After losing the titles the next night, Foley would become a changed man. Retiring the Cactus Jack persona, Foley had become disgusted with the fans. They had chanted Austin's name as they were being destroyed by the new D-X. So, Foley became the corporate puppet of WWF Owner Vince McMahon as Dude Love. McMahon was determined to get the World Title off of Austin, and Foley was the man to do it. Named as the #1 contender to the WWF Title, he would battle Steve Austin in two brutal Pay-Per-View main event matches!

However, failing to meet Mr. McMahon's expectations as Dude Love, Foley abandoned the Dudester in favour of "Corporate Mankind" and began attacks on Steve Austin & once again, The Undertaker!

At the 1998 King of the Ring, Mankind would face the Undertaker in what will go down as the most memorable match in WWF history for a lot of fans. Foley, showing his undying love for this sport got up after being thrown 20 feet from the top of the cage through a table. Even legend Dory Funk Jr. called this spot the hardest bump in wrestling history. He got up after being chokeslammed through the top of the cage & into the ring. He got up after being thrown onto a pile of thumbtacks. Mick Foley got up and walked out. No stretcher for him. He didn't need it. Well, maybe he needed it, but he sure didn't use it. Broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder and a tooth that went through his upper lip. Ouch.

On July 13/98, as Mankind, Foley captured his 3rd WWF Tag Team Title with partner Kane (Glen Jacobs). After a grueling match with the New Age Outlaws, Kane & Mankind emerged victorious! That night, Foley went down in wrestling history as the man who won the tag title under three different gimmics, with three different partners. Neat eh?

Kane and Mankind traded the tag titles with Austin and the Undertaker for a few weeks as the momentum was being built for the Austin/UT main event at SummerSlam '98. It was during this time that Kane and Mankind had a falling out involving a dumpster and a sledgehammer. Kane refused to defend the titles with Mankind at Summerslam, leaving him to fight the Outlaws alone with little less than a chair and McMahon's encouragment. He lost.

Let's add another piece to the Mick Foley timeline:

As I had mentioned previously, Mick has been busy rejuvinating the main event scene. His feud with Shamrock has provided some great action and most of all, some fabulous comic relief. "Shamrock's interviews are the second leading cause of suicide in teenage boys" was a GREAT line. "I split the people's eybrow worse than Bill and Hillary's marriage." was another keeper.

Meanwhile, in other main event news, Mr. McMahon had been brutally beaten by The Undertaker and Kane, resulting in a broken ankle for the WWF owner. While in hospital, Vince was graced with a visit from your friend and mine, Mick Foley. In one of the WWF's most funniest bits ever, Mankind tried to cheer Mr. McMahon up by presenting gifts of chocolate, a balloon animal creating clown ("She does a trick with a dog you won't believe") and of course the introduction of Mankind's new sidekick, Socko!

With Socko on his hand, Mankind has greatly increased his popularity. Fans hold up Socko signs everywhere. They're even starting to bring thier own versions of Socko to the arenas in support of Mankind. (Now if they could only do the same thing with Al Snow.....)

And speaking of Al Snow, there's now rumour that he and Mankind may form a tag team (pending whether Mick will finally win a singles belt), as a reformation of a two-man version of ECW's J.O.B. Squad. Those kooky ex-ECW guys....

But what does the future hold for Mick Foley? A reign as WWF World Champ? A career ending injury? Death in the ring? Who knows. But you can be assured that Foley will do it the one way he knows how. HARDCORE.

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