"That was definitely overkill" – Mick Foley glad WWE banned dangerous move

Mick Foley competed in several hard-hitting matches during his wrestling career. In a new interview, the 2013 Hall of Famer addressed WWE's decision to ban steel chair shots to the head.

At the 1999 Royal Rumble event, Foley received 11 unprotected chair shots in a match against The Rock. Later that year, the Beyond the Mat documentary showed how the gruesome bout affected the Hardcore Legend's family at ringside.

On the No-Contest Wrestling podcast, Foley acknowledged that the level of violence during his encounter with The Rock was unnecessary. He also applauded WWE for telling wrestlers they can no longer hit opponents over the head with chairs.

"I'm glad chair shots to the head are gone," Foley said. "I mean, you see them once in a great while, and hopefully there's no one doing this on the independents. You'll never see a match like the one I had with The Rock, with the 11 [chair] shots. That was definitely overkill." [55:06 – 55:23]

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WWE banned chair shots to the head in 2010 due to concussion fears. A year later, Triple H and The Undertaker received fines for violating the policy at WrestleMania 27.

Mick Foley reflects on his match against The Rock

The WWE Championship "I Quit" match ended with The Rock securing the win after the steel chair attack on his handcuffed opponent. In a controversial finish, fans were led to believe that Mick Foley's Mankind character said the words "I quit." However, it later emerged that the audio was taken from a pre-recorded interview.

Foley enjoyed most of the match, but he believes the steel chair spots should not have happened:

"That wasn't a fun watch. I actually did a watchalong with some fans to celebrate whatever anniversary we just passed on that. It was actually a fun match up until the chairs. There was a lot of good dialogue on the microphone. The Rock, of course, with the humor. It was really going well, and then that ending was a little much, you know, a little too much, yeah." [55:25 – 55:52]

Foley added that his daughter, Noelle, still speculates whether the 1999 Royal Rumble incident "traumatized" her as a child.

Please credit No-Contest Wrestling and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use Mick Foley's quotes from this article.

About the author

Danny Hart is a journalist who has been reporting on pro wrestling (WWE) at Sportskeeda since 2017. He grew up as a massive fan of football/soccer and wrestling, leading him to pursue a career in sports journalism.

Before assuming his current role, Hart worked as a football writer at Goal.com between 2009 and 2016. He prides himself on writing original content that is fact-based and highly accurate. Hart thoroughly proofreads his work before submitting it and relies only on credible sources for information.

Hart’s favorite pro wrestler is The Undertaker. He admires the 2022 WWE Hall of Famer’s ability to reinvent his character and remain relevant across his decades-long career. If given the keys to WWE’s creative department, he would bring back The Phenom for a farewell bout against AJ Styles in a stadium full of fans. Not only that, but he would love to have the multi-time world champion’s greatest rivals seated at ringside for the spectacle.

When not watching and covering sports, Hart enjoys long-distance running, playing video games, and listening to audiobooks and podcasts.

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Edited by Danny Hart