Mick Foley Cuts Ties with WWE Over Its ‘Close Relationship’ with Trump

WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley says he’s severing ties with the professional wrestling company over its “close relationship” with President Donald Trump.

Foley, 60, announced he was “parting ways” with WWE in a post on social media on Tuesday, Dec. 16, which said Trump’s inflammatory comments in the wake of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner’s murders were the “final straw.”

“While I have been concerned about WWE‘s close relationship with Donald Trump for several months — especially in light of his administration’s ongoing cruel and inhumane treatment of immigrants (and pretty much anyone who “looks like an immigrant”) — reading the President’s incredibly cruel comments in the wake of Rob Reiner’s death is the final straw for me,” Foley wrote on Instagram.

“I no longer wish to represent a company that coddles a man so seemingly void of compassion as he marches our country towards autocracy,” Foley’s post continued. “Last night, I informed @WWE talent relations that I would not be making any appearances for the company as long as this man remains in office.

Foley added: “Additionally, I will not be signing a new Legends deal when my current one expires in June. I love WWE, will always treasure my time with them, and I am deeply appreciative for all the opportunities they afforded me. But, in the words of Popeye the sailor, ‘I stands all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.’ ”

WWE did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment Tuesday morning. PEOPLE also left a message with Foley but did not immediately hear back.

Foley, who previously spoke out against Trump in a Sept. 2020 interview with PEOPLE, has long championed progressive causes and has been at odds with the conservative president since he first took office in 2016 and again in 2024.

“I do think this is a matter between right and wrong,” Foley told PEOPLE about the 2020 election.

“I really do feel like future generations are going to study this period of time and wonder how we stood by and let so much go wrong,” the famed hardcore wrestler said. “I want to be on the right side of history.”

Foley, who helped make hardcore wrestling famous throughout his decorated career, has worked for the WWE on-and-off since 1996. The Bloomington, Ind., native, who made his most recent WWE appearance in 2023, is best known for playing characters such as “Mankind” and “Cactus Jack” in the company’s late-’90s heyday. A four-time world champion, Foley’s characters were both adversaries and at times in-ring partners with the likes of famed WWE stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin.

Foley retired from wrestling in 2012 and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013 — coincidentally alongside Trump, who was also inducted that year for his numerous celebrity guest appearances on the company’s shows.

The pro wrestling company has long touted its close relationship with Trump, dating back to the former reality television star’s recurring appearances on the show leading up to his match against disgraced former WWE chairman Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 23 in 2007, dubbed the “Battle of the Billionaires.”

Trump’s relationship with WWE has continued throughout his political years, appointing McMahon’s ex-wife and former WWE Chief Executive Officer Linda McMahon as the U.S. Secretary of Education earlier this year. Linda, 77, was also Trump’s pick to head the Small Business Administration during his first term — an office she held from 2017 until 2019.

WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque and his wife Stephanie McMahon, the daughter of Vince and Linda, met with Trump at the White House as recently as September. The couple shared a joint Instagram post celebrating the White House meeting.

Several WWE wrestlers, such as WWE Champion Cody Rhodes, have also made appearances at Trump rallies in recent years, while the company’s biggest star, Roman Reigns, told Variety in earlier this year that he supports the Republican president and appeared to suggest he voted for him in the last election.