It has been revealed that Muhammad Ali will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2024, first reported via Variety. Taking place on April 5 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ali will be inducted by his widow, Lonnie Ali, during the Hall of Fame ceremony.
But what makes Muhammad Ali, the veteran boxer, be inducted into the hall of fame of a wrestling federation? Did Muhammad Ali ever compete in wrestling? Did ‘The Greatest’ ever garner achievements in the realm of show-wrestling? All your questions about Ali’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame, his history with wrestling, and more are answered in this article.
Did Muhammad Ali ever perform for WWE?
Muhammad Ali has a history with dabbling in professional wrestling at multiple times in the early beginnings of his career.
Muhammad Ali fought a historic exhibition bout in Tokyo against Japanese pro wrestling celebrity Antonio Inoki in the year 1976. During the weeks before the matchup, Ali appeared at a WWWF (presently WWE) show, where he entered the ring and challenged Gorilla Monsoon.
Muhammad Ali also went on to appear as a special guest referee for the main event of WrestleMania 1 of 1985, which saw Hulk Hogan and Mr. T face off against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. Muhammad Ali also infamously appeared as the guest of honor at the infamous “Collision in Korea” pay-per-view event held in North Korea in 1995, one of the reported events of WWE in North Korea.
Are there any other boxers in the WWE Hall of Fame?
Apart from Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson shares the spotlight as a professional boxer with WWE Hall of Fame status awarded to him in 2012. Tyson had a long-standing connection to the WWE, making guest appearances, most notably countering Stone Cold Steve Austin at WrestleMania XIV.
First welcomed into WWE by Mr. McMahon, “Iron Mike’s” introduction was interrupted by The Texas Rattlesnake, resulting in a wild staged brawl between the two tough guys as a treat to WWE and boxing audiences. Weeks later, Mike Tyson was also seen at HBK and D-Generation X, an American Professional Wrestling stable.
WWE fans, who thought the appearance of Mike Tyson would sway the brawler’s involvement at WrestleMania XIV, were shocked when Mike ended up being the one who counted the pin to give Austin his first WWE Title.
Following his scene-stealing turn in the blockbuster comedy, “The Hangover,” Tyson returned to WWE in 2010 as the guest host of Raw where the former fighter clearly reveled being back in the ring. In his first-ever match, Tyson teamed with Chris Jericho to battle Triple H & HBK.
