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Foley confirmed his stance in a statement released on Tuesday, December 16, saying recent comments made by Trump following the deaths of filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer, were the final straw.
Reiner, 78, and Singer, 68, were found dead at their Los Angeles home earlier this week, with their son, Nick Reiner, 32, taken into custody in connection with the deaths. Following the news, Trump made a series of remarks on his Truth Social account, claiming Reiner suffered from what he described as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”
“[He] passed away reportedly due to the anger he caused others through his massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind-crippling disease known as Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Trump wrote. “He was known to have driven people CRAZY by his raging obsession of President Donald J. Trump.”
Trump’s comments drew widespread criticism, including from Foley, who said they prompted him to cut professional ties with WWE. Foley, a multiple-time world champion known to fans as Mankind, Cactus Jack, and Dude Love, said he had been uneasy for months about WWE’s association with Trump, particularly in light of the administration’s policies and rhetoric.
“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 Facebook.
“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 also confirmed that he has informed WWE Talent Relations that he will not make any further appearances for the company while Trump remains in office. He added that he will not renew his Legends contract when it expires in June.
Despite his decision, Foley emphasized that his feelings toward WWE remain largely positive.
“I love WWE, will always treasure my time with them, and I am deeply appreciative for all the opportunities they afforded me,” he said. “But in the words of Popeye the Sailor, I stands all I can stands and I can’t stands no more.”
Foley’s most recent WWE appearance came in 2023, when he appeared on an episode of NXT to announce participants for the Iron Survivor Challenge matches.
Trump has a long history with WWE, including multiple appearances in the late 2000s and his involvement in the “Battle of the Billionaires” storyline at WrestleMania 23 in 2007. More recently, WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque joined Trump at the White House in August as the president signed an executive order expanding the Presidential Council on Sports Fitness and Nutrition.
Speculation that Trump might attend John Cena’s retirement match in Washington later this year proved unfounded, with no appearance made over the weekend.
