On the September 27, 1999 episode of WWE Raw, Mick Foley hosted a "This is Your Life" segment with The Rock.
The segment took The Rock through various stages of his life, including bringing out his old economics teacher, his coach, and his high school sweetheart.
The segment drew an 8.4 rating.
In a WWE YouTube video, Mick Foley looked back on the segment.
“There’s a phrase I use, it’s called embracing the ridiculous. Some people, they’re just a little short of being able or willing to do that. I think it’s those that embrace the ridiculous, who sink their teeth into every opportunity that they are given that really make a difference. Rock was always in the zone, I’m not sure how neither one of us laughed during this scene, I don’t know. Looking back on it now, he’s the biggest star in the world and I got to be two feet away from him. I really wanted this to go well.
"What people don’t know about This Is Your Life, almost everyone loved it, one person decidedly did not like it at all and that was Mr. McMahon. Keep in mind, I think we had 14 minutes slotted and we went 26 on live, national television. Prime time TV. They brought in some local actors to portray the coach, the teacher, the former girlfriend.
"Yerple was discovered in Michigan when we visited Mr. McMahon in the hospital. She and her husband had a place called Yerple and Jojo’s Fun Time Palace. One of the heartwarming aspects of the story is to this day, Yerple and I are in contact.”
"There have been other attempts to try to recreate that, and I don’t think anyone’s ever gonna get it like that, because part of the beauty is that it was so loosely produced. So Dwayne did have the chance to just make it such a star vehicle, and with so little effort. When it was clear that we had not tanked, but instead done the exact opposite, we went in bold pursuit of Mr. McMahon and that’s when we walked away with the agreement that we could do whatever we wanted from that point on.”
The Rock and Foley were famous rivals with clashes in an I Quit match and an empty arena. They also made for great partners as the Rock N Sock Connection.
Elsewhere during the video, Foley commented on his original thinking for the Mankind character. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
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