Mick Foley recently talked about a wide range of topics on his Foley is Pod, available via AdFreeShows.
During it, the WWE Hall Of Famer talked about whether barbwire or thumbtacks are worse to take in a match.
“Oh, that’s an easy one because some tacks, rate very highly on the risk-reward ratio analysis because the reward is very high. The risk is, I don’t want to say it’s very low, but when your biggest concerns are making sure you’re closing, if you’re dumb enough to take it face first, which I was on a couple of occasions and then you also want the clean tacks, right? For years I thought I had a skin rash that wouldn’t go away no matter what kind of creams I was putting on it. Then I realized it wasn’t a rash. It was hundreds of tiny hole puncture scars that made up something that looked like a rash. So they don’t leave. Too bad of a mark and barbed wire around a bat is not bad, but barbed wire when it’s in place of the ring ropes, not in addition to, but in place. They can catch and tear you and change your life in a major way. And I think the best example of that is when Sabu got something like what would have been 100 stitches if he didn’t superglue it himself. And that to me, was one of the gutsiest moments in wrestling where, in any other sport a guy gets the equivalent of 100 stitch wounds, and bam, they take a little time out. And instead, he got Bill Afonso to run to the back, came out with a roll of tape, and he wrapped his leg while the match was going on. And that’s among the most badass moments in any athletic endeavor. I think. So Barbed wire was much, much, much more dangerous because he could catch and tear.”
Foley was also asked whether he’s ever used rubber-tipped barbwire.
“Only a couple of times. And I’ll leave that up to people to figure out where it is. I always liked the idea. I liked the realism of it. But I think I’ve told this story when I had boiler room matches. So the first was in 96, the second against the Undertaker. The second was in 99. I think with the big show in May of 99, I think. And Richie Posner was known as the Magic Man. And he came up to me a week or two before that match with Undertaker and asked me if I needed any props. And I said, Listen, I don’t want to seem out of line. I know I’m fairly new here, but I don’t use props. Like, if I’m going to use something, it’s going to be real. And that was the way I felt in 1996. And then in 1999, I went up to Richie a week before my match with Big Show and said, I need as much stuff as you can give me. So that was the only time I ever used fake blood. And it worked. It was great. Nobody knew. Again, it’s just a matter of getting over the finish line. And I would encourage people if you’re going to get 99% of the reaction with 5%, I’m not a mathematician, but according to the instantaneous Foley risk-reward ratio analysis, I’m going to say rubber-tipped poses 5%. And I do know for a fact that I would much rather sign like a belt that’s wrapped in rubber tip barbed wire than real barbed wire. And it’s a miracle that people can even get these things through airports and metal detectors at conventions. So there is a difference. I used it a few times and I was okay with it.
And I would encourage if people to want to play with that unless it’s the hardcore stuff. If you’re in an organization that prides itself on being hardcore or being like, if you find out that there was a fake barbed wire used in a deathmatch tournament, well, it’s not going to fare well with those fans. With Nick Gage, ever use rubber tip barbed wire? So I’ve just been verified by Tara Zepp that Nick Gage would not. I will tell you this. I got a cameo for my kids two Christmases ago from Nick Gage, and I sent a message to him and I said, Nick, just because I don’t curse doesn’t mean I don’t want you to curse. Don’t give him, like the G-rated Nick Gage, give him the full force thing. And so in the course of about a minute and 10s Nick used more swear words than I’ve used in the last decade. So, I’m just verifying his hardcore credentials. So yeah, use the rubber tip. Unless you’re working for an organization that prides itself on the deathmatch or hardcore moniker.”