Grilling JR - Mankind 1996 [Show Notes] (Patreon)

This week on Grilling JR we’re celebrating the 25 year anniversary of the debut of Mankind and the introduction of Mick Foley to the World Wrestling Federation!

The story of Mankind being in the WWF begins with you doesn’t it Jim?

Mick Foley was never expected to be in the WWF because of his look, his work in death matches and the inability to see him as a major player. What does it say about the company that in 1996 not only will Mankind debut but debut as a top guy going up against one of the longest reigning stars...The Undertaker?

Monday Night Raw on January 29th is the debut of the Mankind vignette. It doesn’t show the mask or his face but it does show his disfigured ear. How much input did Mick have in these and do you think the ability to give him some creative freedom made this character a home run before even getting going?

How important was Jim Cornette’s pet rat George to the package?

There’s a lot of talent debuts & returns going on in the early part of 1996. You have Steve Austin debuting, Ultimate Warrior returning, Marc Mero signing among others. You’re also about to lose Diesel, Razor & the Kid. How important was this influx of talent and was there a concern that with all the debuts & returns someone was going to get lost in the shuffle?

A little known fact that Mankind does his gimmick for the USWA on March 18th against Jerry Lawler. Was this the test run Mick needed?

How did Mick picking different entrance and exit music make him stand out even more than the gimmick?

Was there a part of the gimmick that didn’t make it to air you think would’ve added to the product?

Mankind debuts on WWF TV by defeating Bob Holly via the mandible claw the night after WrestleMania 12. The debut match is fine with Holly really getting squashed but Raw goes off the air that night with Mankind attacking The Undertaker and dropping the elbow off the apron. How much of an impact is it to do this type of damage to The Undertaker?

Did you ever know of any issues Taker had putting over a new guy in the company even with the respect Mick had in the industry?

After the impact of the debut did you ever gloat to anyone about Foley coming in and having that immediate star impact?

Did you think Taker - Mankind was going to be a one time type of thing or did you know these two could have the program length they ended up having?

Mankind and Goldust start a loose affiliation where Mankind would attack Undertaker. It’s almost like Taker had two programs going on at the same time. Why do you think Goldust & Mankind were almost put together here?

The first big one-on-one match between Mankind & the Undertaker happens at King of the Ring 1996 (yes the Austin 3:16 King of the Ring) from Milwaukee. Here’s Meltzer’s review of the match:

“5. Mankind beat Undertaker in 18:21 with the mandible claw. A wild, stiff match with the only negative being that it went too long. Mankind used the elbow off the apron and got a chair, but when he went to use it, Undertaker kicked the chair into Mankind's face. Mankind took a backdrop on the floor onto the chair. He took a hard chair to the back. Mankind got out of the tombstone and hit a neckbreaker, then went for the claw, but it was blocked. Mankind got a lengthy nerve hold. Later Mankind tried the elbow off the apron again, but this time Undertaker hit him with a chair on the way down, then gave him a hard chair shot to the head. Mankind came back with a piledriver for a near fall. Mankind threw a fit not getting the pin including pulling some of his hair out. Mankind got the urn, but Paul Bearer got it back. Finally Bearer went to hit Mankind with the urn, but he moved and it hit Undertaker. Mankind then used the claw and got the submission win. Fans were basically shocked by the finish. It's gutsy to have a babyface icon lose in such a convincing fashion, especially a strong gimmick guy, but when they did it at Wrestlemania X with Bret and Owen, it led to some rematches that drew the biggest houses in a long time. ***¼”

This is really the first match in the WWF that worked very loose with the rules. Is that able to be done here because of Taker or did you know that had to be the package for these two?

Meltzer points out the fact that Taker losing here is a convincing loss that really that character didn’t have happen much. What was it about Mankind that the decision was made that this is the right move?

Is it determined around this time that Paul Bearer is going to end up going with Mankind?

At the next pay-per-view...In Your House International Incident...Mankind defeats Henry Godwinn (who subbed for Jake Roberts) and Taker wins by DQ over Goldust after Undertaker is attacked by Mankind. It leads to them brawling in the boiler room. Couple things here...where was Jake? Who made the decision that a Boiler Room Brawl was next at SummerSlam and how did the concept come to be?

Did Mick or Taker have any objections to the gimmick?

Mankind starts a “Mommy” angle with Goldust, Marc Mero & Sable where Mankind would stalk Sable calling her “Mommy.” Jim...what the hell?

Did it seem like there were a lot of programs being worked by a couple different guys that seemed to run parallel? Is that smart creative or too smart creative?

Mankind debuts at Madison Square Garden on August 9th and defeats Jake Roberts in 37 seconds. How big a deal was it for Foley to work MSG after his history with the building?

We get to SummerSlam 96 and the classic Boiler Room Brawl. Meltzer would review the match in the Observer:

“6. Mankind beat Undertaker in 26:20 of the Boiler Room match. The rules of the match is that the first person to break out of the Boiler Room and get to the ring and get the urn from Paul Bearer would be the winner. The first part of the match was taped the previous day, largely for timing and possible editing purposes if something were to go wrong. It was like a movie fight scene with the two bashing each other with objects and Mankind taking hellacious bumps and taking sick punishment. The problem was, with no crowd noise audible and the announcers not voicing over the action, the fighting sequence was way too long. Among the highlights were garbage can shots, Mankind turning steam on in Undertaker's face, low blows with an object, etc. They even had a few segments where the picture went out, which must have been on purpose since it was pre-taped, but were kind of bad. Mankind did an elbow drop off a ladder to the floor once, and later took a bump while Undertaker threw down the ladder and he was near the top of the ladder. Mankind got out first and put all kinds of barricades blocking the door. Undertaker still got out the door. The rest of the segment (from the point the door opened where you saw the referee by the door) was done live and it was really good. They brawled in the backstage area with Mankind taking a bump over a table. Mankind smashed Undertaker with metal steps and supposedly threw scalding coffee on him. Undertaker broke a 2x4 over Mankind's back. Mankind rammed Undertaker into the ring steps and gave him a piledriver on the floor. Undertaker made a comeback and threw Mankind off the apron where he took the Nestea plunge bump backward crashing to the floor. Undertaker went to get the urn from Bearer, who turned his back on him. Mankind used the mandible claw and went to get the urn but Undertaker sat up. Mankind put the claw back on Undertaker. Bearer then slapped and kicked Undertaker and finally hit him with the urn and gave the urn to Mankind. After the match the lights went out and music played and a group of druids in the dark carried the "dead" Undertaker to the back. No rating because so much of it was taped, but Bearer was great doing the turn and both worked very hard. The only negative was the boiler room stuff lasted too long and needed commentary and crowd noise. The announcers did a great job with the turn.”

Lot to unpack here. The concept itself is one of the more creative ideas for a new match type but who made the decision to have the announcers be silent during the taped part and do you think it hurt the viewer experience? Was it hard to get into commentary half way through a match? What did you think of the presentation as a whole and the turn by Bearer is one of the all-time moments in WWF history don’t you think?

The next night on Raw you’re in the ring for a segment where we discuss Paul Bearer’s turn on Taker and it’s announced that Mankind will take on Shawn Michaels at the next In Your House in Philadelphia called Mind Games for the WWF Title. Was Foley booked in this match because of it being in Philly and was it named Mind Games when it was determined Foley would take on Shawn Michaels or was that a coincidence?

Did anyone ever object to Mick using the Mandible Claw?

The Undertaker gets a staph infection working in Puerto Rico and so some of the house shows need to be re-booked. A couple of the nights are booked with Mark Henry bearhugging Mick and putting him in the casket intended for Taker. Then we get to Oklahoma City & Tulsa and it’s decided that Bill Watts and Mankind will get into it. Who put that together and why was it you Jim?

We get to Mind Games and Mankind cuts a promo early in the show to make sure the crowd booed him. Was the worry real high that Mick would be cheered in Philadelphia?

This is Mick’s first pay-per-view main event in his career which is crazy when you look back. Here’s Meltzer’s report from the main event:

“6. Shawn Michaels retained the WWF title beating Mankind in 26:25 via DQ. Mankind was brought to the ring in a casket by druids. Mankind was whipped into the ropes and hung himself in between the ropes, but when Michaels came after him, Mankind used the mandible claw. He kept the claw on and Michaels escaped sending Mankind into the guard rail. Michaels clipped him with a chair and smashed the chair on his claw hand and began stomping the hand…. Mankind shook the ropes and Michaels crotched himself. He went for a backward superplex from the middle rope outside the ring, but Michaels turned in mid-air and the two went crashing backwards through the spanish announcing table. Back in the ring, Mankind was on the top rope with a chair when Michaels did a Sabu spot running across the ring, leaping off a chair and superkicking the chair Mankind was holding into his face. As he went for the pin, Michaels strangely got up and started punching Vader for the DQ. My guess is Vader was supposed to interfere at the count of two but was a tad bit slow and they had to improvise. As Michaels took care of Vader, Paul Bearer hit Michaels with the urn. Sid then ran in and chased Vader to the back. Bearer used the urn and Mankind sat up ala Undertaker and went to put Michaels in the casket, but when they opened the lid, Undertaker got out of the casket (they did the revolving inside casket gimmick) and chased Mankind to the back. A super match but the weak ending kept it from being a match of the year. ****¾”

Lot to unpack here Jim. After Michaels & Mankind go crashing into the table it’s shown on camera Vince McMahon sort of yelling at Earl Hebner. Was it Vince yelling at Earl to go home early and that’s why Vader was late?

Was this a breakthrough moment do you think for Vince with Mankind that he can hang with everyone and that he can be a top star?

How proud of you were Mick watching this match knowing what was on the line for him?

Two weeks later on Raw we see the first vignette of Mankind in a cemetery preparing for the Buried Alive match against Undertaker. Who comes up with the gimmick of being Buried Alive?

In Your House Buried Alive happened in Indianapolis. Here’s the Observer report from the match:

“5. Undertaker beat Mankind in 18:25 in the buried alive match. They had built a dirt mound cemetery behind the ringside seats on the arena floor. Although the ending was goofy, the match itself was a really good effort by both. Mankind took lots of crazy bumps into the guard rail, over the guard rail, onto the floor and on the steps. Undertaker actually did a great plancha and must be the biggest guy ever to try such a stunt. This was worked similarly to a lot of recent ECW main events with crazy bumps and brawling, but the work itself wasn't as sloppy. As the ref tried to stop Undertaker from throwing dirt on him, he twice threw the ref off the cemetery. Finally Terry Gordy showed up under a mask with a shovel and hit Undertaker with the shovel, pulled Mankind out of the grave and put Undertaker in the grave. Several heels began burying Undertaker until the thunder and lightning in the arena and his hand appeared. ***¾”

Lot to unpack here. What’s the secret of the Buried Alive match? How do these guys get buried alive? Terry Gordy being introduced here...was Mick for or against it and do you think it was a positive for the act? Were you worried about the amount of punishment Mick was taking at this point?

This is Taker’s first win over Mankind since his debut on TV/PPV but it still wasn’t a pinfall finish. Was that being saved do you think?

Survivor Series 96 has Mankind vs Taker at MSG with Paul Bearer being hung above the ring in a cage. Does this stipulation always suck or is it just since the 90s and is it an outdated gimmick?

From the Observer…

“2. Undertaker pinned Mankind in 14:52 after a tombstone. Paul Bearer was in a cage above the ring. Undertaker came out with a new ring costume, dropping from the ceiling in a ring outfit with bat wings, and with a new haircut as well as a way to debut a new Undertaker who does more wrestling. This match made psychological sense, but was nowhere close to the level of some of the previous matches these two have had. Also, after doing boiler room matches and buried alive matches where Undertaker was all but killed, it's hard to put the two guys in a regular match and get people jazzed about it. Most of the way it was Undertaker working on Mankind's fingers. At one point Undertaker had Mankind by the throat for the choke slam but Mankind got the mandible claw at the same time. Because the hands had been worked on, the claw didn't work to its normal level of effectiveness and Undertaker was able to hit a choke slam. Mankind came back using a foreign object but Undertaker hit the tombstone for the win. Bearer was lowered into the ring, but before Undertaker could do anything to him, The Executioner nailed him from behind. Taker came back and ran Executioner off in a weak sequence. **¼”

Meltzer has a point here don’t you think? Boiler Room Brawl, Buried Alive, straight up wrestling match. Kind of backwards don’t you think?

The re-birth of the Undertaker here is really the highlight.

The next night on Monday Night Raw Steve Austin subs in for Vader who’s hurt to face Mankind in a No Holds Barred Match. They open the show and they’re two top heels. How rare is this for the WWF at the time and is this the type of match that you think moved the WWF towards the Attitude Era?

Mankind is put in a straight jacket during Undertaker - Executioner at In Your House “It’s Time” but not before he’s thrown through the entrance destroying the front door & window. Foley’s here to make sure it’s entertaining with Gordy in the ring right?

Terry Gordy disappears not long after. Such a shame for a guy who used to be one of the top workers and after he got sick on that airplane ride to Japan he just never came back fully.