Countdown to Lockdown
A Hardcore Journal
Mick Foley
Published: 2010
Pages: 336 (Hardcover)
Synopsis: The fourth autobiography of WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley, covering his TNA run.
And so, it came to pass that I wrestled announcer Jonathan Coachman (the Coach) with a leprechaun (Hornswoggle) serving as the guest referee. True to Vince's word, it had been an easy match, just some harmless shenanigans to entertain my hometown fans.
Still, as I traveled home along the Northern State Parkway, I couldn't stop thinking that the whole idea had been a huge mistake. The Coach? A leprechaun as guest referee?
Yeah, I'd say the whole thing qualified as a huge mistake. I started thinking about some other comeback match I might have - in me - one last great gasp to erase that Coachman stain on my legacy.
I have to be honest: I didn't particularly want Mick Foley to be in TNA when he went there in 2009. Granted, it's not like he would be a full-time competitor in WWE at that stage of his life, but his appearance there just felt... wrong. His home is with Titan Towers and not the Impact Zone.
That said, it was honestly his decision to make.... and hey, if it inspired a fourth Foley memoir, then who am I to complain? And say what you will about TNA, but the Foley-Sting Six Sides Of Steel match was exceptionally well-booked, so it definitely makes for an interesting story.
Countdown to Lockdown is written in a similar style to The Hardcore Diaries, in the sense that it deals with one match, how Foley let his creative juices flow to pursue said match, and a series of mini-stories along the way that have little or nothing to do with professional wrestling. This time around, however, the non-Countdown chapters are prefaced by a "Wrestlemeter", explaining how much wrestling content each chapter contains.
The non-Countdown stories actually provide some of Foley's best material in the book, whether it be doting on his children (whom you've seen literally grow up throughout The Hardcore Legend's writing career); getting older himself; substance abuse in wrestling; Chris Benoit, and the thrill of meeting Tori Amos (yes, you read that right).
Of course, the real reason many people want to check out the book is to hear the gory details of Foley's departure from WWE, his raging battle with Vince McMahon, and the story of how Dixie Carter convinced him to jump ship. Sure, he explains in some detail about the "headset" incident with McMahon, but in reality, Mick Foley left WWE because it wasn't the place for him anymore.
See, that's the biggest thing I learned in this book. Mick Foley was happy with his decision to leave WWE - genuinely happy. And given everything that he's done for this business, I think we can allow the poor guy to be happy.
But the most important reason to add this book to your collection? Foley has donated half his advance to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, Incest, National Network).... and the other half to ChildFund International. Unless the book does particularly well, Mankind isn't making a penny in profit on this one.
Rating: Oh Hell Yeah! It's not my favorite of the Foley memoirs, but it was a heck of a fun ride And it's almost like the "No such thing as bad pizza" theory; even when there's a bad Mick Foley book (not suggesting this one is, by any stretch), it's still good. Check it out!