Mick Foley Has Officially Become #ALLELITE

The WWE Hall Of Famer and hardcore legend Mick Foley surprised everyone on December 16^th of last year by announcing he would not be renewing his lucrative WWE Legends contract. The statement, that was posted across his social media, revealed that Foley had informed WWE talent relations the night prior he would immediately stop making personal appearances for the company. Then, just before AEW’s 2026 Double or Nothing pay-per-view, the WWE, pro wrestling, and the fandom, were shocked when Tony Khan announced that Foley had officially signed with the company as Foley appeared on the pay-per-view. Wow.

Foley confirmed his existing contract was set to formally expire in May/June 2026. He further explained in detail on an episode of the YouTube podcast The Ariel Helwani Show on June 2^nd that his long-standing “Legends” deal made him feel “complicit in my silence,” regarding the WWE aligning with President Donald Trump. Foley further stated, “I just think WWE had a very cozy relationship where there was definitely the illusion of a relationship there.” He also said that, to him, the association became uncomfortable when “five different people are posing in the Oval Office and they’ve all received Stone Cold Stunners.” He also stated that he made the sacrifice of his lucrative WWE Legends contract so he could look at himself in the mirror, ensuring he could tell his grandchildren that he stood up for what he truly believed in, rather than choosing to remain silent for a paycheck.

Those are some pretty vague comments for someone who’s held onto his legends contract for a long time. Well before Donald Trump even announced his first bid into the presidential race. But we’re not going to slide any further down the proverbial political rabbit hole. Wise man once say, “This is professional wrestling, this isn’t ballet!” So we won’t go there.

What I can tell you is that the likely nail in the coffin came when President Trump made a truth social post regarding the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife who were tragically found murdered on Sunday, December 14, 2025. Less than 24 hours later Trump took to his truth social, referring to the director as “tortured and struggling” and claimed his death was due to an incurable case of “Trump Derangement Syndrome”. Foley’s December statement cited Donald Trump’s “incredibly cruel comments” as his breaking point. Quoting a famous classic cartoon character, “In the words of Popeye the sailor, ‘I stands all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.'”

Then, months later, just as or perhaps before his contract was up, Mick Foley made his official AEW debut on Sunday, May 24^th. He appeared at the Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York, during the pre-show for AEW’s eighth annual 2026 Double or Nothing pay-per-view. During the Buy In, Renee Paquette interviewed Foley in the ring, while wearing his Crystal Gayle t-shirt, as he gave an emotional speech about AEW revitalizing his love for pro wrestling, and his long-standing friendship with Tony Khan as his motivation for joining the promotion. He noted that their backstage culture encouraged creativity like the Attitude Era.

MJF suddenly interrupted the segment. He insulted the New York Knicks fans as well as Foley saying they’re all good at one thing: losing. Foley spoke to him about his “Title vs Hair” match later that night against Darby Allin. Then Foley insulted MJF right back, saying at least he’s never lost a match in a record two minutes and fifteen seconds. This led to MJF giving Foley a (very well protected) low-blow kick. But, before he could hit Foley with his ring, Darby Allin ran to the ring and chased MJF away. Foley then gave a speech aimed at Allin, sort of a passing-of-the-torch, stating Darby’s reckless, fearless style was the very reason he began watching AEW in the first place. Channeling into his legendary Cactus Jack persona, Foley looked directly at Darby and told him to go out into the main event and “do it for the weirdos like them two.” And gave Allin, and the New York crowd, a few big “BANG! BANG!” Cactus Jack catchphrases.

So, this is where Mick Foley currently stands. What does Foley plan on doing now in AEW? In an edition of Fightful Select Answers Q&A, Sean Ross Sapp addressed a fan question regarding AEW’s plans for Foley following his debut at Double or Nothing. Sapp noted that “AEW expects Foley to participate in all upcoming PPVs and several television shows for the foreseeable future.” This suggests that Foley will have a regular presence at AEW events now that his contract is in place. Referring to another interview with The Ariel Helwani Show, Foley said, “There’s quite a few things I can do. I can host the shows with Renee, Renee’s so much fun to work with. I think I can do a good job on publicity, for being sent out a day or two early to get some publicity.” On possibly taking on a manager role, “I believe I could take on a managerial role for a handful of misfit babyfaces, or heels, and take some of the guys in the middle of the card and give them a little boost up closer to the top of the card.”

And how about one more match? The soon to be 61-year-old birthday boy (born June 7^th, 1965) has “made up his mind” to have one final retirement match under the AEW banner, and Tony Khan is all for it. But it’s a match that cannot officially happen until he undergoes and passes rigorous medical evaluations. Even with his complete right hip and right knee replacements, the hardcore legend’s body still has a ways to go. And it’s been a long ride to get there.

Originally, Foley wanted to have a “60^th Birthday Retirement Match”. Though the match was originally intended to be a violent, final “Death Match” to celebrate turning the big 60, he ultimately had to cancel it due to a “stealth” concussion he suffered during training. Foley had just begun basic, light training inside a wrestling ring when sudden severe dizziness and lightheadedness began to occur. The dizzy spells were bad enough that he had to pull out of multiple scheduled public appearances. After consulting with several doctors, it was confirmed he had sustained a concussion after just light work. On April 8, 2024, Foley uploaded an emotional video titled “I’M CALLING OFF MY FINAL MATCH”, noting that his family strongly urged him to step away from the project. Out of respect for their concerns and his own health, he scrapped the 60th birthday match completely.

Another major hurdle is that in January 2024, Foley hit an all-time peak weight of 372 pounds. Foley had openly confessed that he hated standard fitness routines and traditionally only gets in shape if, and when, he has a wrestling match booked. To try to trick his brain into staying dedicated to his diet, he publicly announced he was training for a “60th Birthday Deathmatch”. But he admitted he was having immense trouble simply moving around and felt like “a heart attack waiting to happen”. Shedding the pounds became an absolute medical necessity. This wasn’t about just for another match anymore, but to protect his basic daily survival and mobility.

It was during this specific training window that MJF entered the picture. Knowing Foley was trying to get in shape for a final match, MJF met with Foley secretly at a Long Island steakhouse. MJF laid out an incredibly compelling, six-week long TV storyline to try to convince Foley that he should be the one to “officially” retire him. Foley loved the idea, which added massive determination fuel to his weight-loss motivation. And then, earlier this year, Foley shared a picture of a scale showing that he had dropped to 272.2 pounds, exactly 100 pounds down from his all-time maximum weight. Foley noted that losing the weight through smarter eating, medical assistance, swimming, and DDP Yoga, it completely transformed his life.

So, here we are with Mick Foley finally becoming #ALLELITE. Fortunately, his 100-pound weight loss has stuck and he shared a memorable, “impactful” moment at Double or Nothing. His drastically improved cardio and lighter frame are exactly what inspired him to start pursuing official medical clearance for that retirement match with MJF after all. Now that the immediate storyline injury from MJF’s “devastating” low blow is behind them, Tony Khan’s primary creative plan for the moment is to integrate Foley into weekly television as a specialized broadcaster for select major matches as well as interview segments.

Backstage reports from Fightful Select and WrestleVotes Radio all confirm that Foley has successfully “talked himself into” wanting a final definitive farewell match, building upon the multi-week script that MJF originally pitched to him. If all else fails and AEW’s medical team still refuses to clear Foley for a traditional live match, Tony Khan is heavily considering a cinematic match format. Similar to the Untertaker’s last “Boneyard Match” with AJ Styles, cinematic matches are pre-taped, heavily edited, and allow for stunt doubles. Therefore, it provides a completely safe loophole to give Foley one final farewell while fully protecting his body, specifically his head and artificial joints.

Currently, Foley’s presence is being utilized backstage in the AEW locker room to boost morale and be a guide to the next generation of stars, actively teaching them how to tell compelling in-ring stories while better protecting their bodies for the long run.

But Foley didn’t leave the WWE on a sour note. In fact, he considers the door is still open as far as a potential future return to the company. However, he has explicitly stated his refusal to work with the company is strictly conditional, maintaining his stance will remain in place only as long as politics remain an issue with Donald Trump in office. Only time will tell there.

For now, don’t be surprised if we suddenly start to see MJF on Dynamite cutting a major promo on the hardcore legend that may very well lead to one more final farewell match for the hardcore legend. One way or another, it looks like it might just finally happen. Now that Mick Foley is…

#ALLELITE.