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Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest sporting figures ever and a legendary boxer, passed away at the age of 74 on Friday from a respiratory-related illness at a Phoenix, Arizona hospital.
Ali's gift for gab, inspired by the likes of Gorgeous George and Freddie Blassie (each of whom received credit from Ali at different points) helped propel him into one of the biggest stars in the world. While his boxing credentials and work in civil rights will be celebrated for decades to come, Ali was also involved a number of times in the world of professional wrestling.
Obviously, Ali appeared at the first Wrestlemania, working as a guest referee outside the ring for the main event featuring Hulk Hogan and Mr. T against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff, including a spot where Ali charged the ring to punch Piper in an attempt to restore order as all four battled and wouldn't listen to Pat Patterson, who was refereeing inside the ring.
Ali will also be forever linked to WWE Hall of Famer and Japanese legend Antonio Inoki as the two had a boxer vs wrestler match in Tokyo in June 1976. The bout was simulcast to a number of different wrestling territories via closed circuit, although it did not do as well in the United States since Inoki had limited awareness and it was seen as Ali against someone with no name by the masses. As the story goes, the plan was for Ali to accidentally KO the referee and then be hit with an enziguiri from Inoki. When Ali got to Japan, the plan went out the window, leading to an oddball and boring fight where, in a legitimate contest, the two fought to a draw as Inoki spent most of the time on the mat nailing kicks at Ali. In the end, the audience rejected the match and Ali's legs took so much legitimate damage that he was never the same as a fighter and dealt with blood clots and the possibility of amputation after the bout.
The match is credited by some as being the first MMA bout and a book set for release later this month "Ali vs. Inoki: The Forgotten Fight That Inspired Mixed Martial Arts and Launched Sports Entertainment" by Josh Gross will examine the background, the fight and the after-effects.
Despite the issues, Ali remained in communication with Inoki and appeared at Inoki's last match and retirement ceremony in 1998 as well as appeared at the Collision in Korea events promoted by New Japan and WCW in the 1990s in North Korea.
During the build to the Inoki match, Ali appeared at a WWWF TV taping in Allentown, PA where he watched Gorilla Monsoon wrestle from ringside. Ali put the mouth in Monsoon, leading to him getting into the ring and spun around with an airplane spin in a segment that WWF used quite often over the years and even released on one of their first Coliseum Home Videos. Ali also made an appearance in Calgary for Stampede during the same time period, going back and forth verbally with Stu Hart before the two got into a bit of a shoving match, all designed to create interest in Ali facing Inoki.
Ali also appeared for Bill Watts' Mid-South Wrestling, seconding The Snowman against Jake Roberts at a 1985 Superdome show. Ali of course nailed Roberts with a KO punch, one that Roberts didn't really sell. He would later state that he had to come back and draw a house for the territory the next week, while Ali would be long gone, so he was protecting himself.
Ali appeared at the 1994 WCW Halloween Havoc PPV, seen sitting ringside in the crowd during the PPV broadcast. Ali was part of a VIP event as part of the PPV weekend, appearing to take photos with fans alongside Hulk Hogan.
On behalf of everyone associated with PWInsider.com, I'd like to express our deepest condolences to Ali's family, friends and fans. He was one of a kind. If you are only familiar with his career by reputation, you would really do yourself a service checking out some of his fights and his bombastic, boasting interviews. He was something truly special.
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