I was going to do a TL of this (I still might), but I thought that a What If thread might be better. What would happen if Mick Foley died in his Hell in the Cell match with the Undertaker (we'll say it was the bump where he fell from through the roof of the cell into the ring)? Would WWF even still be around?
WI: Mick Foley died at King of the Ring 98?
- Thread starter Hadley
- Start date
We would either get no more hell in the cell matches. Or they would put a stop to climbing on top of the cell and also leaping from the top. We will still get the WWF to WWE. I do not think this will end the company but there will be more safety regulations involved. You might have an early retired from the Undertaker being shaken up over the whole event. Maybe a lawsuit against WWF from Foley's family.
Will this be seen by the TV at home?
Owen's wasn't. A vignette was being played as Owen fell. As this was during the march it may be seen. No one will realise till after Foley lands how serious this is.
As such I think it will be seen.
If so it will have a bigger effect than Owen's which wasn't seen a ppv viewers.
I still wonder how Mick survived that one in real life. In the event of Mick's death, they'll be a quick hush money payoff for the Foley family along with the discontinue of the HIAC match.
Owen Hart death is butterflied. As are the various Hart family fueds that started up in earnest post 1999, or they happen differently.
The "attitude era" dies as well.
Notably when they repeated the stunt 18 months later versus Triple H, the ring was setup for it.
The "attitude era" dies as well.
The first bump was planned and he fell onto and through a table which decelerated him enough for it just to be ouchie. Or would have been had he not landed a bit awkwardly and dislocated his shoulder. The second, he fell onto his back, and while modern rings have some springs, I don't think they had them in 1998. They have layers of matting, and below that they are plywood covering a metal frame. That does provide some impact absorption, though not as much as foam would. Either way, he was lucky.
Notably when they repeated the stunt 18 months later versus Triple H, the ring was setup for it.
Me too - it'd be a devastating loss for the WWF on the basic human decency front, too, since Mick Foley's one of the very few professional wrestlers from that era who made it to the present day without being involved in any kind of scandal; in fact, he's so wholesome I can barely even believe he was able to work under Vince McMahon, protector of alleged murderers and serial rapists, for decades.
I wonder how this affects WCW and ECW as well. WCW shouldnt be affected too much since they never did overly dangerous gimmick matches at this time (maybe War Games at Fall Brawl 98 is cancelled or just takes place without the cage), but ECW likely tones itself way down, which means they may have a better relationship with TNN once they get on it the next year.
Inspired by this old DBWI, I can see Taker being done with the business on his own accord, even if Vince begged him to stay and assured him it wasn't his fault. He'd never get over accidentally killing Foley in the ring. Hell, the footage of that fatal spot will be much more widely available than Owen Hart's death which at least wasn't on live PPV and during an active match.
WCW's already started circling the drain by 98 IIRC and ECW has been drowning in debt one way or another for years. If advertisers pull out of the WWF en masse after Mick's death, could we see a scenario where all three major US promotions shut down by 2001?
WCW's already started circling the drain by 98 IIRC and ECW has been drowning in debt one way or another for years. If advertisers pull out of the WWF en masse after Mick's death, could we see a scenario where all three major US promotions shut down by 2001?
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- I imagine Vince would, as he did with Owen in 99, try to make the show go on, and it would only be Austin and Kane outright refusing to do so that would stop the broadcast. And it's not the death that kills WWF's prestige, it's when that news comes out, that Vince seemingly had a callous attitude towards the wrestlers' lives.
- As a result of the above, USA cancels all WWF programming, advertisers drop out, and several wrestlers request their release.
- ECW Hardcore TV is dead too, and ECW is done by 1999.
- The only wrestling left on TV is WCW, but it retreats into more family-friendly programming (including by turning Hogan back babyface). Hardcore fans start to lose interest but WCW enters the new millennium as the only wrestling promotion on TV.
- Vince and his WWF spends most of its 1999 in a costly, lengthy trial that will eventually find them guilty of negligence on behalf of the performers. Vince goes to jail, and Linda shuts WWF down in mid-2000, not having run a show since King of the Ring.
- The Undertaker and Terry Funk (who came up with the big bump) both blame themselves for Foley's death, and leave the business right away. Mark Calaway is not seen in public in 15 years.
- As a result of the above, USA cancels all WWF programming, advertisers drop out, and several wrestlers request their release.
- ECW Hardcore TV is dead too, and ECW is done by 1999.
- The only wrestling left on TV is WCW, but it retreats into more family-friendly programming (including by turning Hogan back babyface). Hardcore fans start to lose interest but WCW enters the new millennium as the only wrestling promotion on TV.
- Vince and his WWF spends most of its 1999 in a costly, lengthy trial that will eventually find them guilty of negligence on behalf of the performers. Vince goes to jail, and Linda shuts WWF down in mid-2000, not having run a show since King of the Ring.
- The Undertaker and Terry Funk (who came up with the big bump) both blame themselves for Foley's death, and leave the business right away. Mark Calaway is not seen in public in 15 years.
Well a lot of people don't consider the match WCW put on in 98 to have been a real Wargames match anyway.
Wonder if we ever get an alternate federation for wrestlers who dont want to work for WCW. I also wonder if TNA, ROH, or even AEW eventually come up.
TNA definitely not, as that only existed as a consequence of Jeff Jarrett being able to hold up Vince for money as Intercontinental Champion
ROH, possibly, as Rob Feinstein needs to look for an outlet for his tape business when ECW shuts down. However, I don't think it survives Rob's child predator scandal. Maybe something comes from the ashes of ROH.
If the pro wrestling business gets wounded badly, it might turn off Tony Khan's wrestling passion young (especially with someone like Foley) and he dedicates his energy to Fulham and the Jaguars as IRL.
However, I doubt WWF gets wounded as badly as suggested even if it is Mick Foley. Look at the Owen Hart situation IRL. Raw did its best ratings weeks after Owen died ffs.
The difference is that Owen Hart's death wasn't live on PPV broadcast to millions, which this would have been. That + the revelations that Vince was callous enough to suggest the show must go on would be awful for WWF
Put yourself in McMahon's shoes for a minute and picture this in your head: You're sat in Gorilla, and Mick Foley's just suffered a life-threatening injury. You got everybody backstage losing their minds trying to sort all this out. Then the word comes down: Foley's dead. You've got two options:
Option 1: Cancel the show.
Option 2: The show must go on.
Cancelling means having to cancel hotel bookings, cancel flights, and issue refunds to attendees ($539,660) and to everyone who ordered the PPV ($9,596,800), not to mention possible legal action against the WWF by fans and even PPV providers. Even if cancelling was the right thing to do, it wouldn't necessarily be the smart thing to do.
Option 1: Cancel the show.
Option 2: The show must go on.
Cancelling means having to cancel hotel bookings, cancel flights, and issue refunds to attendees ($539,660) and to everyone who ordered the PPV ($9,596,800), not to mention possible legal action against the WWF by fans and even PPV providers. Even if cancelling was the right thing to do, it wouldn't necessarily be the smart thing to do.
It is possible I never discover wrestling and the Attitude Era. I discovered it though a video game which I played in 2003/4. When I saw the actual WWF programmes, Mick Foley quickly became one of my fave wrestlers.