10 extraordinary examples of wrestlers toughing it out

#1 Mick Foley (twice)

Can anyone ever forget that chokeslam on top of the cage?

I could sit here all day writing about the agony that Mick Foley put himself through in order to entertain us. I could write about how he went through thumb-tacks, how he went through flaming tables, or how he took 11 unprotected chair shots to the head in one match. But instead, I'm going to focus solely on two moments that I found to be particularly noteworthy.

The first instance was in 1994 during WCW's European tour, when Foley (wrestling as Cactus Jack) faced off against Big Van Vader. During the match, Foley pulled off a "hangman spot," which is a famous wrestling sequence that sees a wrestler essentially "hanged" from the top and middle rope. Unfortunately for Mick, the ropes were tightened just a little too much that night. In an effort to free himself, he ripped most of his ear off. Vader ripped the rest of it off as the two traded blows in the ring. Not only did he finish that match without an ear, but he also chose to win the Tag Team Championships with Kevin Sullivan at that year's Slamboree instead of having his ear re-attached.

Who would've thought that he would top that only four years later?

At the 1998 King of the Ring, Foley (now wrestling as Mankind) squared off against The Undertaker in a Hell in a Cell match. Foley planned a spot where Undertaker would throw him from the cell through the announce table below. At the very least, this spot separated Foley's shoulder and bruised a few of his ribs, but he broke free from the stretcher and went back to the top of the cage. 'Taker then Chokeslammed Mankind onto the roof, which collapsed beneath him, sending him crashing to the ring below.

Many, including the commentators, thought Foley had died from the impact. But he kept going, despite suffering a concussion, a dislocated jaw, a tooth through the nose, and internal bleeding from the landing. He even took a chokeslam onto a pile of thumbtacks after the fact. Though he was praised for his performance in the match, Vince McMahon told him to "never do anything like that again".

Honestly, Foley has not been able to walk the same way since that night in 1998, and he likely never will. But he has most assuredly earned worldwide respect for the sacrifices he made in his career.