Iron’ Mike Tyson is ready to make his return to the squared circle, but it may not be the one you’re thinking of.
Known the world over as one of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport, Mike Tyson also holds the distinction of being a member of the WWE Hall of Fame. Tyson was inducted in 2012, 14 years removed from his iconic first appearance with the promotion to help market the Wrestlemania XIV main event between surging superstar ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and cocky veteran Shawn Michaels.
Fans old enough to have witnessed the January 19, 1998 episode of Monday Night Raw likely remember the chaotic scene as Mike Tyson and Steve Austin got into an all-out brawl inside the WWE ring. The moment propelled ‘Stone Cold’ to unparalleled popularity in sports entertainment which in turn allowed the promotion to win the ‘Monday Night Wars’ against longtime rival WCW.
In a recent interview with Forbes, Mike Tyson reflected on his time with WWE and revealed that as a lifelong professional wrestling fan, he took inspiration from some of the biggest heels in the industry, using those characteristics to establish himself as boxing’s bad guy.
“I’m in the wrestling Hall of Fame,” Tyson said proudly. “I loved wrestling all my life. The Valiant Brothers, Bruno Sammartino, that’s just who I was: the arrogant talker and the bad guy who people booed. That’s when I realized you can’t remember the good guy without the bad guy. That’s what makes the good guy famous, is the bad guy. The good guy is nothing without the bad guy, the bad guy is the biggest draw. That’s why Floyd Mayweather and myself were the biggest draws because we were the bad guys.”
Mike Tyson Walked So Individuals Like Logan Paul Could Run
Today, Mike Tyson sees a generation of social media stars, like influencer-turned-WWE Superstar Logan Paul, taking their ability to incite emotion from a fanbase and parlaying it into success on a global stage, just as he did in both the boxing and pro wrestling ring years earlier.
“Hate is really close to love,” said Tyson. “And just as much as you could love somebody, you could always have the opportunity to hate him. And just like you could hate somebody, he’ll always give you the opportunity to love him because of how he handles his adversity.”
“When I see [Logan Paul] looking good and doing well, I always stick up for him because when he makes all the money himself, I get the credit, too,” Tyson continued. “Because without me he would have never had a platform. I don’t think he’s really that serious [about a boxing match], but I’m just happy he’s receiving the success that he has. For my ego, I feel I had so much to do with that.”
Asked if a clash with Logan Paul under the WWE banner would be enough to drag him out of retirement, Mike Tyson provided an emphatic answer.
“I would do it! I would kick his f*cking a**, yes I would do it. Even though I love him, though (laughs)” said Tyson. “This is what I found out about WrestleMania: Everybody says ‘that’s fake, that’s fake.’ But the check is real. Deep down inside—don’t let [WWE] know—I would do this for free.”