Mike Tyson has always loved a bit of wrestling.
Though arguably the finest boxer of his generation and one of the greatest heavyweights of all time, Iron Mike has never hidden away from his love of the wild world of pro wrestling.
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A childhood fan, he was captivated by the era that produced legends including legendary champion Bruno Sammartino, The Iron Sheik, and Abdullah the Butcher.
Fast forward to 2012, Tyson himself joined the elite of WWE folklore by being inducted into their Hall of Fame thanks to a wrestling career that proved to memorable in its own right.
Undoubtedly the peak of his time in the industry came in 1998 when he worked alongside greats Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels.
The fighter aligned with villain Michaels and his D-Generation X pals heading into WrestleMania 14 but pulled a fast one at the climax of the show to aid Austin in winning the WWE Championship.
For good measure, he even thumped HBK after the final bell to leave him lying in the middle of the ring, bringing his own cameo to a close.
He was back in WWE – and even ‘wrestled’ a match – in a 2010 stint alongside Chris Jericho, rekindling that rivalry once more in All Elite Wrestling a decade later.
Ever relentless, Tyson has rarely stayed away from the spotlight, making a sensational return to the boxing ring late in 2024, fighting Jake Paul in a blockbuster bout at the age of 58 – more than 30 years Paul’s senior.
The staggering occasion generated a total of $18.1m in total revenue but, even with that said, quite why Tyson ventured into such wild territory, even he does not know.
Appearing to put it down to being an adrenaline junkie, he told Bleacher Report: "The day after, I asked my wife: 'Why did I do that?'"
"I don't know, I just did it because I'm always out of my comfort zone. I'm never in my comfort zone, I'm never in a place where I'm saying: ‘Hey, this is it, I'm in my duration of life.' No, I'm always gonna push the level, man, I'm that kind of guy.
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“I might jump off a 15-story building one day, you never know, see if I can fly. I just like to push myself; that's the only way I live."
Might, then, the man who once pocketed $3m for his WrestleMania outing, find his way back to wrestling?
Jumping at the suggestion, he added: "Oh God, I would love to do that, that's me at my childhood best, I had a great time.”
With Jericho, Triple H, Michaels, and Austin all among the figures he’s battled with and against in his wrestling past, who might be next?
The answer to that was clear enough – if The Baddest Man on the Planet steps back into WWE, he wants the lot.
To that question, he replied: "Shoot, all of them, let's get a Battle Royal."
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Taking on the entire WWE roster in one fell swoop might sound drastic, but it’s still less daunting – for Tyson at least – than stepping up to a face from wrestling’s past.
Mick Foley has long since retired from in-ring action but still puts the woollies up one of the most fearsome faces on the planet.
“Goddamn I’m scared of that guy,” Tyson told Logan Paul of the daredevil Hall of Fame star who, earlier this month, shared a terrifying photo of a car accident from which he somehow escaped with relatively minor injuries.
“This guy, he experienced death every day of his life. He’s jumping off s**t, running into trucks and cars, man. And he’s normal. He broke every bone in his body and he’s a normal guy. I just don’t know why he don’t like himself so much.”
Quite whether Foley’s absence helps smooth the way for Iron Mike to step into the wrestling ring remains to be seen but, either way, he’s guaranteed to have some fun.
Mike Tyson's clear response when asked if Dana White will succeed with boxing league
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