Have a Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks
Encyclopedia
Have a Nice Day!: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks is an autobiography of former World Wrestling Entertainment
and TNA
wrestler Mick Foley
. It details his life all the way from his upbringing in New York
to winning the WWF Championship
from The Rock in December 1998. Foley had originally wanted the book to be called simply Blood and Sweatsocks, but this was eschewed in favor of his long time catchphrase Have a Nice Day!, with the former being added as a sub-title. The book debuted at #3 on the New York Times Best Seller List
on November 7, 1999 and reached #1 on December 5. The book is followed by two sequels. Foley is Good: And The Real World is Faker Than Wrestling released in 2001, wraps up the rest of his career and gives a behind the scenes look at the making of Have a Nice Day!. The second sequel and third volume to the Foley autobiography is called The Hardcore Diaries
and was released in March 2007.
–but Foley was not satisfied with his work. The book started a trend that saw several wrestlers including Edge (who also wrote his without the aid of a ghostwriter), Shawn Michaels
, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin
, Hulk Hogan
, Lita
, Dusty Rhodes
, Ric Flair
, and Chris Jericho
writing their biographies.
In the book, Foley is critical of Ric Flair's booking abilities. In response, Flair wrote negative remarks about Foley in his own autobiography
. The real life tension between the two was later translated into a worked feud
.
, who would then train Foley to wrestle.
From there, the book goes on to chronologically detail Foley's escapades as "Cactus Jack" on the independent wrestling circuit, as well as his very first match in what was then called the World Wrestling Federation. It then continues to recount his years in World Championship Wrestling
, as well as those that he spent in both Japan and Extreme Championship Wrestling
. It then goes on to describe his re-entry into the WWF, the creation of his new persona "Mankind", and the reappearance of Dude Love in the WWF. The book details his experience in the "Hell in a Cell" match with The Undertaker that he had at King of the Ring 1998 which truly made him famous as Mankind. Ironically, due to the concussion he sustained during the match, he had to watch video clips of it to recall the details and write about it.
Finally, from there, it tells the story of the introduction of his sock puppet "Mr. Socko," and ends with his eventual WWF Championship
win over The Rock.
Foley also breaks chronological history at a point during the book, writing about Owen Hart
's death on the night it happened, rather than editing the news into a later chapter to fit in with chronology.
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
and TNA
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
wrestler Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
. It details his life all the way from his upbringing in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to winning the WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
from The Rock in December 1998. Foley had originally wanted the book to be called simply Blood and Sweatsocks, but this was eschewed in favor of his long time catchphrase Have a Nice Day!, with the former being added as a sub-title. The book debuted at #3 on the New York Times Best Seller List
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
on November 7, 1999 and reached #1 on December 5. The book is followed by two sequels. Foley is Good: And The Real World is Faker Than Wrestling released in 2001, wraps up the rest of his career and gives a behind the scenes look at the making of Have a Nice Day!. The second sequel and third volume to the Foley autobiography is called The Hardcore Diaries
The Hardcore Diaries
The Hardcore Diaries is the third autobiography of New York Times best-selling author and former WWE wrestler Mick Foley.-History:Foley's original idea for the book was a more behind the scenes look into Vince McMahon and the lead-up to WrestleMania...
and was released in March 2007.
History
Foley did not make use of a ghost writer, writing the book himself while on the road. He wrote the entire book in longhand (over 760 pages; he claimed his typewriter broke). A ghostwriter was originally intended–Lou Sahadi, the father of WWF Creative Director of On-air Promotions David SahadiDavid Sahadi
David Sahadi is an American multimedia producer, currently working for the professional wrestling promotion Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.-Biography:...
–but Foley was not satisfied with his work. The book started a trend that saw several wrestlers including Edge (who also wrote his without the aid of a ghostwriter), Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin
Stone Cold Steve Austin
Steve Austin , better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler...
, Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Lita
Amy Dumas
Amy Christine Dumas , known by her primary stage name Lita, is the lead singer for the band The Luchagors as well as a retired professional wrestler and WWE Diva active from 1999 to 2006....
, Dusty Rhodes
Dusty Rhodes (wrestler)
Virgil Riley Runnels, Jr. , better known as "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes, is a semi-retired American professional wrestler currently working for WWE...
, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
, and Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho
Christopher Keith Irvine , better known by his ring name Chris Jericho, is an inactive Canadian-American professional wrestler, musician, songwriter, radio personality, television host, actor, author, and dancer...
writing their biographies.
In the book, Foley is critical of Ric Flair's booking abilities. In response, Flair wrote negative remarks about Foley in his own autobiography
To Be the Man
To Be the Man is an autobiographical book written by professional wrestler Ric Flair and Keith Elliot Greenberg, and edited by Mark Madden. It was published by WWE Books and distributed by Simon & Schuster in July 2004...
. The real life tension between the two was later translated into a worked feud
Feud (professional wrestling)
A professional wrestling feud is a staged rivalry between multiple wrestlers or alliances of wrestlers. They are integrated into ongoing storylines, particularly in events which are televised...
.
Content
The book begins with a quick account of his WCW match with Big Van Vader on March 17, 1994, which cost him his right ear. It then goes back to 1983, when Foley was eighteen. From there it details his early life in college and the filming of his notorious short film "The Loved One," as well as a piece called "The Legend of Frank Foley" (Frank because a beautiful girl he had gotten a date with could not remember his real name) in which for the first time he introduced a character called "Dude Love". According to Foley, at the time the Dude was his vision of what he thought a man should be. "The Loved One" was enough to impress wrestler Dominic DeNucciDominic DeNucci
Dominic DeNucci is an Italian-American professional wrestler. He is also an accomplished trainer, counting former World Heavyweight champions Mick Foley and Shane Douglas, as well as referee Brian Hildebrand, among his students.-Early career:...
, who would then train Foley to wrestle.
From there, the book goes on to chronologically detail Foley's escapades as "Cactus Jack" on the independent wrestling circuit, as well as his very first match in what was then called the World Wrestling Federation. It then continues to recount his years in World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
, as well as those that he spent in both Japan and Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
. It then goes on to describe his re-entry into the WWF, the creation of his new persona "Mankind", and the reappearance of Dude Love in the WWF. The book details his experience in the "Hell in a Cell" match with The Undertaker that he had at King of the Ring 1998 which truly made him famous as Mankind. Ironically, due to the concussion he sustained during the match, he had to watch video clips of it to recall the details and write about it.
Finally, from there, it tells the story of the introduction of his sock puppet "Mr. Socko," and ends with his eventual WWF Championship
WWE Championship
The WWE Championship is a professional wrestling world heavyweight championship in WWE. It is the world title of the Raw brand and one of two in WWE, complementing the World Heavyweight Championship of the SmackDown brand. It was established under the then WWWF in 1963...
win over The Rock.
Foley also breaks chronological history at a point during the book, writing about Owen Hart
Owen Hart
Owen James Hart was a Canadian professional and amateur wrestler who worked for several promotions including Stampede Wrestling, New Japan Pro Wrestling , World Championship Wrestling , and most notably, the World Wrestling Federation , where he wrestled under both his own name, and ring name The...
's death on the night it happened, rather than editing the news into a later chapter to fit in with chronology.