10 People WWE Should Remove From The Hall Of Fame

The established narrative is that Mike Tyson was the coup de grâce of WWE's 1998 battle charge to overturn WCW's floundering momentum, the mainstream attention imported via his face-off with breakthrough star Stone Cold Steve Austin capturing the cultural zeitgeist and sending the company soaring back into the stratosphere.

As with all historical conjecture, it's impossible to really say either way, but the rise of Austin would probably have reached its financially lucrative apex at WrestleMania XIV without the boxer's involvement - or his hefty $3.5 million windfall.

There's no question the World's Baddest Man accelerated the process, but his involvement didn't come without inherent controversy. When Vince invited Tyson to step into his circus, he was already embroiled in a media one of his own, having bit a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear off during his comeback fight after serving prison time. The company were swiftly pilloried for their tawdry sensationalism - but mostly because of his aural appetite, and not the rape conviction which had kept him behind bars.

Oh, it was a 'different time'. In 1998, it was apparently worth endorsing a convicted rapist for the all the publicity it carried. Obviously, it never was, but the passage of 13 years should have given WWE enough pause for reconsideration before inducting Tyson at the 2012 Hall of Fame ceremony. How can a global brand championing women's equality justify paying homage to a rapist for his ultimately trivial contributions to their fake sport? They can't. The boxer's presence in the class is a disgrace.