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One of the most surprising moments from the premiere episode of WWE SmackDown on FOX came when Tyson Fury got involved in an altercation with Braun Strowman at ringside.
Throughout the show, WWE’s cameras showed various celebrities and Hall of Famers in the front row at STAPLES Center, including Fury and his wife, Paris.
It looked as though the heavyweight boxer was simply there to enjoy the show with his family. However, it soon emerged that he was going to become one of the biggest talking points from the episode after he had a staredown with Strowman during an eight-man tag team match.
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Strowman then launched Dolph Ziggler into Fury, knocking him back into his seat, and “The Gypsy King” had to be held back by security after he hopped over the barricade.
It has now been announced that Fury – one of the best trash-talkers in the sporting world – will appear on the October 7 episode of RAW with an open mic, which certainly seems to suggest that this SmackDown segment could eventually lead to a match.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at five things that every WWE fan needs to know about Fury.
#5 Tyson Fury is Big Cass’ biggest inspiration
Big Cass has openly discussed his problems with alcohol and mental health since he was released by WWE in June 2018.
Speaking to Pro Wrestling Sheet’s Ryan Satin earlier this year, the 7-footer revealed that Tyson Fury is his biggest inspiration and he “would probably be dead” if he did not have the boxer as a role model in his life.
In November 2015, Fury lost motivation for boxing after defeating Wladimir Klitschko and he allowed his weight to balloon up to 400lbs (he weighed 245lbs in his most recent fight in September 2019).
It appeared as though the Brit would never box again, but he made a remarkable comeback in 2018 and ended the year by fighting Deontay Wilder in a controversial draw at STAPLES Center, which happens to be where SmackDown took place.
Last month, Cass suffered a setback in his recovery when he got involved in backstage altercations with Pat Buck, Joey Janela and other wrestlers at a WrestlePro show.
In a statement following the incident, the former WWE Superstar once again cited Fury as a motivation in his life.
"When & if I reemerge as a public figure it will be in good faith and I hope to inspire those who struggle with the same mental health issues I do to seek the help they need. If Tyson Fury can do it….so can I."
#4 Tyson Fury sat up like The Undertaker against Deontay Wilder
After a two-and-a-half-year break from boxing, Tyson Fury defeated Sefer Seferi and Francesco Pianeta in the summer of 2018 as he aimed to build up his fitness ahead of a blockbuster fight with fellow undefeated heavyweight Deontay Wilder.
WBC Heavyweight Champion Wilder, widely regarded as one of the most formidable punchers of his generation, went into the fight as the favourite, largely due to the fact that Fury had been away from competitive boxing for so long.
Despite being written off by many pundits and professionals, Fury produced a stunning performance over 12 rounds and appeared as though he had done enough to win the fight.
However, the judges’ scorecards read 115–111 for Wilder, 114–112 for Fury and 113–113, meaning the heavyweight showdown ended in a draw.
One of the most talked-about moments from the fight came in the final round when Wilder seemingly knocked Fury out in the middle of the ring. Then, much like how The Undertaker sits up in his WWE matches, he suddenly got back to his feet at a count of six and continued the fight.
The next day, social media was full of gifs and memes comparing Fury with The Undertaker.
#3 Tyson Fury watched WWE as a child
Following his surprise appearance on the first episode of SmackDown on FOX, Tyson Fury took to Instagram to share some pictures from his night at STAPLES Center.
The boxer posed alongside his family with Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, Ric Flair, Goldberg, Hulk Hogan and The Rock, and he noted in the caption that he “grew up watching some of these guys”.
Fury is not known to name-check WWE legends in interviews in the same way that UFC's Conor McGregor has in the past, but it is obvious from his outlandish antics that he likes to take a sports-entertainment approach to the promotion of his fights.
To give one of many examples, we're talking about a man here who once dressed as Batman in a press conference before one of the biggest fights of his life! His use of catchphrases and nicknames is also up there with some of the best WWE Superstars of the last 20 years.
Ahead of his win over Otto Wallin last month, Fury wore a Lucha mask and branded himself El Rey de los Gitanos (aka The King of The Gypsies), as the fight took place in Las Vegas on Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Fury also likes to refer to Deontay Wilder as “the big dosser” – an informal British term for a tramp – and he even uses the insult in promotional adverts for BT Sport in the UK.
#2 Tyson Fury does not care about money
When celebrities appear in WWE, nobody can blame fans for assuming that they are only doing so because they are likely going to earn a huge amount of money.
From Mike Tyson to Floyd Mayweather, there are plenty of examples from WWE history where high-profile names have been brought in for a few appearances and they have walked away with the biggest pay cheque of the night.
Even Brock Lesnar, the new WWE Champion, is known for being a tough negotiator, hence why he works fewer dates than everybody else and earns the most amount of money.
In Tyson Fury’s case, he has mentioned in numerous interviews since he made his 2018 return to boxing that he does not care about money.
He even told TMZ ahead of his last fight that millionaires are “unhappy” and money will never change that.
"I know a lot of millionaires and I don't know one happy one. Not one. They're always unhappy because they're searching for more. Material stuff or money will never make a man happy. Man has got to find happiness deep within his soul."
This does not necessarily mean Fury will not want to be paid handsomely for these WWE appearances, of course, but he certainly has an interesting mindset compared to the other celebrities who have been involved in physical altercations with WWE Superstars.
#1 The BT Sport connection
The promotion around WWE this week has been huge. Not only has the company produced season premiere episodes of RAW and NXT on the USA Network, but Friday’s SmackDown on FOX was among the most anticipated episodes in the blue brand’s 20-year existence.
In the opening segment of the show, The Rock highlighted just how popular WWE is all around the world when he mentioned that SmackDown is now seen in over 180 countries.
One of those countries, of course, is the UK, which has such a large WWE fanbase that the company created its own roster and show, NXT UK, for fans of British wrestling.
So, where exactly does Tyson Fury fit into this? Well, now that the hype around WWE’s new SmackDown home in the USA is over, attention in the UK will turn to January 2020 when WWE ends its 30-year association with Sky Sports by moving to BT Sport.
This might not mean much to sports fans outside of the UK, but Fury is arguably the biggest and most marketable name that BT Sport has. Every fight involving “The Gypsy King” is available on pay-per-view via BT Sport Box Office, while the channel airs hours of interviews, documentaries and footage of Fury in the weeks leading up to his fights.
Simply put, an advertised appearance from Fury on one of the first episodes of RAW or SmackDown on BT Sport would definitely get extra eyes on the WWE product.
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