Foley is good. But you already knew that.
Professional wrestling, a genre that originated from the carnival circuit, has never been known for its moral or ethical standards. Murders, con artists, and addicts have all been involved in the industry at some point or another. It’s no different than any other form of live entertainment, often a cash business, that will draw shady individuals into the fold. There are literally dozens of episodes to document the tragedy and heartbreak of the sports entertainment industry.
Still, and this is probably one of the reasons that the business has survived through all the negative press and scandals through the years, the other side of the coin is that it can inspire hope, it can give the audience a break from the real-life stress with a dose of scripted mayhem. However, make no mistake about it, the result of the scripted entertainment can be very real, both for the performers and for the fans. In some ways, pro wrestling can provide a level of justice, as after a dramatic clash, the “good guys” can actually win, which doesn’t always happen in the real world.
As I wrote a few days ago, John Cena is a prime example of this, he was a real-life superhero for those that needed it and through his immense charity efforts he was able to help many people. He knew the impact that his in-ring persona could have and carried the responsibility with him outside of the ring.
There’s a reason a lot of the same thing can be said about WWE Hall of Famer, Mick Foley.
Mick, who slept in his car to be able to afford to train to be a wrestler with the late, Dominic DeNucci, defied the odds, breaking the mold of what a superstar could be when he achieved stardom during the biggest boom period in the history of the pro wrestling business in the late-90s. Foley gave hope to every underdog out there that followed his career, if he can make it, maybe you can, too?
Foley, outside of a few critics that he had professional beefs with over the years, is more or less praised as one of the nicest guys in the wrestling business. Given the notorious reputations of some of his peers, some of the same people that criticized him in the past, Foley has one of the better track records of anyone in the industry. He has done charity work as long as his name had enough cache to make a difference, and continued to do so even during the years that he wasn’t in the spotlight.
In short, it’s tough to find something negative about a guy that gave his body, often too much of it with too many risks, in an effort to give the fans their money’s worth, and has given years of his time to good causes.
That’s why when someone like Mick Foley takes a moral stand, you can be assured that it’s not a matter of virtue signaling, but rather one of moral conviction.
Similar to Mick Foley, when the orange heel in the White House had the audacity to blame actor and director Rob Reiner for being murdered on “Trump derangement syndrome” in a vile statement posted just hours after Reiner and his wife Michele were stabbed to death at their home, I was completely disgusted. It was a new low for even a fragile fearmonger like Trump. It was disgusting and an insult to the office of the President of the United States. The awful trolls that somehow celebrated the death of right-wing podcaster, Charlie Kirk were just as vile, but you’d think that the leader of the free world would hold himself to a standard above clueless internet morons.
This has nothing to do with Republican or Democrat, right or left, it has to do with decency and filth.
Reiner was known for his work on All in The Family, and his directing resume on films like The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally. By all accounts, he was a figure in the film industry that provided opportunity and was an asset to those that he worked with. Yes, Reiner was an outspoken critic of Donald Trump, but he was also one of many the condemned cruel remarks made after Kirk’s death. Reiner didn’t allow his political stance to override his sense of humanity. Despite that being a relatively low bar, it was one that Trump still couldn’t clear. The bottom line is, would George W. Bush have said those things about the death of Rob Reiner? Would Barack Obama have said something like that? Would the late, great John McCain have made such a statement?
I shake my head when I look at the political landscape, especially when Trump used so many blatant pro wrestling tactics to con so many that honestly thought that he was the right answer. Of course, in response to his position, the other side of the aisle has sometimes taken an equally extreme view, which is completely counter productive, but that’s a different discussion for a different time. Trump’s tenure isn’t about taxes or political policy, it has rapidly deteriorated into a situation where you have to ask yourself, can you morally endorse the statements that he makes on a continuous basis? Is there any line in the sand where even the most staunch Republicans will say that something has gone too far?
If someone is so morally bankrupt that they would gleefully go along with anything a politician says based solely on their party affiliation, regardless of what party it is, they might be as indignant as Trump himself.
Of course, the WWE has basically taken that position with Trump, as Linda McMahon bought herself a seat in his cabinet during his first term as the head of the Small Business Administration when she donated $6 million to his initial campaign, and ensured herself a position when he was re-elected after she worked with a Republican Super Pac prior to the last election. Maybe the fact that she was gifted the position as the head of the Department of Education despite having no background in education would explain the country’s infamously low test scores?
Besides Linda’s affiliation, the McMahon family has been hosted at the White House on a few different occasions, and the TKO corporation has hosted Trump at UFC events, with a UFC pay-per-view planned at the White House on his birthday. At a time when corporate tax rates are comically low and there’s the possibility of more media mergers, it certain benefits the WWE to be in the good graces of the president.
But that goes back to the original question, what’s the line in the sand?
For Mick Foley, the Reiner comments were enough, as he announced that he won’t renew his WWE Legends contract when it expires in June because he doesn’t want to be associated with the company as long as Trump is in office. Foley is leaving money on the table because he doesn’t want to make a dime from a corporation that aligns itself so closely with someone like Trump. You can agree or disagree with Mick politically, but the fact that he’s willing to put his money where his mouth is speaks volumes about his moral code.
I’ve always respected Mick Foley’s work ethic as a performer, and I respect him even more now for taking a stand in the name of common decency. Not every Republican automatically agrees or supports Trump, and some of his GOP colleagues have spoken out against him. The argument could be made that he doesn’t truly represent what the core values of the Republican party were intended to be. Trump blamed Rob Reiner for his own murder due to “Trump derangement syndrome.” This doesn’t mean that the WWE agrees with those comments, but they won’t condemn them either. The thin defense of WWE being apolitical is more of a work than the scripted matches in the ring. The WWE stop being apolitical when they released photos of the McMahon family at Trump’s desk publicly. It’s more than possible that some in the WWE that supported Trump don’t agree with his disgusting remarks about Reiner’s passing, but how many of them are going to speak about against it?
Those WWE royalty checks are easy money, as the WWE promotes and produces the merchandise to an established customer base. It’s a way for Foley and other legends to generate an income from their legacy when they can’t perform in the ring. I guess you could call it a makeshift pension plan since the ludicrous notion that pro wrestlers are independent contractors is somehow still legal. Mick is going to leave the easy cash on the table to continue to hustle at autograph signings and live shows the way that he has done for the past several years.
Mick Foley’s morals were more important to him than the WWE royalty check each quarter. Mick took a stand in the name of decency. Foley is good. But, you already know that.
What do you think? Share your thoughts, opinions, feedback, and anything else that was raised on Twitter @PWMania and Facebook.com/PWMania.
Until next week
-Jim LaMotta
Email [email protected] | You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, & Threads @jimlamotta89
