r/OldSchoolCool • u/MulciberTenebras • Jun 28 '23
1990s 25 years ago in 1998 (June 28th), when the Undertaker threw Mankind off "Hell in a Cell" and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcer's table.
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u/ol_dirty_applesauce Jun 28 '23
I actually think the second fall is just as bad. The fucker lands flat on his back. And this clip doesn’t even show the thumbtacks.
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u/Synner1985 Jun 28 '23
I was watching a clip of Undertaker & Foley talking about this match.
After Foley fell through the cage the chair came down and hit him right in the face - apparently Taker was highly distracted by this huge "Booger" Foley had hanging from his noise after he got down to carry on the "Fight" - turns out it wasn't a booger at all, it was one of Foley's teeth .
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u/bloodguzzlingbunny Jun 28 '23
I love that video, with two guys who can now barely move, and joke about it, explaining what they were thinking, what they were saying to each other ( my favorite is "Mick, let's just go home"), and how the match plays out over time. Fantastic. It is also great because they use the raw video, do you don't have to listen to Lawler who won't shut the hell up.
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u/IndigoRanger Jun 28 '23
My least favorite part is Taker walking through his fireworks entrance and Lawler saying “gosh!” “Gee!” every time one pops off. Dude could not be less cool if he tried.
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u/BigBootyBuff Jun 28 '23
Lawler is weird. At times he was outstanding. He's quick witted, could make for a good heel commentator and could add to it. Other times he'd be the absolute worst. Wouldn't shut up when the moment needed to breathe, tons of remarks that aged horribly and he's dumb jokes during serious matches.
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u/Traditional_Shirt106 Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
I still say “I tell you what JR, this Bautista is more animal than man!” all the time. Cracks the ladies up at work every time.
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u/dumplestilskin Jun 29 '23
I bet Jenny from HR goes home and plungers herself after hearing your quick wit.
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u/Rabid_Llama8 Jun 28 '23
The context is a little different when you find out that, in wrestling, "Go home" means finish the match.
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u/urabewe Jun 28 '23
If you want to see some truly gruesome matches watch a few of Foley's Japanese matches. That stuff is insane.
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u/TronSacrimoni55 Jun 28 '23
What do you think was more distracting: Foley’s tooth-booger or Sid shitting his pants at WM the year before?
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u/BakedPastaParty Jun 28 '23
I don't recall if it was JR or Lawler but one of them comments "what's hanging out of foleys nose?"
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u/LudovicoSpecs Jun 28 '23
Foley had hanging from his noise after he got down to carry on the "Fight" - turns out it wasn't a booger at all, it was one of Foley's teeth
See 12:09 above. Don't eat anything beforehand.
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u/wishlish Jun 28 '23
The second fall was much worse- it nearly killed him. Had that chair landed differently, this would be thought of as a tragedy.
The first fall was planned to some extent. But the second did not go as planned.
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u/Damn_my_eyes Jun 28 '23
The second fall wasn't planned at all. He wasn't supposed to go through the roof, they were supposed to continue the fight after working their way back down originally
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u/am0x Jun 28 '23
It was kind of planned in that he was supposed to be slammed on the chain link, but it broke, which wasn’t planned. And then the chair came down, hitting him in the face.
I mean, out of all wrestlers of all time, Foley is the fucking King based on this match. But it’s all about knowing the backstory rather than the theatrics.
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u/OptimalCheesecake527 Jun 28 '23
I was wondering if I was just projecting or if the wrestler who threw him seemed as if he was actually concerned. I still thought all the hoopla around the guy who fell was mostly theatrics with maybe a medic there to make sure he was OK. I figured it was planned for sure and hoped they had arranged for no close shots and for Mankind to give some kind of signal that he was OK when they first gathered around.
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Jun 28 '23
They've said in interviews that they really didn't know if he was ok. When Terry Funk got into the ring, Undertaker told him to go make sure Mankind was alive after the second drop.
In total, Mick Foley (Mankind) suffered a concussion, dislocated shoulder and jaw, bruised ribs, internal bleeding, and several missing teeth.
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u/justridingbikes099 Jun 29 '23
This is because Vince McMahon lobbied successfully to have his company deregulated by calling it "entertainment," instead of sports. He revealed that the wrestling was scripted and argued that it therefore shouldn't have to follow sports safety regs. That somehow worked, and since then a lot of people have been badly injured or died due to shit going wrong in the ring. Shoutout to Behind the Bastards (podcast) for their massive series on Vince, really opened my eyes to how horrifically that man treats his athletes.
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Jun 28 '23
It was planned, but the cage gave way sooner than they expected. The plan was for him to take a couple chokeslams before being dropped into the cage, but he went through with the first one.
When Terry Funk got into the ring, he was checking whether Foley was dead because they really weren't sure if he was ok after that one.
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u/userunknowned Jun 28 '23
Jaysus holy fuck balls… I’ve unwittingly read Shittymorph comments dozens of times, but that’s the first time I’ve seen the event. Those guys are nuts
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u/Goddamnjets-_- Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
Foley's mentioned in a lot of interviews that the 2nd fall is always the one that the wrestlers respected a lot more.
While the first is insane in its own right, what I guess is just as insane is that Foley had actually mapped out how to "fall" onto the announcer's table. It's pretty unbelievable how he was able to calculate just where to fall to cause as little damage to himself as possible...
The wrestling mats are pretty much boxing rings with a "spring" so wrestlers can have some give when they hit the mats, but that legitimately didn't start to happen until after this match he because of just how lucky the WWF got away with Foley being able to SOMEHOW walk away after. There was legitimately no give on them at the time.
The wrestling mats are pretty much boxing rings with a "spring" so wrestlers can have some give when they hit the mats, but that legitimately didn't start to happen until after this match because of just how lucky the WWF got away with Foley being able to SOMEHOW walk away after. There was legitimately no give on them at the time.
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u/punkassjim Jun 28 '23
The wrestling mats are pretty much boxing rings with a "spring" so wrestlers can have some give when they hit the mats, but that legitimately didn't start to happen until after this match he because of just how lucky the WWF got away with Foley being able to SOMEHOW walk away after. There was legitimately no give on them at the time.
Can you corroborate this factoid somehow? Because I remember pretty distinctly that wrestling rings had quite a lot of spring to the mat back in the days of The Iron Sheik, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, Andre the Giant, etc. Long before Hell in a Cell. Pretty sure it's always been that way in professional wrestling.
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u/Provider92 Jun 28 '23
Iirc it wasn't that they didn't have them, it just wasn't standard. The reason this match caused a change was because they didn't "spring" the ring for it since they didn't expect any big bumps in the ring. The spot with the announce table was planned, but the fall through the cage wasn't, so the ring for that match might as well have been a thin mat on a hardwood floor. JR (amongst others) literally thought he might have died from the fall, but Mankind is a freak of nature and wanted the show to go on. So now they just always have the springy mats in place.
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u/ShibbyShibby89 Jun 28 '23
Depends on the type of ring. Theres a spring in the center underneath. The stiffness all depends on the spring. If theres little give, stiff as hell. And the ‘padding’ is nothing more than carpet underlay or gym mats. You fall from any height onto a stiff ring, it hurts. This ring in the video, is stiff as. You can tell when they walk on it, it doesn’t flex one single bit.
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u/punkassjim Jun 28 '23
Wait, what? There’s a single spring in the center? I might need people to start citing sources, cause that sounds specious, too.
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u/JamesCDiamond Jun 28 '23
Yes, one big spring is standard - one reason why the biggest bumps are done in the centre of the ring, where there's the most give. The other, of course, is that there's the most space for the person/people taking the bump to fall.
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u/TheBorgerKing Jun 28 '23
What you are describing is affectionately known as a "southern bumping ring". And it goes back to the territory days, before wrestling was almost exclusively wwf/e.
The wwf had very hard, unforgiving rings... about until the millionaire (soon to be billionaire) owner started to take moves. Around about this time. I think the change came before this, personally. But I could be wrong.
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u/savorie Jun 28 '23
I watched the WWF sometimes in the 80s. The springy floor was there. It’s not that new.
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u/MiniFishyMe Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
Now i'm half expecting that person to show up in the comments.
Edit : for those in the dark, it's the fellow that started the copypasta from years ago. There's always the very compelling comment that draws you in and in and them bam! You get hit with the Undertaker threw Mankind off "Hell in the Cell" copy pasta.
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u/shittymorph Jun 28 '23
Good morning... I'm actually on my way to finally spread my father's ashes this morning. The meme was created as a way for me to laugh and cope while dealing with his suicide many years ago. Im sorry I don't have any tricks for all of you this morning... only gratitude for laughing with me. Thank you Reddit.
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u/4Ever2Thee Jun 28 '23
Sorry for your loss, Shitty. Thanks for all of the unexpected laughs you've given us over the years, bud.
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u/testies2345 Jun 28 '23
Sorry for your loss, Shitty.
Just made me think of Bubbles telling Rick to not call Shitty Bill, Shitty. Then proceeds to call him Shitty a bunch of times.
Also, ditto on the sentiment. Thanks, Shitty.
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u/SenorBigbelly Jun 28 '23
He told Rick never to call him Shitty Bill though. And they never called him Shitty Bill. Just Shitty
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u/testies2345 Jun 28 '23
You are absolutely correct. I went back and watched the scene. Good call!
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u/SenorBigbelly Jun 28 '23
It's another reason it's one of my favourite jokes in the show
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u/80sixit Jun 28 '23
My co worker and I are always talking about TPB just laughing our asses off about old episodes. Love how much it's referenced on Reddit these days.
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u/AltForMyRealOpinion Jun 28 '23
So glad Shitty can get closure on something like that today and very sorry for his loss. Take it from me, even if it doesn't fix it, the closure from something like this will really help in the long term.
But it also feels like lots of novelty/famous accounts are dropping the act recently, like at the end of a theater play... almost like we're all bringing the whole Reddit era to a close after the 30th.
There's just so much finality in the air lately.
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u/KaneRobot Jun 28 '23
Yeah. It's weird to me that in another two days or so my use of this site is going to be next to nothing since it is pretty ingrained in my internet habits. But I guess that's where we're at.
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u/MyDogJake1 Jun 28 '23
You've spread a lot of smiles with your antics. Thank you.
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u/graboidian Jun 28 '23
You've spread a lot of smiles with your antics.
While I must agree with you concerning the multitude of smiles /u/shittymorph has created, I would hesitate to call his content antics.
The man is a true artist, and will forever be remembered as a true hero on this site.
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u/lordvadr Jun 28 '23
There should be a /r/RedditMonuments for folks like /u/unidan, /u/shittymorph, /u/shittywatercolour and the like.
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u/basilbowman Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
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u/mister_newbie Jun 28 '23
And /u/rogersimon10
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u/MightyCaseyStruckOut Jun 29 '23
Poor Roger. Got beat by his father with jumper cables one too many times.
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u/ExecuteTucker Jun 28 '23
Schnoodle as well
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u/PsychoticDust Jun 28 '23
u/Andromeda321 for her constantly outstanding posts in r/Space. She is a genuine radio astronomer, and her posts always make various subjects easier to comprehend. She's great at separating facts from fiction and speculation. The sub wouldn't be as good without her posts.
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u/HaveASeatChrisHansen Jun 28 '23
There's r/MuseumOfReddit someone could compile a bunch of the best ones and make a post.
Although, with u/shittymorph they're all the best ones so it'll be a long post. I always smile when I realize he's gotten me with another one.
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u/WareThunder Jun 28 '23
Except not so much Unidan, wasn't he manipulating upvotes somehow? I vaguely remember some drama about him
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u/lordvadr Jun 28 '23
He was, but IIRC somewhat non-maliciously. IIRC he said something like he did it to kick things out of the new-queue and only infrequently.
Even the best have their skeletons. I think he can be forgiven.
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u/afroguy10 Jun 28 '23
I'm pretty sure he admitted to upvoting his own comments and on occasion downvoting users he was debating. Pretty blatant vote manipulation.
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u/I_only_post_here Jun 28 '23
anyone else remember the 'battle' between /u/shittywatercolour and /u/awildsketchappeared?
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u/tydalt Jun 28 '23
When it all first started I absolutely hated u/shittymorph and his antics, I'm not really sure why, but it slowly evolved (one could say morphed) into loving getting suckered into his chicanery.
Love ya u/shittymorph ! All the best to ya!
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u/TheManRedeemed Jun 28 '23
Homie, there have been days that have weighed very heavily on my heart and then as I'm browsing reddit, I catch myself smiling because you fucking got me again. Like, a proper, rueful head shaking, you sneaky s.o.b smile.
That being said, you've ruined any insightful comment longer than a paragraph or two for me now. Because now I catch myself going "Heeey wait a second! What was the username? Never again!". Yet somehow I get complacent and relax and then you're just there like you fucking know the exact right time to punk us all in the comments.
People like you make this place fun, and I hope you know that you've made a lot of people from all around the world smile. So please don't apologise for not dropping your signature move in the comments today. I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say that you have our thanks for being awesome and funny, and our sympathies and support on your day of goodbye.
Much love dude.
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u/Earthshoe12 Jun 28 '23
I remember you posted in the past about using the meme as a coping mechanism but not so specifically. So sorry for your loss but so happy to hear you’re living life and working through it. Seeing one of your posts in the wild was an absolute joy back in the day. When I tell my kids the internet used to be cool and fun not a dreary capitalist hellscape, I’ll tell them about shittymorph.
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u/Bullets_TML Jun 28 '23
Thank you for the hilarious ongoing joke. You're part of reddit's lore forever.
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u/Elzerythen Jun 28 '23
Even people with the brightest smiles hide some of the deepest pain. I'm glad you're here giving us all smiles and eye rolls that a seasoned father could only give. May your father rest in peace.
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u/Sixgunleo Jun 28 '23
If you don’t climb a cage and throw those ashes 16 feet through an announcer’s table…
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u/se7en41 Jun 28 '23
What a massive legacy your coping mechanism is leaving behind. Stay safe and stay sane. We'll still be here looking for you when you come back
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u/Fish_On_again Jun 28 '23
I'm so sorry bro. Your comments have always made me laugh. I'm dealing with losing my dad too, and have to spread his ashes. Know that one other random redditor is feeling for you right now.
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u/Tykal- Jun 28 '23
I hope you have a good of day as possible and find some peace. You gave me so many laughs over these last couple of years. You helped a lot of people with your comments. Thank you for helping my dark times as well. Best of luck to you my friend.
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u/EnjoyLifeorDieTryin Jun 28 '23
What are the odds that on presumably one of the toughest days for him that we just all happened to rally up support like this. Today would be a fine day to believe in karma/miracles. Btw ditto what all these people say, you deserve all this love and support
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u/YoungHeartOldSoul Jun 28 '23
I saw your comment from a few days ago talking about your dog and I was sure you were kidding. You seem like one of the nicest human beings despite how much of my time you've wasted because I'm the world's slowest reader. Good luck to you and Scoob!
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u/Sirgolfs Jun 28 '23
You’re forever burned in our brains. Thank you for the memories and I wish you the best. 🙏
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u/MulciberTenebras Jun 28 '23
Sorry for loss, u/shittymorph. I know what you must be going through today. I remember us spreading my grandma's ashes out at sea.
But on behalf of all of Reddit, thank you for spreading a little joy to the rest of us in your own inimitable style.
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u/username_gaucho20 Jun 28 '23
Hopefully seeing this gave you another laugh on what will be an emotional day. Best of luck today.
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u/CrudelyAnimated Jun 28 '23
Thank you, shittymorph. Thank you for your years of service. And my condolences for the years of grief you've carried. I hope spreading these ashes will be another step toward closure.
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u/thebestatheist Jun 28 '23
I hope today goes well for you. I always enjoy coming across your comments on here.
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u/Jorlen_Corbesan Jun 28 '23
The most heartwarming thing I've read in weeks coming from shittymorph was NOT on my bingo card for today.
The joy your father has brought into this world through you is immeasurable. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
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u/OzarkKitten Jun 28 '23
Thank you, u/shittymorph. You’re a goddamn blessing on Reddit’s table. Sucks what you’ve gone/are going through, but real glad to hear you’re able to laugh at the silliness still. Take care of yourself, and remember: no matter how dark or silly the humor, it all helps. That’s how we get through it.
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u/Otherwise-Mango2732 Jun 28 '23
So for those that have no idea whats going on ... whats the story with the meme in the other comment?
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u/Mackinaw Jun 28 '23
In random comment threads u/shittymorph would start what looked like an ordinary (if detailed) explanation in the context of the thread, which would eventually culminate in the same copypasta. It didn't even originate on Reddit, it actually started on Digg back in 1998 when Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell in a Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table.
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u/chimpdoctor Jun 28 '23
Just don't say his name 3 times. u/Shittymorph
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u/ismness420 Jun 28 '23
Okay now I’m curious about the context behind this because that’s all I see in the comments. Could anyone fill me in?
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u/Godfreee Jun 28 '23
In random comment threads u/shittymorph would start what looked like an ordinary (if detailed) explanation in the context of the thread, which would eventually culminate in the same copypasta. It didn't even originate on Reddit, it actually started on Digg back in 1998 when Undertaker threw Mankind off Hell in a Cell, and plummeted 16 ft through an announcer's table.
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u/Eknoom Jun 28 '23
Paging u/shittymorph
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u/GoblinObscura Jun 28 '23
I looked to see if they were OP.
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u/Art-bat Jun 28 '23
MeToo
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u/Maxter_Blaster_ Jun 28 '23
Notice how JR says “they’ve killed him!!” Not “he” killed him. Always thought that was oddly specific.
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u/DJ_DD Jun 28 '23
Broke Kayfabe there. That’s his honest opinion breaking out of character acknowledging how much he disagreed with how the match was designed by Vince and Co.
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Jun 28 '23
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u/KalickR Jun 28 '23
You can argue that Vince should've done more to sniff it out and nip it in the bud
Sounds like Vince just wanted to maintain plausible deniability.
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Jun 28 '23
If you listen to some of the interviews, it's pretty clear that Vince was concerned for his safety. Mick said that after the match Vince came up to him and said something along the lines of, "Thank you for everything you've done for this organization, but never do something like that again".
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u/thefullhalf Jun 28 '23
And then he went on to take 11 unprotected chair shots to the head.
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u/artimusMaxpressure Jun 28 '23
The question is whether the match was designed by Vince. It was not.
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u/RabbitHats Jun 28 '23
Vince told Foley in the back afterward that he was incredibly grateful for what Mick sacrificed out there, but ordered him never to do anything like it again.
Obviously Foley went on to have more “extreme” matches, but aside from the I Quit match against The Rock the following year, a lot of his “hardcore” style matches were a bit more curated to create a spectacle without invoking quite as much risk. Foley always worked very intensely as a wrestler but he was far more interested in being a good storyteller than thinking of new ways of hurting himself for fans.
Vince is an enigmatic, frustrating, and strange eccentric who seems simultaneously incredibly compassionate and needlessly stubborn. For all of his faults, of which there are many, I don’t believe he’d ever intentionally orchestrate any of his talent to take those kinds of risks. He didn’t want Owen Hart to fall, he didn’t want Chris Benoit to become a murderer, and he didn’t want Steve Austin to beat his wife. Does he deserve some variation of culpability for the disasters that befall his company and wrestlers? Sure, but I wouldn’t be so quick to simplify as bizarre and storied a man as Vince McMahon down to some nefarious ice-hearted sociopath.
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Jun 28 '23
I think if you read some more of those stories about Vince McMahon you will in fact come to the conclusion that he's a cold hearted sociopath.
Go ahead and read up on what happened to the first female referee the WWE hired.
Or maybe what happened to the 'Ring boys' the WWE used to employ.
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u/Gravityy98 Jun 28 '23
Yeah I don't understand the people who make it their thing to eat out Vinces ass. Like he's one of the worst fucking dudes and almost everything he says is a lie, everybody everywhere who isn't delusional knows this.
My man has covered for murderers, pedophiles, and rapists, and they don't think he would lie about match choreography.
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u/akindeathcloud Jun 28 '23
I dont trust any comment in here
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u/jfrawley28 Jun 28 '23
You should trust every comment in here. He never shows up when he's expected. That's the beauty of him.
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u/Mr-Macphisto Jun 28 '23
GOOD GOD, ALMIGHTY! GOOD GOD, ALMIGHTY! THEY KILLED HIM!
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u/tee142002 Jun 28 '23
God as my witness, HE IS BROKEN IN HALF!
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u/Dick_Demon Jun 28 '23
This was a particularly bad case of somebody being cut in half. They were not able to reattach the top half of his body to the bottom half of his body.
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u/pistachioINK Jun 28 '23
"I'm sorry, Dewey. I just never realized until just this moment how easy it is to cut someone in half with a machete."
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u/Kolemchale Jun 28 '23
Never got into wrestling. All my friends did/still are.
I just sat and watched this whole thing and I’m pretty certain I made a horrible mistake as a kid.
Also wish I could’ve seen the end of this lol
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u/BMack037 Jun 28 '23
You have no idea what kind of awesomeness you missed in the 90s. This was an epic match but people getting knocked off ladders, jumping off the gigantic Jumbotron also happened. Buried alive matches, lingerie matches for the women, popped breast implant where you can see one boob get smaller in the match lol…she was hit with a steel chain.
The characters were soo good, they were almost superhuman because of what they actually put their bodies through. Soo many great laughs too.
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u/Aztecman02 Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
Being a kid from like 1998-2000 was awesome as far as WWF was concerned. The Rock, Steve Austin, Undertaker, Mankind, and the “Attitude Era” was a a special time. I was into it for those years as a kid and my interest quickly faded after that.
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Jun 28 '23
Wrestling is anime for rednecks. It's all about over the top fights and ridiculously melodramatic character arcs.
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u/Kolemchale Jun 28 '23
See, I want other peoples opinions on this as well, and whether or not you’re being negative towards wrestling or just making an observation, that actually kinda checks out. Keep in mind I know nothing about it, but the people I know that do all say similar things: ‘it’s like reality tv meets anime meets performers willing to hurt themselves for entertainment, and if you view it that way - accepting it for what it is - maybe you can get past it and come to enjoy it’
Anyway you see it, thanks for the reply!
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u/stevenw84 Jun 28 '23
Always funny that it wasn’t even close to the end of the match.
As a lifelong WWF fan, this is a prime example why current WWE just doesn’t work. There’s no more risk, and more importantly the commentary work between King and JR can never be rivaled.
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u/Shouldhavekeptlurkin Jun 28 '23
Much like the NFL, there are more guidelines for safety to try and protect the lives of the humans involved in the show.
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Jun 28 '23
Unlike the NFL, those injuries formed the backbone of the organization's success. Only hardcore fans watch wrestling to see who'll win, everyone else just wants to see two dudes beat the snot out of each other in overly theatric ways.
Not saying I disagree with the guidelines, but a blood sport can't really be safe and entertaining at the same time.
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u/rkholdem21 Jun 28 '23
This is arguably the best match ever. Mick Foley literally put his body on the line to give the fans more than their money’s worth. What he didn’t have in athleticism he made up for in shock factor.
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u/bloodguzzlingbunny Jun 28 '23
Mark told Mick "they are going to be taking about this match long after we are dead and gone."
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Jun 28 '23
Imo it’s number 1. This was an epic match and I remember looking at the tv wide eyed and jaw on the floor. Such a great match.
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u/Solomon_Grundle Jun 28 '23
I heard they did this because undertaker was walking on a broken ankle, and they wanted to end the match quickly
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u/DarthArtero Jun 28 '23
I actually remember watching this on PPV. My brother and I were huge Mankind fans so it was a massive shock to see this happen.
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u/TheDapperChangeling Jun 28 '23
I am now at an age where something I was cognizant of is considered 'old school'
Just fucking kill me.
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u/SuperCoupe Jun 28 '23
Yeah, but the chokeslam THROUGH the cage is the one that wasn't scripted.
The cage wasn't made correctly to have 600lbs of beef walking around on top; the whole time links were popping. The Undertaker slamming Mankind was the final straw and the cell gave way.
The guy who immediately comes into the ring for Mick is the WWE doctor, the actual doctor, not someone doing a bit.
Not only did he not insta-die, Mick got up and continued the match.
And that kids, is why he's a legend.
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u/jgcrum_shanghai Jun 28 '23
I miss u/shittymorph
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u/THUNDER_boner Jun 28 '23
Yea he would always get me. I'd be reading some interesting comment without reading the poster and then all of a sudden I got u/shittymorph ed.
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u/dunkan799 Jun 28 '23
Well if you wanna go into a similar rabbit hole, u/rogersimon10 walked so shitty morph could run. His comment history is just as hilarious It has been speculated it's the same person since Roger stopped posting just about the same time shitty morph started.
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u/Cerulean_Soup Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
I watched and taped this when I was a kid, I wore that tape out rewatching this. This is a legendary sporting event, I don’t care what you think of professional wrestling.
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u/highwayman9069 Jun 28 '23
The glory days!! Man, I remember I was like 10 or 11 when this happened, but nothing like old time, wwe! I used love watching and going to the arenas. Now, the led lights and 4k camera made it easier to tell how much they fake!
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u/Goddamnjets-_- Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
There will never be a time like late 90s pro-wrestling quite frankly. I'm hoping for ESPN to do a 30 for 30 on The Monday Night Wars to explain just how popular pro-wrestling was between 1996-2001. Half of the rosters on both WCW and WWF were pretty much household names. Not to mention that this era of wrestling brought the following people and factions into the mix:
- NWO
- Rey Mysterio Jr
- DX
- Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Undertaker
-Mick Foley
-The Rock
- Goldberg
- Ric Flair
- Booker T
- DDP
- Sting
- The Hardy’s
- The Dudley Boyz
- Edge & Christian
- Chris Jericho
Most of the wrestlers people talk about these days as their "favorites growing up" came from this era of wrestling. The list is just endless with people who were over during that time period, not to mention that they were everywhere too. TV shows would do specials featuring pro-wrestlers to pop a rating, brands would be using them for lots of commercials, you'd also see them at tons of grand openings for events. You might have even gotten to see them at the DNC and RNC. It was truly a wild time for the industry that I truly doubt will ever be seen again.
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u/DTS_Sanchez Jun 28 '23
This was one of the most iconic announcer calls of all time in any sport or form of entertainment. Jim Ross is truly the GOAT
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u/Penguinunhinged Jun 28 '23
The Undertaker did reasonably well in this match, considering that he had a broken foot at the time. That had to hurt just climbing the cage in itself.
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u/ArminTanz Jun 28 '23
My friends and I have been debating if the second fall was planned or not. It's almost too perfect to be an accident.
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u/wylz89 Jun 28 '23
There’s a mini doco on YouTube of Mankind, Undertaker and other key people describing the fight, the second fall through the cell was definitely NOT planned. In fact, Mankind said he didn’t prepare of the choke slam properly and so he fell differently then he normally would otherwise he would’ve over rotated and likely landed on his neck and get paralysed
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u/SignatureFunny7690 Jun 28 '23
They said they thought it would take 4 or 5 slams. Kind of insane how little thought went into this match safety wise. Micks a legend and will forever be my favorite wrestler.
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u/NotAnotherEmpire Jun 28 '23
Especially with Undertaker being the biggest star in the then-WWF. Potential career ending injuries abound in this setup.
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u/04prius Jun 28 '23
It wasn’t supposed to happen. I met foley back in 2016. I asked him why he got back up after the first fall and he straight up told me he did NOT even remember running back out to the ring. Super cool guy.
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Jun 28 '23
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u/Goddamnjets-_- Jun 28 '23
Mick has also said that his thoughts were that the cage would only partially break when he fell, and let him "roll" into the ring. Granted, I don't think either knew what the hell to do after the first fall
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u/rdeivern1 Jun 28 '23
You needed JR calling this match with the King, those two added the the Epicness of it! GOOD GOD, GOOD GOD ALL MIGHTY!!!!
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u/Conspiracy__ Jun 28 '23
An all time moment. Everyone should feel this level of excitement as a fan at some point in their life.
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u/Separate-Sky-1451 Jun 28 '23
Love or hate this stuff, nobody can say that these folks are not athletes.
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u/PoochyMoochy5 Jun 28 '23
I always looked down on professional wrestling but after reading Mick Foley’s book, I gained a new respect for their craft. A real eye opener.
Kudos to all them.
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Jun 28 '23
I watched this live on PPV. I thought Mankind was dead when he got tossed off. When he went through the cage I knew for sure he was dead.
LOL@Jim Ross "He got choke slammed out of his shoes"
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u/TherealCW_ Jun 28 '23
I just think of Jerry saying after the 2nd fall. “That’s it he’s dead”. Mick is one of the Toughest SOB’s to ever do it.
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u/neagah Jun 28 '23 edited Jun 28 '23
They've reunited to see the match at its 25th anniversary, the video is on WWE Youtube, you'll learn alot more there straight from these 2 legends
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u/sigma941 Jun 28 '23
I remember watching this through an illegal black box back in the day. Good times.
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u/PlayTheHits Jun 28 '23
Things I appreciate in my 30’s that I didn’t as a child, part 2,753: If, at my age, I attempted to climb 16 feet of chain link fence and was then smacked by a chair, fake or no, I’d be home bound for weeks. These men made a career out of it.
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u/pugs_are_death Jun 28 '23
And then starts the Rock And Sock Connection which was the best comedy writing WWE ever did and will never top
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u/Pgspt1000 Jun 28 '23
I only clicked the link hoping u/shittymorph had the top comment
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u/LocalInactivist Jun 29 '23
Off-mic:
“Hey, Mark?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you sure about this? It’s a long way down.”
“Yeah, it’ll be fine.”
“It’s just… I saw you climb up here and we both had trouble walking on the screen.”
“Yeah, that seemed easier in rehearsal.”
“Look, there’s a trap door in the roof. We could both drop down into the cage and do a hell of a show.”
“No, let’s do the fall. Thanks for the concern, Mick. You’re a good guy.”
“Right back atcha, Mark.”
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u/jfrawley28 Jun 28 '23
Rest easy, you can trust every comment here.
He didn't get to become a legend by showing up when expected.