STWF Sports | Dec. 16, 2025 – In a stunning break from one of professional wrestling’s most influential institutions, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley announced he will no longer work with the company as long as Donald Trump remains in office. Foley, a beloved figure whose contributions in the 1990s and early 2000s helped redefine modern sports entertainment, issued an emotional and fiery statement that quickly reverberated throughout the wrestling world.
Foley revealed he has been uncomfortable for months with what he views as WWE’s ongoing embrace of Trump, but the president’s recent comments regarding filmmaker Rob Reiner’s death pushed him past a breaking point. Trump suggested on Truth Social that Reiner’s passing was linked to “Trump derangement syndrome,” a phrase he frequently weaponizes against critics. For Foley, it was an unmistakable signal that he could no longer lend his presence or legacy to a company he felt was aligning itself with rhetoric he described as cruel and compassionless.
“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 in a message posted to 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 went on to confirm that he notified WWE talent relations Sunday night that he would cease making appearances under his Legends contract. Furthermore, he stated he will not renew the long-standing agreement when it expires in June. The former WWE Champion emphasized that his decision comes with great sadness, as he remains deeply grateful for his decades-long connection to the organization.
“I love WWE, will always treasure my time with them, and I am deeply appreciative for all the opportunities they afforded me,” Foley wrote, before signing off with a trademark dose of Cactus Jack charm: “But, in the words of Popeye the Sailor, ‘I stands all I can stands, and I can’t stands no more.’”
Foley’s criticism of Trump is not new, but his public denouncement of WWE’s association with the president marks one of the most forceful stances taken by any major figure in pro wrestling. Before posting his full statement, Foley had questioned on social media how any of his WWE colleagues could “stand by” Trump following the Reiner remarks.
The connection between WWE and Trump runs decades deep. Long before entering politics, Trump was frequently featured on WWE programming, famously aligning with Vince McMahon for the “Battle of the Billionaires” storyline at WrestleMania 23. Both men are enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame, a fact that has long fueled debate within the fan community as political polarization seeped into sports entertainment.
Trump’s potential involvement with WWE resurfaced again this past weekend amid speculation he might attend John Cena’s final match in Washington, D.C. The bout served as an emotional capstone to Cena’s storied career, but ultimately went forward without Trump — or McMahon — in attendance. According to insider reporting from Dave Meltzer, WWE extended an invitation, and Trump’s proximity to the event after attending the Army–Navy football game made a dual appearance logistically possible. Yet he elected to decline.
With Foley now stepping away indefinitely, WWE finds itself amid renewed scrutiny over its political affiliations at a moment when tensions in sports and entertainment remain deeply intertwined with national discourse. For many fans, the announcement represents the latest reminder of the complicated intersection between wrestling’s past, its corporate alliances, and the personal convictions of the figures who helped build the industry.
For Foley, the decision appears final — at least for now. And as the wrestling world digests the fallout, his message remains unambiguous: some battles, even in scripted combat, are fought for real.
