Mick Foley has had an illustrious career in wrestling, establishing himself as a hardcore legend and becoming a WWE Hall of Famer. He has done a hell of a lot during his time across various promotions such as ECW, NWA, and WCW. However, in the latter stages of his career, after a few supposed retirements and extended periods away from the ring, he popped up in TNA, for one of the more forgotten stints of his career – which is probably for the best.
Foley Moved To TNA To Find Creative Fulfilment
By the end of 2008, Foley was a WWE commentator with only some sporadic appearances in the ring. The year prior, he’d had one WWE Title match, but in the time since he’d been demoted to comedy feuds and matches. With a lack of creative fulfillment and not enjoying his time on the commentary desk, Foley decided to step away from WWE after a nearly unbroken run of over ten years (with a small window where he performed elsewhere around 2004).
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In the second half of 2008, Foley turned up in TNA, and in very non-Foley fashion, given how wholesome he can be, cut the typical anti-WWE promo that many have done after leaving the company. Foley was yet another addition to the growing roster of aging individuals that TNA had signed and would later be joined by the likes of Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, in what would cause the initial downfall of TNA as a brand, with a lack of focus on younger in stars in expense for the names of yesteryear. Foley’s start in the company was fine enough, with him becoming an onscreen Authority figure as part-owner of the company. which was a good use of someone at that late stage of their career. Then he stepped foot inside the ring.
Foley Became The TNA World Heavyweight Champion
His first match in TNA came at Genesis 2009, as he teamed with AJ Styles and Brother Devon, to take on The Main Event Mafia in a match featuring several older stars, but the match had name value, nonetheless. Foley would pick up the win, pinning Scott Steiner. It wouldn’t be long before Foley wrestled again, and quickly found himself in contention for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship – and he won it, defeating Sting at the Lockdown PPV.
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When looking at all the talented performers up and down the card, having an aging Foley as World Champion was a clear example of the pitfalls that TNA went through during that period and subsequent years. His title reign wasn’t too memorable, as he lost it in his first proper defense. He would continue a feud with Kurt Angle, the new champion, and would lose his one-on-one rematch, with the story being that he had only ever submitted once in his career, with this loss marking the second time. It wouldn’t be too long until Foley had his hands on some gold again, continuing this prize-filled run, by winning the TNA Legends Title, though he would lose it back to Kevin Nash.
Convoluted Booking, Poor Matches, And Frustration Led To Foley Leaving TNA
In September, Foley turned heel for the first time in his TNA run, turning on new tag team partner Abyss, after their failed attempt at winning the Tag Team Championships. After Abyss defeated him, Foley turned face again, claiming his turn was just to test Abyss – this was very convoluted storytelling and made little sense. Foley then went on to feud with the incoming Hulk Hogan, along with Eric Bischoff. Bischoff would force Foley to put his career on the line against Jeff Jarrett, and he would lose, stepping away from TNA for a few months due to using up his contracted dates after being a very regular talent.
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In July of 2010, Foley led an invasion of ex-ECW stars, with their group named EV 2.0, along with Tommy Dreamer, Rhino, Raven, RVD, and Al Snow, taking on Ric Flair’s Fortune stable, who were running rampant over TNA. Foley would face Flair in a Last Man Standing match, which would mark his last match with the company, though he would continue to be in the corner for his group.
Foley’s last year was largely uneventful, with him spending months at a time away from television, sometimes appearing on house shows, in addition to being the mysterious Spike TV network consultant who was causing issues for the Immortal stable, but the story would go nowhere, and neither would anything Foley did as his time came to an end. Foley, much like at the end of his WWE run, wasn’t happy with creative decisions in the company and wanted out. Foley’s time in TNA was eventful, but it wasn’t really a highlight of his career overall, with some bad booking, a disjointed focus on talent, and title reigns that he didn’t need.
