Foley at Knoebels

Gary, I'll do you one better. He and his family rode Wipeout the same cycle as we did. Phoenixphan is just jealous that I was the one who spotted him.

Jeff, many people would say that the same teenage boys that follow WWE, and other "sports entertainment" are the same audience that CF and SF have been catering to for the past decade.

"Can you be a "legend" in something that's essentially a soap opera for teenage boys?"

I'm drawing similarities to the Coasterbuzz forum on this one.

Half-naked men with oiled-up muscled bodies trying to take the other down...sounds pretty gay to me!

Alright RatherGoodBear you win this year but there is always 2010!And as far as defining Mick Foley as a Legend, only on this site would that become the focus of the topic. If I would have described him as "fake wrestler" the very same person that bashed the "Legend' reference would have been making an argument for it.

^Anyway! I'm sure after each match they call a good "no homo".

RGB, yeah... I bow to your superior redneckishness... LOL I knew he looked familliar, but its been years since I walked away from my hickish roots!

Who are you guys even talking about? ;)

Careful, Dan... you're still here, you know.

Ok, I admit I heard the ride-op mention that it was Mick Foley getting on the ride. But I did recognize him-- at least I knew he was the one the op was referring to. Hey, I can deal with my rural caucasian roots. If anyone else has a problem with it, well they can kmd*.

* kiss my dupa.

Lord Gonchar said:
Kinda funny how pro wrestling doesn't get respect when pretty much no matter what metric you to choose to measure/compare it by, it lands towards the top most of the time.

Some of the best athletes in the world making and generating huge sums of money being watched by the largest live crowds, among the highest cable TV ratings and even merchandise and Pay Per View numbers that other endeavors can't touch.

I don't consider it athleticism. Or maybe I don't consider it sport. Sure, I'll give you that these cats need to be in good shape, but they're not competing.

Call it entertainment. Call it something that makes a lot of money. Whatever. But let's not pretend that what these guys do is anything like Olympic track stars, NBA champs, Heisman Trophy winners or even the fatties who throw fast balls from the mound all summer.

No. It takes much more (training and performance) than most of those examples.

I'm not sure how the lack of the competition aspect makes the athletic performance any less spectacular.

At first I thought that we were talking about Dave Foley, from Kids in the Hall.

I compare Wrestling to dance. It's an art form performed in front of an audience as a form of entertainment. There is also a lot of acting involved in both dancing and wrestling.

I'm not a fan of wrestling, nor would I recognize Foley, but I respect it as an art form.

It's exciting to see a celebrity in public, especially one who you recognize and have been entertained by.

Of course Foley is a legend, and also one of the biggest mistakes Bischoff ever made. Foley made it so odd personalities could be the main face of an organization. Before Foley for the most part people who looked like him were either monsters or deranged undercardsmen. Foley didn't change to grab the brass ring, he grabbed it with his teeth through his nose. As proof he is a legend, Mick is one of only 4 people to hold the Legends Title along with Booker T, Kevin Nash and A.J. Styles... 3 of the 4 names would be recognized by most people even non wrestling fans. A.J. is a TNA legend as he has been there from the beginning and will do anything for the company.

Lord Gonchar said:
No. It takes much more (training and performance) than most of those examples.

I'm not sure how the lack of the competition aspect makes the athletic performance any less spectacular.

In the way that lots of training in any trade is less spectacular. :)

Foley is a legend simply for his work he did in Japan where wrestling is considered a sport and tradition.. being a gaijin making a living wrestling in Japan is what wrestlings legends are made of...

Anyway, back in 2001 or 2002 WWF had a monday night raw show at Freedom Hall and all of the wrestlers came over and rode the rides and i was working Hellevator and had to tell Mick he was to big to ride! Ok that's my claim to fame :)

Vic_SFKK said:
being a gaijin making a living wrestling in Japan is what wrestlings legends are made of...

By wrestling, you mean sumo? Sumo is a whole different animal. Sumo is about tradition, hunor, and real skill.

Plus, sumo ain't fake!

I briefly talked to Mick Foley the morning after that SRM -- we were both checking out at Santa's Lodge at the same time. Nice guy. I'm not at all surprised to hear he was at PPP.

Now I in no way am making an argument that wrestling is real, I am a semi-educated Skook (Skook needs a whole topic in itself).But anybody that is a fan knows there are two different type of wrestlers. Many are more mat wrestlers that isn't as high risk. Not as much excitement but more technical moves.Then there are wrestlers like Foley who was just plain nuts. If you have no idea who he is just google him or better yet youtube his hell in a cell match with the Undertaker.Love it or hate it, no matter if you think what they do requires skill and athleticism, you watch that one match and at the very least you will the "holy sh*t". That is why I called him a Legend.

Since I work very closely with professional wrestlers, I have to chime in my 2 cents. I've been working with the Indy circuit for a few years now. I've been a ring announcer for two years (NOT my FT job, but I love doing it.)

Let me just say that most of the Indy wrestlers I know work HARD. There is nothing "FAKE" about what it takes to be a wrestler. The matches are predetermined but the physicality is VERY real. I've been there when guys have shattered their ankles, broken arms, bled, got sprains, bruises and very, very red marks. After their matches, they are sore as heck, but yet they get back out there and do it again week after week because they love to entertain the crowd and love the sport. Yes, I said sport because you need training, and lots of it, to be good at it. I personally went through some training and I can tell you this, it HURTS. Nothing fake about the pain of taking even a back bump, the most basic move there is, that's for sure.

The Indy circuit is a lot different than what you see on TV. The WWE guys get paid a fortune and I know they work hard too, but I have nothing but respect for the guys I see each weekend that I announce who thank me for giving them great intros... the ones who get maybe $10 a show, if they're lucky.

As for Mick Foley... he's one heck of a guy, super nice, caring, loves his family and loved the sport and he loved to entertain the world.

Pro wrestling is opera for the unwashed masses. Except that instead of fine-tuning their voices, the performers fine-tune their choreographed moves. It's Cirque de Soleil for the Nascar crowd. And more power to them.

I agree. My point stands that it's not in the same category as sports. If being able to get beat up and act like you're in a fight requires skill, that's fine, but it's not the same discipline even as nine teenage girls playing high level volleyball. If these guys are entitled to some kind of respect, it's not the same kind of respect.

I believe there have been a number of professional wrestlers who were in mainstream sports earlier in their careers. Even though the matches are choreographed, you still need training, athleticism, and a certain degree of nerve in order to pull off the moves, just like any of the stuntmen performing in movies and shows at theme parks do. It's not something that any schmuck can just get up and do.