Mick Foley Choosing To 'Appreciate' Vince McMahon Until He Learns More About Allegations

WWE Hall of Famers Mick Foley and Rikishi have commented on the allegations levelled at Vince McMahon, ahead of the release of Netflix's 'Mr. McMahon' documentary series.

Foley and Rikishi were asked about the forthcoming documentary and their relationship with McMahon during a panel appearance at Comic-Con Northern Ireland, with Foley saying:

"I genuinely liked him (Vince McMahon). I mean, my relationship was never the same with him after I left WWE and went to TNA for three years. But to this day, I'm still trying to find an address to write to him, just to thank him, you know? For taking a chance on me. I think all of us are a combination of good traits and bad traits and you hope your good traits outweigh your bad traits and it seems, perhaps, that Vince got it backwards there for a little while. But I've been there when he's done good things. I've seen him do good things. When I was writing books, I wanted to essentially do something like a chicken soup for the wrestling fans' souls about some of these real heart-warming moments and he was like, 'Umm, Mick, I'm afraid that would come across as self-serving'.

"So, he was someone that did the right thing for the right reasons a lot of the time. I feel really bad that someone I care about got into something that seems pretty unsavoury. I'm gonna hold off judgment until I see the… but I think one thing that's fortunate is whatever he did or did not do, I don't think many of us are allowing that to mess with our memories. He was instrumental in creating some of those memories. So, I'm choosing to appreciate him until I learn more about what may have gone down".

Rikishi, meanwhile, echoed Foley's sentiments and expressed his belief in people deserving a second chance, adding:

"I have nothing but respect for the McMahons and when I say McMahons, I say all of them. What’s happening with him (Vince McMahon) now as far as with the Netflix, I'll make a decision when that comes out. But for now, I always believe in people having a second chance in life. There's nobody in this arena or up here that were perfect. We're never perfect. It's not made like that in this world for us. There's always speed bumps for us to be able to learn from one another. Each one, teach one, and so at the end of the day, like Mick, I would like to keep my happy memories of the McMahons, what they have done. They've really taken wrestling to another level. It's a reason why we're all here, reason why you guys are listening to our stories and they also have really, really taken care of a lot of professional wrestlers, their families, their kids. 

"So, let's think how far this man has reached out to everyone to be able to give them the lifestyle that, possibly, some of us could never achieve, and so, I wanna thank them. I wanna thank you fans especially, because without you coming to watch us, there is no us. What value do we have? So we thank you for helping us take care of our family, helping us do what we love and know that the respect is given back to you".

Foley and RIkishi's comments have been widely condemned online. Janel Grant, whose lawsuit against McMahon, John Laurinaitis and WWE is paused until December, reportedly rejected the chance to be interviewed for the Netflix series.

A recent report noted that WWE talent and higher-ups are looking to wash their hands of McMahon ahead of the documentary's release.

H/T POST Wrestling