PHILADELPHIA — Professional wrestling star Mick Foley was ejected from the Wing Bowl eating contest Friday after stuffing uneaten chicken wings into a fanny pack.
People following the event on social media dubbed Foley’s attempt at boosting his wing total "inflate gate," a play on the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots’ deflated football controversy.
Chicago’s Patrick Bertoletti won with a Wing Bowl record 444 wings in 26 minutes. He edged out 2014 champion Molly Schuyler, of Bellevue, Nebraska, who eclipsed her record 363-wing mark with 440 wings.
The fan-favourite Foley, who’s known in the ring as Mankind, said after his ouster that he didn’t want to overstuff himself and get sick, like other competitors.
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"I didn’t want that to be my legacy," said Foley. "So I stretched the rules. I thought people would appreciate that, right here in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania!"
Wing Bowl started in 1993 as a way for Philadelphia’s long-suffering sports fans to blow off steam before the Super Bowl.
About 20,000 people gathered at the Wells Fargo Arena — home of the Philadelphia 76ers and Philadelphia Flyers — to drink beer and watch scantily clad women serve competitors wings.