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WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley Critiques Modern Wrestling And Shares His Pet Peeve About Today's Product

Originally posted on Wrestling on SI | By Joe Baiamonte | Last updated May 22, 2025 9:10 AM ET

Mick Foley has long held a reputation as having one of the finest minds in the wrestling business. The Hardcore Legend is a worker who has constantly evolved his character work over almost 40 years in the industry and has worked up and down cards in promotions across the world.

Foley's body of work includes deathmatches in Japan, barnburners with the likes of Sting and Vader in WCW, some of the finest heel headlock work you have ever seen in your life in ECW and an almost endless stream of classics in WWE, with a procession of stars across multiple generations such as Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Steve Austin, The Rock, HHH, Ric Flair, Randy Orton and Edge.

So with that in mind, there are fewer stars better placed to offer a critique of the modern product currently being offered by the likes of WWE, AEW, TNA and New Japan Pro Wrestling.

Appearing on a recent episode on the Two-Man Power Trip of Wrestling podcast, Foley explained that there is more than one way to have a good match, citing an unseen (apart from the live crowd in attendance, obviously) bout he had during a UK tour against Bret Hart.

"I had one with Bret Hart. It was unconventional. We worked backwards, if that makes any sense. We didn't go from start to finish, we went from finish to start. It was unusual, and it was effective. I wish I had a copy of it, just so I could see why it worked, and so that other people might study it and realize there's more than one way to have a great match. That's my only pet peeve about today's product: fans have come to believe there's only one way to have a great match."Mick Foley

Foley continued, "I don't believe that. It would take a handful of people to defy the prevailing winds and go in a different direction. So, I think there should be a reminder every once in a while that not every great match has to look the same."

Elsewhere in the podcast, Foley shares that he believes his no holds barred Intercontinental Title clash with Randy Orton at Backlash 2004 is his greatest ever match.

(H/T Fightful for the transcription)

This article first appeared on Wrestling on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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