Ask 411 Wrestling: Did Sting ‘Make’ Mick Foley?

Welcome guys, gals, and gender non-binary pals, to Ask 411 . . . the last surviving weekly column on 411 Wrestling.

I am your party host, Ryan Byers, and I am here to answer some of your burning inquiries about professional wrestling. If you have one of those queries searing a hole in your brain, feel free to send it along to me at (email protected). Don’t be shy about shooting those over – the more, the merrier.

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Donny from Allentown is also known as Mr. Bang Bang:

Is it a safe bet to say that Mick Foley, who was Cactus Jack at the time, was made and noticed after his WCW Beach Blast 1992 match with Sting? Did that specific match make him?

I don’t think I would agree with that statement.

Unlike some other wrestlers, I don’t see Mick Foley as having one match or one program that “made” him. I feel like he built his reputation over time, incrementally advancing up professional wrestling’s pecking order, though there was one opponent that finally got him over the finish line, and it wasn’t the Stinger.

Really, even before he had that 1992 match with Sting, he was catching the eyes of early tape traders and newsletter readers for his over the top bumps in places like the Dallas branch of the USWA and the Herb Abrams UWF. Heck, the 1991-1992 run in WCW that included the Sting feud wasn’t even his first stint with that company, as he’d previously been there in 1990 hanging out with Abdullah the Butcher.

Yes, his match with Sting did take him to a level beyond what he was doing in the indies. However, he still had some ground to cover before he would be a bona fide main eventer.

I would say that his matches with Vader in 1993 took him up another notch and did just as much for him as the bout with Sting, if not more.

He hung around in WCW for a little while after that but was then off to ECW, where he did some excellent work from a creative perspective but his star didn’t exactly rise because the promotion was under the radar.

Really, his jump to the WWF and almost immediate feud with the Undertaker, where he was treated as an equal to the Deadman as opposed to just more cannon fodder for a wrestler everybody was used to seeing win in a dominant fashion, is what made Foley more than anything else in my opinion.

The indy matches were a step in the right direction. The Sting feud was a step in the right direction. The Vader feud was a step in the right direction. But, really, it was going toe-to-toe with Taker that was the missing piece that turned Mick Foley into one of wrestling’s made men.

Sim is getting back in action:

How many WWE hall of Famers went on to have a run AFTER being inducted?

A few specifications: Managers don’t count, neither do one off appearances (like the Rumble) or shenanigans (like Austin, despite technically having a program with Owens, only appeared once for the actual match).

I mean actual programs, like Goldberg or Edge.

Finally, the run has to have occurred in WWE.

There are actually fewer than I would have guessed before I actually reviewed the names. In fact, I only came up with ten such individuals, and even a couple of those are a bit questionable when taking into account the criteria that Sim laid out.

The first person to come back to the ring in the WWF after their Hall of Fame induction is The Fabulous Moolah, who had her reign of terror in the late 1990s and early 2000s which of course included an additional reign with the company’s Women’s Championship.

Following Moolah was Pat Patterson. I would say this is one of the questionable entries on the list, because his post-HOF performance was as one of Vince McMahon’s “Stooges” as opposed to a serious wrestler, but by my count he did have thirteen matches in that capacity.

Roddy Piper was a 2005 Hall of Fame inductee, and he became a WWE Tag Team Champion in 2006 alongside “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, feuding with the Spirit Squad.

After his induction into the Hall of Fame in 2007, Jerry Lawler had quite a few matches, including a World Title program against Mike the Miz in 2011 and his putrid feud with Michael Cole which culminated at that year’s Wrestlemania.

Edge was referenced in Sim’s question, and I think everybody knows his story . . . including the so-called “Greatest Wrestling Match Ever” that he had with Randall Keith Orton.

Moving back to the women’s side of the roster, both Trish Stratus and Lita had runs after their HOF inductions, including teaming together at the all-women’s WWE Evolution pay per view.

Kurt Angle wrapped up his in-ring career after becoming a Hall of Famer, including losing his retirement match to Baron Corbin. Man, that really elevated Corbin, didn’t it?

Bill Goldberg probably had one of the most successful post-induction runs on this whole list, as he managed to become a WWE Universal Champion after he was handed his Hall of Fame ring.

And, last but certainly not least, we have Rey Misterio Jr. He is a bit different than just about everybody else on the list, though, as he was a full-time member of the roster at the time of his induction and continued to be a full-time member of the roster afterwards, which was well deserved.

Kevin can wait:

Following up on the Bloodline having 31 family members in pro wrestling: Has there ever been a time in the history of WWE without one of those members on the roster?

Yes. Peter Maivia, the oldest active wrestler in the family, didn’t wrestle for WWE (under its prior name of the WWWF) until 1977. The WWWF was formed in 1963 and has ties to the Capitol Wrestling Corporation going back to 1953. Thus, you had well over a decade without any members of the Bloodline wrestling for the promotion right at its beginning.

Basti is going bananas:

Why was the broadcast team for Summerslam 1992 Vince McMahon and Bobby Heenan instead of the awesome duo of Gorilla Monsoon and the Brain? Gorilla and Bobby Heenan made magic at the Royal Rumble 1992 and Wrestlemania VIII.

It seems that Gorilla was just slowing down on commentary overall at around this time. He was back for the 1993 Royal Rumble, 1994 King of the Ring, and 1995 Survivor Series, but for the most part he was out of the lead announcer’s seat on big shows after this point.

Richard U. is going off the rails:

I was watching an old episode of Pro Wrestling This Week on YouTube, and Joe Pedicino mentioned a wrestling organization that had nude tag team champions! What organization had that? I’d write in and ask Boni Blackstone about it, but she doesn’t seem to be answering questions anymore.

I’m going to guess he said “new” and you misheard him.

Jonfw2 is a company man:

Who are the greatest “team players” in wrestling history? The guys who were loyal to their company, willing to do the job without complaint, and money aside, seemed to truly love the business and their own promotion?

The Undertaker in WWE.

Sting in WCW.

Tommy Dreamer in ECW.

John Cena in WWE (though he also didn’t really have anywhere else to go).

I feel like this answer doesn’t exactly break a lot of new ground, but sometimes the true answer isn’t the most exciting one.

Paris is getting down in the three point stance:

What was Hacksaw Jim Duggan’s gimmick? I got the impression that he was a mentally challenged patriotic person who liked wood or something like that?

I think that “mentally challenged” is a bit extreme. It’s definitely true that the character he portrayed did not come off as the brightest person, but it’s overstating it to say he was supposed to have some sort of intellectual or developmental disability.

As far as the rest of the gimmick is concerned, it’s pretty simple. He was just a tough old football player who loved his country. There doesn’t have to be much more to it than that.

Daniel comes and goes:

I’ve recently been rewatching old WWE shows and something has been bugging me. Back in 2000, right before SummerSlam 2000, Big Show made a triumphant return before siding with Shane McMahon, Chris Benoit, and Kurt Angle. He spent weeks destroying the Undertaker, Kane, and others and it looked like this was the start of a mega push for him. However the Undertaker came back and threw him off the stage and that was it, gone.

My question is, what the hell happened? Was this leading somewhere and did he get injured?

I remember him returning at the Royal Rumble some months later but it just feels like a big waste of time unless he was injured.

The company wasn’t happy with Show’s cardiovascular conditioning and certain aspects of his attitude at the time, so they took him off the main roster and sent him down to Ohio Valley Wrestling for further training for the remainder of the year 2000.

Fun fact: While in OVW in October 2000, Show had a singles match with a wrestler named Leviathan, who would later go on to be known as Dave Batista.

Night Wolf the Wise is this guy’s name, but due to an unfortunate typo I almost referred to him as “Night Wolf the Wife”:

All things must come to an end. One day the Bloodline will end. When it does, what do you think its legacy will be? Also where do you see it ranking among all the other stables of the past?

It’s a bit too early to tell given that the story of the Bloodline has not yet ended. To this point in time, I believe that the saga of the Anoa’is and their associates has been one of the better long-term stories in modern wrestling history, as it’s managed to last for years now without ever feeling stale or too drawn out. However, there’s still a chance it could reach that point. There’s also a chance that it could end at an appropriate time but the ending could still be unsatisfying.

In other words, it’s been great so far but there’s still a chance that it could be mishandled in such a way that the whole story would leave a sour taste in fans’ mouths.

Given its strength up to this point, my prediction is that the ending will be handled well. If that is the case, there’s no way that the Bloodline isn’t in the conversation for being among the top stables of all time.

BL knows his question is not junk:

When the Monday Night Wars first started, who did the very first “crotch chop”?

The heavy metal band Motley Crue is noted to have used the crotch chop back in the 1980s, well before anybody in pro wrestling did it.

As for bringing the gesture into pro wrestling, in a 2022 interview with the New York Post, Shawn Michaels credits Sean “X-Pac” Waltman with being the first person he saw doing the move, though this was when he was still the 1-2-3 Kid, well before the formation of D-Generation X.

Bryan has a degree from Hustler’s University:

Considering the success Logan Paul has had in pro wrestling, do you think if Andrew Tate was younger and not facing legal issues he’d have made it in sports entertainment? If you don’t know him, he’s a former professional kickboxer who is also a social media influencer and has unique talents for making regular people despise him. Do you think he has what it takes to cut a heel promo and get a baby face over?

No. He’s too toxic. No mainstream professional wrestling organization would ever want to touch him in this day and age. Granted, Logan Paul has some baggage too, but it’s not half of Tate does.

Big Al is a fanda of the panda:

If for some reason the World Wildlife Fund were to go out of business do you think the WWE would try to switch it’s name back to WWF?

No.

At this point, the company has been known as WWE for just as long as it’s been known as WWF, and they expended significant time and money to perform their rebrand 22 years ago. Given the cache that the current name has established, it’s hard to see what the benefit of returning to the former moniker would be.

Redmond is putting on the nostalgia goggles:

What are the matches you’ve re-watched the most times in your life?

I haven’t exactly kept stats on this sort of thing, but off the top of my head I think that there are a few contenders:

Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant, Wrestlemania III: This has been aired and re-aired so many times on WWF television and included in WWF home videos that I’m sure I’ve seen it more than just about any match, particularly if you count clips of the match.

Cactus Jack vs. Terry Funk, IWA Kawasaki Dream: As I’ve mentioned in a few other installments of the column, one of the first Japanese wrestling tapes that I owned was the IWA’s infamous King of the Deathmatch show. It’s not particularly great, but when it’s one of only few tapes you have, you watch it a fair amount.

The Undertaker vs. Mankind, Bad Blood: Hey, we’re tying back in to the first question! Really, the explanation for this one is much the same as Hogan/Andre. The Hell in a Cell showdown between these two rivals is one of the single most iconic bouts in wrestling history, and it’s been included in numerous broadcasts and home media releases.

1992 Royal Rumble Match: An absolute classic from top to bottom and perhaps the ultimate showcase for both Ric Flair and Bobby Heenan, which is infinitely rewatchable.

I tried to come up with a Prince Albert joke to set up this question by Tyler from Winnipeg, but they were all too gross:

How did WWF sign A-Train? I loved his Baldo Bomb finish!

There’s not really a unique backstory. He was an independent wrestler in Massachusetts who broke in after being trained by Killer Kowalski. In 1998, he was regularly appearing for an indy called the World Wrestling Alliance where he worked under the name “The Mongolian.” One of his frequent opponents on those early shows was none other than George “The Animal” Steele, and Steele apparently put in a good word with Tom Prichard, who was scouting talent for the WWF at the time. The rest, as they say, is history.

We’ll return in seven-ish days, and, as always, you can contribute your questions by emailing (email protected). You can also leave questions in the comments below, but please note that I do not monitor the comments as closely as I do the email account, so emailing is the better way to get things answered.