Mick Foley is best known for being a hardcore legend in the ring, but he’s also taken on plenty of non-wrestling roles in the world of sports entertainment.
The WWE Hall of Famer is often praised for his work as Commissioner and General Manager at various points in his career, but in 2008, he took on a new role when he joined the color commentary team on SmackDown.
Foley hasn’t spoken highly of his time as a commentator, making mention of the fact that Vince McMahon would often yell at commentators while they were attempting to do their job. Speaking on a recent episode of Foley is Pod, the former WWE Champion opened up about his commentary experience, saying he hopes McMahon has learned not to micromanage everything to such a drastic degree.
“You try to learn from everything you do, and I hope Mr. McMahon learned from that experience. You know, you don’t need to ride your announcers so much. You don’t have to micromanage everything that they do.”
Continuing, Mick Foley explained that he wanted to approach commentary from a different perspective than McMahon, wanting to call only the action he saw on screen as he felt it would lead to a more authentic viewing experience for the audience at home. However, Vince McMahon had other ideas, and regularly yelled instructions over the headset, something Foley believes was “counterproductive.”
“I think it’s counter-productive, and especially when it comes to yelling. That’s not the way I perform best.”
“I Did Not Enjoy It” – Mick Foley On Commentating In WWE
Foley’s WWE contract expired in September of 2008, and after a frustrating run on commentary, he quietly exited the company. However, the star says he doesn’t regret trying his hand at commentary as he learned from the experience even if he didn’t enjoy it.
“I tried it, I think I did a pretty good job. I learned from it. I did not enjoy it.”
h/t WrestlingInc