Mick Foley discusses AEW debut and future plans

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It’s been over a week now since Mick Foley made his big AEW debut, and you didn’t think we would have to wait much longer for a video from the Mickster talking about it all, did you? Well, if you did, I’ve got some good news, a video, and a transcription to show you: “I know it’s been a week since I made my debut on AEW, but I just wanted to spend a couple minutes thanking everybody involved for making it such a special night for me. Now, there’s nothing wrong with getting a nostalgia pop, and I’ve received plenty of those, and they feel good, but the reaction I received in New York was different. It was a reaction that said ‘We’re glad you’re here,‘ and that I could still make a difference. In no way am I here to throw stones at WWE. I love the company. I always will. I will always be deeply appreciative for every opportunity they afforded me, but there’s something unique about seeing the owner of the company just so obviously happy and excited. Mr. McMahon had a different way of doing things, but it wasn’t with that type of joy. And it just seems like to me, the AEW wrestlers are out there and they are playing to win because they, it is understood that failure is part of the process. I saw so many people, I have seen so many people over the years almost petrified to walk through that curtain because they didn’t know whether they’d get the thumbs up or the thumbs down, figuratively speaking. Tony’s excited. Tony loves what he’s doing. He’s happy to be there, and I think that type of enthusiasm makes me feel enthusiastic. After I did my in-ring promo, a couple of the wrestlers on the card said ‘Hey, so I guess you’ll be taking the hop now.‘ I was like ‘What am I gonna do, watch Friends reruns in my hotel room?’ There’s a show, and it wasn’t just a show, it was an amazing show. People were so excited. The energy backstage reminds me of the way WWE felt during the Attitude Era, when we were all actively pulling for each other, but we also understood that striking out was part of the process of hitting monumental home runs. I am really glad to be in a place where wrestlers are encouraged to swing for the fences, where it’s understood that not every hit’s gonna leave the park. I’m excited about where this adventure is going to take me. I consider myself like a Swiss Army knife, and I can be used a lot of different ways, and I’m just… I’m excited about the future, and I’m excited about wrestling in a way that I haven’t been in a few years. I wanna thank AEW fans and the AEW product for helping me fall in love with professional wrestling all over again.” Good for Foley for finding a lot of joy in pro wrestling again, and here’s to hoping it both stays that way and doesn’t include his trying to wrestle another match. He could pull it off, I’m sure, but the number of concussions he has suffered through makes me want him to simply talk his way into something interesting instead of fight his way there. Either way, good for him. Right?!?

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AEW’s Instagram While Mick Foley has refrained from badmouthing his former employers at WWE, he did recently touch on a major difference between Vince McMahon and Tony Khan. According to Foley, the AEW president/CEO approaches his work with a “type of joy” that Vince lacked. The WWE Hall of Famer debuted at AEW’s Double or Nothing on May 26, where he received a low-blow from MJF. Foley’s move to become All Elite came months after he announced his departure from WWE due to the promotion’s close ties U.S. President Donald Trump. During a Tuesday (June 2) interview with Ariel Halwani, Foley touched on a number of topics, including his belief that he still has “one last good match” left in him, as my colleague Sean Rueter covered yesterday. Foley’s happiness about signing with AEW was also evident in a recent interview he posted on social media. Part of his excitement comes from the difference he has already seen between working for Khan and WWE’s former boss, Vince McMahon. “In no way am I here to throw stones at WWE. I love the company. I always will,” Foley said. “I will always be deeply appreciative for every opportunity they afforded me, but there’s something unique about seeing the owner of the company just so obviously happy and excited. Mr. McMahon had a different way of doing things, but it wasn’t that type of joy.” He continued: “Tony is excited. Tony loves what he’s doing. He’s happy to be there, and that type of enthusiasm makes me feel enthusiastic.” According to Foley, AEW has reignited a passion for wrestling inside him. “I’m just excited about the future and I’m excited about wrestling in a way that I haven’t been in a few years,” The Hardcore Legend said. “And I want to thank AEW fans, and the AEW product for helping me fall in love with professional wrestling all over again.” What do you think, Cagesiders? Can you, as observers, see any differences between Vince and Tony? Let us know in the comments.