World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. - Countdown to lockdown: a hardcore journal

Copyright 2010 by Mick Foley

Chapter photos by Lee South

All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Grand Central Publishing

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Second eBook Edition: July 2011

ISBN: 978-0-446-57406-8

Keep[s] true to his unique writing style, which melds stream-of-consciousness prose with constant pop culture When Foley discusses out of the ring issues he really gives readers substance. Even more thought-provoking and touching are Foleys asides about building schools and sponsoring children in Sierra Leone.

Publishers Weekly

I love this book. I mean, I genuinely love it. Where in the world did you come from, Mick Foley?! You are blowing my mind!

S AMANTHA B EE , correspondent for
The Daily Show and author of
I Know I Am, But What Are You?

Readers will be entertained by a surprisingly sophisticated man with a variety of opinions about the world around him. The book satisfies on a number of levels (particularly Foleys self-deprecating humor).

Booklist

A fun snapshot of a few months of the wrestling business.

AssociatedContent.com

Like a trusted bard of old, Mick Foley is a masterful storyteller whose tales are guaranteed to engage and entertain.

C HRIS J ERICHO , New York Times bestselling author

Compelling Foley comes across as a kind, gentle man gives long-time fans and new ones a good story to immerse themselves in. So I can truly say Foley wrote a pretty good book, because hes pretty good himself.

Parkersburg News and Sentinel (WV)

Mick Foley writes about pro wrestling with dignity, humor, and passion. Every page makes me remember fondly what I loved about the business and what a charmer Mick has been all along. Mick Foley, Cactus Jack, Mankind, or Dude Love, their middle names are all fun.

B RET H ART , New York Times bestselling author

Full of wrestling stories that everyone will have to entertain and pass the time Make sure to pick up [this book] definitely worth the look.

Examiner.com

Mick Foley is like the two sides of a coin. Both a hardcore wrestling legend and a smart, caring authorMicks 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!

D EE S NIDER , Twisted Sister frontman

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 Micks latest literary effort twice in three days and am anxious to start the process all over again.

J IM JR Ross, Hall of Fame wrestling announcer

The Hardcore Diaries

Scooter

Tales from Wrescal Lane

Foley Is Good

Tietam Brown

Mick Foleys Halloween Hijinx

Mick Foleys Christmas Chaos

Have a Nice Day!

In memory of my father,
the original Cactus Jack

Yes, here it isthe book youve been kind of sort of waiting for. Okay, I know that four volumes of memoirs may seem like a lot for anyone (at this point, I think I have officially surpassed Churchill), but I prefer to think of this book as an action-adventure story. Its got all the elements: heroes, villains, romance, exciting combat sequences, clever dialogue, and a tense verbal showdown with former deputy secretary of defense Paul Wolfowitz. So maybe you could think of this book as less of a Churchillesque memoir and more of an Indiana Jones type of tale, kind of Indiana Mick [I am a native Hoosier] and the Six Sides of Steel. As is the case in the latest Indy installment, the hero of this story (me) may have aged a bit since we last saw him, but hes still capable of telling a good story.

Ive always considered the inside of the surreal world of professional wrestling to be at least as entertaining as what our fans see on their television screens. And I know that when I was a fan, I would have loved to have been given this access, to see what really goes on behind the scenes. Consider this book to be like a six-week backstage passthe best possible place to view the cavalcade of curious characters who make up the world of professional wrestling.

Countdown to Lockdown is an in-depth look at the six-week period leading up to my biggest match in several years; a main event Six Sides of Steel (you know, a steel-cage match) showdown with one of my great all-time opponentsSting. So, with this book as your admission ticket, I will take you on an all-access tour not only behind the scenes but inside my mind as well, as I try to find a way to regain the confidence, conditioning, and passion that will be so vital if I am going to be successful on this journey.

I was under a tremendous amount of pressure in the weeks leading up to this matchmost of it put there by myself. Knowing that so much of the success of this Lockdown show depended on me, I was arguably the least confident I have been in my own abilities in more than a decade.

Many may think that this book is similar in feel to my last book, The Hardcore Diaries. It is by design. Think of this as a companion piece to the Diaries, but I can assure you that the story is far different. Its my first book about my new company, and I will have plenty to say about both my arrival in TNA and my departure from WWE, as well as my thoughts on the wrestling world in general and many of the individuals who make up this world. I was told during the writing of my first book, the towering New York Times number one best seller Have a Nice Day!, that a memoir is not the right place to settle scores. So even though settling scores and slinging mud seems to be the easiest way to get attention, Ive tried not to take the low road too often. As with The Hardcore Diaries, Ive tried to make the entire book a PG-13 affair. Yes, there are a few stories that may be just slightly risqu, but I dont think I drop a single F-bomb in the entire book. I met a kid from Canada who was suspended from school for reading my last book. That act struck me as completely inexcusable, and I vowed to fight the school system on the kids behalf then I lost his phone number. But if youre thirteen or older and get suspended for reading this book, contact TNA via their website, or get hold of my publicist at Grand Central Publishing. I would love to intercede and do the right thing and maybe even get a little free publicity while Im at it.

Let me apologize in advance if I sound a little preachy every now and then. But in certain chapters, like An Open Letter and A Substance Problem, I found it very difficult to make valid points and passionate arguments without just a little bit of that preachy quality peeking through.