10 Non-Wrestlers Who Completely Changed Wrestling History

6. Muhammed Ali

Muhammed Ali is not only one of the greatest boxers who ever lived; he€™s also one of the most influential sports figures of all-time. The mann born as Cassius Clay was the first pugilist to truly understand and embrace the art of self-promotion. Ali was a man who used his mouth to draw your attention and then let his talent in the ring speak volumes. Ali got tangled up in the ropes of the wrestling ring several times, most notably in his infamous match against Antonio Inoki in Japan. The bout was considered a huge spectacle, with two giants of their respective sports clashing. The problem was that Ali was under the impression that Inoki was going to shoot on him rather than work the match like they€™d agreed, so the entire contest consisted of the Japanese wrestler throwing kicks while scooting around on the mat as Ali stood over him looking for the kill shot. The boxing great also famously served as a guest enforcer/special referee for the WrestleMania 1 main event, joining the aforementioned Cyndi Lauper in contributing to that card€™s success. There€™s also a forgotten angle with Jake Roberts in Mid-South where he got involved in a match involving The Snake. Jake wasn€™t willing to sacrifice his drawing power to someone from outside the industry and took a remarkable five punches from Muhammed without ever leaving his feet, a fact that probably infuriated the boxing legend. But more so than his direct contributions, Ali is significant to the business of wrestling as a whole in how he influenced the performers. While he himself has noted he was inspired by Gorgeous George, Muhammed took what George was doing and revolutionized it. You can see influence in him in virtually every wrestler, particularly the first wave of promo-focused workers like Dusty Rhodes and Billy Graham €“ men who had their own share of influence.