Ali was one of two special guest referees in the main event match of WrestleMania I. His involvement was used to amplify the spectacle of the show, as he was an enormous name in professional boxing and was a popular figure in general during the 1980s. As such, he added a degree of legitimacy to this match. By the 1990s, Ali had lost much of his star power due to a combination of the decline of his own boxing career and old age. He developed Parkinsons disease, a common illness for people in highly physical sports such as boxing. Because of this he became a personification of the U.S. Bill of Rights, particularly due to his refusal to enlist in the Vietnam War. Ali is still alive and well and released his autobiography earlier this year.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
