10 Wrestling Feuds That Borrowed From Unlikely Inspirations

5. Chris Jericho Vs Mike Tyson (Chris Jericho Vs Kevin Owens)

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AEW

The 2020 Mike Tyson/Chris Jericho AEW Dynamite brawl was something of a creative cul-de-sac, not least because it borrowed from two of WWE's greatest segments.

The nods to Stone Cold Steve Austin's iconic interaction with Tyson from January 1998 were evident in every aspect of Jericho's pull-apart with the 'Baddest Man On The Planet' on an episode of Dynamite over 20 years later.

Much like his seat in the skybox for the Royal Rumble 24 hours before the Austin scuffle, 'Iron Mike's cameo during the company's Double Or Nothing pay-per-view just days earlier was scaled down by design in order to save the big angle for the following Wednesday. But what of the segment that preceded it?

An Inner Circle "celebration" was rooted in the comedy and chaos of Jericho and Kevin Owens' Festival Of Friendship, not least because they didn't even have anything to toast. The group had lost Stadium Stampede but were sharing gifts and good times just as Owens and Jericho had before things went south for 'Y2J' just as they did 'LeChampion'. On both occasions, Jericho's party was cut short thanks to violence perpetrated against him.

 
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Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back almost 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 60,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett