Mick Foley is a multiple-time World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion, a number one New York Times best-selling author and one of the most intriguing subjects of Barry Blaustein's popular documentary Beyond the Mat. Now Foley is back -- in the literary world, that is.
Foley's latest book, The Hardcore Diaries, is his third autobiography. "Autobiography" is the terminology that Foley and WWE use to call Foley's works, but they resemble memoirs more than they resemble the average ghost-written autobiography.
The latest release by Foley is no exception. But what made Foley's first memoir, Have a Nice Day, a masterpiece of sorts and his second memoir, Foley Is Good, entertaining at best, is missing in his latest literary endeavor.
Foley has traded in his usually hilarious and heart-warming stories for ruthless name-dropping and self-worship.
One of the most hypocritical moments of the book is an anecdote about Foley meeting Adam West and Burt Ward, the dynamic duo of the 1960's Batman television series.
Foley wrote that Ward wrote an autobiography that praised himself mercilessly. But throughout the book, Foley writes about his generosity with Christian children's funds and his frequent military hospital visits.
These parts of the book are reminiscent of a desperate man trying to woo a woman whom he believes to be innocent by telling her that he likes hugs and teddy bears.
The book was originally intended to be an insider's view of the inner-workings of WWE.
Although the book does expose a lot about the creative process of making WWE's weekly television programs and pay-per-view events, the focus of the book wanes through every chapter.
Like a real diary, Foley goes from one thought to another. However, some of his thoughts aren't worth the proverbial penny, let alone 2,400 of them.
At times in the book when Foley is displeased with WWE, he wonders why he is working on a book at all. Similarly, readers of the book will also wonder why Foley decided to write an inconsequential work that he didn't put his heart into.
The title of the book itself is a misnomer figuring that Foley has been semi-retired from pro wrestling for seven years now. Maybe Foley should semi-retire from memoir writing, too. Grade: C-
-- Reviewed by Steve Hughes
