FOLEY NEEDS TO RETIRE; WCW'S SICKENING ANGLES by Dan Moreland

What I'm about to say is going to piss off a lot of wrestling fans and others in the industry. But someone has got to stand up and point this out. Before I begin, let me say I have all the respect in the world for Mick Foley, better known as WWF champ Mankind. I respect his love for the business. I remember after Slamboree in Philadelphia in 1994 after his classic brawl tagging with Kevin Sullivan to win the WCW belts for the Nasties. He took the time in the Civic Center parking lot to sign autographs for thew fans.It's clear that there is a true bond between Mick Foley and the hardcore element of wrestling fans out there. So what I'm about to say is not out of disrespect to Mick Foley.

Mick Foley's performance at Royal Rumble against the Rock was a disgrace to the art of professional wrestling. This wasn't being pushed off a 16 foot high steel cage on a gimmicked table to minimize the high probability of injury. This wasn't flopping around on thumbtacks, painful as they are, but not likely to land most wrestlers in the intensive care unit at the local hospital. While these stunts were dangerous and really sick, at least they were designed as to make the damage to Foleys' body less extensive than they appeared.

I'm sorry but sitting handcuffed while another wrestler gives you 11 stiff chairshots right to the head is NOT wrestling. Its a sick demented freak show. I'm beginning to wonder if Mick Foley has gone too far in covering up his lack of ability by subjecting himself to this type of punishment to get over. The lesson Mick Foley teaches us is that athletic ability and charisma do not get a wrestler over- but the ability to subject oneself to a sadistic display of brutal physical punishment.

But sadly even Mick having his brains mashed in by Rocky Maivia on pay per view may not have won as many fans over as he had hoped. I watched the RR in a bar in Florida and was laughed at by the other uneducated patrons as I winced with each chairshot. "Come on, he's not really hitting him!" exclaimed one beer swigging redneck. If only he knew. If only he knew.

I'd like to paraphrase the words of one promoter I interviewed this fall: the magic of professional wrestling used to be that you could give the audience the impression that you were getting your brains stomped out for 30 minutes, then go home and enjoy the rest of the night with your family- not in the hospital.

Mick, what in the hell are you doing? Maybe it's time to retire. If not for your sake, then for the sake and safety of the kids because your sending the wrong message to the fans and up and coming new wrestlers out there. Who will step up to the plate and try to kill themselves by doing something even sicker than Mick Foley?. Don't believe me? I caught a Coastal Championship Wrestling show the afternoon of the PPV. Teenage kids were handing out flyers for their backyard wrestling promotion. Armbars? Headlocks? Mat wrestling or even just attempts at high spots? No. They made it quite clear that the wrestling would consist of tables, chairs brawling and barbed wire.

No disrespect to Mick Foley and his fans. Just some goddamned common sense.

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This summer I wrote an article criticizing the WWF for its misuse of women characters in its angles. Women were portrayed as stupid sluts, i.e. Godfathers hos or Val Venis' treatment of Mrs. Yami-guchi san. While the WWF isn't exactly going to qualify for any NOW awards in the near future, the direction they are going with their female characters is at least a lttle better. Debra McMichael uses her beauty to outsmart wrestlers thinking with their little head in stead of their big one. PMS, otherwise known as Terri Runnels and Jacqueline, while mired in moronic and meaningless angles, are at least characters that use their brains ands beauty to manipulate men. Hmmm....all women are evil and manipulative . . . well I guess its better to have a misogynist attitude toward the fairer sex because they're cunning than because they're dumb!

One promotion definitely on the wrong track is World Championship Wrestling. How can Ted Turner allow the tasteless angles involving women to continue in one of his companies escpecially in light of a sexual harrasment lawsiut by one of WCWs employees five years ago? Is he aware that his Executive Vice President Eric Bischoff was on national TV molesting and trying to shove his tongue down Mrs. Flairs throat? Or how tasteless is the roid-raged Scotty Steiner sexually harassing Diamond Dallas Paige's wife, Kimberly?

But the most tasteless of all was Elizabeth in the police station accusing Goldberg of stalking her. Unbelievably the original sketch was to be Liz accusing Goildberg of raping her! An absolute outrage!

Fortunately Goldberg pulled rank and nixed that stupid idea.

But there is still a real sick element on the WCW booking committee. Stalking, rape and sexual harassment are NOT funny subjects to be used in wrestling angles. Hey Ted, can you say "Missy Hyatt"?

Dan Moreland is a columnist for Pro Wrestling's Between The Sheets - for comments or opposing viewpoints please e-mail to Dan Moreland