How The Rock & Mick Foley Broke Records (& Drove Vince McMahon Crazy)
Highlights
- The Rock and Mankind's "This Is Your Life" segment captivated audiences and sparked backstage turmoil.
- Vince McMahon was enraged by the extended segment that broke schedule, nearly halting it.
- The segment achieved record ratings, leading The Rock and Mankind to confront McMahon after success.
The "This is Your Life" segment between The Rock and Mankind remains a subject of fascination and controversy. It was an insane display on a seemingly ordinary night on WWE Raw, when Mick Foley, in his Mankind persona, orchestrated a tribute to his friend, The Rock. Yet, what unfolded transcended expectations, sparking backstage turmoil and yet somehow entertained audiences worldwide. Somehow, this seemingly entertaining segment ignite enraged reactions from Vince McMahon and the officials backstage. What happened when The Rock and Foley confronted McMahon after the segment’s unparalleled success?
The "This is Your Life" Segment Between The Rock And Mankind Happened On WWE Raw
Mick Foley And The Rock Were A Perfect Comedy Team
Segment Name | Wrestlers Involved | Date |
|---|---|---|
"This is Your Life" | Mankind (Mick Foley) and The Rock | September 27, 1999 episode of WWE Raw |
The September 27, 1999, episode of WWE Raw bore witness to a segment that would transcend its time and become ingrained in wrestling lore. Mick Foley, donning his infamous Mankind persona, took center stage to orchestrate a surprise tribute to his on-screen rival turned friend, The Rock. Titled "This is Your Life," the segment promised a journey through The Rock's past, but what unfolded was a rollercoaster of hilarity, nostalgia, and unexpected twists.
As Foley kicked off the festivities with his trademark enthusiasm, the audience braced themselves for a glimpse into the enigmatic life of The Great One. What followed was a parade of characters from The Rock's past, each more eccentric and entertaining than the last. From a former high school coach to his ex-flame from the past, Foley spared no expense in resurrecting figures from The Rock's storied past. Of course, these were all actors. The Rock, initially bemused by the unexpected spectacle, soon found himself squirming in discomfort as each guest regaled the audience with tales of his past antics and escapades. What made the segment truly hilarious was the chemistry between Foley and The Rock.
Attitude Era: 5 The Rock Moments That Have Aged Well (& 5 That Haven't)
The Rock is an all-time great but like a lot of things from the Attitude Era, not much of what he did has aged well. Some stuff has, though.Vince McMahon Was Angry At The Rock And Mick Foley
The “This Is Your Life” Segment Went Overtime On Raw
Behind the scenes, chaos ensued. Vince McMahon was livid. Originally slated for 14 minutes, the segment stretched to an unforeseen 26 minutes, disrupting the meticulously planned schedule. McMahon, known for his meticulous control over WWE programming, nearly stormed out to halt the segment. As Foley revealed in a WWE YouTube video:
“What people don’t know about This Is Your Life, almost everyone loved it, one person decidedly did not like it at all and that was Mr. McMahon. Keep in mind, I think we had 14 minutes slotted, and we went 26 on live, national television. Prime time TV. They brought in some local actors to portray the coach, the teacher, the former girlfriend. There have been other attempts to try to recreate that, and I don’t think anyone’s ever gonna get it like that because part of the beauty is that it was so loosely produced. So Dwayne did have the chance to just make it such a star vehicle, and with so little effort. When it was clear that we had not tanked, but instead done the exact opposite, we went in bold pursuit of Mr. McMahon and that’s when we walked away with the agreement that we could do whatever we wanted from that point on.” (H/T Fightful)
Bruce Prichard, a longtime WWE executive, echoed McMahon's sentiments on his Something to Wrestle podcast, labeling the segment as subpar and expressing anger over its runtime overrun. The perception among the backstage crew was that the extended segment was a selfish move by The Rock and Foley, resulting in resentment and adjustments on the fly.
10 Dumb Moments From The Rock's Career Most WWE Fans Forgot About
While The Rock is one of the most beloved WWE wrestlers of all time, there are some bad moments in his career that fans probably forgot about.The Rock And Mankind's "This Is Your Life" Segment Did Record Ratings
The Rock And Mick Foley Confronted Vince McMahon
Despite the backstage turmoil, the segment emerged as a ratings juggernaut, attaining an impressive 8.4 rating. To this day, it is one of the highest-rated WWE Raw segments in history. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Radio recounted Mick Foley's revelation of the aftermath when he ran into Foley on occasion. Foley told him that following the segment's resounding success, The Rock and Foley confronted Vince McMahon. Meltzer said:
“That’s how much he (Vince McMahon) hated the segment. And so he’s telling the story and then the next day comes, and it did an 8.4 quarter and The Rock found out and him and Mick go into Vince’s office trying to find Vince. And they go into the office, and I guess Vince saw them coming, and Vince was like, the night before, he was really negative to both of them about how much the segment sucked right, so they come to confront him, and he’s hiding behind the couch, but they saw his feet. So he was trying to make them think that he’s not there, and then they would leave, but they saw his feet, and so he came up, and he goes, ‘Okay, you did a good quarter rating or something like that, okay, I guess it was good.”
In a seldom-seen instance in WWE history, forced to acknowledge his mistake, McMahon begrudgingly ate his own words, a moment of vindication for the defiant duo of The Rock and Mick Foley.
