"Never, ever come close to doing this again"- Vince McMahon's honest conversation with WWE star after legendary moment

Former WWE executive Jim Ross has recalled how WWE Chairman Vince McMahon reacted to Mick Foley’s famous fall at King of the Ring 1998.

Foley, performing as Mankind, was launched off the top of the Hell in a Cell structure and through an announcers' table by The Undertaker. The dangerous stunt has gone down as one of the most memorable moments in WWE history.

At the time, Ross combined his on-screen commentary job with a behind-the-scenes role as part of WWE’s management team. Speaking on his Grilling JR podcast, Ross said Vince McMahon spoke to Foley about toning down his risky in-ring style:

“Mick was a very unselfish performer,” Ross said. “But yeah, we did have those conversations, just like the one Vince had with him after that Hell in a Cell. ‘Never, ever come close to doing this again.’ Whether that’s true or not [whether Vince McMahon meant it], we saw Shane [McMahon] take some crazy-a** chances, and every year somebody tries to outdo Mick’s bump. I don’t know why. I don’t know what it proves. It’s not logical, and the risk/reward is out of balance.”

#ExplainThe90sIn4Words Hell in a Cell. @realmickfoley #wwe pic.twitter.com/EcEbDTmlgd

— Steve Fall (@SteveFallTV) January 21, 2015

Jim Ross’ commentary of Mick Foley’s fall is widely considered to be the greatest wrestling commentary line of all time. The broadcasting legend, who had no idea the moment was going to happen, exclaimed:

“Good God almighty! Good God almighty! That killed him! As God as my witness, he is broken in half!”

Jim Ross echoed Vince McMahon’s sentiments about Mick Foley’s safety

The Undertaker defeated Mankind in a brutal match

Vince McMahon was not the only WWE higher-up who had concerns about Mick Foley’s high-risk style.

Jim Ross said he also advised Foley to limit the number of dangerous chances he took during his matches:

“I talked to Mick several times about that,” Ross added. “Sometimes he would do too many things. You keep taking big chances, somewhere along the way you’re gonna get your a** blown up. And so... limit your chances. Eliminate as many as these opportunities to put yourself in the hospital or affect your career going forward.”

I can vouch that it's pretty dangerous up there! Thanks for asking! #HIAC

— Mick Foley (@RealMickFoley) October 9, 2017

Jim Ross went on to say that Mick Foley appreciated the concerns that he and Vince McMahon had about his health. However, in Ross’ opinion, Foley only had one style of wrestling and he was not prepared to change it.

Please credit Grilling JR and give a H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.