We’re live from WrestleMania 32 Axxess in Dallas with Corey Graves inside the WWE NXT ring. There’s a good sized crowd of rowdy fans. Graves introduces WWE Hall of Famer Steve Austin and out he comes after the glass breaks.
Austin grabs the microphone to ask the crowd for a few “Hell Yeah’s” and the crowd obliges, Austin talks about starting his career at The Sportatorium in Dallas. Austin then introduces Mick Foley to the crowd, Foley comes out wearing a tie-dye short and a sports coat, the two embrace and sit down at the table. The crowd chants “Holy Shit” as the two are in the ring, which Austin then wonders if you can say those words on his podcast. Foley says he is honored to be Austin’s guest and he gets a cheap pop by saying he is glad to be on the podcast. Austin talks about helping kick off the ‘Mania 32 festivities and he thanks everybody for showing up to the festivities this week, Austin then demands that Foley go for the cheap pop and Foley obliges.
Foley then says that it was in Dallas where he first met Austin, Foley then talks about wanting to take time off from World Class and getting beat up by Eric Embry. Foley talks about wanting to wait for all the crowds to leave after the show, but then watching Chris Adams pro wrestling school after the show, which is where he saw Austin for the first time. Foley said that he believes that Austin had something back then and that he proved himself right by saying he would be something. Austin talks about training in the gym with Foley back in the day, Austin says that Foley looked bad about a year ago and then Foley stated that he has lost about fifty pounds in the last year before pimping out DDP Yoga. Foley says that doctors told him he was screwed because all the damage that was done to his spine during his wrestling career, Foley then talks about how DDP Yoga and swimming helped him feel better.
Austin talks about traveling with Foley and the cheap hotels they used to stay at during their time on the road, Foley then talks about how General Akbar and others told him about saving money. Foley then talks about how he is trying to pass on what he learned about saving money to the newer generation of stars. Foley then discusses a time he and the late Owen Hart had a contest to see who can spend no more than $20 in a month, Owen lost the contest after about two weeks. Austin then asks Foley about transitioning from Dude Love to Cactus Jack, Foley mentions that Dude Love was the character that he always wanted to be. Foley says that he became Cactus Jack first as a tribute to his father, but then embraced the character because his body was not right for what he had in mind for Dude Love.
Foley then talks about how nobody was looking to hire anybody who had a body like his in the 80’s, but then his trainer contacted the American Wrestling Alliance (AWA) about a spot for him there. Foley then talks about how he sent out pictures of himself to all the promotions in the United States, then how Jerry Jarrett first saw him and did not believe the pictures were of the same person. Foley then tells a story about how Terry Funk taught him how to be an aggressive person, despite the fact that Foley himself was not an aggressive person. Austin then asks Foley to tell a story about a time he met a certain woman in Dallas during his time in World Class, Foley talks about how he had to first work on his accent and tried it out at a roadhouse where he met a lady while staying in character. Foley then questioned whether she liked him or the wrestling persona, then declared that she loved his character and not the man himself.
Foley says that the woman never found out about his true self, Foley then says that she contacted him after they broke up because she did not want him to compete in a scaffold match against Eric Embry. Foley talks about how he fractured his wrist while falling off the scaffold, nut then they got back together after the match happened. Austin then asks Foley to talk about the influence of Eric Embry and developing his wrestling style, Foley says than he thought about what the fans themselves would like and he would then do it in the ring. Foley then says that his other influences were Bruiser Brody and the Dynamite Kid, he started patterning himself after them in some ways. Foley then says that Eric Embry and General Akbar would tell him to try and do whatever he wanted in the ring, Foley then says that the guy who ran The Sportatorium was worried that Foley would do his diving elbow and fall through the arena floor.
Austin then discusses how fun it was to work with Foley in the ring, Foley then tells a story about how the Dynamite Kid dislocated his jaw with a clothesline and how he could not chew food for weeks after. Austin then brings up Foley’s time competing in death matches in Japan, Austin then asks Foley about competing in the King Of The Death Match Tournament in 1993. Foley said that early in his career, he quickly accepted that he would be in a lot of pain if he wanted to be a professional wrestler. Foley said that for a long time, he could not tell the difference between himself and the character he was portraying. Foley then talks about how the same thing would happen to a lot of wrestlers who were a part of the WWE Attitude Era, Austin then talks further about the Japanese Death Matches and Foley’s wife’s reaction. Foley then says that his wife already dealt with the fact that he had lost an ear in Germany, Foley said that he was in rough shape when his dad picked him up at the airport after the tournament.
Foley said that he was in really bad shape after the tournament and that Terry Funk was taken away in an ambulance after the tournament. Foley then talks about how it was not until hours later after the tournament concludes that he realized how bad he looked and was after the tournament. Foley talks about how his wife couldn’t take the smell of his burnt skin when he returned home, Foley then says that some skin fell off his body while working with Kevin Nash at an independent event. Austin then talks about the upcoming Mick Foley show on the WWE Network, Foley introduces his daughter Noelle Foley to the crowd and she joins the podcast. Noelle says that she is doing great and Austin mentions how he has known her since she was a baby, Noelle mentions that the WWE Network show will be called Holy Foley. Foley talks about how Vince McMahon really was not on board with him in the WWE, until he saw footage as him being Dude Love.
Foley then talks about how talking with Vince about how his daughter and him get along, which intrigued Vince and then how that lead to a reality show. Foley also talks about how Vince thought that Foley did not like him, but that later changed when Foley admitted he did. Noelle then talks about the show and then how she is training to become a WWWE Diva and then says that she will one day be stepping into the WWE ring too compete. Foley then said that he will have a hand in her training as she prepares to be a wrestler, Austin then asks her about her goals when she finally steps in the ring. Noelle says that she will not be wrestling the same way that her father did, Noelle then talks about how great of a father that her dad was while being a professional wrestler. Noelle says that her father made up for missing some of the bigger moments in her life, Foley then talks about some of the stuff that the wrestling world did for his family.
Noelle says that the show will begin filming in about two week’s time and that the whole world will be surprised by what they see. Noelle then says that she is as frugal as her father is, Austin then thanks Noelle for coming on and Noelle plugs the show once more before leaving. Austin then asks how the Mankind character was created, Foley then talks about never getting to meet Vince at his house like Austin did. Foley talks about seeing a list of wrestlers who were supposed to carry the WWE in the future, but neither Austin or Foley were on it. Foley then talks about seeing the original mask designs that Vince had done for him before his debut, Foley then talks about how Jim Ross pushed for him to finally get into the WWE. Foley talks about how Vince wanted him to wear a mask because he felt that Foley was an ugly guy, Austin then notes that Vince was against Foley coming to the WWE.
Austin then asks Foley about how hard it was to overcome all of Vince’s predisposed notions about him, Foley then talks about how helpful it was to have The Undertaker in his corner. Foley says that it will be twenty years ago tomorrow (April 1st) that he made his WWE debut to feud with The Undertaker, Foley then talks about how talking to other wrestlers about him helped change his mind about him. Foley then talks about how he and Austin pushed each other to work better and harder in the ring, Austin then talks about the three characters Foley played in the WWE. Foley then talks about how Dude Love eventually morphed into Commissioner Foley, Foley then says that he would have to find a way to become each character before he came through the curtain each night. Foley and Austin talk about how hard they had to work into getting into a particular character, Foley then talks about how the interview with Jim Ross turned the Mankind character around.
Foley then talks about how he merged his real life frustrations into the Mankind character, then how the JR interview convinced Vince about him. Austin then talks about the infamous Mankind/The Undertaker Hell In A Cell Match, Foley then talks about discussing the match with Terry Funk and how Funk suggested that he should start the match on top of the cell. Foley then talks about how challenging it was to visualize everything for the match leading up to it, Foley then says that the mistakes he made in that match actually made his career. Austin then asks about being thrown off the top of the cell by The Undertaker, Foley says that he is thankful about what Chris Jericho wrote in his book about the spot. Foley says that he was on the top of the cell before the crowd arrived and he could not figure how to get down, which is why The Undertaker would wind up tossing him off the cell roof. Foley talks about hugging Pat Patterson and smiling at Stephanie McMahon after the match in the backstage area, Austin then says that he was shocked that Foley came back out in his match against Kane later in the evening.
Foley says that he does not remember any of that because he was so hurt from the cell match, Austin then turns the conversation towards Dean Ambrose. Foley then says that the one thing that people could take away from Ambrose is that Foley would only come back if it had force and his recent appearance opposite Dean on WWE Raw was the force he had wanted. Foley then says that he wanted to make sure that he portrays Dean in the best light possible, Foley then talks about changes that were made with the writers before he appeared on camera. Foley talks about interacting with Dean before the cameras went live, Foley said that he felt waves after doing that segment with Dean because he feels that something really important just happened. Austin and Foley then discuss the upcoming Dean Ambrose/Brock Lesnar match at WWE Wrestlemania 32, Austin then asks Foley about this year’s hall of fame class.
Foley talks about how he has old photos of The Freebirds and their families, Foley then says that he almost named his son Dewey after Stan Hansen. Foley then talks about how Hansen was legally blind and how many people he destroyed with his patented lariat, Foley then talks about his interactions with Hansen when they teamed up for a short time. Foley then talks about how Hansen would not discuss any spots before his matches, Austin then asks Foley about WWE Wrestlemania 32. Foley says that there are three or four matches at the event that should steal the show, then Foley talks about the WWE Divas Title Match at the event. Foley then talks about how the wrestlers will want to work hard to make their ‘Mania the best of them all, Foley then talks about how big ‘Mania has become since it began over thirty years ago and the show comes to a close with Foley doing a Vince McMahon impersonation.
