10 shocking moments from WWF (WWE) 1998

#2 Mike Tyson joins forces with the WWF

Tyson and Austin!

When you're the owner of a company that is facing the very real threat of going out of business, you are at least afforded the opportunity to take risks. One major criticism of Vince McMahon in 2017 is that his product is too cautious and represents everything bad about the new corporate, family friendly world of entertainment that we are so used to.

Back in 1997/98, taking risks was pretty much all Vince had left in the locker. WCW had superstars from the 80s and the financial backing of Ted Turner behind them, so it was going to take something out of the ordinary to turn the tide. The WWF got just that in 1998 with the acquisition of 'The Baddest Man on the Planet' Mike Tyson.

This is a man who had transcended his own sport of boxing and became a notoriously controversial megastar. Tyson had only recently been released from prison after serving three years of a six-year sentence for rape. It's almost impossible to imagine such a figure having a public working relationship with the WWE today, but back in 1998, this brought serious attention to the company. Whether that attention was good or bad, it didn't really matter.

One of the defining moments of the early Attitude Era was the face to face altercation between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mike Tyson. The two almost came to blows in the middle of the ring surrounded by WWF officials and representatives of Tyson's own brand. And with JR on commentary calling the action, everything about his segment spelt money for Vince and the WWF.

At one point, it appeared as though Tyson might even have been earmarked for a Wrestlemania match against Austin himself, but in the long run, common sense prevailed, and this never transpired. Tyson instead found his ideal role for Wrestlemania 14 as the special enforcer for the main event.

If there was ever a good example of why the WWE has a celebrity wing of the Hall of Fame, Mike Tyson is it.