When Hulk Hogan appeared in the 1982 smash-hit movie Rocky III, as “Thunderlips,” it was the first time that millions of movie-goers had been introduced to the concept of a boxer vs. wrestler confrontation. But it was also far from the first—or last, for that matter.
It’s not conclusively known when the first boxer vs. wrestler match took place, but we do know that such bouts have been thrilling audiences since at least 1914, when world heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson faced pro wrestler Fred Marcussen under MMA rules.
The battle for superiority between the worlds of boxing and pro wrestling still rages today, and while critics would point to a certain amount of pre-orchestration in putting such matches together, the spectacle of two gladiators representing their distinct combat discipline often makes for gripping viewing. In some cases, pro wrestlers have fought boxers at their own game, and vice versa. Understanding that there is serious box office to be made, WWE has presented many contests over the years that comprise wrestlers and boxers. At Crown Jewel on Oct. 31, the latest boxer vs. wrestler chapter will be presented when lineal champion Tyson Fury takes on Braun Strowman.
In anticipation of that clash, Muscle & Fitness decided to take a look at 10 legendary boxers who have crossed over to the WWE Universe either as a competitor or special guest referee.
To relive some of WWE’s greatest pro wrestling vs. boxing rivalries, and to watch Crown Jewel live via WWE Network on October 31, visit WWE.com. Subscribers can get their first month FREE.
The “Baddest Man on the Planet,” Mike Tyson, was brought into WWE for just a few appearances at an estimated fee of $3.5 million, but this high-profile signing would turn out to become one of Vince McMahon’s wisest investments. At a time when rival wrestling group WCW was beating Monday Night Raw in the ratings war, “Iron” Mike brought the world’s mainstream sporting press over to WWE.
Tyson has appeared for WWE many times since 1998, but this initial stint helped RAW to dominate WCW’s Monday NITRO. The infamous in-ring press conference-turned-brawl between the former heavyweight boxing champion of the world and an up-and-coming “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on Jan. 19, 1998, helped lay the groundwork for a main event where Tyson would be the special ringside enforcer as Austin challenged Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 14.
Interest in that match was so great that the pay-per-view drew 237,000 more buys than the “Show of Shows” had delivered one year prior. Tyson’s involvement in turning around the fortunes of WWE cannot be underestimated.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Mohamed Fahim
6’1” boxer Mohamed Fahim became the first-ever Egyptian to sign with WWE back in January 2018. The 220-pound heavy hitter first put on the gloves competitively in 2007, and went on to place first in a national boxing competition in 2014. Fahim also has a 1-0 MMA record.
The prize fighter from Cairo impressed WWE coaches during a four-day try-out camp in Dubai, and with his natural athleticism, he was soon given a developmental contract. Fahim now reports to the Performance Center in Orlando, where he is being put through rigorous training in the hopes of becoming a future WWE Superstar.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Evander Holyfield
Four-time world heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield was a huge fan of pro wrestling growing up, and cites Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair as two of his favorites. In 2007, “The Real Deal” got up close and personal with the superstars of WWE when he replaced MVP to go toe-to-toe with Matt Hardy in a boxing match on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
With Michael Buffer doing the ring announcing honors, Holyfield was able to make short work of Hardy, who was wearing a sparring helmet for protection but evidently needed a lot more. While Matt survived the first round, he looked to be in bad shape in the second. Holyfield felt pity on his opponent, refusing to knock him clean out. MVP, who was Holyfield’s manager for the evening, felt less compassion and got into Holyfield’s face, resulting in the then-WWE United States Champion receiving a big right hand. We’ve no idea who ultimately won the match, but Holyfield looked a million bucks!
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Courtesy of the WWE
Floyd Mayweather
Unlike Tyson, Floyd Mayweather was at the top of his game in 2008 when he agreed to wrestle the Big Show at WrestleMania 24. The reigning WBC and The Ring welterweight champion had defeated Ricky Hatton only months before, and as one of the highest paid boxers in history, was in no need of a quick payday. So, when it was announced that “Money” Mayweather would get into a WWE ring with the almost 7-foot-tall Big Show, critics felt the match would be carefully arranged to protect Mayweather and therefore would be lacking in any type of physicality.
Instead, Mayweather threw himself into the WWE Universe with gusto. His involvement with pro wrestling began at No Way Out 2008, where he came to the defense of Rey Mysterio, legitimately breaking the Big Show’s nose. Their subsequent match at WrestleMania 24 proved to be a crazy affair and Mayweather finally scored the victory thanks to some brass knuckles introduced by his entourage. The bout remains as one of the most entertaining “celebrity” wrestling matches in WrestleMania history.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Mr. T
Mr. T is fondly remembered by millions of TV viewers as the guy with the gold chains who was too scared to fly on episodes of The A-Team, but he was also a tough guy competitor, and these contests often ended with a boxing match. After catching the eye of Sylvester Stallone, T was cast as the intimidating boxer, Clubber Lang, in Rocky III, the same movie that starred Hulk Hogan as Thunderlips.
Vince McMahon obviously saw the film, because he then brought in Mr. T in as the partner of Hulk Hogan to face “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff in the main event of the first-ever WrestleMania in 1985. The next year, Mr. T faced Piper in a boxing match. The disappointing contest ended when the Rowdy One broke the rules and bodyslammed Mr. T, resulting in disqualification. Mr. T went on to make many more appearances with both WWE and WCW and was inducted into WWE’s Hall of Fame after a long and memorable speech in 2014.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Muhammed Ali
Many people know that Muhammed Ali was a special guest referee in the very first WrestleMania event in 1985 at Madison Square Garden, but far less people understand that pro wrestling was a significant influence on the life and career of “The Greatest of All Time.” Ali credited legendary pro Gorgeous George as the inspiration for developing his larger-than-life boxing persona.
Ali’s subsequent interviews and braggadocious promos were designed, much like with pro wrestling, to divide audiences and make them choose sides. This type of audience connection often resulted in sold-out arenas both in the worlds of pro wrestling and boxing. Ali’s fascination with pro wrestling didn’t end with simple observation. The iconic boxer fought Antonio Inoki in Tokyo in 1976, and promoters back in the United States soon offered Ali big money to recreate the boxer vs. wrestler scenario many more times back home, including an iconic match against Gorilla Monsoon.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Butterbean
When WWE pitted their own rugged superstar, Bart Gunn, against Eric “Butterbean” Esch in 1999, they effectively ended Gunn’s hard-fought tough guy image in a flash. The match was a “shoot” (in other words: real) and after all the hype, it lasted less than 3 minutes.
The former IBA superheavyweight champion was caught in the opening moments with a stiff left hand from Gunn, but it was all down hill for the former WWE tag-team champion from there. Butterbean responded with a barrage of blows, knocking Gunn down hard. He stood up at the count of eight, but looked shaken. Now seeing stars, he may as well have stayed down, because just seconds later Butterbean ended the proceedings with a thunderous combination, taking a WrestleMania 15 victory in the first round. The match, and Bart Gunn’s WWE career, were effectively over.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Buster Douglas
In a rematch from WrestleMania 5, the “Immortal” Hulk Hogan defended the WWE Championship against “Macho Man” Randy Savage, and a very special guest ring enforcer was assigned. On Feb. 11, 1990, James “Buster” Douglas had pulled off what was considered a major upset victory to win the undisputed heavyweight boxing championship from Mike Tyson. Just days later, on February 23, to be precise, Douglas was able to cash-in on his increased fame, replacing Tyson to appear at WWE Main Event III.
During the match, Douglas asserted his authority by sending the interfering “Sensational Queen” Sherri back to the dressing room. Then, later in the match, the in-ring referee got knocked out after clashing with Savage. With Hulk Hogan delivering his Atomic Leg Drop, Douglas made his way into the ring to make the all important three count. After the match, a fired up “Macho Man” made the grave mistake of getting in the boxing champ’s face, receiving some right hooks for his trouble. Incredibly, it would be a further eight years before Tyson finally appeared in WWE.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Taishan Dong
Jianjun “Taishan” Dong stands seven feet tall and weighs in at 290 pounds. It was not surprising then when WWE invited the Chinese giant to trade his gloves for wrestling boots in 2017 and try out at their Performance Center in Orlando.
The undefeated boxer from Beijing showed great strength and agility, and was subsequently signed to a WWE developmental contract. Many within the pro wrestling business felt that Dong’s history as a boxer, along with his intimidating size could lead him to superstardom with WWE. It was also hoped that Dong would help WWE expand and tour more heavily in China. It was not to be, however, and after a little over a year after beginning to train with the promotion, Dong decided to leave WWE.
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Courtesy of the WWE
Tyson Fury
The feud between boxing’s “Gypsy King” and WWE’s Braun Strowman began on the inaugural episode of Friday Night SmackDown on Fox, on October 4. The “Monster Among Men” was wrestling as part of an eight-man tag team match and couldn’t resist taunting Tyson Fury, who was sitting at ringside with his family. The interaction started out playfully enough, but soon turned serious when Strowman threw Dolph Ziggler in the direction of the boxing heavyweight. Feeling disrespected, Fury jumped the rail and had to be removed by ringside security.
On the following episode of Monday Night Raw, the two warriors squared off when Strowman failed to deliver the apology demanded by the lineal heavyweight boxing champion. A wild brawl ensued that could only be separated after dozens of wrestlers were dispatched from the locker room to maintain order. Then, last week on Raw, contracts were signed to make the confrontation official.
The rumblings between Fury and Strowman have been covered around the wold by FOX Sports, ESPN, and SKY TV, to name but few outlets, and will finally climax in Saudi Arabia on October 31, when the two competitors square off at WWE Crown Jewel in Saudi Arabia. WWE is undoubtedly receiving a boost from the Gypsy King’s appearances, but this cross-promotional scuffle also serves to help the boxing Englishman become more familiar to viewers in the United States, translating to greater pay-per-view numbers for his future title defenses. It’s yet to be seen how ready for the world of pro wrestling Fury really is, but if his levels of charisma are anything to go by, the match between this boxer and pro wrestler could make for a highly eventful Halloween!
