Mick Foley made the decision to cut ties with WWE so he could feel comfortable when looking at himself in the mirror.
Back in December 2025, Foley announced that he would not be renewing his WWE Legends contract when it expires this summer. He cited WWE’s “close relationship” with President Donald Trump as the reason and said Trump’s “incredibly cruel” comments about the death of director Rob Reiner (a frequent Trump critic) were the final straw.
Foley has now signed with AEW — and the 60-year-old Hardcore Legend appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show today to discuss that news. He also went into more detail about his WWE departure, saying he would have felt complicit in his silence if he continued representing WWE while Trump is in office.
“I just think WWE had a very cozy relationship where there was definitely the illusion of a relationship there — the perception, rather,” Foley said. “I think when five different people are posing in the Oval Office and they’ve all received Stone Cold Stunners, that’s a little cozy. And I felt like even though I wasn’t technically employed by the company, but because I had a Legends deal, because my name’s been associated with WWE for over 30 years, that I was complicit in my silence.
“And so I did speak up. I reached out to the head of talent relations, who I consider a friend, who I still write handwritten letters from Santa to every year… Basically, I give up the Legends deal. It runs out at the end of this month. I realized that by giving up two really easy, very high paying jobs at WrestleMania week for WWE that I had to work 24 hours on my own to make what I could’ve in six, and I’m okay with that.
“So I’m good with my decision. Everyone I think has to make a decision that’s right for them. And in my case, I just didn’t want to be in a position where my grandchildren are asking what their grandfather was doing when things were really, you know, tough. And I want my children to be able to say, ‘This is what grandpa did.’ So I made the move that I thought was right for me. I love that company. I’m not going to disparage them, but it didn’t seem like a good fit. Didn’t seem like a fit that would allow me to look at myself in the mirror before I went to bed.”
Foley said the head of talent relations told him that he respected his decision and would inform the people in charge. Though Foley did not hear from Paul “Triple H” Levesque or any members of the McMahon family, he did speak with an unnamed higher-up in WWE who tried to tell him that Levesque is only a member of Trump’s fitness council and that Linda McMahon, though a member of Trump’s cabinet, is not part of WWE. Foley did not fully agree with that, and he and the person he spoke with ended their conversation on respectful terms.
“I didn’t close the door forever,” Foley said. “I said in my announcement, you know, as long as [Trump’s] in office.”
Foley said he’s always been friends with independents and conservatives whose politics aren’t as progressive as his own. He believes it’s important to have two strong political parties in the United States, but Foley feels Trump is a different type of person who has acted in ways that are cruel and selfish.
Mick Foley on signing with AEW —
In the Helwani interview, Foley said he first met AEW boss Tony Khan 15 years ago and had a really good lunch with him long before Khan ever got into pro wrestling. Foley took a break from watching wrestling for a couple of years but then became a fan of AEW and would direct message with Khan some. But talks about Foley signing with the promotion didn’t start until months after he announced his decision to cut ties with WWE. The “nostalgia world” of conventions and one-man shows has been very kind to Foley financially, so that had been his focus.
Foley views himself as a “Swiss army knife” in AEW who can work as a broadcaster, help with publicity, and maybe even serve as a manager. He is not ruling out the possibility of having one last match in AEW but says the stars would have to align perfectly.
