Kowloon Resturant hosts Hardcore Legend Mick Foley
Towering like a mighty Island Idol, Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus is the biggest Tiki Bar around. Boasting one of the most unique settings of any restaurant around, it can also claim to have some of the best and freshest food as well. Featuring Chinese, Mandarin and Polynesian cuisine, Kowloon is not the standard Express takeout Chinese. It’s the best around.
Upon entering Kowloon, one is struck by a hallway featuring numerous autographed photos of many famous celebrities from nearly all strata of public life. Athletes, movie stars, comedians and rock stars have all stopped by and gave a signed photo to line the walls of this equally well-known institution. But count them up and there is no greater numbers then the Super Stars of Professional Wrestling. Hulk Hogan, The Rock Dwayne Johnson and John Cena are among the most famous world champions that graced the tables of Kowloon. Dozens more also joined them.
Why are so many wrestlers travelling to this one restaurant just outside Boston? One man may be to thank for this and that is the Hardcore Legend Mick Foley. Mick had an illustrious two-decade long career in Professional Wrestling which saw him wrestling all over the world. Whenever Mick
was appearing in Boston, he made it a point to head to Kowloon for the finest Chinese food anywhere and he brought his fellow wrestlers with him. It’s no wonder so many joined him.
It is no surprise then that Mick Foley chose to have a fan meet and greet at Kowloons. The occasion was the 25th anniversary of his number 1 best selling book Have a Nice Day a Tale of Blood and Sweat Socks. Debuting in 1999, Mick Foley penned the story of how he skipped class to hitchhike to Madison Square Garden to watch his favorite wrestlers. How he travelled for hours to train while sleeping in his car and eating only peanut butter sandwiches because he was a poor college student. All his sacrifices paid off when he defeated The Rock and won the World Wrestling Federation Heavy Weight Championship.
Mick Foley clearly has a strong love for his fans. A quarter century later and he is still travelling to meet them, sign photos and to give a talk about his days wrestling. Mick mentions that he had three big characters, Cactus Jack, Mankind and Dude Love. He talks about his days in Japan and how that paved the way to his return to the States to take on the biggest and best of the time.
Much of the show centers around his most famous match – The Hell in the Cell match with fellow wrestling legend The Undertaker (Mark Callaway). In what is one of the most legendary matches, Mick Foley was thrown off the top of a sixteen-foot-high steel cage and crashed through a table. He got up and continued the match where he was choked slammed through the cage and into the ring before being dropped onto hundreds of thumbtacks.
This match is still talked about when people say wrestling is fake. As Mick said in his talk “Does your sport stop when someone is unconscious? Cause mine doesn’t.” He does say that his then boss Vincent McMahon thought his performance was great but that he should never do that kind of thing again. Mick suffered numerous injuries in this match as well as many others. He most famously lost part of his ear when he tied his head up in the ring ropes. It is no wonder Mick cherishes these days when he can hear the fans cheer but doesn’t need to be hit in the head with a steel chair.
Mick is a proud loser. “I lost.” He spoke. “Cause that’s what I do. I don’t win matches. I lose with style,” But Mick did win many times. Right in Worcester Massachusetts is where he first won the World Championship. Perhaps that is why he returned to Boston because he knows those fans truly appreciate him firsthand. 
Mick didn’t hog the spotlight. He called up another Wrestling star John Cena Sr. – the father of World Wrestling Entertainment Champion John Cena. It was his 80th birthday so of course, Mick sang happy birthday to him. Also, the voice of Celtics Sean Grande was invited up on stage. He was a man of the moment with the Celtics just winning the NBA Championship only two days earlier.
Finally, Mick gave back. In fact, he gave the shirt off his back when he auctioned it off to benefit the Jimmy Fund. A bidding war ensued, and a fan took home Micks shirt for a whopping two grand! A fan gets a great piece of memorabilia, and the money goes to a good cause.
Kowloons will continue to host great entertainment in the future. They have weekly comedy shows as well as concerts and music nearly all year round. Their outdoor event space is hosting musical legends The Coasters, The Platters and the Drifters this Saturday June 22nd.
For more information, please visit www.kowloonrestaurant.com
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