There are many greats in sports who exhaust their body simply to entertain us day in and day out without ever thinking twice. No matter the dangers to their body, the threat to their well-being, or the concern of their family, they pull out all of the stops to make sure that their fans get their money's worth. Then one day, whether it be for health, family, or personal reasons, they retire and leave the entertaining to others. But no matter who comes after them, no matter how great the future stars are, that person will be long remembered as one of the greatest in the sport - for all mankind.

Almost fifteen years ago, a young boy named Mick Foley decided that he wanted to be a wrestler. He hoped that, no matter how long it would take him, he would accomplish something in the world of pro-wrestling. He gave his all and tried his best - and fifteen years later has a career that is so unprecedented that the very story of it reached #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

In Mick Foley's fifteen years in the ring, his career spans across continents and throughout federations; he has been WWF Champion on several occasions; he has wrestled in hardcore matches that have become legendary, he has wrestled every major player in the sport - and has suffered injuries that have cost him his ear and the ability to crouch down and play with his children - and he has loved every minute of it.

No matter the devastation to his own body, no matter the potential damage to himself, no matter what his opponent used to pummel him with, he always took the bump - and always came back for more. The best two examples of this would be the Hell In A Cell match against the Undertaker and the I Quit match against the Rock.

Let's start with the Hell In A Cell match. When the match began, everyone expected bloodshed - and everyone knew the blood would come from Foley. But I don't think anyone - including the Undertaker - expected Foley to fall from the top of the cage through the announce table almost fifteen feet down, fall through the cage onto thumbtacks, and have a tooth poke through his skin - but one thing everyone did expect was for him to get back up. The same can be said for the I Quit match. Before the match began, no one expected Foley to win, because of all the things that Foley has said, he has never said, "I quit". The match itself was back and forth, but the end was indeed a testament to the tenacity of Mick Foley. Over and over again the Rock pounded Foley's head with a steel chair so severely that the crowd went silent as Ross and Lawler begged for mercy. After the last smack of the chair, Foley lay in the aisle in a pool of his own blood and if the audio of Foley saying I quit was not played, everyone knew he would have kept going. The next night on RAW, a battered and beaten Foley actually wrestled despite the bruises on his face and the concussion he suffered.

Of Mick Foley I can only say this: no matter who has wrestled before him and who will wrestle after him and no matter what they have or will accomplish, no one can or will ever come close to performing anywhere near Foley. He is indeed, one of the true greats in the sport - and now he is hanging up his tights and leaving the wrestling to others. But even if we never see Mick Foley in a ring again, we will always remember how he sacrificed his well-being and his future just to entertain us.

Thanks Mick - thanks a lot.