STAND-UP, SLOW DOWN: Interview with Mick Foley (Issue 78; April 2012)

FSM: You’re obviously not wrestling on this comedy tour, and therefore don’t take bumps. That said, does the constant travel remind you of a pro wrestling tour?
Foley: I’d say the performance aspect reminds me of wrestling, and there’s also the banter that goes on (laughs). The beatings are only psychological, and it is nice not to get beaten up physically on stage!

Is there an irony that you’re visiting many different cities to perform comedy, yet the being away from home isn’t funny at all?
I hadn’t thought of that. I’m only away from home for a few weeks, which is kind of par for the course in regards to my kids. They’ll start missing me around the 12-day mark!

Although it’s different for promos, when you’re in the ring, you have someone with whom to share the tension of performing. Is it strange being on the comedy stage on your own?
I wouldn’t say it’s weird, but it’s definitely different. There are people who want me exclusively in a wrestling dynamic, and don’t really wish to see me on any other platform. I’m fine with that, but I hope they understand that going out on stage and creating things is very fulfilling, in ways that being the guest referee on an independent wrestling show might not be.
I’m lucky that I’ve recently done some things on Raw that I’ve enjoyed, such as the promo with Dolph Ziggler or the This Is Your Life segment with John Cena. I guess it’s my right to like things that others maybe haven’t enjoyed, so we’ll just have to agree to disagree on that one.

A lot of fans perhaps had issues with the length of that particular Cena segment, but we got a kick out of it.
I did too. I was wandering around for three days with John Cena Sr. in my head, saying, “My boy does not suck. You suck!” (laughs)

What is it that makes you want to come out and do something challenging like stand-up comedy? Without wishing to pry, I’m sure you’re quite settled financially, and wouldn’t necessarily need to earn a living these days.
I really like the immediacy of the reaction from performing stand-up comedy. Actually, I still think of myself as more of a storyteller who happens to appear at stand-up clubs. I’m not entirely sure this is the means of performance that will allow me to tell the stories I’d like to tell, but I love the thought that ideas can come to me at 3am, and I can then try it out on stage at the nearest opportunity.

Comedy has been an important part of pro wrestling for many years, but where do you think the balance should be struck to ensure it doesn’t detract from the serious matches that people will pay money to see?
There used to be a saying, “funny isn’t money”, but I think if you look at all the guys who have drawn big money, specifically in WWE, they were able to find ways to inject humour into their character. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Kurt Angle, and The Rock were all capable of being funny. Triple-H and Shawn Michaels as DX would largely rely on humour.
This is something I wrote about in my last book. When guys age, and can’t do the things they used to be able to do, they need to find a way to connect with the audience. I think the phrase “funny isn’t money” is true until it’s proven not to be true. For example, I loved the fact that people enjoyed my interactions with Santino Marella at the Royal Rumble. My kids enjoyed it, the audience lapped it up, and I also got to have that first match back in WWE without any of the pressure of perhaps stinking the place up.

Is there any wrestler who has made you laugh more than any other?
I think Santino is the obvious choice. His timing is amazing, and he’s just great. At a time when I wasn’t regularly watching WWE, I was lured out of my office by the laughter of my children. When I walked into the room to see what was going on, I saw Santino and Vladimir Kozlov doing a dance-off on the show. Whereas two hours of that wouldn’t exactly be captivating TV, it was great stuff, and there’s clearly room in that time frame for a bit of comedy.
I remember Brian Gewirtz, the head writer of Raw, would say to me that there was pressure to back away from the humour [on the show]. People think doing comedy is easy, but it’s not - doing bad comedy is easy! Making comedic aspects work on a wrestling show is really difficult.

What about some of the guys who fans don’t get to see with a sense of humour on-screen, such as The Undertaker. Do these guys have a sense of humour in the locker-room?
He’s the one guy who doesn’t need to be on Twitter or Facebook. The less known about The Undertaker behind the scenes, the better! I’ll only say this: the first time I wrestled him, more than 10,000 miles away from home, I was surprised by the little liberties he would take with his character. Saying that, I’d like to keep him as shrouded in mystery as possible.

One non-obvious person who’s mentioned to us as being hilarious is Dean Malenko.
He’s very funny, with very dry wit! There’s a group of guys, such as Malenko, Brad Armstrong, and Dennis Knight, who are all capable of making people laugh. Dennis actually made people laugh when he was naked, which got a little uncomfortable when he was wrestling a 13-minute match!
The guy who’s going to be really interesting to watch is Dolph Ziggler, because he’s very funny. He shows little bits of humour in his character, and I think in a few years he’ll be one of the most interesting guys, with a combination of great athleticism, psychology and humour.

Do you have any plans to be involved in WrestleMania?
If WWE feel I can contribute, then I’m more than happy to. I already feel like I am contributing by being involved in the Axxess festival. I’m happy to be back in the company when my children are at an age where they really love it, so I’m looking forward to the next couple of years. I think WWE will be a big part of our lives as a family.
What I’d really like to do, though, is commentate on the Undertaker versus Triple-H match at WrestleMania. Regardless, I’m fine as a spectator, and I’ll definitely enjoy it either way.

Obviously, WrestleMania is going to be in Miami, with a huge main event between The Rock and John Cena. To put you on the spot, who’s going to win that one?
I don’t know - it’s really intriguing. People can point to reasons why both men could win, but for me that’s what makes it such a good match-up. Hopefully, for the good of the company, it draws in a good buy-rate.

Would you hope that one day you’d be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame?
Yeah, that’d be nice. If we’re talking where, Madison Square Garden would be a logical place, but I also wouldn’t mind being away for a full year or more, and then getting that accolade. Say it’s 10 years from now, and I’m not in the Hall of Fame, that might hurt a bit, but I believe I will be in there eventually. To be honest, I’m not really worried about the time or place.

You know Triple-H very well from working with him for so many years. As he takes more and more control behind the scenes at WWE, do you think the WWE style of wrestling will be significantly altered?
I know he’s very high on playing a bigger role within developmental, and he is a guy who really respects the old-school style. He adapts with the times, and can really turn it on as a serious performer when he needs to. I’m really not worried about the future under Triple-H at all; I think everything will be just fine.

You were in TNA until recently, and Vince Russo has just left the promotion. Upon leaving the company, you made it known that there were creative issues that sped up your departure. What was your relationship like with Russo?
It’s funny because I say the same things about Vince Russo now that I’ve always said. He’s got great ideas, and is one of the most creative people I’ve ever met, but he often thinks that the more plans you have, the better. Sometimes I think the shows are better off with just a few ideas. It’s almost a credit to him that he so badly wants to come up with a ton of different things. Anyone who is one of his detractors would probably be surprised to see just how many Vince Russo ideas they enjoyed on television. I always thought he was super-talented, but worked best in an atmosphere where there was a filter.

Is it fair to say that pro wrestling today moves too fast at times?
My main difference with TNA is that I really feel that great wrestlers should be given the chance to do exactly that: wrestle. They’ve done a lot of studies that have shown that the audience has tuned out, and I would say that that’s because people know TNA is not really the place to see that much wrestling anymore.
I shouldn’t have cared nearly as much as I did, and I certainly wish I’d just finished out my contract. TNA was a really good place to be, and I probably should have appreciated it more.

Post-WrestleMania, would you like a larger television role than you’ve had since your return to WWE? No, not necessarily. This is something I feel really comfortable about with WWE. In TNA, I sometimes felt I was taking time away from guys who could have made a lot of use of it. Don’t get me wrong, if WWE thinks I can play a role on TV, then that’s great, but there are so many other ways that I can help out behind the scenes.
Moving forward, I’ll probably only be doing comedy for one week out of every month for the next few years. That’ll be enough for me, and I’ll always have other projects which will pop up that I can work on. Regarding WWE, I really just want to make a contribution in any way they think I can, and be home a lot with my family. That’s my goal in the upcoming years.

FSM would like to thank Mick Foley and his UK tour support acts. Please visit MickFoleyStandUp.co.uk for more information.