Countdown to Lockdown: A Hardcore Journal

by Mick Foley

Overview

The world famous wrestler and #1 New York Times bestselling author recounts the blood, sweat, and tears behind his knock-down, drag-out TNA debut comeback against archrival Sting.

The undisputed king of the literary ring is back with another handwritten, hardcore home run. Forget the ghost writer and the computer keyboard - this mesmerizing memoir is straight from the pen and notebook paper of the Hardcore Legend, Mick Foley, chronicling the heart-pounding build-up to "Lockdown", one of the most important matches of his long and storied career. Foley's every limit is tested, as he battles back the formidable tag-team of Father Time and Mother Nature - overcoming a host of injuries and serious self-doubts to get back in the ring with one of his all-time favorite foes. With his trademark blend of wit and wisdom, wildness and warmth, Foley dishes previously untold stories from his remarkable life, including his transition from WWE to TNA, his ill-fated stint as a television commentator, his tumultuous relationship with Vince McMahon, his thoughts on performance enhancing substances in sports, the troubling list of wrestlers dying way too young, and his soul saving work in Sierra Leone.

Raw, dynamic, and unabashedly honest, Countdown to Lockdown charts Foley's wrestling rebirth, and rise to heights that his fans thought he would never see again.

Publisher's Note: 100% of the advance for this book has been donated to Child Fund International and RAINN.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780446574068
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	10/01/2010
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	450,444
File size:	6 MB

About the Author

Mick Foley is the author of multiple children's books and novels, including the genre-defining #1 New York Times bestsellers Have a Nice Day and Foley is Good. Foley began wrestling professionally in 1985 and is a four-time world champion. He has sponsored children for eighteen years with Child Fund International, and is a weekly volunteer in RAINN's fight against sexual violence. He lives with his wife and four children on Long Island.

Read an Excerpt

Countdown to Lockdown

A Hardcore Journal

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By Foley, Mick

Grand Central Publishing

Copyright © 2010 Foley, Mick
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780446564618

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Countdown to Lockdown

COUNTDOWN TO LOCKDOWN: 34 DAYS

March 16, 2009
Orlando, Florida

All right, all right, I’ll admit it. I’m terrified of Kurt Angle. Not worried. Not concerned. Terrified. Absolutely terrified. Not like a “wow, Vince is really putting Koslov in a main event” type of terrified. I’m talking about an honest-to-goodness “Alastair Sim as Scrooge down on his knees begging the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come for another chance at life” type of terrified. Yeah, I know I went with the same Alastair Sim reference to describe my fear of my editor at Knopf, Victoria Wilson, who will no doubt love being mentioned in a second wrestling memoir, but I’m not sure that was real terror, more like intellectual insecurity. This, however—this thing I feel about Kurt Angle—is terror.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Kurt. He’s a caring, giving person and a genuine American hero; a guy who won a gold medal in the Olympics while competing with a broken neck. He is also one of the most talented performers in the history of our business, with a résumé of classic matches that rivals anyone’s, of any era.

And later tonight, I’m going to be in the ring with him for the very first time. Okay, okay, all you nitpickers, I know I’ve actually “been in the ring” with him plenty of times—for interviews, angles, even an odd punch or really hard head butt or two. Granted, tonight is a tag team match, and really more of a door I must pass through to get me into the creative corridor leading to a different big match with a different big opponent.

But Kurt Angle really isn’t interested in any talk about opening doors and creative corridors and big matches in the future. He’s interested in tonight. And that same competitive fire that vaulted him to the top of the amateur wrestling world—possibly the most thankless and difficult world in sports—drives him to pull off the best match he is capable of, night in and night out, no matter how big the show, no matter how limited the opponent, no matter the physical or emotional toll to himself.

I respect that attitude. At one time I probably shared it. But I’m a different man now—older, weaker, slower—and a lot more realistic.

If anything, Kurt is more driven on this night than usual. Last night was Destination X, a TNA Pay-Per-View that held a world of promise. Following a February offering that looked flat on paper and, if anything, underperformed those limited expectations, TNA looked ready to regain its form with Destination X. Led by a complex, well-told, long-term story involving Kurt and his Main Event Mafia partner/nemesis Sting, our TNA Impact show (Thursday at 9:00, Spike) was on a roll, recently eclipsing two million U.S. viewers for the first time. I liked the odds of Kurt and Sting pulling off a classic, and I was looking forward to my role as special guest enforcer at ringside, which more or less ensured me the best seat in the house (although technically I’d be standing).

But at Destination X on that particular night, expectation gave way to disappointment, reality couldn’t compete with hope, and a good, hard-fought match simply wasn’t enough for our fans… or for Sting or Kurt, especially Kurt. I was not without a disappointment of my own in the match, having shattered my own long-standing belief that I went up “light” for big moves—a necessity if one wants to avoid the worst of the injuries that the business can offer. Instead I went up like a 300-pound S.O.S.—figure out the acronym for yourself (I’m trying to stay PG-13 in this book)—for Kurt’s Angle Slam, injuring my pride, and possibly Kurt’s vertebrae, in the process.

Like I said, it was a good match, a point I kept reiterating in separate long conversations with both men after the show. I was trying to look at the glass as half full. But the glass-half-empty view was indeed troubling. Sting looked old. I looked like a 300-pound S.O.S. And Kurt Angle looked human. Apparently, a few voices on the Internet, I would guess a vocal minority, said that Kurt was washed up, his best days were behind him. I knew Kurt would be looking to prove himself. And guess who he’d want to do it with? Me. Great. Kind of reminds me of the night I wrestled Dr. Death, Steve Williams, in Saginaw, Michigan, in early 1990—the same night Doc learned that WCW (World Championship Wrestling) intended to reduce his contractual guarantee. I remember how I felt that night. Pretty much the same way I feel tonight, over nineteen years later—terrified. Absolutely terrified.

How did this moment ever arise? I asked myself. Why hadn’t I just stayed under the safety of the WWE umbrella? Sure, my situation with WWE hadn’t been perfect, but it couldn’t have been that bad, right? At least it was a certified Angle-Free Zone.

Well, to truly understand my story, I’m going to have to introduce you to an old friend of mine. Readers of my earlier memoirs will remember him well, if not fondly. Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to Al Snow.

Continues...

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Excerpted from Countdown to Lockdown by Foley, Mick Copyright © 2010 by Foley, Mick. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

While keeping true to his unique writing style, which melds stream-of-consciousness prose with constant pop culture, literary (including many nods to his own unsuccessful novel) and current events references, wrestler Foley takes more of a diary approach than in his past nonfiction books. The central story is his steel-cage match with fellow wrestler Sting--from the match's causes to Foley's training and ending with a play-by-play of the action in the ring. For wrestling fans and curious onlookers, Foley's special talent has always been that as a successful wrestler he can give the dirty little secrets behind pro wrestling while he remains completely excited about the sport. But in terms of wrestling excitement in this book, Foley comes up short as he spends most of his time trying to convince himself he is as keyed up for the match as he is about meeting singer-songwriter Tori Amos. In fact, when Foley discusses out of the ring issues like, in the wake of wrestler Chris Benoit's murder-suicide or substance abuse problem in his business, he really gives readers substance. Even more thought provoking and touching are Foley's asides about building schools and sponsoring children in Sierra Leone through the Child Fund International or his support of RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network). (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Mick Foley is like the two sides of a coin. Both a hardcore wrestling legend and a smart, caring author-Mick's intelligence makes him lethal in the ring and his wrestling intensity makes him a deadly writer. Countdown to Lockdown applies a "Mandible Claw" to every page!"

Dee Snider

"Mick Foley is a natural born storyteller whose sense of humor and sensibilities regarding life are a joy to experience. This hilarious, often poignant, vividly written true story is an amazingly honest journey that any fan of pop culture, sports, family values, battling Father Time, helping others, and, obviously, pro wrestling past or present, will love. I read Mick's latest literary effort twice in three days and am anxious to start the process all over again."

Jim "JR" Ross