‘The Greatest’ Muhammad Ali will be further immortalised next month when wrestling giants WWE add the megastar to their Hall of Fame.
WWE confirmed on social media that the boxing sensation would join Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano and tag team The US Express in their 2024 class.
One of the most iconic figures in sports history, the three-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Olympic gold medallist was known around the world for his charisma, his confidence, and his ability to back it up inside the ropes.
Although easily best known as a boxer, Ali made a great impact in the sports-entertainment world.
In June 1976, Ali competed in ‘The War of the Worlds’ which was an exhibition match against WWE Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki inside the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo, Japan.
The match, which was competed under specific rules, resulted in a 15-round draw in front of 32,000 fans in the crowd. The bout was also broadcast on closed-circuit television to nearly 33,000 fans inside Shea Stadium in Queens, New York.
After retiring from the boxing ring with a career record of 56-5 with 37 knockouts, Ali returned to the squared circle where he served as the special guest referee for the inaugural WrestleMania in 1984 during the main event between Hulk Hogan and Mr. T and ‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper and ‘Mr. Wonderful’ Paul Orndorff.
Ali’s defining moment in the match came when he punched Piper with his signature right hand – a move that restored order to the bout.
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Ali’s contribution to the event ensured WrestleMania spearhead WWE into the mainstream, transforming the company a professional wrestling entity into the sports entertainment juggernaut we know today.
Ali sadly passed away on June 3, 2016, at 74 years old, but remains one of the most prolific and charismatic sportsmen of all time.
He’ll be inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame as part of the company’s WrestleMania weekend next month, the show airing the night before the two-night Philadelphia spectacle.
Ali will be joined by Heyman, one of the most accomplished and respected managers and promoters in the business.
He’ll be inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame as part of the company’s WrestleMania weekend next month, the show airing the night before the two-night Philadelphia spectacle.
Ali will be joined by Heyman, one of the most accomplished and respected managers and promoters in the business.
“These are things that are going to happen in the future, and I desperately want to be a part of it.”
Nakano is a former WWE Women’s Champion and was one of the most feared stars of her time when she featured all-too-fleetingly there in the mid-1990s, boasting a stellar career worldwide.
Duo Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda wrestled as The US Express across the mid 1980s and were former WWE tag team champions.
Rotunda, who is the father of the late WWE star Bray Wyatt, also wrestled as a solo star as scheming tax man IRS.
