The Undertaker recalls his first reactions when one of his greatest rivals underwent a big change in character.
In 1996 The Deadman and Mick Foley would go to hell and back in their legendary encounters. The two Hall of Famers battled it out across multiple pay-per-views with the Buried Alive match and Boiler Room Brawl being notable highlights.
One year later The Hardcore Legend would undergo a dramatic change in persona. The twisted Mankind was briefly gone as Dude Love made his onscreen debut in July 1997 to come to the aid of Steve Austin. The tie-dyed and light-hearted iteration of Mick Foley was the polar opposite of what fans had become familiar with and one of the more drastic character changes in recent history. While the live fans gave Dude Love a warm reception, Taker was less than impressed.
Speaking on Six Feet Under, The Phenom recounted his initial thoughts when first seeing Foley as Dude Love. Thinking back to their legendary battles, Taker was in disbelief that this was the same person he faced one year prior:
“I remember when he started doing Dude Love. He passed me in the hall and he could tell by the look on my face…I’ve sold more for him than anybody ever. We’ve been through hell and back together. Then here he is…Dude Love and all this tie-dyed stuff.
“He was getting into character and he was walking down the hall. Then he’d seen me and then he’d seen the look on my face. I’ll never forget him just dropping his head and walking by [like] ‘I’m sorry.’ It’s like, ‘I can’t believe I sold for you.'”
The Undertaker Remembers Terrifying Moment With The Hardcore Legend
With Mankind returning once again, Foley and Undertaker would clash once more at King of the Ring 1998 in one of the most famous matches in WWE history. While the match is still talked about to this day, The Undertaker revealed that it contained the scariest moment in his wrestling career.
In his latest Mount Rushmore list, The Undertaker chose his top 4 big men in wrestling.
H/t to SEScoops.