Muhammad Ali to be inducted into WWE Hall of Fame
Muhammad Ali in WWE Hall of Fame
Muhammad Ali will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2024, next Friday, April 5, 2024. One of the most iconic figures in sports history, the three-time World Heavyweight Boxing Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist, was known worldwide for his charisma, confidence and ability to sustain his battles inside the ropes. Known simply as "The Greatest", Ali's influence went beyond sports, as his role as an activist, artist and personality made him one of the world's best-known figures.
Although he is best known as a boxer, Ali has had a great impact in the world of sports entertainment. On June 26, 1976, Ali participated in "The War of the Worlds", an exhibition match against WWE Hall of Fame member Antonio Inoki inside the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo, Japan. The match, held under specific rules, ended in a draw after 15 rounds in front of 32,000 fans. The bout è was also broadcast on closed-circuit television for nearly 33 thousand fans inside Shea Stadium in Queens, New York.
The event was a huge success and brought countless new fans into the industry, as well as being considered a precursor to modern mixed martial arts. Ali and Inoki became friends after the event and Inoki even used Ali’s theme music and mottos as his own.
After retiring from the ring with a record of 56 wins and 5 losses, with 37 knockouts, Ali è returned to the squared circle where he served as special referee for the first WrestleMania in 1984, during the main event between Hulk Hogan & Mr. T against "Rowdy" Roddy Piper & “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff. The most important moment of the match è was when Ali hit Piper with his trademark right hand, a move that restored order to the match.
Ali è sadly passed away on June 3, 2016, at the age of 74, but his legacy as one of the greatest athletes persists and his work to modernize and globalize professional wrestling helped fuse the worlds of sports and entertainment seamlessly.
