Mick Foley Reflects on His AEW Debut Appearance at AEW Double or Nothing 2026 & How AEW Locker Room Reminds Him of Attitude Era

As noted before, this past May’s AEW Double or Nothing 2026 event in Queens, New York featured WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley making his official debut appearance in AEW. Foley worked as a guest host alongside Renee Paquette for the Buy In Pre-show and got involved in an in-ring angle with MJF and Darby Allin. Following his appearance, AEW CEO Tony Khan had announced that Foley was officially signed to the company.

Foley recently released a new video on his official YouTube channel discussing his recent debut appearance in AEW and how the energy backstage in AEW’s locker room reminded him of his days in WWE during the Attitude Era.

“There is nothing wrong with getting a nostalgia pop. I’ve received plenty of those and they feel good, but the reaction I received in New York was different. It was a reaction of, ‘We’re glad you’re here,’ and that I could still make a difference. In no way am I here to throw stones at WWE. I love the company, always will. I will always be deeply appreciative of every opportunity they afforded me, but there is something unique about seeing the owner of the company just so obviously happy and excited.

Mr. McMahon had a different way of doing things, but it wasn’t with that type of joy. It seems like, to me, the AEW wrestlers are out there and they are playing to win because it is understood that failure it part of the process. I’ve seen so many people over the years, almost petrified to walk through the curtain because they didn’t know if they’d get the thumbs up or thumbs down. Tony is excited and loves what he’s doing. He’s happy to be there. That type of enthusiasm makes me feel enthusiastic. After I did my in-ring promo, a couple of wrestlers said, ‘I guess you’ll be taking off now.’ What am I going to do, watch Friends reruns in my hotel room? It was an amazing show.

The energy backstage reminds me of the way WWE felt during the Attitude Era where we were all actively pulling for each other, but we also understood that striking out was part of the process of hitting monumental home runs. I’m really glad to be in a place where wrestlers are encouraged to swing for the fences, and it’s understood that not every hit will leave the park. I’m excited about where this adventure is going to take me. I consider myself a Swiss Army Knife, and I can be used in a lot of different ways. I’m excited about the future and I’m excited about wrestling in a way that I haven’t been in a few years. I want to thank the AEW fans and product for helping me fall in love with professional wrestling all over again.”

Transcript h/t: Fightful.com