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#8 Mick Foley and Santino Marella's "sock off" (WWE Royal Rumble 2012)
In the 2012 Royal Rumble, in front of a jam-packed St. Louis crowd, Mick Foley made his last wrestling performance for WWE when he entered the Rumble with his stinky stayed-in-the-sweatpants-too-long friend. Mr. Socko had an old west hand puppet showdown with Santino Marella’s Cobra. Yes, it was ridiculous, and though there were some who were critical of it at the time, it has held up over the years, especially when you hear the crowd's reaction.
This writer was fortunate enough to witness this live in-person at the Scottrade Center, a venue that never saw a fight like this one during one of their NHL games with the St. Louis Blues. It got a hard belly-laugh from everyone in the 200 section seat that I was in.
Though Royal Rumble 2012 did not end up being the in-ring send-off that Foley deserved, it showed his ability to still create a special moment for a current-day star and pass on the 'rub' for the new generation. Foley sacrificed so much of his body with brutal life-changing violence in his career, so it's also a relief to a degree to see his humorous side here over his hardcore instincts.
