Raw Memory: Randy Orton Vs. Mick Foley
WWE's Monday Night Raw just celebrated their 25th birthday this week, and are preparing to have an epic show to commemorate. As WWE continues to build towards the show, we've been spending a lot of time going over our favorite Raw memories, or ones that we missed, that shouldn't be forgotten.
A lot of wrestling fans have a hole in their lifetime of viewing the product. Usually there's a 3-10 year gap for a lot of fans. Whether you went to college, started a family, got into a new career, or whatever caused it, a lot of fans take time off. For me that era was roughly 2003-2013. I watched a little bit from 2004-2006, but didn't spend the time I did from about 1989-2003. So there's a lot in that era that I missed in real-time.
One of the things I missed then was the rise of Randy Orton.
When they designated him as the "legend killer" it became one of the most brilliant moves they've ever executed. Putting big names, even though clearly passed their prime, into a situation with Orton elevated them.
But while he was beating up guys who CLEARLY didn't belong in a ring anymore, a few rose up who could still go. Which is what people thought of Mick Foley.
Though "retired", Foley was still on-screen with WWE as their General Manager. But everyone in every arena knew that the Cactus Jack in Mick could come out at any time. But they forgot about the thing that separated Mick from the rest of the ECW-type "Hardcore Icons"...the mind games.
This clip from Raw in 2003 is a perfect example of Mick executing the thinking part of wrestling, and still helping to get Orton over.