Mick Foley is hanging up his WWE boots—at least when it comes to appearances—for as long as Donald Trump is in the White House, NBC News reports. The wrestling Hall of Famer said on Instagram that he told World Wrestling Entertainment he won't work with the company for the next three years because of its relationship with the president, pointing to Trump's reaction to filmmaker Rob Reiner's death as the "final straw." Foley has long spoken out against Trump, including in the lead-up to the 2024 election, Fox News reports.
Foley, also known in the ring as Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love, said he "would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office." He wrote that he no longer wants to be associated with a company that, in his view, supports a leader "so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy." The breaking point, he said, was reading Trump's comments about Reiner after the director and his wife were found apparently stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home Sunday; Trump blamed their deaths on "Trump Derangement Syndrome" and pointed to their activism for liberal causes, Us Weekly reports.
The 2013 WWE Hall of Fame inductee—who entered the hall in the same class as Trump, who is a celebrity honoree—added that he had been uneasy for months about WWE's ties to the former president, particularly in light of what he called the administration's treatment of immigrants. Trump has long had a close relationship with the wrestling giant, and Linda McMahon, wife of WWE founder Vince McMahon, currently serves in Trump's cabinet and led the Small Business Administration during his first term.
In addition to bowing out of appearances, Foley said he would not be seeking to renew his Legends deal when his contract expires in June. WWE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. One of Foley's longtime industry colleagues, veteran manager Jim Cornette, publicly backed the move, saying Foley had just become his "favorite person in the world" and adding: "I wish all the boys had his backbone and, more importantly, his morals."
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