Mick Foley signs with TNA Wrestling….So What?

Photo courtesy of tnawrestling.com

By now, you have probably heard the news that Mick Foley, the former three-time World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Champion and Hardcore Legend, has signed with Total Nonstop Action (TNA) wrestling after his WWE contract expired on Sept. 1, 2008.

Foley, who had been serving as a color-commentator on WWE Smackdown for the last five-six months, will debut for TNA at the next set of television tapings at Universal Studios in Orlando as TNA taped three-works worth of shows at their last tapings.

If anyone needs more confirmation that this story is indeed true, splashed on the front-page of the TNA website, there is a banner (pictured at the top of the entry) that reads “Have A Nice Day” right next to a smiley face wrapped in barbed-wire. In addition, Foley stated in his most recent blog on his myspace page that he would see everyone at the “Impact Zone,” which is the name TNA has titled Soundstage 21, where they tape their television show, “TNA Impact.”

It has yet to be determined what role Foley will serve in the company but that has not stopped the company from already designing and printing up t-shirts for the arriving Foley.

TNA fans may be in heaven with the recent addition of Foley but personally, I don’t see what the big deal is. If TNA and their fans think they are getting the same Foley of 10-12 years ago, they are gravely mistaken for the fact that one could count on both hands how many matches Foley has had since losing his “Retirement Match” to Triple H at No Way Out 2000.

I cannot see Foley being a full-time wrestler, given he was not worked a full schedule in close to a decade. Foley is good for the occasional one-time, big-fight atmosphere match every now-and-then, as he showed with his “Hardcore” match against Edge at Wrestlemania 22. But if TNA and its fans are drooling over a series of “Monster’s Ball” matches with Foley and Abyss, they need to come back to reality.

Also, given Foley’s statements about how his announcing gig wasn’t working out in WWE, I cannot see him doing commentary for TNA, even though everyone knows TNA needs to get rid of Mike Tenay and Don West.

So if Foley is not going to be a full-time or even part-time wrestler and not announcing, what exactly is he going to do and why did TNA sign him? Foley could join the TNA writing team as it needs all the help it can get but unless Foley plans to kiss-up to Jeff Jarrett, Dutch Mantel, Terry Taylor, Scott D’Amore and Vince Russo on a daily basis, I don’t see him keeping his sanity long.

The more I think I about it, the more I am starting to believe that TNA signed Foley just for the sake of signing him and maybe to get back at WWE for snatching up Gail Kim a few weeks ago. I could be wrong but given the fact that there doesn’t appear to be a legitimate spot for Foley in the company that one could easily see him doing, I cannot think of anything else.

Lastly, if TNA and its fans think Foley is going to help TNA jump up in the ratings, they need to think about this little tidbit……If Kurt Angle, Sting, Christian Cage, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner, Team 3D and Booker T couldn’t lift the ratings, do you really think Mick Foley will?