No matter who has stepped into the ring, they have a story to tell about a This Day in Wrestling History moment they had, saw, or heard about.
It’s what happens when a group of people all know each other and it makes for some great retellings down the road.
What’s often missed when we watch professional wrestling is just how tough they have to be. While it’s scripted, the bumps they take are real and injuries happen.
No one knows this better than Mick Foley as he’s absorbed more than his due share of physical abuse with his near countless hardcore matches.
Despite all of his years doing some of the most dangerous matches and spots imaginable, Mick Foley never tapped out. And yes, we’re ignoring the I Quit match with the Rock since he never really gave up.
Well, not until his TNA World Heavyweight Championship match against Kurt Angle at Victory Road on July 19, 2009.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2kijnU6XRs
A dream match and surprise ending
Kurt Angle and Mick Foley was a dream match for many fans despite Foley being near the end of his career by this point and both competitors dealing with nagging injuries.
While the match wasn’t what it could have been, there’s no denying they gave it their all but there are ways to work around that.
This was one of the knocks against TNA at the time as they always seemed to put the belt on someone that was injured, and this match was more of a cerebral one as both gave us an intelligent match.
It just so happened on this night Angle was the smarter of the two and it helped carry him to victory.
In a match that pitted wrestling skills against brawling, a cerebral approach seems strange, but it worked pretty well.
After Foley refused to tap out to an ankle lock and reached the ropes, Angle broke the hold and pulled him into the middle of the ring and forced Foley to then tap out to a heel lock, allowing Angle to retain his championship.
In many ways, this was the end of an era where Foley went from being one of the most indestructible wrestlers to human and with the match in the books, it also drew Foley one step closer to a richly deserved full time retirement.
This Day in Wrestling History moment is often forgotten or ignored because of Angle and Foley not being at their peak health wise, but it’s still one that we think should be remembered as one of Foley and Angle’s greatest moments.
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