One of the matches that established Randy Orton as a top star in WWE was his Hardcore match against Mick Foley at Backlash 2004.
Recently, the two veterans rewatched the match and shared their thoughts. Randy Orton mentioned that the match was special for him as Foley, a WWE Hall of Famer, came out of retirement to wrestle him.
“I thought it was really special for Mick Foley just to come out of retirement just to work with me. Backlash, this was a month after I just picked up a win against The Rock and Mick Foley at WrestleMania 20 in Madison Square Garden, and I’m flying high, man!”
“I was the Intercontinental Champion. He’s got to prove that he’s still got it after being retired for four or five years. So, he hadn’t had a match in quite some time,” Orton added.
Randy Orton is grateful for so many WWE Superstars and Mick Foley tops the list
“We were in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. And it was one of the loudest crowds I’ve ever performed in front of. That match helped show the fans that he’s a contender. This kid’s willing to go out there and put his body through that to entertain us. I had him in the palm of my hand. Mick had ‘em in the palm of their hand, and they were eating it up and enjoying every minute of it. And they got to witness me bleed for them. There was so many violent little obstacles on our way. I landed on the thumbtacks in that match. He comes out with all the injuries and everything he’s sustained throughout his career. And he put it on the line to show the world that he can still go, and to pass that torch to a young Randy Orton. And That’s what he did.
“I’m so grateful for so many Superstars, especially back then. The veterans that took the time to help mold me and who I eventually become in this business. Mick Foley is at the top of that list. That match as just as important as any in getting me to where I am today,” Randy Orton said.
Mick Foley claims his match against Randy Orton was his favorite match of all time
The WWE Hall of Famer also shared his thoughts on the match. He mentioned that Orton exceeded all his expectations.
“I felt like I had one last chance. I’d played it safe at Mania. Which is fine, but you don’t get into the WWE Hall of Fame by playing things safe and being fine. And I thought I’ve got this one last chance. I’ve got this amazing young athlete, and we’re in a situation where he can help me have the type of match I need to have to feel complete. And I can help him take that next step up the ladder. And it was a big step. But I wanted to do something special.
“And I thought, given his age and experience, it was a performance for the ages. He carried it off to perfection. You would have thought he hated me. I thought he hated me. You could see it building, you could see it working. The look on his face, that’s the real deal man. Things are not looking up for Randy. Not so fast Randy. My favorite match of all time. We tease it a little bit, we don’t go to the heavy stuff right away.
“And now this is the finest elbow I’ve dropped in my life, largely because of the camera shot that caught it. Boom! Right into your living room, low angle shot. I had some big expectations and he exceeded those. And it was obvious that there had been a major shift. Just the way people reacted to him 24 hours later. It had done exactly what I hoped it would do, and then some,” Mick Foley said.
What is your favorite match of Mick Foley?
