Muhammad Ali

[Grimmas]

fxnj:

Obviously not a serious candidate, but I think he should be nominated so he can be considered for a 100/99 shoutout spot. He drew heavy inspiration from pro wrestling in crafting his boxing persona, and he then fed that boxing fame back into helping create some of the biggest moments in wrestling history. The most famous one is the Inoki match, which played a huge role in creating Inoki's aura through the rest of his career, and Inoki would reference his strategy in that fight numerous times in later matches. He was also one of the top name celebs in Wrestlemania 1 and was involved in one of the most memorable moments in the main event as the guest enforcer. He was also brought in for WCW's Collision in Korea event and there's a story in the DSOTR episode about how he helped cheer up the boys during what was a very scary time. In the ring, he's had 3 matches which have been advertised as pro wrestling. The first one with Kenny Jay is a quick squash with the presumptive goal of getting Ali comfortable working with a wrestler and doing some wrestling moves. The Wolfe match is much more ambitious and is one I'd rate as one of the better wrestler vs. boxer matches. The Inoki one is a legendary moment which I've written a lengthy review for in the MDA.

vs. Kenny Jay 6/10/1976

vs. Buddy Wolfe 6/12/1976

vs. Antonio Inoki 6/26/1976