WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley shared anecdotes recently at the Monopoly Events’ For The Love Of Wrestling conclave, in particular, about the incident where he lost his teeth during his iconic 1998 King of the Ring bout against The Undertaker.
Below are selected extracts from the session:
Foley on keeping his broken teeth as a memento: “Despite their unsightly appearance, I’ve chosen not to replace my missing teeth. They serve as a stark reminder of the thrills and spills of that infamous match. My reflection in the mirror each morning—sans teeth—is all the memorabilia I need to hark back to my wrestling days.”
Foley on the intensity of the match: “If a similar occurrence took place in today’s wrestling world, the contest would definitely be ceased immediately—which is indeed a prudent, responsible move. However, that wasn’t the norm during our time in 1998. I’m somehow glad it wasn’t, as the morbid fascination drawn from watching two grown men persist through a wrestling match—especially when one is out cold—is part and parcel of the appeal.”
During the premiere of WCW Nitro, when Lex Luger surprisingly appeared, he was anxious that he would be dismissed for losing character.
In a conversation with Chris Van Vliet on the “Insight” podcast, Luger recollected his WCW initiation, saying,
“During the first Monday Nitro, I landed nose to nose with Hogan,” explained Luger (as reported by Fightful). “I was sure I’d get fired when I broke character and grinned at him during a commercial break. I was new to wrestling with Hogan. He strongly cautioned me, ‘Brother, lose the grin or I’ll make you lose it.’ Regardless of the commercial break, he insisted I maintain character. He threatened to hit me when I flashed a smile.”
Luger added, “I sought him out later, but he ignored me. The following week, before our televised match, I apologized to him. I felt ashamed and unprofessional. I realized he was right even if we were on a commercial break — I was the villain, smirking. From then on, we were on good terms.”
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