Mick Foley Once Used His Mangled Ear To Get An Earlier Flight
Mick Foley has been labeled a hardcore wrestling icon for his countless years of defying the odds and taking some of the most insane risks the business has ever seen, one of those risks being his infamous "hangman" spot.
During the beginning of his career, Foley would have a spot during his matches where his neck would be caught between the top two ring ropes, leaving himself hanging. Unfortunately for Foley, during a match with Vader in 1994 in Germany, the spot went completely wrong, costing him his ear.
In typical Foley fashion, the match continued and Foley ultimately lost to Vader. "The Hardcore Legend" recalled the incident on the latest episode of "Foley is Pod," revealing an interesting note about his flight home from Germany with the ripped-off ear.
"I was going a little stir crazy in there to where I actually used my ear to get on an earlier flight," Foley said, describing his emotions after the match. "Once my match was over, I wanted to get home. I wrapped up my ear when it just had been lost, I tried to get on the plane and they weren't going to let me in and I said 'It's a medical emergency, I just lost my ear.' Boom, they put me on the plane and I got home."
In the past, Foley talked about the ear injury, stating it wasn't the most painful injury he had suffered throughout his career.
While taking dozens of chair shots to the head, being put through flaming tables, thrown off and through "Hell in a Cell" and even losing an ear along the way, Foley was able to raise four kids with his lovely wife Colette Christie. 30 years of trips to the hospital and dozens of surgeries didn't stop Foley's wife from questioning the WWE Hall of Famer, however.
"I don't know if I was always informing her of the emergency room visits," Foley said. "She was aware that my ears were taking a beating and I had an ability to sell that stuff as if it wasn't a big deal. She knew what she was getting into when we got together but as I told my children in 'Beyond the Mat,' 'Just a booboo, Daddy's going to be okay.'
"I convinced an audience, a major part of the North American or worldwide audience that I thrived on it or maybe didn't even feel it and so it wasn't that difficult for my wife. I didn't overplay my injuries when I was home, I don't think I complained about much. I think my wife felt like I wasn't taking on any more than I could take at that point and then as I got older in the WWE and couldn't do the things I wanted to and started leading with my head more than that became an issue."
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit Foley is Pod with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.