrees with the final one. Being a pedigree, face first into tax with tax stuck into his head as he's trying to kick out just past the three count, Mick Foley just always has a little bit of fight left in him. Now, you may ask yourself, we just watched and witnessed and lived through a damn near perfect.

Hardcore match There ain't no way that these two guys are gonna come back just a month later and come close to if not top it I'll tell you this right now. I was wrong at the time and you'd be wrong right now Cuz next month at no way out. [00:25:00] This is exactly what we're gonna get This is a hell in a cell match with a special stipulation if Triple H wins Foley has to retire The important thing to remember is, while Foley is a seasoned veteran and Triple H is no spring chicken by any means at this point whatsoever, Mick is still only 34.

The type of damage and wear and tear that his body has gone through by such a young age, I wouldn't say that the writing's on the wall for this one, but for at least the next four years, this is going to be sort of his last hurrah. This match, rating wise, I'm gonna put it at the same level as the match that we saw at Royal Rumble 2000.

This match, they're gonna start on the cage, go into the crowd. Cactus, of course, is going through the announce table. There's a barbed wire wrapped, flaming 2x4. Of course, what people must remember for this match [00:26:00] Is once again Mick Foley going south. Can that, can that, oh my goodness! Oh my god! It can't just, has broken!

This time via a backdrop from Triple H. And he goes crashing through the canvas.

It takes Triple H a couple minutes to finally climb down back into the cage. And he kicked Mick's arm, seemingly lifeless. To see if there's still some fight left in that dog. Not only does Mick stir, but Mick gets back up to his feet. It will take one final pedigree to keep Mick Foley down. With one final 1 2 3, Mick Foley's career in the WWF slash WWE and his feud with Triple H is over.

Now, a quick addendum to Mick's at least first run with the WWE. [00:27:00] He will make a return appearance at 2000's Wrestlemania. This is the Wrestlemania main event, where there is a, quote, McMahon in every corner, backing the competitor. And Mick will represent Linda. He gets eliminated second, and at least in my view, viewing No Way Out makes much more logical sense to have that be the bookend to the Triple H and Mick feud.

than Wrestlemania 2000. Triple H and Mick Foley are two of the most important wrestlers of the past 30 years. Both performers embody different parts of the human psyche to such depths and extreme degrees that it was hard not to simultaneously cheer, boo, cry, gnash your teeth, laugh, all depending on what [00:28:00] these characters were doing.

These were three dimensional people that were living their lives Triple H being the consummate high class asshole, and Mick Foley, whether he was the misunderstood mankind, the smooth talking dude love, or the utterly unhinged cactus jack, both connected with aspects of ourselves and aspects that we see in others.

That we both love, adore, loathe, and hate. A truly classic battle, of not, Good versus evil, but nice versus mean. This is why that feud works so well. It takes it to a very basic, almost [00:29:00] kindergarten level, where The feelings become universal. Anyway, that's it for the Feud Rewind for this week. I very much appreciate the fact that you took time out of your week to listen.

And for that, I wish you the best for the rest of your week. I'm your host Benzel Lance. I will see you next week for another Feud to Rewind.