Mick Foley was born in Bloomington, Indiana on June 7, 1965. He soon moved with his family to Setauket, Long Island, New York. Mick was somewhat of an outcast during his school days. While playing a game with the other children he was kicked in the lip and knew from then on that he loved pain. Mick went through his school life feeling left out and unaccepted. This led him to produce a home video of himself while in high school, depicting him wrestling under the moniker "Dude Love". Dude Love was a teen idol, much like the Shawn Michaels of today. Mick found comfort in the persona of Dude Love, imagining his persona was loved as he was not. On the video was a scene in which Mick jumped off the roof of his house onto one of his friends, who was on a mattress on the ground, very similar to Superfly Jimmy Snuka jumping on Bob Backlund from the top of a steel cage in Madison Square Garden. When Dominic Denucci viewed the tape, Mick's pro wrestling career was born.

Mick's first persona, Cactus Jack Manson, wrestled his first pro match ever on June 24, 1983, defeating Kurt Kaufman. Cactus Jack went on to appear in the CWA. He was inserted into the Stud Stable, and captured his first title in the form of the CWA Tag Team Title with Gary Young on October 23, 1988. Cactus and Young would be defeated by Robert Fuller and Jimmy Golden on November 7, 1988. Then Cactus and Young lost a loser leaves town match 13 days later.
Cactus Jack now entered World Class, and with Zodiac II, defeated WCWA Tag Team champs Jeff Jarrett and Kerry Von Erich to capture the belts on May 30, 1989. They lost the titles 10 days later, but on August 4, Cactus would claim his second WCWA Tag Title, this time with Cpl. Braddok and beating Jeff Jarrett and Matt Bourne. Like the last title reign, this one was also short, ending August 11, as Jarrett and Bourne regained the belts.

Cactus now entered the NWA. He teamed with Kevin Sullivan briefly, then entered the UWF, and on their PPV, Beach Brawl, teamed with Bob Orton but lost to Steve Ray and Sunny Beach.

The year was now 1991, and Cactus engaged in a feud with Eddie Gilbert. The feud was exciting, highlighted by a card in which the two actually fought three times in the same night, in three different types of matches: a falls count anywhere match, a stretcher match and finally a steel cage match. Following a stint in the Global Wrestling Federation in which Cactus joined the Boss's Cartel stable, Cactus jack entered World Championship Wrestling.

The first big match in WCW for Cactus was the Chamber of Horrors bout contested at Halloween Havoc on October 27, 1991. Cactus feuded with Van Hammer, and ended by beating him in a falls count anywhere match on January 21, 1992. Cactus feuded then with Abdullah the Butcher, then began his legendary feud with Big Van Vader. During one of these contests, Vader powerbombed Cactus on the exposed concrete floor, resulting in a concussion and amnesia. Cactus disappeared for a spell, but returned to reignite the feud with Vader, however, he was beaten by Vader at Clash of the Champions on August 18, 1993, then again in a Texas Death Match at Halloween Havoc on October 24, 1993. During a battle with Vader in Germany, two thirds of Cactus' ear was ripped off, but he refused to have it reattached, instead putting the ear in a plastic bag and returning to the USA again. Cactus teamed with Maxx Payne for several months, and split after losing to the Nasty Boys in a Chicago Street Fight on April 17, 1994 1994 at Spring Stampede. He did succeed in capturing the WCW Tag Team Title, however, as he and Kevin Sullivan defeated the Nasty Boys on May 22, 1994 at Slamboree. They would lose the titles on July 17, 1994 at Bash At The Beach to Pretty Wonderful. Soon afterwards, on September 18, 1994, Cactus would be defeated in a loser leaves WCW match by Kevin Sullivan, ending his stay in the company.

Until April 1996, Cactus would wrestle in Extreme Championship Wrestling, or ECW. Highlights of his stay included two tag team title reigns, both with Mikey Whipwreck, and exciting feuds with Sabu, Kevin Sullivan and Sandman. The closest Cactus ever came to being ECW World Champion was when his win was overruled by Bill Alfonso following a win over Sandman in a barber wire rope match. After a victory over former partner Mikey Whipwreck in April 1996, Mick decided to leave ECW and stated he would never wrestle as Cactus Jack again.

Mick debuted in the WWF as Mankind, the day after Wrestlemania 12, on Monday Night Raw, defeating Bob Holly. He had dropped his double arm DDT in favor of the Mandible Claw. In the same show, Mankind ingited a feud with the Undertaker. Mankind was defeated by the Undertaker at King Of The Ring '96, but the two fought again at SummerSlam '96, in the first ever Boiler Room Brawl. Paul Bearer's turning on the Undertaker gave Mankind the upset victory. This victory garnered Mankind a WWF title shot against Shawn Michaels at In Your House: Mind Games on September 22, 1996. Mankind was defeated by disqualification in a solid, exciting match. Mankind at the Undertaker battled again in a Buried Alive match on October 20, 1996. The Undertaker won, but was "buried alive" by Mankind and several others. The Undertaker returned with a vengeance, beating Mankind on November 17, 1996 at Survivor Series, ending their first feud (the best was yet to come). Mankind was eliminated from the 1997 Royal Rumble on January 21, 1997.

Mankind was united with old enemy Vader at Wrestlemania 13, but they failed to capture the tag team gold from Owen Hart and the British Bulldog. The Undertaker again defeated Mankind on April 20, 1997, at In Your House, this time in a WWF Title match.

Mankind developed into a face by the time the King of the Ring had rolled around on June 9, 1997, in part due to several interviews conducted by Jim Ross, which ended with Mankind snapping and locking Ross in the Mandible Claw. In the first round, Mankind defeated Jerry Lawler, but, with much help from Chyna, lost to Hunter Hearst Hemsley in the final. It took two Pedigrees to do the job, the first through a table outside the ring. They battled again at In Your House: Canadian Stampede on July 6, 1997, but nothing was solved.

Around this time, Mick's long lost alter ego from his youth, Dude Love, was finally revived. Stone Cold Steve Austin was in need of a tag team partner on July 14, 1997, in a title match against the British Bulldog and Owen Hart. Austin had stated he didn't want to wrestle with a freak like Mankind, so Mick appeared as Dude Love, and he and Austin captured the belts. They gave up the straps on September 7, 1997 at In Your House: Ground Zero due to an injury suffered by Austin. SummerSlam 97 had taken place a month earlier, on August 3, 1997, as Mankind concluded his feud with Hunter Hearst Hemsley by beating him in a steel cage match. He finished him off with an elbow off the top of the cage, much like Superfly Jimmy Snuka had jumped on Bob Backlund with Foley looking on so many years ago.

The only persona yet to debut in the WWF was Cactus Jack, but all that changed on September 22, 1997, when Cactus beat Hunter Hearst Hemsley in a falls count anywhere match on Raw by piledriving him through a table on the rampway. Dude Love returned not long after on Raw, but was chokeslammed twice on the ramp by Kane. Mankind reappeared the following week, saying he didn't want to have to bring back Mankind again, but that Kane had "destroyed an innocent guy and left him to pick up the pieces". On November 9, 1997, at Survivor Series 1997, Kane defeated Mankind in a match in which the lights above the ring stayed an eerie red for the entire contest.

Next up for Mick was the 1998 Royal Rumble, on January 18, 1998. In the Rumble, Cactus Jack drew #1, and when he was eliminated, entered as Dude Love, as then again as Mankind when Dude was thrown out.

Following this was a feud with the New Age Outlaws, which prompted Mick to reintroduce Cactus Jack and enlist the help of a tag team partner- Chainsaw Charlie, who was Terry Funk. Then several weeks later on Raw, Cactus and Funk fought. The match ended when they were in a dumpster on the ramp and the Outlaws pushed it off the 10 foot drop. The show was stopped for a considerable amount of time as it seemed the Hardcore Legends had been hurt badly. They returned quickly however, wrestling in the main event at In Your House: No Way Out on February 15, 1998, as part of an eight man tag team match. The feud reached its peak on March 29, 1998, at Wrestlemania 14, when the Hardcore Legends defeated the Outlaws in a Dumpster Match. However, the next night on Raw, a rematch was ordered, as the Legends had put the Outlaws in the wrong dumpster the night before. This rematch marked the beginning of the Outlaws reign in D-Generation X, as DX assisted the Outlaws in recapturing the gold. Next week on Raw, it seemed as if Foley would retire. He said during the previous week's cage match, while he was being brutalized by DX, all the fans cared about was chanting "Austin". The retirement was short lived, however, as next week Dude Love saved Vince McMahon from a beating from Stone Cold. Dude wanted to be McMahon's corporate champion, and went to great lengths to do so. He wore a suit to the ring, combed his hair, got new teeth and shaved in an effort to make himself the ideal champ envisioned by McMahon. However, Dude Love failed to capture the title from Austin at both In Your House: Unforgiven on April 26, 1998 and at In Your House: Over The Edge on May 31, 1998, so Dude disappeared and Mankind returned again. Some time later on Raw, Mankind cost Undertaker a #1 Contender match, setting up the best match ever in the Undertaker/Mankind feud and arguably one of the best matches ever in WWF history. The match took place at the King Of The Ring on June 28, 1998. The match was a Hell In The Cell. Only one other such match had ever taken place, between the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Many people felt Michaels performance could not be topped, but Mankind would prove them wrong. Mankind lost the match, and in the process was thrown off the top of the Cell onto an announcer table, a drop of 20 feet, chokeslammed through the roof of the cell into the ring, and chokeslammed onto tacks. To this day they are perhaps the most astonishing bumps ever taken by a WWF superstar ever. On July 13, 1998, Mankind claimed his third WWF Tag Team Title, as he and Kane defeated the New Age Outlaws. They would lose the straps on July 26, 1998 at In Your House: Fully Loaded to Steve Austin and the Undertaker, but regained them in a Fatal Fourway tag match on Raw on August 10, 1998. They were set to battle the Outlaws for the belts on August 30, 1998, but beforehand, Kane united with the Undertaker and beat Mankind senseless, spike tombstoning him on a steel chair. Needless to say, the tag title match with the Outlaws at SummerSlam turned out to be a handicap match, as the Outlaws beat Mankind and regained the belts. To add insult to injury, after the match Kane hit Mankind with a sledgehammer.

At In Your House: Breakdown on September 27, 1998, the Rock won a Triple Threat Match in a steel cage against Mankind and Ken Shamrock to become the #1 Contender for the WWF Title.

On October 18, 1998 at In Your House: Judgement Day, Mankind lost to Ken Shamrock in a bout for the Intercontinental Title.

Around this time, Mankind inroduced Mr. Socko, his sock puppet that aids him in applying the Mandible Claw. For a few weeks, he teamed with Al Snow and the two had debates over who was better, Mr. Socko or Head. On November 2, 1998, Vince McMahon presented Mankind with the Hardcore Title, a battered, taped up WWF Heavyweight Title, no longer needed because of the new title. It appears McMahon may again be grooming Mankind as his Corporate champ.

Next up for Mankind was the Survivor Series on November 15, 1998. He was to face a mystery opponent in the first round, who turned out to be Duane Gill, whom Mankind dealt with easily. He defeated Al Snow in the second round, at the same time regaining Mr. Socko, who Snow had previously stolen. Then in the semi final round, Mankind defeated Steve Austin with the help of Shane McMahon, who had seemed to be on the side of Austin but revealed he had been working with his father all along. This propelled Mankind into the WWF Championship Finals against the Rock, and here McMahon's master plan was completed. After a great match, the Rock locked the Sharpshooter on Mankind, and McMahon ordered the timekeeper to ring the bell despite the fact that Mankind had not given up, reminiscent of last year's Series when McMahon screwed Bret Hart. The Rock was revealed to be McMahon's true Corporate Champion all along, and Mankind had been used.

Then on November 30, 1998, due to outside interference by the Rock, Mankind was beaten by the Big Boss Man in a Ladder Match for the Hardcore Title. Mankind recieved a WWF Title shot at the Rock at In Your House: Rock Bottom on December 13, 1998, but was again screwed out of the title by McMahon. The Rock passed out in the Mandible Claw, and was declared the WWF Champion, but McMahon said the Rock would keep the title due to a "technicality", because since the Rock didn't audibly give up, he didn't submit.

However, the greatest moment of Foley's career in the WWF occured when, on December 29, 1998, he defeated the Rock to become the WWF Champion. The Rock was desperate to regain the belt, and on Raw begged Foley for a rematch. Foley agreed to fight the Rock in an I Quit match at the Royal Rumble on January 24, 1999. There would be no DQ, no count out, no Corporate members at ringside, and the only way to win would be to make your opponent say "I quit". The match at the Rumble was a great one, highlighted by Foley being thrown off the balcony onto the electric circuit board, and then taking over a dozen chairshots to the head as the match concluded, which occured because as the Rock asked Foley if he quit, a tape recording played over the public address system in which Foley said he quit. The words were obviously not spoken by the unconscious Foley, but the Rock was again the WWF Champion.