http://www.dailystar.co.uk/inthering/view/234605/Taking-the-Mick/

MICK Foley has proved himself a man who is unafraid to stand up and be counted.

His physical sacrifice to professional wrestling is second to none. His back catalogue of bloody, brutal and compelling matches has no peer. He’s the Hardcore Legend to the core.

But now New Yorker Mick, 46, is set to tread the boards, rather than smashing people with one, as he takes the plunge into stand-up comedy for a UK run at the end of the month.

Foley has many strings to his bow. He’s an intelligent, articulate and engaging character as well as a bestselling author – facts often at odds with his raw style of wrestling.

These days the WWE, TNA and ECW ring hero works a more comedic style and he hopes his wit will shine as he tackles the new art form, one to which you would imagine he’d be well-suited.

Foley told FT: “You can be intimidated by a couple of hundred comedy fans if things aren’t going well. I was more comfortable in front of 20,000 people than 100 in a comedy club.

“Unlike a traditional comic I’m not worried about getting laughs every couple of minutes. It’s like my time in the ring – it’s not about the cheers and pops you get while you’re out there, it’s about the feeling I leave my fans with.

“I’m not claiming to be the funniest guy in the world, all I want is for people to leave feeling happy!”

Back with WWE for the Mania run, the recent Rumble cameo was a fun outing, he tells me

Mick said: “I had to sit back afterwards and think about all the things that had transpired in the five or six minutes I was out there. I realised just how much fun it was at that point. I had some great reactions from the other wrestlers and my children.

“I’m on a need to know basis going forward, I'd like to get involved in some way. I can’t wrestle very often any more.

Apart from the run-in, the Rumble was the perfect way to play to my remaining strengths and not expose my many weaknesses!”

Foley’s comedy style is anecdotal, he tells me, springing from when he was touring his first book and speaking at colleges. So expect funny stories rather than Milton Jones one-liners. It should be a doddle for one of the best promos around.

He laughs when I ask if he and Jericho share a bond over their extra curricular activities here in the UK, saying: “Jericho asked me about stand-up. He and I feel like we have a bit in common. We’re the renaissance men of wrestling. I haven’t branched out to dancing just yet, but if he had a go at comedy, he could do it. But I could not do the dancing!

“Promos, well, I don’t think it is maligned, yet I don’t think it’s fully appreciated. The reason why a guy like Punk can cast a spell is that he has a different style all of his own. Nothing seems forced. It is an art form that has been some- what lost.

“Are you saying thumbtacks aren’t fun?! Look, as a dad the thing I enjoy the most about the current product is not having to tell my kids to change the channel when sexual chocolate comes on.

“The Attitude era was fun for different reasons, it was risque, but a lot was not appropriate for kids. The new style forces wrestlers to be creative and not rely on chair shots to get a pop.”

Mick Foley's Night In Red Flannel Uk & Ireland tour runs from the February 23 until the March 3. Tickets are still available for shows in London, Sheffield, Liverpool and Dublin. Check out MickFoleyStandUp.co.uk/tickets