The Hardcore Diaries Reviews

• Do Not Buy This Book (Particularly From Amazon)

  
  By A2XKOJ3ZGB6N34 on 2007-03-10
  I almost never write reviews on Amazon, but I feel so strongly about this piece of garbage book and the trouble I had in getting it that I must write a review.
  
  First of all, I ordered this book from Amazon and spent more money for 1 day shipping than the book itself cost. I wanted the book as soon as possible since I have read Have A Nice Day 10 times and Foley Is Good 5 times from cover to cover. Though the book was listed as being immediately in stock it took Amazon almost a week to send me my copy. At least Amazon refunded my shipping cost, but their delay in sending it to me almost made me get it too late to be able to read it while on vacation from work.
  
  Actually, I wish I had never read this book. Due to my "testicular fortitude" as Foley would put it; I was able to read the book in 2 days. It was quite an ordeal and I will regret never getting back the hours of my life I wasted reading this muck. I will now share with you the major faults of this book so you will not have to waste your lives on it.
  
  1. The book is the worst edited and written book in the history of literature. It is filled with poor grammar and other writing errors, which I could live with. What I can not live with is the rambling structure of this mess that makes it incomprehensible. One chapter is on One Night Stand 2006, the next is on him visiting some sick kid some place, the next is on him wrestling Randy Orton in 2004, and so on in a muddled mass of confusion that is hard to follow.
  
  2. Paul Heyman and Mick Foley have heat with each other because Heyman bad mouthed Foley in a writing meeting. That is the only thing you will learn about professional wrestling if you read this book that you can not read for free on internet wrestling web sites. Everything else is the general bashing of Vince McMahon (yet not his no talent daughter who actually writes all the shows), Triple H, and Shawn Michaels you can read on any web site along with general bashing of unnamed people behind the scenes. Details are very few in this so called tell all and things that were promised to be in this book such as Flair and Foley sitting next to each other talking over their differences on an airplane back from Afghanistan are not in here.
  
  3. Mick Foley likes to visit sick / injured / dying people. One anecdote about Foley's charitable work would be okay (though he has already written about it ad nausea in other places), but it is half the book. Foley stroking himself over what a great humanitarian he is gets real sickening real quick. The whole McMahon organization does tons of charitable stuff, but nobody else needs to prattle on about it like Foley does.
  
  4. Foley is a great liberal hero and if you are a conservative you are a bad person (Foley says it in his book). Personally, I am libertarian and not a huge George Bush fan, but the Foley bashing in this book of George Bush and all conservatives is enough to make anyone besides the most tree hugging left wing nut case sick. If Foley wanted to make some type of pointed and thought provoking political argument it might be okay (though it really does not belong in a wrestling book), but Foley just likes hurling insults at members of the current administration and conservatives as a whole. The worst part of any Foley biography up to now was the end of Foley Is Good where he went on a rambling left wing analysis of why Joseph Lieberman is a great person (though Lieberman has made it clear he wants to ban wrestling and most of what is on television), but here he took that 1 part and made it into most of the book.
  
  5. The Mick Foley who wrote this book is not the same Mick Foley fans came to love and adore through his first 2 books and when he first became a WWF main eventer. Foley is now a self obsessed has been who is more worried about his wrestling legacy and name dropping B list celebrities he knows than giving fans what they want. Why give wrestling fans the story of Brian Gerwirtz (head Raw writer) attending a Ring Of Honor show to scout new talent when you can write 5 boring chapters on your kid being a religious zealot instead? Foley has no gratitude to McMahon, who made him a star, and every time Foley does not get his way it is a conspiracy against his legendary status (according to Foley he was the main event of One Night Stand, though Cena / RVD was always clearly billed as the main event).
  
  If you have to read it, check this book out of the library.
  
  

• Mick Foley: Master Storyteller!

  
  By AVBYL0BIAZ8IB on 2007-03-09
  I read "Hardcore Diaries" in just a few days. Once I started reading, I found it a very difficult book to put down. Mick Foley is a great story teller, and the stories he tells in this volume range from hilarious, thought provoking, entertaining, to down right moving. I particularly thought the chapters describing Mickey's discovery of church and the story of the Afghan boy were very touching. Mick Foley clearly has a big heart, and its wonderful that he is so willing to share that in the book. I have read all of his other books except for "Scooter," (yes, I even read "Tietam Brown" and enjoyed it immensely) and this volume compares very favorably to his previous autobiographies.
  
  From a wrestling point of view, the book is highly informative. It is exactly what Mick Foley said it would be: an inside look at WWE. That does not mean it is a comprehensive account of what happens backstage, but it really offers major insight--that I don't think is to be found elsewhere--on what goes into producing WWE's programming. It certainly paints a very interesting portrait of Vince McMahon.
  
  I found it very interesting to read Mick Foley's commentary on his recent six-month run back in WWE. I had gradually drifted away from wrestling and WWE in particular for the past few years, but Foley's work in that period brought me back. I share his frustration that the work with Flair and Melina did not lead to more, but I hope it will in the future. It was just a very interesting experience reading Mick Foley's thoughts on these events that I've already seen unfold on WWE programming.
  
  The bottom line: I came away from this book having even more respect and admiration for Mick Foley than I did before. If you are a wrestling fan, buy this book. If you enjoy a well told story, buy this book. It will challenge you to think and prove to be emotionally moving as well. And Mick, if you are reading this, your "mistake" made for a great book. Thank you for reawakening my passion for the very strange and unique business that is pro-wrestling.
  
  

• Falls Short Of Expectations

  
  By A3TZV5SXQ8F6ST on 2007-03-20
  Mick Foley's first book, Have A Nice Day!, was a big hit because it was such a personable read, though his second book - Foley Is Good - was repetitive and seemed forced at times to find that successful style.
  
  Hardcore Diaries again is a very forced effort in trying to recapture the success from several years back; sort of like Vince McMahon taking a 1990s-era script, adding a couple new sentences and hoping it'll again be a big winner with the fans.
  
  The main storyline in the book takes place with Foley attempting to pitch an idea to the company and see it through - untouched and unedited - into the squared-circle. And what is left is........
  
  Vince McMahon is infamous for not being able to separate professional criticism from the personal kind. And it makes me wonder if Hardcore Diaries is not just some "work" by Foley that will be part of a major angle in the coming months.
  
  If Foley the frustrated script writer becomes a WWE character, then the book is nothing but a bad gimmick. As it stands, Hardcore Diaries falls way short of Foley's last two efforts and shows again that style & substance are needed for a truly good book.
  
  
  
  
  
  

• By far his best

  
  By A2LAKRP0IKNYFF on 2007-03-05
  I own all hardcover foley nonfiction books. He is already the best wrestling author of all time in my book. This book gives you an incredible insight into what we all suspected to be true about the inner workings of the WWE, but also incredible insight into an incredible human being. The humanity of this book is unparalelled in wrestling biographies. You laugh out loud, and you almost cry. The structure of the book is genius as well and works perfectly. What a great job and an enjoyable read. Mick's finest moment may be this book. Btw mick, I noticed the orton punches, I really did.
  
  

• A VERY SHORT EMOTIONAL JOURNEY

  
  By A26EQEB7VDC6J9 on 2007-03-08
  Mick Foley is making a comeback. Whether or not it's a successful one is debatable. Although this seems to be the main theme throughout the course of Hardcore Diaries, ironically enough, the same can also be said for the book itself. In the oversaturated genre of wrestling autobiographies, Foley took a huge gamble on this one. It definitely pales in comparison to his first two best sellers Have a Nice Day and Foley is Good in terms of content and subject matter. What Hardcore Diaries does offer that the others have not is an expansive look into the mind of Mick Foley from around 2001 up till now. Because Hardcore Diaries spans only a short amount of time into the life of Mick Foley, another thing this autobiography offers that the other two have not is emotion, and lots of it. As with his wrestling career, Foley was not and never will be a polished, technically sound individual. But what he lacks for in mechanics, Foley more than makes up for in raw, human emotion, and his ability to make his audience feel it.
  
  At the start, the book goes into great detail about the backstage politics of the WWE. Foley comes up this blockbuster idea/storyline that he feels will catapult him into the ranks of wrestling immortality. The storyline will also help push other wrestlers in the company into potential future main eventers. He manages to sell his idea to head honcho Vince McMahon and all is good. Towards the end of the book, Foley finds out that his plans have been unceremoniously squashed and he is left with a difficult decision to make. He is on his way out the door to leave the WWE forever when Vince McMahon offers a compromise. Foley hesitantly accepts the offer but the compromise puts Foley under enormous pressure. In order for the revised storyline to be a successful one, Foley knows he must take his badly beaten and battered body to a whole new level of brutality. That's not the problem though. Later, Foley discovers a whole new problem. Somewhere down the road, Foley lost his passion for the wrestling business and he only has a few short weeks to regain it and turn it into one last memorable performance in which no one will ever forget.
  
  Unfortunately, the rest of Hardcore Diaries is more or less, filler. This is Foley's biggest problem as an author. He does a great job in captivating us with compelling and dramatic buildup on one page. Then on the next page, he goes into great detail about meeting Katie Curric, George Steinbrenner, his favorite porn star, and the children he sponsors in Asia. It's all interesting material to say the least, but none of it makes chronological sense. The book goes back and forth in time with no apparent reason and this significantly hurts maintaining the suspense that Foley intended for his readers to have. Perhaps if Foley spent more time on his transitions and less time apologizing for switching verbs to past and present tense, the emotional impact that Foley intended to hammer home would be felt throughout, instead of in short spurts.
  
  Even if you're not a wrestling fan, Hardcore Diaries makes for an enjoyable read. Foley is one of the best conversational writers and his unique brand of sarcastic humor is virtually unmatched in the literary world. If you are wrestling fan and you're looking for an in-depth look into the behind the scenes chaos that circulates within the wrestling world, than I recommend Mick Foley's first two best sellers Have a Nice Day and Foley is Good. In terms of space allocated to Foley's involvement with the WWE, Hardcore Diaries only offers us brief, albeit in-depth, moments of Zen. However, if you're into the Rocky Balboa-like come from behind, do-whatever-it-takes to recapture your past success and turn it into one last hurrah of triumph and glory, than you will, beyond a shadow of doubt...be disappointed. Why? Because Hardcore Diaries is mostly just that - a colorful collection of journal entries into the life of one Mick Foley.
  
  The reason why I recommend Hardcore Diaries is because it's uniquely different from Foley's first two autobiographies. It falls into it's own unique genre. The question we must ask ourselves is why we have any interest in diaries in the first place? They don't have a sound plot; most don't even make chronological sense. What most diaries do possess however, are great degrees of symbolism, frustration, emotion, and passion. Unfortunately, the one thing that no hardcore diary or any diary of that matter will ever possess... is any semblance of a happy ending.
  
  
  
• Hardcore Diaries
  By A1BCAPRQQ4STEQ on 2007-03-05
  I just finished the book, and a few quick comments.
  
  *Of the three books, its easily the worst. That doesn't mean its a bad book by any stretch, but the first two are much better. In fact, I'm the one human being that liked Foley is Good better than Have a Nice Day.
  
  Mick is considerably more self deluded that he was in the first two books. Not so much about his legacy as a performer, but his position in wrestling in 2006. I don't want to give anything away, but his opinion of his place on the card and role on the show for some major events is a little absurd. Some of this may be because I have the 20/20 hindsight of reading this in March 2007 instead of May 2006, but even then some of the things he thought were odd.
  
  He is way more bitter than he was in the first two books. Everyone is out to get him, specifically the WWE creative team, HHH, Ric Flair and people who wanted him to go to TNA
  
  He seems to think people care about his charitable contributions a hell of a lot more than his mindset and preparations for his big matches. The Flair, Edge and Orton feuds (Orton is a little better, but not much. Its still an "Oh by the way...) are glossed over in favor of chapters on adopting third world children and hugging Goose Gossage at some fund raiser. He was also far more political in this book. He does devote a lot of time to the ONS match, which was great.
  
  The man has named his children Huey Dewey and Mickey.
  
  Overall though, it was a fun, easy read, and I definitely look forward to a part four that isn't written in diary style
  
  
• Sorry Mick Gotta Tell It Like It Is
  By A3STJTYMU0GAZY on 2007-03-16
  Mick Foley is a pretty good author to be a wrestler. I enjoyed his previous two books and thats why I picked up the third. That being said its not that great of a book to be honest. In the book if Mick gets things to go his way then Vince McMahon is God. If things doesnt go Mick's way, Vince is the Devil and the people that help him are demons. Out of the three books that he wrote this is the worst of the three. Check the book out of the library if your looking for a good read when you have nothing better to do. Otherwise save your money. Foley is good but this book stinks.
  
  
• Not as good as "Have a Nice Day!", better than "Foley is Good"
  By A2BY4U9CL2WOXQ on 2007-03-11
  I got the book last night. I finished it the next afternoon/early evening.
  
  Though I've never posted it much anywhere or anytime, I am a huge critic of Foley's second book, Foley Is Good. It's a raging irony that Foley starts that book talking about writing a screenplay for Have A Nice Day, but abandons the project after realizing he wasn't doing well with it, and another writer applauds him for being an honest critic of his work. Then, he proceeds to turn in the worst of the three autobiographies he's written. After the wonderful story and tone of his first book, Foley Is Good just turned into, "Hey, I'm champ, but I've got nowhere to go with this, and I won't be champ for long. I'm losing my talent, I'm losing my ability, I (stink). I no longer have the dedication or the passion I once did. And Vince McMahon may be openly criticizing my wife and me, but that's okay, because he's awesome! (Forget) Barry Blaustein!"
  
  Problem number 2 with Foley Is Good? Lists - too many of 'em. Unless your book title makes it clear that your book will be nothing but lists, lists are a sign of a few things, in my ever-so-humble opinion:
  1) Your story's not long enough or interesting enough to justify a full book;
  2) You've run out of ideas; and/or
  3) You have no idea where your book is going.
  
  Take a good look at The Big Show: Inside ESPN's SportsCenter by Keith Olbermann and Dan Patrick for another classic example of too many lists screwing up a perfectly good book/story. But getting back to Mick, I mean, Jiminy Flippin' Christmas, was it really that captivating to find out what Mick's favorite theme parks and rides were/are? Or his favorite movies? Did it really give the reader that much insight about who Mick Foley was then, and what he'd been up to since Have A Nice Day! ended? Granted, Have A Nice Day had about fifteen-some-odd years of tales to tell, whereas Foley Is Good only covered a year-and-a-half, maybe two years.
  
  But, as Bill Cosby once said, "I told you that story to tell you this one." The Hardcore Diaries, with the exceptions of a few "flashbacks" and nonsequiturs, covers an even smaller period of time than Foley Is Good... and does a much better job at telling the story and keeping the reader's attention and staying focused on what he has to say, in the order that he has to (or wants to?) say it. Foley seems to keep a much more neutral tone towards one Vince McMahon in this book - despite part of the book talking about his "Kiss My (Posterior) Club" angle with Vince and Melina, I'd argue that he was previously a member of said club back before it came about, judging by what he said in Foley Is Good. To his credit, however, this book shows that while he may still respect McMahon, there's a question whether he still likes him.
  
  Foley also keeps a much more interesting tale to tell in this book. Covering a period from around last year's Wrestlemania to last year's One Night Stand, Foley goes into detail about planning the angle(s) with him and Vince, Edge, Terry Funk, Tommy Dreamer, how the ideas started out, how the ideas changed, what changes he liked, what changes he didn't like, etc. To his credit, Foley lists many of the ideas on his part that weren't so good, and doesn't really defend them too harshly. It's as if perhaps he learned to be a better critic of his own bad ideas. Of all the wrestlers out there who've written an autobiography, only Foley seems to be able to give us such insight into the creative process and backstage. Like his previous autobiographies, there are nonsequiturs and flashbacks aplenty, but they don't come anywhere near the level of distraction and pointlessness that the ones in Foley Is Good did. Dare I say - he seems to tie these ones in better with the main story, with his life post-Foley Is Good and post-Wrestlemania 22.
  
  As a good friend of mine says, "Sometimes it's not so important what someone says, compared to what someone doesn't say." Based on that philosophy, it's hard to not notice that Mick doesn't have anything nice to say about Triple H, HBK, and a few others - in fact, the closest he seems to get to mentioning them is vague references about the DX reunion and how certain people seemed to have changed their tune about the things he did, now that he's no longer doing those things for them. Strangely enough, he seems almost cordial and professional with Ric Flair, despite noting their previous history. More surprisingly enough, he doesn't make a single mention of Al Snow - nary an Al Snow joke to be found. Makes me wonder....
  
  There may be criticism of Foley's story in that he's no longer a top guy in the company, and Triple H and HBK are, and of course that they should be getting the lion's share of the show. In turn, Foley's tone (or lack of tone) toward them might be sour grapes, or even Foley doing what's popular (at least among the Internet Wrestling Community). I'm not sure I have an answer for the sour grapes criticism. But as for doing what's popular - since when has Foley followed trends in wrestling?
  
  The reader will likely note a change in tone by its author as the story progresses... one that seems more distraught, more depressed, and even betrayed. As I'm currently going through what might be considered a similar time in my own life, some of the things he writes when the tones changes hits close to home for me... perhaps a little too close for me. In a strange way, I preferred this tone over the one in Foley Is Good as in the current book, he actually seemed to give a damn about what he was trying to do, and how he felt like it wasn't happening... and maybe parts of that were his fault and other parts were the fault of others.
  
  Make no mistake, the trademark Foley humor is still there. Though he does openly re-use at least two jokes from Foley Is Good, he seems to even joke about that, suggesting an idea of "Hey, why not? What're you going to do about it?" and/or "I know I used these before, but I'd rather use them in a book that doesn't (stink)."
  
  I also can't help but wonder if this book also serves as his final goodbye to pro wrestling. It really seems to hit him that not many people seem to give a damn about what he has to offer and to say, and that once you're off the road and out of the business full-time, out of sight, out of mind. I can only imagine how much Foley's tone with that resonates with some of the old-time wrestlers and retired NFL players.
  
  Bottom line - The Hardcore Diaries has an interesting tale (tales?) to tell, and takes its readers through many moods and emotions and tones. Thank you, Mick, for writing such a great story... and for finally eliminating the taint of Foley Is Good. I can't believe I tore through that 300+ page hardcover in about a day.
  
  Definite thumbs up.
  
  
• A Hardcore Letdown
  By A323AS6R8F5QSP on 2007-06-08
  I have read everything (even the fiction) by Mr. Foley and have not been disappointed in the past - I was least thrilled with The Hardcore Diaries. The book really seems to go nowhere and jumps around in regards to topics as much as Kendrick and London on Smackdown. Although there is some quality information within this text, you really have to want to appreciate it to get anything out of it.
  
  I feel that Foley is a little pompous at times and pats himself on the back quite a bit in this volume - reminiscent of a late 1980's Barry Horowitz in the ring. He never fails to mention, on countless occasions, how he does such and such for no pay and how this makes him a better person - obviously Mick, thats a no brainer. If anyone is donating time and energy to charities and fund raisers then yes, they are good people - but I do not need to hear about it throughout the entire book. There is nothing "Hardcore" about going on and on about rubbing elbows with celebrities and politicians all the while talking ones self up to the brink of nausea.
  
  That may be a little below the belt but if you take out all the hob-nobbing, elbow rubbing and good will bombardment the wrestling context of this book is slim. Foley talks about himself in the context that you would think he was his biggest fan. Hardcore legend or not, I have the utmost respect for everything Foley has done and continues to do in and out of the ring - it just does not translate well into an interesting read as compared to his Foley is Good and Have a Nice Day.
  
  
• On Par With the Other Foley Autobiographies
  By A8YZGB5JI3PUU on 2007-03-24
  The Hardcore Diaries is a natural extension of the other two Foley books. He fills in some of the gaps left by the other books' autobiographical material and also brings readers up to speed with his life as of Summer 2006. The book also brings additional insights to the reader in the sense that it describes how an upper-division talent like Foley pitches storylines to Vince McMahon, as well as how the WWE creative team functions as an extension of McMahon. Readers also receive insight on Mick's philanthropic endeavors, which seems to me to be worth reading because it really establishes Foley as more than a wrestler-turned-author; rather, he is a man who knows what to do with his fame. Is this book too pro-McMahon? Perhaps. Does Foley seem to toot his own horn in many places? Yes indeed, but this books is still a great quick read and will add to your knowledge of professional wrestling.
  
  Just to clear things up--another reviewer falsely claimed that Foley makes no mention of Al Snow. He actually makes tried and true Al Snow jokes on pages 31, 67, 69, 136, and 140, just to name a few. Foley also takes comic shots at Test too, but I didn't bother to note the pages.
  
  
• Well...
  By A24QEOQB8Q5LD0 on 2007-04-08
  The book itself followed no real pattern, Mick was definitely all over the place. As another reviewer had stated, I didn't like how he really kept all focus away from the WWE product itself...and as far as him really calling out Vince, I didn't see it. If Vince was upset over anything "controversial" Mick may have said, then he is definitely an oversensitive individual. The book was about as controversial as an episode of The Golden Girls.
  
  I do believe Mick does believe the myth that he's more important than he is, though an undoubted legend who had a wonderful career, I believe Mick feels he is on the same plane as Shawn Michaels, The Rock, Steve Austin, Bret Hart, and Hulk Hogan, when that truly is not the case. I'll never knock Mick's work, as I enjoyed it, but he falls just short of that level, at least in my eyes.
  
  Still, it's a good read, worth the $14 purchase and I was entertained enough to feel that I got my money's worth.
  
  
• Not his greatest
  By A2P1A4L16QTGO1 on 2007-04-15
  I was expecting more from this book. I was expecting more wrestling and behind the scenes stuff. Not that wasn't any of it but it went way too in depth into Mick's personal life. I just got tired of it, and felt myself struggling to finish it.
  
  It's great that Mick does so much for the organizations that grant kids wishes and I am glad a person of his calbier takes time out his busy life to visit military hospitals. But there was too much of it in the book.
  
  I was ready to be done reading it.
  
  
• THE NOW CLASSIC TRYLOGY
  By A2ZB8B7VQONZA6 on 2007-07-04
  MICK FOLEY
  HARDCORE DIARIES
  
  I still remember when Mick released his first autobiography all those years ago, now many moons later Mick returns to the form that started it all with his third [yes that is 3rd] autobiography. Originally this was to be a book chronicling Vince and Wrestlemania, but it turned into this. I honestly would rather have this book then that Wrestlemania one, at least for now.
  
  The book starts off nice talking about how this book came about and about the excellent idea he had to make a hell turn. As you find out later that heel turn didn't happen exactly like he had planed. It turns out he was the mastermind behind him joining Vince's kissing club, of course different things happened and it all changed after a while. Like most people I bought this book to learn about all the little dirty secrets about Vince and the WWE, but I found myself being more interested in Mick's personal experiences in events not related to the WWE. Some of those include Mick's experiences with hurt soldiers, sure some of the trips were made with the WWE but others were not. Other great reading experiences I had dealt with the charity stories Mick tells about in this book, the Batman & Robin story is a fav. It was these stories that made Mick seem more real to me, he wasn't just the guy on TV anymore that became a hardcore legend. Of course WWE related tales do arise with in these pages, his account of how Vince and the executives at the WWE changed his whole story line around was a very entertaining read. The ECW storyline ended up being one of the best in the book about his recent come back, you also find out that Terry Funk not showing up for Mick's award on RAW years ago is true, he no showed because he wasn't getting enough money to support his friend.
  
  But other accounts in this book are great as well; his interaction with Candice Michelle is funny. And the time he took of writing his fiction books is covered in this as well; this is one of the better things about the book. This book is a worthy addition to his now classic trilogy.
  
  
  
• One Night Stand
  By A1D702T7C8VDBL on 2007-04-03
  Mick Foley's third autobiographical book comes to us in the form of "The Hardcore Diaries". Early in the book he questions whether he should be writing a third autobiography ala Winston Churchill... simple answer, no he shouldn't have. Foley approaches this book in a different manner than his previous ones, instead looking into what it takes to take a concept storyline through development and into completion in the ring. Sounds like a decent idea but this is really a mess. The storyline he initially sets forth with is the 'One Night Stand' event of Foley & Edge vs Terry Funk & Tommy Dreamer. The lackluster interest in the pay-per-view is covered well-enough in this story by Foley.
  
  Downfalls of the book for me are:
  Foley is semi-retired, only having to make an extremely limited amount of appearances for the WWE. I don't have a problem with that, good for him for working that kind of a deal after contributing to the industry for so long. Foley looks at himself and admits he is past his in-ring prime and has slowed down much due to injuries, loss of passion, and aggravation with wrestling. He admits he doesn't or can't put 100% into his matches because he is losing the desire, the same can be said for his writing of this book, it really lacks any desire to be written.
  
  While the initial idea of the book is sound, the ONS event just wasn't a big enough deal to use as the plot. Granted it was probably one that meant much more to Foley and co-horts than to the general wrestling fans. He jumps into the Orton feud, Flair feud, and Melina/Kiss-my-a** Club micro-push to no avail and little interest (speaking of a**kissing, Foley spends alot of it directed towards current top heel, Edge). I can concede that from Foley's viewpoint, this was a good story for him to try and develop, however, the constant jumping all around through the timeline involving different PPV and charity visits made a complete mess of the book. He constantly loses focus and throws in stories that make little sense to the primary flow of the book as if he wrote down his random thoughts over those months and then just transfered them into the book without any attempt to organize them.
  
  Foley stretches into topics of non-wrestling basis, giving his views and experiences on politics, religion, charities, and fund raising events. I don't mind the charity/fund raising stories and visits to the troop hospitals, they were good (especially the one dealing with Marcos). Even the religious aspect because it involved his family, Little Mickey in particular. The politics was just there so he could get his opinion seen. Foley also goes for cheap plugs of his fiction books , 'Tietam Brown' and 'Scooter', and his obvious disappointment at their poor performance in the sales market. While Foley lightens up on Al Snow pot-shots in this book, he instead turns his jabs to Andrew "Test" Martin. He also seems to have to constantly mention adult star Christy Canyon far far too much throughout the book.
  
  Overall, this book attempt is following his current star-power, failing and lacking the necessary effort to make it acceptable. It's readable but not re-readable and unless you have a large fondness for the One Night Stand match, this story has little to offer. Sorry Mick, better luck in the future.
  
  
• Disapointed but OK
  By A1KK9SAGOYFSQG on 2007-04-09
  As books goes, this was, at best, OK. If you are a wrestling fan and are a true "mark" for Mr. Foley, this will be a great book. If you have read Mick's other biographies, this one is probably the worst of the three. Mick is definitely a storyteller but this book lacked many things, including a good hook, and a good way to keep the suspense going, as he did in his previous book.
  It was predictable from beginning to end, which I found boring. I enjoyed hearing more about Mick's private life, including the great charity work that he does. His relationship with his family was also more descriptive in this biography. The stories are uneven, Mick going off on tangents at times before coming back to the story he originally started, something that I did not note as much in his previous books.
  Overall, good for wrestling fans, otherwise very predictable and poorly written. Finally, a tip: do not note all the typos and mistakes in the book or you'll find it difficult to pay attention to the biography. Note to WWE: get another proof reader!!!!
  
  
• a good Foley Book..but not a great one
  By A36138P0AL0OAT on 2007-04-22
  I liked the book...it was very complete..but I wish would have more things..like DX, ECW..., I really like the part that he talk about ROH and the possibility of him joining TNA..I didn't know that one....But overall is a good book about WWE and the booking decision..something a fan don't want to miss it..
  
  
• ZZzzZZZ...Save Money.....Don't Buy This ZZzzz...Sleeper
  By A2OGBE9KLX59XL on 2007-04-24
  If you believe you are purchasing a book on pro wrestling you will be disappointed. I feel I was mislead by Mick's promos. Next time Foley authors a "wrestling" book....BEWARE....its about Mick and his crusade. I am still disappointed in this effort. Going to sell it on EBay for 50 cents, much more thans its worth.
  
  
• Winston Churchill had three... why not Foley?
  By AQUVTQFFXP4AC on 2007-10-15
  Foley dishes out another autobiography for us to read, but unlike the previous two, this one was made in the era of the WWE's uncontested dominance of Sports Entertainment, and there is a noticeable downturn in mood on Foley's part.
  
  Being the widest gap between biographies yet (Foley is Good was a year and a half after Have a Nice Day), you'd expect Mick would have a lot to say about the changes in the WWE since that time, but all he says about the WWE stems from his own experiences, from 2004 and 2006, while the rest is overly sentimental stories about his making friends with terminally ill children or disabled teens, and making twenty five visits to Walter Reid Medical center in Washington D.C.,
  
  Test jokes and Al Snow jokes are at a minimum, and most of his stories have to do with his non-wrestling endeavours, and otherwise random ramblings which go on and on about the same thing, such as his radio interview of Christy Canyon and random subject hopping, from saying a great line in a promo, to complaining about his daughter's Little League game, and how the coach kept yelling at the girls, and urging them to steal bases. Astonishingly, even from Foley, it gets tiring. If you're not bored by baseball (of which there are plenty of references), chances are you might get bored by his ramblings about meeting ice skaters, signing autographs and sending notes to people during his Middle East stay, his son Mickey's panic in singing in the church choir. It just gets exhausting after a while, knowing that Foley has little, if anything, to really say, and his backstage stories in the WWE are very dismal and dreary.
  
  The WWE Backstage stories: Mick is definitely less harsh on the WWE than many critics, but at the very least he acknowledges the decline in quality over the years, the coddling of largely untalented wrestlers who happen to be friends with Vince or the crew or be second-generation stars, and the cutthroat backstage atmosphere, with Vince largely distrusting anything that isn't WWE-created and WWE-approved.
  
  Foley continuously tells us of the hell in just getting his ECW One Night Stand angle pushed properly, to a point where he loses interest in the wrestling business. He portrays Vince as largely unappreciative of ECW, not bothering to dig into their video archive and push Tommy Dreamer or Terry Funk, preferring to pimp the crap out of the "New" and "Improved" (otherwise known as spayed and neutered) D-Generation X as much as possible. There's even a point where Vince thinks Terry Funk isn't main event-quality, or that he can't even wrestle anymore because of his age (note: Funk and McMahon are about the same age).
  
  Foley's promos, from the bad ones to the ones he loves, are largely rambling, uninspired, and a faint shell of the ones he did in ECW, WWF, and others. He even largely ripped off an earlier ECW promo involving his double-entendre talk of his loving, intimate relationship with a steel chair (implying it were a woman), in another recent promo.
  
  While his charm is still at work, some of his jokes are good, and some of his stories hold the same flair and dynamicism of his previous books, you mostly feel a largely dull, uninspired tone to the whole of this book. The highlights of his diary entries appear to be his own knee problems, inability to put on a wrestling spectacle as in his past, and the WWE Creative Team working as hard as possible to thwart every idea Foley comes up with, to a point where, at the insistence of Raven and Jeff Jarrett, he decides to go to TNA, and informs Vince of this decision---to which Vince immediately leaves him two or three messages on his answering machine, and meets with him, urging him to stay.
  
  
  I suppose Foley's injuries, and the state of the WWE these days, is the inevitable byproduct of this autobiography. I urge Foley... don't write a fourth autobiography. Not because we hate you, but because we want to remember the happier times, from the first two autobiographies.
  
  
• Hardcore Diaries
  By A12CN4CL8SG5PW on 2007-03-30
  Mick Foley did it again ! This book is another bestseller! Once you start reading it you can't put it down.
  
  
• Foley's Third Autobiography
  By A2CRUEQ9QIOT70 on 2007-04-09
  Foley fills in the gaps left by his first two autobiographies and provides the reader with details on his philanthropies.
  
  
• Interesting
  By A1C21QBAZ1W4Z2 on 2007-07-31
  Mick Foley is a really interesting guy. He cares, and seems very down-to-earth. I will admit, I didn't have very high expectations for this book. I haven't read any of his others, so I really don't have anything to compare it to.
  
  I understand a bit about professional wrestling, I used to be a fan. I thought it was interesting to see how the angles get created and carried out. It's clear that by being a journal-type story, the events are taken care of in chronological order, but it seemed a bit too disjointed and jumpy for me.
  
  If Foley wasn't so personable and such a nice guy, I don't think this book would have been as easy to read. But he is a nice guy, and he very obviously cares. I hope he continues to use his celebrity to do all the wonderful things he does.
  
  
• Another great mick foley book
  By A2OG3VX0LRP8QN on 2007-03-12
  I ordered this book from [...] and i was impressed how quickly they got it to me as i live in the uk. once i got the book i was impressed with it the way it goes into a wrestling match.
  mick foley is a very good author so lets hope this one makes the new york times bestseller list as well as have a nice day and foley is good.
  cant wait till mick writes another book.
  
  
• Hardcore Diaries
  By A3DJRIQPO4WELF on 2007-04-06
  I bought this book for my son and he loves it! It is everything he expected.
  
  
• Captivating
  By AF17C24M3LWOE on 2007-04-06
  Hardcore Diaries
  
  The book is great. It sheds light on how different life for a wrestler is outside the ring and it also shows all the politics that go into making a show/angle. It makes you feel like you really know him, and to tell you the truth he reminded me of a good friend of mine.
  
  
• Wrestling book?????
  By A3TJLKOV6GZMW4 on 2007-04-11
  This is the worst wrestling bio book ever and for one very good reason: there is no wrestling in it! Oh yes, sorry, about 50 pages out of 300 are about wrestling... The rest of the book is meaningless... I am sorry I ever bought it...
  
  
• ONE WORD " TERRIBLE"
  By A1RR0N51FSY8Y9 on 2007-04-13
  do yourselves a favor and save your money. Absolute SNOOZE FEST!!!!
  
  especially if you watch wrestling and follow MNR the book is just a bunch of idiotic diaries about a stupid pitch he makes to Mcmahon.
  
  If you watch raw you already know how this crappy book will end.
  
  
  Mick Foley dissapoints in this one.
  
  
• up and down mostly down
  By on 2007-04-25
  I bought this book and thought good book I finished it in 2 days and too much unappropiate words especially about chrisy canyon Mick dissapointed me
  
  
• Hardcore!
  By A3QQR3LR2MJPCQ on 2007-05-14
  I really like this book because it's real. It goes behind the scenes of what good is done because of the WWE, and not just things involved with wrestling. They do "Make a Wish" projects, and they visit sick kids whose dream it is to meet a superstar. The storyline itself bounces all over the place, as is Mick Foley's way of writing, but it's all stories, so I find myself just eager to keep reading to see what is going on. It really makes me want to read his other books.
  
  
• Mick Foley The Hardcore Diaries
  By AKSFKSKOVAF4W on 2007-07-13
  I like Mick Foley,I love wrestling books, this was without a doubt the worst book I've ever read in my life. the only reason I gave it 1 star was because I tried to leave it blank and it wouldn't let me process my review. Save your money!
  
  
  
• Rambling and Unfocused
  By A27IELWEZY98LJ on 2007-09-16
  There is a good book, a good story, or a good narrative in here somewhere. Unfortunately, it is completely obscured by a rambling storyline, a forced diary structure, and several hundred poor attempts at humor. The book smacks of an attempt to squeeze a few more bucks out of those who loved "Foley Is Good", so you have three options. Either buy the former if you want to know about Foley's life or buy one of the author's two fiction work if you want to check out some great (albeit disturbing) coming-of-age fiction, but under no circumstances waste your time with this one.
  
  

• A Lion's Tale: Around the World in Spandex
• Eric Bischoff: Controversy Creates Cash
• Foley Is Good: And the Real World Is Faker Than Wrestling
• Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks
• Batista Unleashed