Muhammad Ali died in 2016, but the influence of the world’s greatest heavyweight boxer still reverberates throughout the sports world in surprising ways. From child advocacy awards to Grammy nominations, this boxing Hall of Famer will soon have another accolade to his name. Ali will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame posthumously on April 5, joining Mike Tyson as the only other boxer to receive this honor.
Ali’s widow, Lonnie Ali, will induct him at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia ahead of WrestleMania 40, and the entire event will be livestreamed on Peacock. The three-time world heavyweight champion was the first member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Still, much less is known about his entanglement with wrestling, which surprisingly goes back to 1961 — the very beginning of his career.
Muhammad Ali’s History in Wrestling
At just 19, Ali was already an Olympic gold medal boxer and a brash, charismatic young man who wanted to take his career to bigger arenas — and wrestling provided the inspiration.
“Man, I love to see my name in print. I love to see my name where everybody can see it,” he told the Saturday Evening Post at the time. There’s no doubt he wanted fame, and a light bulb went off after watching wildly over-the-top wrestler Gorgeous George, who often entered the ring dressed in ruffles and satin, looking like a villainous Mozart, as “Pomp and Circumstance” played in the background.
“[I got it] from seeing Gorgeous George wrestle in Las Vegas,” Muhammad Ali told The Associated Press’ Hubert Mizel in a 1969 interview (via CBS Sports). “I saw his aides spraying deodorant in the opponents’ corner to contain the smell. I also saw 13,000 full seats. I talked with Gorgeous for five minutes after the match and started being a big mouth and a bragger,” he said.
“He told me people would come to see me get beat. Others would come to see me win. I’d get ’em coming and going.”
Wrestling inspired Ali to cultivate his boxing persona and grab the country’s attention. His performances, both in and out of the ring, were not to be missed. During interviews, he became known for his clever wordplay and often recited poetry.
“This is no jive. The fight will end in five!”
One listen to the world-class trash-talking between Ali and his opponent, Joe Frazier, before the famous 1971 “Fight of the Century” at Madison Square Garden in New York, and you can’t help but think of WrestleMania.
Ali’s brand of “athletic performance” kept audiences riveted, as you never knew what might happen when he was in the room. In the build-up to their 1974 rematch, a spontaneous brawl erupted between Ali and Frazier during an interview with Howard Cosell, and people still debate whether it was staged or real.
Muhammad Ali Takes His Talents to the Wrestling Ring
Perhaps his most famous brush with wrestling was the 1976 “War of the Worlds” fight, where the heavyweight boxing champion took on wrestler Antonio Inoki in Tokyo, Japan. To prove the dominance of pro wrestling, Inoki had been staging fights against masters of various martial arts and upped the ante when he challenged Ali.
Though the fight ended in a draw, it was a resounding PR success, reportedly drawing a live audience of 32,000 and another 33,000 viewers watching in the U.S. It is largely considered the precursor to the sport of MMA.
Nearly a decade later, when Ali walked into the ring as the guest referee for WrestleMania’s first-ever headlining event, wrestling fans went wild.
The crowd chanted his name and gave the boxer a standing ovation before the fight. Hulk Hogan joined his partner, Mr. T, in a tag team match against “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndoff. Ali stepped into the fray in a memorable move, taking a shot at Piper. Ultimately, Hulk Hogan and Mr. T emerged as the winners.
Even as his Parkinson’s disease was worsening, Ali never turned down a chance to promote boxing — and wrestling. In 1995, Ali and a group of professional wrestlers (including Inoki) embarked on a sports diplomacy mission to North Korea at the invitation of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il. He was the guest of honor at a North Korean wrestling event, “Collision in Korea,” co-run by U.S. and Japan pro wrestling. It was a massive two-day pay-per-view that reportedly drew 150,000 viewers each night.
Not every athlete has the sheer charisma to change their sport forever. With the upcoming Induction, wrestling’s influence on the greatest boxer of all time will finally get its due.
