31 Faces of Fear: Mankind

For the month of October, we are going to run through some of our favorite wrestlers that inspire fear in their competitors and fans alike.

In the spring of 1996, WWE started to air these promos in a dark basement/boiler room with a man shrieking about the ugliness of Mankind.  He was going to show us just how ugly we are.  Mick Foley’s 2nd Face, Mankind, finally made his debut on April 1, 1996.  A hideous mask adorned his face as the crowd booed when he sauntered to the ring.  Mick’s dedication to the character is legendary.  He would frequently hang out in the boiler room areas of the arenas and be in a sour mood for the entire day.  Mick Foley was method.  When he put that mask on, he was Mankind.

I chose today because most people don’t remember his dark beginnings.  They remember his fateful match with The Undertaker.  They remember him being thrown off the cage.  They remember him falling through the cage and losing teeth.  They remembered JR’s calls.  Foley became a babyface, partly off of respect, and partly because he needed to adapt a comedy gimmick to protect himself from injury.

If you need any reminder of that match, here it is: