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Most wrestling fans recognize Mick Foley‘s creativity and consider him one of the most entertaining WWE wrestlers of all time. Foley put on some spectacular matches throughout his career, but he rarely gets the credit he deserves for that.
From his WWE debut in 1996 up until retirement, Foley was responsible for helping elevate countless colleagues, and he did so by taking them to the limit. Here are Foley’s ten best WWE matches, ranked.
13 Mick Foley Vs. Terry Funk – No Holds Barred Match (Raw Is War, May 4, 1998)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 7.75/10
| Storytelling | 1.75/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 1.75/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.89
Mick Foley and Terry Funk are two of the greatest hardcore wrestlers of all time. For whatever reason, Funk was given the name “Chainsaw Charlie” when he returned to WWE during the Attitude Era. Despite the awful name and gimmick, the ever-professional Funker did his best and even held tag team gold with Cactus Jack.
After dropping the belts, Funk & Foley dropped the gimmicks and battled in a brutal No Holds Barred Match on Raw. As expected, they threw everything but the kitchen sink at each other. Foley was victorious after delivering three Piledrivers – first through a table, then in the ring for a nearfall, and the final one onto a chair (which put Funk down for the three count).
12 Mankind Vs. The Undertaker – Buried Alive Match (Buried Alive 1996)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10
| Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 1/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.84
Everyone knows Undertaker and Mick Foley had a tremendous feud. When people think of their battles, King of the Ring 1998 comes to mind first for obvious reasons. But their best storyline actually took place during the New Generation Era. Mankind debuted in WWE and immediately targeted Undertaker, defeating The Phenom at both King of the Ring and SummerSlam.
After years of wrestling slower matches against giants, fans got to see a new version of The Undertaker during this feud, while Foley established himself as a top star right from the get-go. Finally, at In Your House: Buried Alive in October, Undertaker bested the deranged Mankind in a Buried Alive Match. This iconic storyline did wonders for both men.
11 Mick Foley Vs. Edge – Hardcore Match (WrestleMania 22)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8/10
| Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 1.75/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.18
Although Mick Foley stopped wrestling full-time in early 2000, ‘The Mickster’ had a few notable rivalries during the Ruthless Aggression Era. Two years after helping establish Randy Orton as a top star, Mick Foley came back for a program with Edge heading into WrestleMania 22.
Fresh off a three-week reign as WWE Champion, The Rated-R Superstar wanted to prove he belonged in the main event scene. Meanwhile, Foley wanted to have that WrestleMania classic that was missing from his resume.
Foley and Edge stole the show in Chicago, with Edge winning after hitting an insane Spear through a flaming table on the floor. Their match was so brutal that even Lita couldn’t walk away from this carnage without losing some blood!
10 Mankind Vs. The Rock – No DQ Match, WWE Championship (Raw Is War, January 4, 1999)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
| Storytelling | 2.25/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 1.75/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: N/R
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.01
One of those stars Foley elevated was The Rock, with whom Mankind feuded for several months. While it was Foley’s responsibility to put Rock over in their program, Foley got his moment by capturing his first WWE Championship from Rocky on Raw.
Both men went back-and-forth in a chaotic Attitude Era brawl, which culminated with Stone Cold Steve Austin coming out to one of the biggest pops of all time. The Texas Rattlesnake attacked Rock with a steel chair and Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy ‘did it’!
9 Mankind Vs. The Rock – I Quit Match, WWE Championship (Royal Rumble 1999)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.5/10
| Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 1.25/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 3.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.94
The Corporation weren’t happy with Mankind’s WWE Championship victory, and Rock got his rematch at the Royal Rumble in an I Quit Match. The Great One wasn’t happy with the stipulation, but The Corporation had a plan to get the belt back.
Their match was extremely brutal and, knowing all that we know about concussions, is very hard to watch nowadays. Rock brutalized Mankind with 11 chair shots to the head, but was only able to win by using a tape of Foley saying ‘I Quit’ during the buildup to the match.
8 Cactus Jack Vs. Triple H – Falls Count Anywhere Match (Raw Is War, September 22, 1997)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10
| Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 7.85
For the first year and a half of Mick Foley’s WWE career, he was Mankind. That was all WWE fans had seen from him in the company, until he introduced Cactus Jack (his most notable gimmick before joining WWE) during his long feud with Triple H.
Every Major Triple H Vs Mick Foley Match, Ranked
Triple H and Mick Foley played an important part in each other’s career, as their rivalry provided plenty of classic WWE matches and moments.
Cactus Jack came out to a hero’s welcome in Madison Square Garden, and brought the pain to Triple H in a brutal match. Foley won the match, but Hunter came out as the biggest winner here, as the feud did wonders for his career and it was his best match up until then.
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 8.75/10
| Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 1.25/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: N/R
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.56
As mentioned earlier, Rock’s win over Foley at the Royal Rumble was far from clean. The feud was far from over, and the two legends went to war over The Brahma Bull’s WWE Championship in a special match at Halftime Heat 1999.
In a unique Empty Arena Match (long before they became “normal” during the pandemic), Mankind and Rock made the most of the environment and had arguably the most entertaining wrestling match ever.
We’re technically cheating since there were no fans, but it would be hard to compare it to other matches without grading the ‘crowd reaction’ aspect. Plus, fans were loud for everything these two did in the Attitude Era, so this would’ve been no exception!
6 Mankind Vs. The Undertaker – Hell In A Cell Match (King Of The Ring 1998)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9/10
| Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 1.5/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.23
Mick Foley’s history with The Undertaker goes back to the former’s WWE debut in April 1996. Mankind’s first target was The Phenom, and the two had a fantastic feud for nearly a year. Their storyline culminated more than two years after it started.
They had the third Hell in a Cell Match in WWE history, and by far the most dangerous of them all. Foley took insane bumps off the cell, including the infamous Chokeslam spot that almost killed him. Somehow, Mankind kept going and finished the bout, with The Deadman picking up the win.
5 Mankind Vs. Shawn Michaels – WWE Championship (In Your House 10: Mind Games)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10
| Storytelling | 2/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 2.5/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.75 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.09
Mick Foley was at his best in extreme rules matches, but he could also get the job done in regular wrestling bouts. There’s no better example than when he challenged Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship in 1996, taking HBK to the limit in an exciting title bout.
Unfortunately, the contest ended via disqualification, but that didn’t stop the participants from having a spectacular matchup. It’s a shame it ended via DQ, because it would be talked about more often today.
4 Cactus Jack Vs. Randy Orton – No Holds Barred Match, WWE Intercontinental Championship (Backlash 2004)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10
| Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 2/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.25/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.37
After his first retirement in 2000, Mick returned to the squared circle in 2004 to start a feud with young up-and-comer Randy Orton. The Legend Killer was a member of Evolution and was already the Intercontinental Champion, but he still had a lot to prove.
Enter Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy. After putting Orton over in a handicap match at WrestleMania 20, Foley (as Cactus Jack) challenged Orton for the IC Title in a Hardcore Match at Backlash. Foley proved he hadn’t lost a step, delivering yet another exciting violent match and putting Orton over big time in the end.
3 Dude Love Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin – Falls Count Anywhere Match, WWE Championship (Over The Edge 1998)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.25/10
| Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 1.75/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 8.61
While Foley rarely used his Dude Love persona in big pay-per-view matches, he became the first challenger for Steve Austin’s WWE Championship on PPV as Dude Love. As the heel representing Vince McMahon, who was the referee for this match, Foley had everything in his favor here.
McMahon’s stooges were the ring announcer and timekeeper, but Undertaker evened the odds as the special outside enforcer. This was one of the wildest brawls of the Attitude Era, and it was simply fun from start to finish.
2 Cactus Jack Vs. Triple H – Hell In A Cell Match, WWE Championship (No Way Out 2000)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.5/10
| Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.25/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.33
Foley’s career was cut short due to all the bumps and risks he took, and his full-time career came to an end in early 2000. In true Mick Foley style, The Hardcore Legend walked away inside Hell in a Cell, challenging WWE Champion Triple H in a title vs. career clash.
Triple H benefited a lot from working with Mick Foley, and this was yet another classic bout between the two. Cactus Jack took a crazy backdrop off the top of the cell all the way to the ring, destroying the canvas on the landing. Hunter followed it up with the Pedigree and ended Foley’s career… for a while!
1 Cactus Jack Vs. Triple H – Street Fight, WWE Championship (Royal Rumble 2000)
Overall Rating From TheSportster: 9.75/10
| Storytelling | 2.5/2.5 |
|---|---|
| Technical Ability | 2.25/2.5 |
| Character Work/Psychology | 2.5/2.5 |
| Crowd Reaction | 2.5/2.5 |
- Dave Meltzer’s Rating: 4.5 Stars
- Cagematch.net Rating: 9.44
Out of all of Mick Foley’s matches in WWE, his best was the Street Fight against one of his biggest rivals, Triple H, in “his” arena – Madison Square Garden. At Royal Rumble 2000, Cactus Jack took Triple H to school, and Hunter proved he could hang with Foley in a barbaric match.
This is the match that put The Game on the map as a de facto main eventer. Triple H took the beating of a lifetime in this match, but he was still able to walk out the winner, retaining his WWE Championship after a vicious Pedigree onto thumbtacks.
