Why is Mike Tyson in the WWE Hall of Fame?

Mike Tyson is a world-famous boxer, but he has WWE ties that some may not be aware of. While he is undoubtedly one of the greatest to do it in the sport of boxing, he is also a Hall of Famer in the world of pro wrestling.

While he was never a professional wrestler himself, "Iron" Mike was a long-time pro wrestling fan. This, along with his incredible popularity and controversies, eventually led to him working with WWE in early 1998, when he helped usher in a new era for the company.

Mike Tyson had issues with the emerging Stone Cold Steve Austin as he chased after Shawn Michaels' WWF Championship. In fact, Tyson even joined the D-Generation X for a brief period. Then, a major swerve came at WrestleMania.

At The Show of Shows, Shawn Michaels was defeated by The Texas Rattlesnake, with Mike as the special enforcer. An enraged Heartbreak Kid tried to scold the 58-year-old legend, but he instead found himself on the receiving end of a classic Mike Tyson punch.

This moment is played constantly in WWE highlights. The notoriety of Tyson in the company gave Stone Cold Steve Austin more heat and attention. This also helped the then-WWF gain momentum to eventually defeat their rival WCW in the Monday Night War. As a result, Tyson was later inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

---

Mike Tyson later made other appearances in WWE

"Iron" Mike Tyson made several WWE appearances in the build-up to WrestleMania 14, and, of course, appeared at the big pay-per-view too. However, these were not the last appearances of the legendary boxer.

Mike served as a special guest host of Monday Night RAW on January 11, 2010. Due to his past issues with the D-Generation X, a match was set up where he would team up with Chris Jericho to take on Shawn Michaels and Triple H.

In a fun swerve years in the making, Mike turned against Jericho mid-match and revealed a D-Generation X shirt hidden underneath the top he had on. He then reunited with Triple H and Shawn Michaels, along with the DX mascot Hornswoggle.

As fun as that moment was, it did not have the impact as his 1998 run. Still, it served to provide further reason to induct the legendary boxer into the celebrity wing of the WWE Hall of Fame. Mike was part of the 2012 class alongside greats such as Edge, now known as Adam Copeland, Ron Simmons, Yokozuna, and The Four Horsemen.