Mick Foley is officially done with his WWE Legends merchandising deal, but he isn’t leaving by throwing a chair through the door. He actually had a thank-you message for WWE, even while making it clear his next chapter is going to run through AEW.
Foley took to Instagram and said his long merchandising relationship with WWE had come to an end as his legends deal had finally expired, bringing an end to a 30-year relationship.
“A MESSAGE FOR WWE – as of this day, I am no longer under a Legends merchandising contract, and have a message for @wwe at the end of our thirty year relationship. …have a nice day!”
In the video, Foley said his message was aimed especially at WWE’s merchandise and marketing teams. He remembered arriving in WWE in 1996 after already spending 11 years in wrestling, then finally getting his first action figure and assuming that would be the only one.
“The message for WWE, and specifically for their merchandise and marketing people, is thank you. When I got to WWE in 1996, I had been in the business for 11 years, and I finally got an action figure. I figured that was my one and only action figure, and here it is, 2026, and honestly, a couple of days ago, I received my largest quarterly royalty statement in 10 years.”
That part says a lot, because Foley has been openly clear that walking away from WWE money was not exactly painless. This was still a relationship that paid him well, and the merchandise side clearly remained strong right up until the end. Foley then thanked the people in WWE who kept his name alive through action figures and other merch over the years.
“So I want to thank everyone in WWE who had a hand in making the decision that I was someone worth making action figures for and different types of merchandise.”
For fans wondering whether this means he is suddenly done with WWE history, Foley shut that down too. He said he still has no issue signing WWE items, because he remains proud of what he did there.
“For fans, I want you to know I have no problem signing WWE memorabilia. I’m proud of everything I did there, but it’s time for a new chapter in my life.”
Then came the AEW part. Foley said he is excited for the next phase, including AEW merchandise and other projects outside WWE.
“I’m looking forward to this venture in AEW, and I’m looking forward to making AEW as great as it can be. I’m looking forward to having merchandise coming out with AEW and other companies I talked to today.”
Foley previously admitted that cutting ties with WWE was difficult, especially because he still had easy, high-paying opportunities tied to WrestleMania weekend. He also said working on his own required way more effort for the same money, but he was fine with that tradeoff.
“Well, it was a difficult decision to make to kind of cut ties with them. I hadn’t been employed by them for many years. I was, you know, an independent contractor, but I did have a merchandising deal. I had a couple really easy high-paying events at WrestleMania weekend.
As it turned out, I had to work 24 hours on my own to make what I would have made in four with WWE. But I’m okay with that. I believe if you want something, you go after it and you work hard for it.”
Foley’s WWE split also came after he publicly criticized the company’s close ties to the White House and Donald Trump. During the same interview, he said Trump’s comments after Rob Reiner’s death pushed him over the edge.
“Oh man, there’s just a type of discourse to me that is unacceptable from anyone, let alone the most powerful man in the world. You don’t mock people when they die. And why people in his party don’t call him out on that type of behavior. It’s not acceptable. That for me was the straw that broke the camel’s back, but there were an awful lot of straws on that camel’s back already.”
So Foley’s WWE chapter is closed on the business side, but not with bitterness toward the people who helped build his merchandise legacy. He thanked WWE, reassured fans he’ll still sign memorabilia, and then made it clear he is looking ahead to AEW and whatever comes next.
What do you think about Mick Foley ending his WWE Legends merchandising deal and moving into a new AEW chapter? Let us know in the comments below.
Please credit Ringside News if you use the above transcript in your publication.
[ad_1
