10 Non-Wrestlers Who Completely Changed Wrestling History
7. Mike Tyson
When we talk about the people who were instrumental in ushering in the famed Attitude Era, were always quick to discuss Austin, Rock, DX and their tank-thats-actually-a-jeep, but one of the central figures that often gets overlooked is Mike Tyson. Hes a member of the WWE Hall of Fame and was a large part of helping to launch the career of Austin. At the time that he was brought in to WWE to work the angle with Stone Cold and Shawn Michaels, Tyson was inactive in boxing. His last bout was the second in his series with Evander Holyfied, which ended in controversy when Iron Mike bit a chunk or Real Deals ear off. It was a violent, visceral moment in a sport full of them and arguably made Tyson an even bigger name than he already was. He was unpredictable, violent and surrounded by controversy and he was everything WWE needed to give the wrestling business a boost. For those still willing to suspend disbelief, the thought of Stone Cold squaring off against Iron Mike was a true dream match between two of the baddest S.O.B.s in the world. The segment between he two featuring the pull-apart is an all-time great Raw moment. Tysons involvement in the WrestleMania 14 main event did a lot to bolster interest in a bout that was suffering from Shawn Michaels lack of enthusiasm, and his face turn at the end and subsequent decking of HBK to send him off into retirement while endorsing Austin was the best booking possible. Tyson deserves a massive amount of credit for how much he helped business at a time when the wrestling boom of the late 1990s was kicking into high gear.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
