Dean Ambrose’s career has exploded over the past two years since joining the WWE’s main roster. In addition to headlining and main eventing numerous WWE pay-per-views, he’ll also be starring in an upcoming film. This success could have happened sooner, if not for a major nixed angle.

In 2012, Ambrose and WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley had a series of interactions that looked to lead into a feud between the two. At the time, Ambrose was in WWE’s developmental territory. Ambrose talked about the angle on Talk is Jericho earlier this month.

“It was going to be a real thing. That was the start of it. It was my idea, something that I pitched. I’m of the generation who watched Mick Foley fall off stuff, and on the indies people are falling off ladders and getting hurt,” Ambrose said. “I did a lot of hardcore stuff before I got here [the WWE].”

Ambrose said the basis of the angle would be that Mick Foley influenced an entire generation of young wrestlers to hurt themselves in order to get cheers.

“I was going to make him pay for it. Hunter bit on it. It was almost too real,” Ambrose said.

Ambrose said that the company wanted the feud to start on Twitter, but he didn’t have one. The WWE set up accounts for all of the FCW talent in order to veil the fact that he was having an account created and starting the angle.

“The dirt sheets starting biting on it,” Ambrose said. “I went up to him while he was signing autographs, people were filming on their phones and had no idea who I was,” said Ambrose of their infamous WrestleMania 2012 confrontation. Ambrose also said that even Mark Henry fell for it after hearing a second hand account of the ordeal, even offering to Mick Foley to beat up his harasser.

Unfortunately for all involved, Foley couldn’t get cleared to compete and the angle was nixed.

“I was pretty bummed, I thought that was the one perfect moment. But it gave me buzz and got more eyes on me. There was a positive in it,” Ambrose said.