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Mick Foley is an eclectic man.
Sure, he's most known for his time in professional wrestling, where he defined the hardcore genre with his incredible efforts as Cactus Jack on the indies, and then developed not one, not two, but three unique personas in WWE under the Mankind and Dude Love monikers, but Foley is also a published author, an occasional actor, and even a podcaster, as he, like many other wrestlers of his era, has taken to the medium to share his stories with the world.
So naturally, with the varied taste of a modern man of culture, Foley decided to dedicate some time on his Foley is Pod show to none other than the relationship of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, which has become one of the hot topic in professional sports over the past few weeks. While Foley isn't a fan of Swift's music per se, he is a fan of the 12-time Grammy winner for one very unlikely reason: Her facial expressions.
“I really enjoyed the whole Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce thing. This is why I asked Grillo, and we can check in maybe the Swifties can let us know. Can you become a Swiftie without actually being a fan of Taylor Swift's music? Is that possible?” Mick Foley asked via Fightful. “She has won me over just with her ebullience. We prize facial expressions in the wrestling business. These are all candid shots. It's not like she's at a photo session. Every facial expression is a winner. I think she just brings a real positivity, it just makes me laugh. I don't dislike her music, but I certainly wouldn't label myself a fan. I just really enjoyed seeing how much fun she had at that game and just have always thought she was a real positive person. So I am a Swiftie without actually being a Taylor Swift fan, if that makes any sense.”
Is Foley's justification for liking Swift adorably confusing? Most definitely, but then again, isn't her entire assertion into the NFL landscape wonderfully ridiculous? Swifties are asking Jason and Travis Kelce what is a field goal, arguing over whether or not the Kansas City Chiefs are culturally appropriative, and jumping on a bandwagon that is polarizing long-time fans of the team and sport in general. If Foley became fond of Swift for her interactions with that audience, why is his appreciation any less legitimate?
Mick Foley reveals why he never got into creative in WWE or TNA.
Turning his attention from Taylor Swift's wrestling-esque facial expressions to actual professional wrestling, Mick Foley discussed why, despite being an incredibly creative person, he never got into the creative side of professional wrestling, either as a member of WWE or in TNA.
While it's hard to argue that Foley wouldn't have been a fantastic fit in either role, the decision to never pursue an opportunity in WWE largely had to do with how he and Vince McMahon differ in their personal styles.
“With WWE, I didn't — Clint Eastwood said in Magnum Force, ‘A man's got to know his limitations,' and my limitations would include not spending any extraordinary amount of time with Mr. McMahon. I love Vince, but I don't think I could operate. He has a certain way of motivating people, and like Al Snow said on Wrestlers, ‘A pat on the back is two feet higher than a kick in the a**.' I always responded better to the pat on the back, and Vince is more of a kick-in-the-a** type of guy,” Foley said on Foley is Pod via Fightful.
Dang. Well, putting that sick burn aside, Foley then turned his attention to his time in TNA, where he probably could have gotten involved in creative but ultimately didn't, citing a steady decline in his own creative ideas.
“I do regret that I did not get more involved with TNA on the creative end. Yeah, I should have. I did used to have some good ideas storyline-wise,” Foley said. “I don't think I've had one in a very long time though. So that would be the reason. My son would just come up — when he worked for the WWE and especially when he worked really closely with the talent NXT on their promos, he could just come up with idea after idea, but I stopped having those ideas a while ago.”
Would TNA have been better off with Foley having a more hands-on approach to storytelling? Maybe yes, maybe no, but in the end, fans will forever have to wonder what could have been.
