Mick Foley is not what most people think of when they hear "professional wrestler". He is not a huge bruiser or a young stud with chiseled pecks. But he is one think, a damned good bump taker (and its rumored that he has some pretty good technical wrestling skills). Mick Foley was born in Bloomington, Indiana on June 7, 1965. He was the second son of Jack and um.. Mrs. Foley, his older brother's name is John. Soon after his birth, he moved with his family to Setauket, Long Island. His father, Jack Foley was head of athletics at Ward Melville High School (among other schools) in East Setauket, he was also a very educated man with a doctorate and an affinity for reading lots of Newspapers. His mother, a former teacher, was also an avid reader. Mickey Foley was a student at Ward Melville High school in the early 1980s. He had many humorous escapades at that school. Which included entering the schools talent contest with his band, The BPs which stands for something I probably shouldn't say (The Brothers Penis) and singing a song about a guys "weenie". His idol was wrestler "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, whose most famous move was the "Superfly Splash," leap from the top of the ropes onto the canvas and whoever happened to be lying there. During college Mick hitch-hiked to Madison square garden when he was supposed to be at school. During this adventure he saw Snuka do the Superfly Splash from the top of a steal cage. This was something that he never forgot, and it was then that Mick knew what he wanted to do with his life, become a professional wrestler. One day Mick walked a girl that he had a huge crush on back to her dorm, he had been secretly in love with the girl for some time. He though that they were connection well, but when he told her good night she called him "Fred". Mick returned to his dorm distraught and to cheer himself up, he and his friends made a video called "The Story of Fred Foley" in which he pretends to attempt suicide after being called Fred. Mick also appeared as a wrestler named Dude Love in this video. Unlike Mick, The Dude was confident and always got the girls and this video led to the making of he and his friend's second film "The Loved One". In this video Mick (as Dude Love) took a leap off of a friends house onto a pile of mattresses stacked below. The Dude lost this match but the tape would eventually help launch Mick's wrestling career.

In the mid-1980s, while studying at the State University at Cortland, Foley showed his films to a wrestling promoter named Tommy Dee that he met through his father. After setting up rings for a while Tommy Dee put him in touch with Domenic DeNucci, a former wrestler and trainer based in Pittsburgh. And Mick began driving 400 miles from Cortland every weekend to attend DeNucci's school in PA.

Mick debuted as "Cactus Jack" (after his father, Jack Foley) on June 24, 1983 with a loss to Kurt Kaufman. He worked as Cactus Jack for a while and a few years later, got to go to the WWF.

When he started working for the WWF in 1986, where he wrestled shortly under the guise of Jack Foley, he only worked as a jobber. Mick quit as Jack Foley when people started recognizing him because he did not want to be recognized as a jobber and continue on that road.

After the WWF. Cactus Jack appeared in Nigeria, in UFW and eventually in the CWA as a member of the "Stud's Stable", and won the tag titles there with Gary Young. The remainder of the Stud Stable turned on Cactus & Young, and they lost the belts on November 7, 1988, to Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden. Cactus & Young lost a loser-leaves-town match on November 20, leading to Cactus' appearance in World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), which had separated from the NWA. But after working there for a while Mick felt he was losing too much in this federation and decided to leave. He then ended up in WCW where he met Terry Funk (a legendary wrestler who is still performing today at age 54). He and Terry would eventually become good friends. It was in WCW where Mick came up with "Bang, Bang!". After a doing a flying elbow, Cactus Jack looked at the camera and (for some reason thinking of the B52's song "Love Shack") yelled "Bang, bang, bang on the door baby!". Cactus Jack was pretty well received in WCW until Mick eventually left the company after having differences with booker Ole Anderson.

After that he worked for his old boss Tommy Dee. At Commack Motor Speedway Cactus Jack was promoting Tommy Dee's shows, it was at this racetrack that he met his future wife, Colette, a former model. (Later, in 1992 Mick would become a father, his son Dewey was born on February 20th of that year). After this he began to wrestle in All-Japan pro wrestling among other places. Until he ended up back at WCW, where he teamed up with Abdullah the Butcher and feuded with the likes of Sting and Vader. He also worked with Diamond Dallas page, and a guy named Stunning Steve Austin, who would later be known as "Stone Cold" something or other. During this stint in WCW his daughter, Noel, was born.

In Germany, while wrestling Vader, Cactus's head was caught in the ring ropes, and, while freeing himself, 2/3 of his ear was torn off. The ear was too badly damaged to be re-attached. Cactus then returned to the USA for a tag title match.

After the incident, Cactus lost a loser-leaves-WCW match to Kevin Sullivan. Following this loss, he wrestled in Japan and Tennessee's SMW, as well as ECW, where he was to make the biggest mark. At the start of his ECW tenure.

In ECW Cactus would have a bloody series of matches with Sabu. Following this, he teamed with a rookie named Mikey Whipwreck and they won the tag team titles from the Public Enemy. Not long after this, Kevin Sullivan came in to ECW, allegedly as Jack's tag team partner, but he eventually turned on him, reprising their WCW feud. He was able to eliminate Sandman from competition for a while due to a concussion, but was later attacked by Sandman, along with DC Drake and Terry Funk. After defeating Funk, he embarked on a series of brutal title matches with Sandman, one of which was a barbed-wire rope match. Although Cactus won this match and was declared ECW World Champion, Bill Alfonso reversed the referee's decision. He continued wrestling in ECW until April 1996, when he defeated Mikey Whipwreck in his farewell match. After doing the Fargo Strut with Stevie Richards & the Blue Meanie, Cactus cut an interview stating that he was no longer going to wrestle as Cactus Jack. Mick Foley would then debut on WWF as Mankind.

On Monday Night Raw, the night after Wrestlemania 12, Mankind was set to make his debut. He defeated Bob Holly relatively easily, unveiling a new finishing move, which he called the Mandible Claw (which involves pressing the index/middle fingers down on the packet of nerves underneath the tongue, causing paralyzing pain). During his time with the WWF, Mick has wrestled as Mankind for the most part, but he eventually debuted as his original character, Dude Love, who he had never wrestled as before. After this even Cactus Jack was introduced to the WWF. And for a time Mick would alternate his three wrestling personas. Only actually wrestling under the name 'Mick Foley' once in his career (against Terry Funk). Nowadays Mick usually won't wrestle as Cactus Jack anymore because he does not feel that the fans appreciated Cactus. This is because while he and then partner, Terry Funk were being assaulted by Degeneration X, the fans ignored them and chanted "Austin, Austin" repeatedly, in the hopes that Stone Cold Steve Austin would make an appearance.

In 1998 Mankind faced The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match during King of the Ring 98'. It was here that he was thrown 16 feet off of the cage to the announcer's table below. He then got back up on the top of the cage and was choke-slammed through it by Undertaker. After that (with his tooth knocked out and protruding from his upper lip) he was backdropped into thumbtacks. Although this was not Mick's bloodiest match ever, it has become his most famous, and is considered by many to be the best match in WWF history. After this fans had a whole new respect for Mick Foley.

At Survivor Series in 1998, Mankind was given a path to the finals, defeating the returning "superstar" Duane Gill in the first round, Al Snow in the second, and Steve Austin in the semifinals (with help from Shane McMahon). Then, in the finals against The Rock, Vince McMahon screwed Mankind out of the WWF title by having the bell ring prematurely and awarding the match to The Rock.

Several weeks later, on Raw, Mankind was able hold Shane McMahon hostage and use him as bait to goad Mr. McMahon into agreeing to give him yet another title shot on Raw. During this match, The Rock nearly had Mankind defeated, when Steve Austin made a surprise appearance and blasted the champ with a chair shot, allowing Mankind to cover and win his first WWF World Heavyweight Title! The following was posted on WWF.com the day after the title change:
"Years of sacrifice and punishment finally paid off for Mick Foley this past Tuesday night at this week's RAW IS WAR television tapings. With the undying support of the sold-out crowd in the Worcester MA) Centrum, the King of Hardcore pinned The Rock to become the newest World Wrestling Federation Champion."

An emotional post-match celebration followed, as an exhausted Foley thanked his family and acknowledged his millions of fans around the world. The new Champion ran around the ring with the title raised over his head as the tens of thousands of fans in attendance chanted his name over and over.

After this Mankind lost the title back to the Rock and won it again a short time later, making him the 2 time champion. He lost it to the Rock again however, because the sinister Vince McMahon of early 99' made sure of it. Later in 1999 Mankind won the yet again becoming the 3 time champion. He later lost it to Triple H, who at the time was the WWF's major heel (bad guy). Shortly after this Mick's book "Mankind: Have a Nice Day" came out. It soon went to number one on the New York Times best sellers list. Mick Foley is still constantly on the road for the WWF. Rumors of his imminent retirement are in the air and he has brought Cactus Jack back to the WWF to rival Triple H. Triple H deafeated Cactus at Royal Rumble in a brutal hardcore street fight. Then at the next Pay per View NO WAY OUT, Cactus said he would retire if he lost to TRIPLE H in a HELL IN A CELL MATCH, he did lose after a brutal contest and apparently retired. Four weeks later Foley returned, claiming that Linda McMahon asked him back, and he would have a one night only, last match at wrestle mania. HHH pinned him and also beat out the Rock and Big Show in a four way match, Mick has apparently retired for good.

Mick Foley's book: Have a Nice Day.