10 Fascinating WWE WrestleMania 17 Facts
3. It Was Once Proposed That Triple H Box Mike Tyson
Instead of becoming Streak Victim Number Nine, there were originally radically different plans for Triple H at WrestleMania X7. Mike Tyson was to have been brought in for a boxer-vs-wrestler match against "The Game" that would have apparently saw both Earl Hebner and iconic boxing official Mills Lane preside over the bout together. Helmsley isn't sure whether it was supposed to be under standard boxing rules or not, but believes the proposed fight would've lasted about six rounds before a finish.
In the end, payola was the dealbreaker, with Helmsley claiming that the money needed to procure Tyson for WrestleMania and the necessary shows beforehand was just too much. Another idea for Helmsley apparently involved a match with Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, fresh off of winning Super Bowl 35, mere months after Lewis successfully avoided double-murder charges.