5 Best Matches He Wrestled as Cactus Jack (& 5 As Mankind)

Mick Foley is a pro-wrestling legend known for his hardcore style. Throughout the decades, his matches would involve weapons and regular over-the-top violence. He was known for being the victim of some of the most gruesome attacks in wrestling history throughout his illustrious career.

RELATED:10 Best Years Of Mick Foley's Career, Ranked 

Foley is a fan favorite and stayed relevant with his various gimmicks. The fans loved the cool and laid back character of Dude Love, but his characters Cactus Jack and Mankind are his most recognized and respected. As those two characters, he had matches that still stand the test of time and are considered the best the sport has ever seen. Here are the 5 best matches Mick wrestled as Cactus Jack and his five best as Mankind.

10 Cactus Jack: ECW November To Remember (1995)

The main event between Cactus Jack and Raven vs Tommy Dreamer and Terry Funk was ludicrously extreme. All of these wrestlers are known for their antics and they were on display in front of the Philadelphia crowd. Extreme Championship Wrestling had an unusual repertoire of weapons on-hand compared to normal wrestling promotions.

Weapons in this match consisted of a VCR, barbed wire, and a golf club among others. Tommy Dreamer and Terry Funk exited victorious but it did not matter because they were still beating each other up after the bell - leaving Raven and Dreamer bloodied.

9 Mankind: Royal Rumble (1999)

In one of the most violent matches in WWF history, Mankind defended his WWF Championship against The Rock in an "I Quit" match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. As expected, both competitors were fighting all over the arena - Mankind receiving most of the brutality. He was hit by the ring bell and thrown from the crowd onto an electrical circuit board that sparked, causing the arena to lose power for seconds. The worst part was Mankind being handcuffed and taking 11 unprotected chair shots to the head. The Rock would put the microphone against Mankind's face while he was down and uttered the words "I Quit" three times, making The Rock the new WWF Champion.

8 Cactus Jack: IWA: King Of The Deathmatch (1995)

The final match in the King of the Deathmatch tournament was between Cactus Jack and Terry Funk. Two wrestlers who made their names in hardcore wrestling. The match was fought in Japan in front of the largest crowd the promotion ever had in its existence.

RELATED:10 Greatest Matches Of Terry Funk's Career, Ranked 

The ring had barbed wire as ropes and exploding barbed wire boards inside the ring. Both wrestlers were using the weapons around them, beating each other to a bloody pulp. During the match, there was an exploding ring time bomb that went off outside the ring - the wrestlers and fans were not hurt by it. Cactus Jack would win by pinfall due to Terry Funk collapsing, exhausted.

7 Mankind: In Your House 10 - Mind Games (1996)

Mankind went on to face Shawn Michaels at the In Your House pay-per-view for the WWF Championship in 1996. It was high-profile, a match against the company's face. This was one of the more technical matches Foley had in his career even though a chair and steel steps were involved.

The fast-paced match was a classic until WWF superstar Vader came out and interfered. Shawn Michaels retained his championship via disqualification. After the bell, Sycho Sid came out to fight off Vader while the Undertaker came out of a coffin and went after Mankind.

6 Cactus Jack: Monday Night Raw (1997)

The feud between Dude Love and HHH took a turn for the worse during an episode of Monday Night Raw in 1997. A "falls count anywhere" match was scheduled but Dude Love wasn't interested. He mentioned on the big screen that he had someone in mind to take his place - Cactus Jack.

A man made for these types of matches, Cactus Jack beat HHH up all over the arena. He body-slammed HHH onto the concrete and even had to fight off HHH's bodyguard, Chyna. Cactus Jack was victorious after piledriving HHH through a table and pinning him by the entrance before Chyna could get to them.

5 Mankind: Halftime Heat (1999)

Mankind would get his rematch for the WWF Championship during the Superbowl halftime show. In the most unique match in WWF history, it started in the ring with an empty house. It was just Mankind vs The Rock and Vince McMahon on commentary. And of course, a camera crew to follow the action.

RELATED: Halftime Heat Was The Most-Watched NXT Match Ever 

In a "falls count anywhere" match, they fought in the stands, in the arena's kitchen, backstage cafeteria, an office, and ended backstage closer to the ring. Mankind would win his second WWF Championship after he lowered wooden pallets on top of The Rock via a forklift. securing the pinfall. It was the perfect revenge after his loss to The Rock at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view a month earlier.

4 Cactus Jack: Holiday Hell (1995)

The match between Cactus Jack and Sabu was the main event for the Holiday Hell Pay-Per-View in 1995. What hilariously started with Olympic wrestling rules shortly turned extreme as ECW wrestler 9-1-1 took out the referee and in turn became the referee himself. Both wrestlers started beating each other senseless with chairs. Sabu, at the time, was innovative by doing high flying moves with a chair in his hands and feet. A turning point in the match was when Sabu dove through the ropes and put Cactus Jack through a table. Minutes after that sequence, Cactus Jack collapsed and Sabu won by pinfall.

3 Mankind: Monday Night Raw (1999)

The first episode of Monday Night Raw in 1999 ended with a lumberjack match between The Rock and Mankind for the WWF Championship. Most of the superstars were supporting Mankind while the corporate foes were pulling for The Rock. The match was fair for the most part.

RELATED: Mick Foley: 5 Reasons Why Mankind Is His Best Gimmick (& 5 Why It's Cactus Jack) 

Towards the end, Ken Shamrock came into the ring and started beating up on Mankind. Billy Gunn quickly wrestled Shamrock out of the ring. Things shifted after that attack and once Stone Cold Steve Austin's theme music came on, the whole arena erupted. Stone Cold walked down the aisle and came into the ring and hit The Rock with a chair. Mankind pinned him right after, for his first WWF Championship victory.

2 Cactus Jack: Royal Rumble (2000)

Similar to their "Falls Count Anywhere" match in 1997, Cactus Jack once again was a substitute. This time he came in for Mankind in a Street Fight against Triple H for the WWF Championship. The match began with the two exchanging punches with hatred for one another. As minutes passed, Triple H hit Cactus Jack with a chair shot to the head, knocking him down. But eventually, Cactus Jack would bring out his signature two by four wrapped in barbed wire. Both took turns on each other with that weapon.

The match escalated outside the ring, where Cactus Jack was handcuffed and defenseless. The Rock came out and defended Cactus Jack by taking out Triple H - giving time for a cop to come out and uncuff Foley. Once they got back in the ring, Cactus Jack produced thumbtacks but they were his undoing, as Triple H seized them and the victory. Even in a loss, the fans were cheering loudly for Foley throughout the whole match.

1 Mankind: King Of The Ring (1998)

Arguably the greatest match of all-time, Mankind faced the Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match at the King of the Ring pay-per-view. He put his body on the line for the company, the fans at the arena, and for everyone watching at home that night. Mankind was thrown from the top of the cell, was miraculously able to get back on top of the cell, only to be choke slammed through the wiring, falling some 16-feet once again. He was slammed into a pile of thumbtacks and lost via a tombstone piledriver. The iconic match exemplifies WWE's slogan to this day. It will live on then, now and forever.

NEXT: Hell In A Cell: 10 Facts Fans Need To Know About Mankind And Undertaker's Classic