Michael Foley Popular Books
Michael Foley Biography & Facts
Michael "Mick" Francis Foley (born June 7, 1965) is an American retired professional wrestler and author. He is currently signed to WWE, under the company's "Legends" program, acting as a company ambassador. Foley worked for many wrestling promotions, including the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) (now Impact Wrestling), and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), as well as numerous promotions in Japan. He is widely regarded as one of the biggest stars of the Attitude Era and one of the greatest wrestlers in the history of professional wrestling, and participated in the main event of WrestleMania in 1999 and 2000 (as a special guest referee in the former). He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2013. Foley has wrestled under his real name and various personas. His main persona during his time in WCW and ECW from 1991 to 1996 was Cactus Jack, a dastardly, bloodthirsty and uncompromisingly physical brawler from Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, who wore cowboy boots and often used sharp metallic objects, such as barbed wire, thumbtacks, and trashcans. When Foley first appeared in the WWF in 1996, he debuted the persona known as Mankind, an eerie, masochistic, mentally deranged lunatic who was masked and spent his spare time dwelling in mechanical rooms. The following year, Foley debuted Dude Love, a relaxed, fun-loving, jive-talking, tie-dyed shirt-wearing hippie. These personas were known as the "Three Faces of Foley", with Cactus Jack making his debut in the WWF also in 1997. All three characters appeared in the 1998 Royal Rumble, making Foley the only competitor to enter the same Royal Rumble match three times under different personas. Foley is a four-time world champion (three WWF Championships and one TNA World Heavyweight Championship), an 11-time world tag team champion (eight WWF Tag Team Championships, two ECW World Tag Team Championships, and one WCW World Tag Team Championship), a one-time TNA Legends Champion, and the inaugural WWF Hardcore Champion. Foley's Hell in a Cell match against The Undertaker is regarded as one of his most memorable and controversial matches and widely acknowledged as the greatest Hell in a Cell Match of all time. Foley's dedicated and physical style of wrestling led him to often participate in violent and brutal matches that involved him taking dangerous bumps and putting his body through a considerable physical toll, eventually earning him the moniker "The Hardcore Legend". Early life Michael Francis Foley was born in Bloomington, Indiana, on June 7, 1965. He is of Irish descent, and has an older brother named John. Shortly after his birth, he moved with his family to the Long Island town of East Setauket, about 40 miles east of New York City, where he attended Ward Melville High School. At school, he wrestled and played lacrosse, and was a classmate and wrestling teammate of actor Kevin James. In October 1983, while a student at the State University of New York at Cortland, Foley hitchhiked to Madison Square Garden to see his favorite wrestler, "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, in a steel cage match against Don Muraco. He has said that Snuka's flying body splash from the top of the cage inspired him to pursue a career in professional wrestling. He had a seat close to the front row and is visible in the video of the event. Professional wrestling career Early career (1986–1989) Foley formally trained at Dominic DeNucci's wrestling school in Freedom, Pennsylvania, driving several hours weekly from his college campus in Cortland, New York. He debuted on June 23, 1986, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, under the ring name "Cactus Jack". In addition to appearing on DeNucci's cards, Foley and several other students also took part in some squash matches as jobbers for World Wrestling Federation TV tapings of Prime Time Wrestling and Superstars of Wrestling, where Foley wrestled under the names "Jack Foley" and "Nick Foley". In one of these matches (the second episode of Superstars), Foley and Les Thornton faced the British Bulldogs, during which the Dynamite Kid (who had a long earned reputation as a stiff worker in the ring) clotheslined Foley with such force that he was unable to eat solid food for several weeks. During these squash matches, Foley also faced other top-level talents at the time, such as Hercules Hernandez. His run would not last long, as he had not signed a contract with the promotion at the time. During this run, he was also billed from different hometowns and at different weights. After two years of relative obscurity on the independent circuit, Foley began receiving offers from various regional promotions, including Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). In 1988, he joined the Memphis, Tennessee-based Continental Wrestling Association (CWA), where he teamed with Gary Young as part of the Stud Stable. Cactus and Young briefly held the CWA Tag Team Championship in late 1988. In November 1988, Foley left the CWA for the Texas-based World Class Championship Wrestling promotion. In WCCW, "Cactus Jack", billed as "Cactus Jack Manson", was a major part of Skandor Akbar's stable (the addition of "Manson" to Foley's name, due to its implied connection to Charles Manson, made him uncomfortable). Foley also won several titles, including the WCWA World Light Heavyweight Championship and WCWA World Tag Team Championship. He left the company in August 1989 after losing a loser leaves town match to Eric Embry in nine seconds. He then briefly competed in Alabama's Continental Wrestling Federation. World Championship Wrestling (1989–1990) In November 1989, Foley began wrestling for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as "Cactus Jack". His debut match, which aired on NWA World Championship Wrestling, saw him partnered with a one-time jobber named Rick Fargo to face the rising tag team of brothers Rick Steiner and Scott Steiner – two of the stiffest and toughest workers in wrestling at the time. After taking brutal bumps from both Steiner brothers and losing the match, Cactus then began fighting with Fargo, and then jumped nearly 12 feet (3.7 m) off the apron to elbow Fargo in the abdomen, per Kevin Sullivan's instructions. Lead WCW booker Ric Flair, Sullivan, and other WCW executives were impressed with this to the point that they offered Foley a contract, and Foley finally found some financial stability after years of hardship. Over the following months, Cactus Jack would generally team with jobbers. When the jobber would lose the match for the team, Cactus Jack would attack his partner, throw them out of the ring, and deliver his infamous ring apron flying elbow drop onto the concrete floor. Foley's biggest match to date came in February 1990 against Mil Máscaras at Clash of the Champions X: Texas Shootout, where he took a particularly brutal bump backward off the 3 feet (0.91 m) high apron and land.... Discover the Michael Foley popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Michael Foley books.
Best Seller Michael Foley Books of 2024
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All Fall Down
M. J. ArlidgeFROM THE MIND OF THE MILLIONCOPY BESTSELLER M.J. ARLIDGE COMES THE BRAND NEW SERIAL KILLER THRILLER STARRING DETECTIVE INSPECTOR HELEN GRACE... "You have one hour to live."Those...
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Wycliffe and the Quiet Virgin
W.J. BurleyWycliffe investigates the disappearance of a young girl and becomes involved in a major criminal investigation . . .Chief Superintendent Wycliffe doubted whether he would enjoy hi...
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Wycliffe and the Scapegoat
W.J. BurleyAn ancient legend, an alltoo modern murder, and Chief Superintendent Wycliffe must find the link between them ...Every year, at Halloween, high on the Cornish cliffs, a lifesized e...
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Wycliffe And The Guild Of Nine
W.J. BurleyA murder at an artists' colony but not everyone wants Chief Superintendent Wycliffe to investigate . . .The artists' colony is at the site of a disused mine working on the moor we...
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When I Lost You
Merilyn DaviesFormer Crime Analyst Merilyn Davies brings to life a gritty, heartstopping crime thriller that will have you utterly obsessed.'Assured, fresh, engrossing' MEL SHERRATT'Taut, authen...
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Lost or Found
Graham IsonA wedding ring, a missing woman, a bizarre disappearance...Brock and Poole have one of their most unusual cases to unravel'Devilishly engaging characters and authentic details of p...
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The Price of Darkness
Graham HurleyGraham Hurley's acclaimed crime series takes a step into the dark side as DC Winter wonders whether crime might pay...From the author of LAST FLIGHT TO STALINGRAD.DC Winter, sacked...
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Bergson
Michael FoleyHenri Bergson was a French professor and philosopher. Born in Paris in 1859 to a Polish composer and Yorkshire woman of Irish descent, his revelatory ideas of life as ceaseless tra...
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Touching Distance
Graham HurleyA killing without mercy. A crime with no motive. A thriller from the author of LAST FLIGHT TO STALINGRADThree random killings. Or something much, much worse? DS Jimmy Suttle is try...
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Denial
Peter JamesIntroducing policeman Glenn Branson...When actress Gloria Lamark takes her own life, her devoted son, Thomas, is heartbroken. Something must be wrong with a world in which such a t...
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Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death
W.J. BurleyA respectable bookseller is found bludgeoned and strangled and it's up to Chief Superintendent Wycliffe to find out why . . .When Matthew Glynn is murdered, Wycliffe is mystified. ...
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Death on the Aisle
Kate JohnsonFirst comes love, then comes murder... Molly Higgins is getting marriedbut of course nothing is going to plan! Marrying a celebrity brings with it a huge number of headaches no mat...
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The Four Symbols
Giacometti & RavenneFrom multimillion copy bestselling authors Giacometti & Ravenne comes a Nazi spy thriller for fans of Dan Brown, Steve Berry and Wilbur Smith"I couldn't put it down ... the aut...
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Wycliffe and the Winsor Blue
W.J. BurleyA mysterious death in the Cornish art world and a murder investigation for Chief Superintendent Wycliffe...When Edwin Garland dies of a heart attack, no one outside the expectant ...
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Wycliffe and How to Kill A Cat
W.J. BurleyAnother classic crime novel featuring Cornwall's Superintendent Wycliffe.The girl was young, with auburn hair arranged on the pillow. Wycliffe could almost believe she was asleep ...
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Wycliffe and the Beales
W.J. BurleyA mysterious death ... an eccentric family living on the edge of Dartmoor ... And Chief Superintendent Wycliffe has one of his most complex cases to date.The Cornish Detective seri...
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Cut To Black
Graham Hurley'There is no one writing better police procedurals today.' Daily TelegraphBlood is thicker than water...A massive undercover operation turns personal for DI Faraday when his son is...
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Wycliffe and Death in Stanley Street
W.J. BurleyA young girl is found dead in a house on Stanley Street... but it's just the start of a complex puzzle which Wycliffe must unravel.A dubious culdesac just off the busy main road in...
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Wycliffe and the Pea Green Boat
W.J. BurleyWycliffe tackles a case which reaches back down the generations ...When Cedric Tremain is charged with murdering his father by boobytrapping his fishing boat, all the locals are ag...
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Shadow of a Doubt
Michelle Davies'Pure suspense, where past and present collide with chilling results' Erin Kelly'A hugely entertaining, fastpaced thriller' Caz Frear'It's a pitchperfect blend of ghostly terror an...
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Sins of the Father
Graham HurleyDS Jimmy Suttle investigates a murder in a house haunted by the past in the latest from 'one of the UK's finest crime novelists' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY), author of LAST FLIGHT TO S...
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Wycliffe and the House of Fear
W.J. BurleyA troubling disappearance. A puzzling mystery. A new investigation for Detective Wycliffe.Detective Superintendent Wycliffe is holidaying in Cornwall when he meets the intriguing K...
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The Order of Things
Graham HurleyThe fourth novel in the Jimmy Suttle series, from 'one of the UK's finest crime novelists' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY), author of LAST FLIGHT TO STALINGRAD'There is noone writing bette...
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The Wrong Child
Barry GornellHow far would you go to protect your child?When tragedy strikes in a small Scottish village, everyone in the community is affected.Most people believe one child is to blame for wha...
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Wycliffe and the Dead Flautist
W.J. BurleyClassic crime featuring the everpopular Chief Superintendent Wycliffe 'Another must for collectors' Sunday Times.On the peaceful and secluded estate of Lord and Lady Bottrell, th...
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Wycliffe and the School Bullies
W.J. BurleyBullying and persecution among a group of schoolgirls leads to violent retribution and a race against time for Wycliffe.Two very different young women have been murdered within the...
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Found Her
NJ MackayThe most gripping, emotional and redemptive psychological thriller of 2021 for fans of Erin Kinsley, Lisa Jewell, Louise Jensen, Phoebe Morgan, CL Taylor, Cara Hunter and KL Slate...
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One Under
Graham HurleyTwo crimes, two tangles of emotions and thwarted love...From the author of LAST FLIGHT TO STALINGRADA man is chained inside a tunnel and then dismembered and scattered along the tr...
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No Lovelier Death
Graham Hurley'There is no one writing better police procedurals today.' Daily TelegraphTwo murdered teenagers. Both sides of the law are looking for the killer.But who will get there first?A te...
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The Advent Killer
Alastair GunnChristmas is coming. One body at a time. Three weeks before Christmas: Sunday, one a.m. A woman is drowned in her bathtub.One week later: Sunday, one a.m. A woman is beaten savagel...
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Like Mother, Like Daughter
Elle Croft'Utterly absorbing and thoughtprovoking' Caz Frear'What a premise, and packed with suspense' Victoria Selman'A dark, delicious triumph' Niki MackayIf what they said was true, then ...
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Blood And Honey
Graham Hurley'There is no one writing better police procedurals today.' Daily TelegraphIs time running out for DI Joe Faraday?The discovery of a headless corpse on the rocks below the cliffs on...
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Dining with the Saints
Leo Patalinghug & Michael P. FoleyMichael Foley’s fans have been devoutly drinking with the saints for years. Now it’s time for dinner! The inimitable theologian and mixologist teams up with the priest and TV chef ...
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Happy Days
Graham Hurley'There is no one writing better police procedurals today.' Daily TelegraphA war which throws the police into the front line: the reckoning awaits.D/I Faraday is gone and the police...
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Borrowed Light
Graham Hurley'There is no one writing better police procedurals today.' Daily TelegraphFour charred bodies. One killer. A race against time...DI Joe Faraday is convalescing after a serious inju...
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The Dance of the Serpents
Oscar de Muriel'Properly creepy and Gothic' IAN RANKIN on the Frey & McGray mysteries...December, 1889.There have been many bad days in Edinburgh police's secret subdivision 'The Commission f...
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Wycliffe And The Redhead
W.J. BurleyThe Cornish Detective seriesThe discovery of a body in a quarry creates a baffling case for Detective Superintendent Wycliffe'Firstclass, oldtime, hyperingenious whodunit' OBSERVER...
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The Scandal
Mari Hannah'Brand new series. Same topnotch writing.' Eva DolanWhen a young man is found stabbed to death in a side street in Newcastle city centre in the run up to Christmas, it looks like a...
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Drinking with the Saints
Michael P. FoleyRaise Your Spirits and Toast the SaintsRecipe for a liturgically correct cocktail: mix Bartender’s Guide and Lives of the Saints, shake well, garnish with good cheer. Drinking...
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Deadlight
Graham Hurley'There is no one writing better police procedurals today.' Daily TelegraphA twentyyearold crime throws DI Joe Faraday into the violent legacy of the Falklands War...Freshly promote...
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Buzz Riff
HillFigure'Fast, funny and popping with surprises' Robert CraisTop Keirnan has got problems. The research firm he's been running out of his 30sera schoolhouse in Athens, Georgia, is beginni...
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Deep Water
Emma BamfordThe dark side of paradise is exposed when a terrified couple reveals their daunting experience on a remote island to their rescuersonly to realize they’re still in the grips of the...
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Wycliffe and the Four Jacks
W.J. BurleyA murder committed in the night of dead. It's all a game for Detective Wycliffe to solve in a puzzling case.Writer David Cleeve lived exactly the way a bestselling novelist should ...
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Wycliffe and the Three Toed Pussy
W.J. BurleyA case involving a dead woman with a deformed foot and a mysterious past requires all Superintendent Wycliffe's investigative skills.The peace of the village of Kergwyns in Cornwal...
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What Lies Buried
Margaret Kirk'Shadow Man is a harrowing and horrific game of consequences' Val McDermid THE BRILLIANTLY COMPELLING SECOND NOVEL IN THE DI LUKAS MAHLER SERIESA missing child. A seventyyearold mu...
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The Guilty Wife
Elle CroftTHE TOP 10 EBOOK BESTSELLER 'A gripping tale of betrayal, deceit, and duplicity. Fabulous.' Jenny Blackhurst, author of How I Lost You 'Relentless and intense...I loved the final ...
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Wycliffe And The Last Rites
W.J. BurleyThe Cornish Detective seriesA puzzling murder mystery. A tough new case for Detective Wycliffe to investigate.'You can always count on Wycliffe' FINANCIAL TIMES'GRIPPING' THE TIME...