Mick Foley On Replacing The Undertaker For Q&A At UK Event
On April 29, 30, and May 1, The Undertaker is heading to the UK for an appearance with Inside the Ropes, but after reportedly working a new deal with WWE the appearance nearly went out the window. Initially, it was going to include signings, photo ops, and a Q&A. Over the weekend it was announced Undertaker would still be there, but the Q&A portion would now be done by Mick Foley.
It was reported WWE is looking to keep Undertaker's appearances outside of WWE to a minimum, especially after news broke of him heading to Starrcast II during AEW Double or Nothing weekend. Taker was not on this year's WrestleMania, but appeared on RAW the next night to take out Elias. He is also expected to be on the event in Saudi Arabia event in May.
On his Facebook page, Mick Foley commented on the situation, saying that it wasn't anyone's fault about what happened. Foley noted Undertaker went to the WWE Headquarters to make sure his appearance would still take place in some form. Foley said it took about 10 minutes for him to agree to joining the upcoming appearance after the idea was pitched to him. Below are Foley's full comments:
Hey, sometimes things happen, and you simply have to do the best with the cards you're dealt. That's exactly what Kenny McIntosh did when he learned that his #InsideTheRopes #RiseOfTheTaker tour of #Manchester #London and #Glasgow was in danger of collapsing. Sometimes things happen, and no one's at fault. I believe WWE was just doing what they felt was best to keep the mystique and aura surrounding the single greatest character in company history alive and well. It certainly wasn't Undertaker's fault either; in fact, he flew to Connecticut to convince WWE to let him do the tour in some way, shape or form. But when the contractual dust settled, Kenny found himself without the spoken word part of the biggest spoken word tour he'd ever put together – maybe the most highly anticipated spoken word tour the wrestling world has known.
So on March 1st, with his back up against the wall, Kenny reached out to me.
"Hey Mick. Kenny here from ITR. Keen to have a chat with you about an idea I've got that I think could be interesting. Please hit me up. Thanks."
I had come close to doing a few events with "Inside the Ropes" in 2018, but the negotiations had been done through an intermediary, and in the end, the timing just didn't work out. So I had never actually spoken to, or been directly in contact with Kenny before our phone call. He was extremely honest, and to the point; he pitched the idea of a show, moderated by him, with me talking about The Undertaker – our biggest matches, my take on some of his greatest moments, the impact of his amazing career on WWE and an entire generation of fans. There was no other backup plan – it was pretty much this show he was asking me about, or no show at all. While it may have taken six weeks to officially announce, the agreement between me and Kenny took about ten minutes to reach.
I'm thrilled to be part of the show. I will be getting paid, but for me #RiseOfTheTakerTalesFromHell isn't really about the money. It's a chance to keep hundreds of die-hard UK fans from missing out on a rare chance to meet The Undertaker (the meet and greets with Taker are very much alive). It's a chance to talk about some of my favorite moments (of course, we'll talk about #HIAC but UT and I had so many great moments together) with one of my favorite opponents. But probably more than anything, it's a chance for me to help out Taker – a man who helped me so much in my career. We may be best known for one infamous evening in 1998, but had it not been for Taker putting me on the WWE map in 1996, so many of the good things that came my way would simply not have been possible. No #WWEHOF. No #RockAndSock, no WWE titles, no Al Snow #BestFriends reunion tours. Certainly, I would not be living in a world where I can walk around at age 53 wearing sweatpants and a fanny pack.
I'll see you in a couple weeks – and I will be doing my very best to send you home with a smile on your face.