An evening with Mick Foley

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What does a “hardcore” professional wrestling legend do in the humble town of Lancaster, California? Have a one man show of course.

Three time WWE Champion and Hall of Famer, Mick Foley, made a stop here in Lancaster for his final California show of the year. But according to the retired legend, his shows aren’t stand up comedy.

“Well, it’s not really stand up comedy, you’ll see, it’s like a one man show. I never should have called it stand up comedy, because I think it kind of scares people away,” Foley said.

Despite not being a stand up comedy show, it definitely was full of laughs as he told humorous stories from his wrestling career. Foley credits his first autobiography, Have a Nice Day, to the success of his endeavors outside of wrestling.

“The success of that book helped open up doors so that when I did try new ventures, people didn’t think I was out of my mind,” Foley said.

In no way is the hardcore legend out of his mind. In fact, he may be more sane than people think he is. His wrestling matches were painful for him to go through, despite wrestling commentators often claiming he “enjoyed the pain.”

“It gives me a lot of the satisfaction that wrestling in the ring did, without getting injured,” Foley said.

Those in attendance that night who were wrestling fans could also receive a similar satisfaction. The show, much like wrestling, made fans happy and enjoy their time. Instead of yelling, ooh and ahh, fans were able to enjoy Foley with non-stop laughter. But to Foley, it may be easier to get those oohs and ahs.

“A wrestling crowd is easier, because they know exactly what they’re there for. These people, they have no idea what to expect out there. I could be awful and it wouldn’t matter to me. It wouldn’t matter to them because they’re not expecting me to be good.” Foley said.

The multi-time New York Times best selling author, which he has no problem reminding you of, may be underestimating himself. The crowd reacting appropriately to his well-told stories, with perfectly timed punch lines. Even before telling a single joke, the crowd was on their feet with a standing ovation,which Foley claimed was his “shortest ovation.”

A usual part of his routine is often to give a “cheap pop.” A cheap pop in the wrestling world means an easy way of getting the fans to cheer for you. He often does this with his signature catchphrase. “Here.. RIGHT HERE IN..” But he won’t give it up so easily.

“I don’t come out and do it right away. I make people wait on it. In that sense it’s like doing a wrestling move at the right time to get the best reaction,” Foley said.

However, when the time came he teased the crowd. “RIGHT HERE.. in some part of California” Before the show ended, he admitted that he was going for the cheap pop, but couldn’t think of the name of the town. That may be the closest Lancaster will get to being known.

You can view the full interview below