Mick Foley Wishes Shane McMahon Would Stop Taking Bumps Off Hell In A Cell
Shane McMahon took a fall from the top of Hell In A Cell for the second time in two years at this month's HIAC pay-per-view. Mick Foley, who's more than familiar with being thrown off the top of the Cell, recently commented on McMahon's bump in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
Known for his death-defying stunts throughout his WWE career, Shane-O-Mac's matches now come with the expectation that something insane is going to happen. Now 47 years old with a wife and children, McMahon suffers a lot more from the bumps he takes now than when he was younger. Foley said he knows how much damage some of those bumps can cause, so he would prefer if McMahon would refrain from taking them.
"He didn't seek my counsel," Foley said with a laugh. "I give him all the credit in the world, he's probably the bravest guy I know, he's absolutely fearless. I wish he wouldn't do it, I hope he doesn't do it again, I really do... A lot of impact, on landing. He's got children, I just hope he doesn't do it again."
Foley was known as probably the most hardcore wrestler of all time, as he'd push the limits of his body time and time again. He was asked if he raised the bar for taking crazy bumps, but Foley said in order for him to reach the legendary-status he attained, he had to overcompensate for not being the most athletic wrestler on the roster. He said the point of taking hard bumps goes all the way back to the age-old pro-wrestling trope of the importance of storytelling.
"I wanted to give people what I wanted to see out of matches. I knew what I wanted to see," he said. "I was not a naturally-gifted athlete, so I had to think outside the box and I may have raised the bar to an unrealistic level. But then it all comes back to storytelling, it all comes back to getting people caught up in your character so they care about the plight of a character they care about."
When the WWE moved into the PG-era, the hardcore bumps became more and more scarce. Foley said it was for the better, as it made it important for wrestlers to find new ways to grab the audience's attention without sacrificing their bodies.
"WWE did decide at a certain point, the Attitude Era is over, we're bringing in a new era and they went in a more PG-direction and worldwide they've never been bigger," he said. "So it was no-doubt the right move and guys have found new ways to connect with the audiences."
Source: Sports Illustrated