{"id":68682,"date":"2020-05-16T12:20:04","date_gmt":"2020-05-16T16:20:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprowrestling.com\/?p=68682"},"modified":"2020-05-16T12:20:04","modified_gmt":"2020-05-16T16:20:04","slug":"mike-tyson-a-wrestling-influence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2020\/05\/16\/mike-tyson-a-wrestling-influence\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Tyson: A Wrestling Influence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Back in March, we looked at Muhammad Ali<\/strong>‘s influence<\/a> on the world of professional wrestling.\u00a0 A near-thirty year love affair saw Muhammad Ali become inspired by Gorgeous George<\/strong>, main event WrestleMania<\/strong><\/em> and end up on the receiving end of a Gorilla Monsoon<\/strong> airplane spin.\u00a0 It was announced this week that WWE<\/strong> Hall of Fame<\/strong><\/em> inductee (2012), “Iron” Mike Tyson<\/strong>, would be appearing at All Elite Wrestling<\/strong>‘s Double or Nothing II<\/strong> <\/em>pay-per-view.\u00a0 Tyson will be in attendance to award the TNT Championship to the winner of the tournament.\u00a0 Much like fellow boxing legend Muhammad Ali, Tyson has endured a three-decade relationship with pro-wrestling.\u00a0 Therefore, let us now embark on a trip down memory lane through the wrestling-Tyson connection.<\/p>\n

Tyson in 1997<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"Mike<\/p>\n

In 1997, Mike Tyson was justifiably carrying the “Baddest Man on the Planet” persona around.\u00a0 Two years removed from a release from prison, which saw him win all but one fight, Tyson was feared by all.\u00a0 A notorious hothead who could quite literally snap at the slightest of looks, he very much was the “Baddest Man on the Planet”.\u00a0 On June 28, 1997, Tyson suffered his second<\/em> successive defeat to Evander Holyfield<\/strong>.\u00a0 In boxing, two successive defeats to the same fighter usually means you are done.\u00a0 In pro-wrestling terms, the feud comes to an end.\u00a0 Of course, this was no ordinary defeat.\u00a0 Perhaps more famous than the fight itself was Tyson’s constant<\/em> biting of Holyfield’s left ear, which led to “Iron” Mike’s disqualification.\u00a0 All hell broke loose and Tyson was hit with a $3,000,000 fine and a permanent suspension from the ring.\u00a0 The suspension would be overturned but the fine would add to the well-documented financial troubles of Tyson.\u00a0 Tyson, with an excellent 45-3 fight record, would be done with boxing until January 1999.\u00a0 Enter Vincent Kennedy McMahon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n