Known the world over as “The Great One”, Muhammad Ali is now set to enter the WWE Hall of Fame as part of it’s 2024 class.
Ali will be going in alongside Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano and the US Express (Barry Wyndham and Mike Rotunda).
The remaining Class of 2024 has yet to be announced. With just a few weeks until WrestleMania 40 and the Hall of Fame ceremony, I’d expect things to ramp up.
I can’t help but wonder if the induction of Wyndham and Rotunda isn’t foreshadowing the posthumous induction of Bray Wyatt…but we shall see.
But for today, the latest honor goes to Ali.
Considering his resume, this is an honor long overdue.
Each Hall class typically has one entertainer or celebrity. In years past, the company has inducted other professional athletes who have enjoyed cross-over time with WWE.
But none of them were The Great One. I can already hear The Rock having fun with this...
Muhammad Ali To Enter WWE Hall Of Fame
While some non-wrestlers have had more success and done more for longer, Muhammad Ali’s contribution to wrestling can’t be understated either.
Ali clashed with fellow Hall of Famer Antonio Inoki in the late 1970s in a spectacle dubbed the War of the Worlds.
That match was a draw, but it surely helped launch what we now enjoy: WrestleMania.
Before WrestleMania was doing big business, Ali and Inoki were.
The live event put 32000 fans in an arena in Japan. The simulcast wound up selling 33,000 more seats in New York’s Shea Stadium.
Seems like a precursor to me.
Read More: 10 Worst WreslteMania Matches, Including Michael Cole vs Jerry Lawler
Plus, Ali played a role on that very first WrestleMania card as well. He served as the guest referee for a match featuring Hulk Hogan and Mr. T taking on Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
An already exciting Hall of Fame class just got that much more legendary.
