The Undertaker’s WWE Hall of Fame induction speech last month was met with plenty of praise from fans and wrestlers alike, but there was one omission that some fans noticed — no mention of Mick Foley. The Undertaker’s history with Foley, particularly his Mankind persona, resulted in some of the most iconic moments of the 90s for the WWE, particularly their infamous Hell in a Cell match at King of the Ring 1998. But while some fans were upset, Foley admitted in a new interview on the “In The Kliq” podcast this week that there was no frustration on his end.
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“Well, listen, I forgot to mention my wife during my speech, so I’m not one to lecture anybody about who they should and should not include in their speech,” Foley said (h/t WrestlingNews.co). “I was not there for those formative years. His was more about friendship and support. We had a great rivalry, but he didn’t mention Rock or Austin. So, if I’m not hurt, no one can be hurt on behalf of me.”
The Undertaker announced his retirement during the 2020 documentary series, The Last Ride, which centered around “The Deadman” struggling with the concept of retirement and continuing to chase after the perfect final match. Foley spoke with ComicBook as the series was coming out and offered some insight into why retirement is such a struggle for so many wrestlers.
“I think because success is subjective in our business,” Foley said. “It’s not like you can gauge it based on a batting average. In baseball, if a guy can’t get around on the fast ball, his career is done. Whereas, in sports entertainment, you are often at your peak years after your physical peak ends. In that you understand more about crowd psychology, you connect more with the fans, and you find ways to have better matches even though your prime physical years are over. I think there’s a fine line between self-confidence and delusion. I think some of us, myself included, when we get older tiptoe over that line and still believe we have that one last match left in us.”
Undertaker was inducted alongside Vader (another rival of Foley’s), Queen Sharmell and the Steiner Brothers. Shad Gaspard, who tragically passed away in 2020, was awarded the Warrior Award.
