In the arena of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), few are as storied and well-loved as Mick Foley (aka “Dude Love” aka “Mankind” aka “Cactus Jack”). The New York Times best-selling author, whose autobiographies have enamored the nation, isn’t always as Santa Claus-like as many might believe, however. He has a dark side.
Mick Foley entered the Wing Bowl contest, a Philadelphia eating contest in which participants attempt to eat as many chicken wings as possible to win, and was ejected for cheating. According to the Washington Post , Mick Foley was caught stuffing extra wings into his fanny pack and disqualified. On the other hand, the WWE star known for his pranks and quick wit forewarned that he’d not likely be eating on the up-and-up at the Wing Bowl. Mick Foley tweeted the day before the contest, citing an old wrestler’s creed.
“I will follow the wrestler’s creed: win if I can, lose if I must, but always cheat!”
After getting caught, Foley returned to Twitter to show his remorse over the ordeal. With plenty of sarcasm, of course, Mick style.
“ @TMZ : Mick Foley — EJECTED FROM WING CONTEST! You Cheated!! http://t.co/CEdNhD9QYI ”
Guilty as charged. Legacy shattered. Life in shambles
— Mick Foley (@foleyispod) January 30, 2015
The winner of this year’s Wing Bowl was Patrick Bertoletti of Chicago, by the way, who ate a record 444 wings in 26 minutes. Mick Foley, by the way, actually had good odds of winning, with bet-makers giving him 10-1 for the title win. This was despite being seated next to Molly Schuyler, the defending Wing Bowl champion who set a world record in 2014.
According to Mick Foley, he had downed about 70 wings or so when he looked at Shuyler’s plate and realized she had already gone through at least 200 of them. Knowing his alternatives included trying to keep up and likely disqualifying for throwing up or cheating, Foley chose the latter.
“I’d rather cheat than puke,” he said to the press afterward.
When he got caught, Mick Foley’s wing count was at around 100 while Molly, who didn’t quite win, was at 440 for the second-place win.
Meanwhile, Mick Foley’s antics were being followed on social media where the ever-higher totals of his alleged wing-stashing was dubbed “Inflate Gate” after the New England Patriots’ deflated football controversy. As the Star points out, Foley didn’t seem too plussed about his disqualification.
“So I stretched the rules. I thought people would appreciate that, right here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!”
The long-standing Wing Bowl has been a tradition in Philly since 1993 as a way to placate often-disappointed fans before the Super Bowl. This year, the Wells Fargo Arena entertained about 20,000 fans at the event.
