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TYSON, TYSON AND THE GREATEST THAT EVER LIVED: THREE TIMES BOXING AND WRESTLING COLLIDED

Although the WWE Crown Jewel card was stacked with some eye-catching matches, it was the two duels that featured non-wrestling stars that really captured the imagination of the huge crowd in Riyadh.

Cain Velazquez reignited his long feud with Brock Lesnar, which dates back to their UFC rivalry back in 2010. The 37-year-old prevailed in their MMA bout, but Lesnar would have his revenge in just 88 seconds in their wrestling duel in Saudi Arabia.

One of the most entertaining nights of the card saw the former heavyweight champion of the boxing world, Tyson Fury, tackle Braun Strowman.

It was a decent, back-and-forth contest, and while Fury was clearly lacking in in-ring prowess, he sold the Monster Among Men’s moves well and even enjoyed some attacking combinations of his own.

In the end, the ‘Gypsy King’ got the win with a trademark knockout punch that set Strowman sprawling onto the mat outside of the ring. He couldn’t answer the ten count, and so Fury was victorious in his wrestling debut.

Indeed, he proved such a hit with the Saudi Arabian crowd – even walking down the ramp dressed in traditional robes before the bell – that there are talks his WBC heavyweight contest against Deontay Wilder, scheduled for February 22, could well take place in the country, with organisers keen to capitalise on hosting the Anthony Joshua vs Andy Ruiz Jr bout there in December.

So, it’s likely that Fury will return to the Middle East soon, although, with preparations for his rematch likely to intensify, he could be in for a tough night if the latest boxing odds for Deontay Wilder vs Tyson Fury are to be believed. Don’t expect his feud with Strowman to continue.

It did get us reminiscing about other times that boxing stars have entered the ring for very different purposes in the WWE. Here are our three highlights:

#3 - Ali Floats Like a Butterfly

Muhammed Ali will forever be remembered for being one of the greatest boxers of all time, and for making an appearance at Wrestlemania I.

He would make a series of showings at wrestling events – his mic skills obviously being a great attraction. The ultimate bout of his career came when he took on Japanese legend Antonio Inoki in front of 14,000 in the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo, with an astonishing 1.4 billion watching on TV worldwide.

In the end, the fight was something of a disappointment, with a draw ensuring both men saved face in their respective disciplines.

But the fight would open the door for Ali’s fellow boxers to enter the world of wrestling….

#2 – Mayweather Makes Hay

Widely considered as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers of all time, Floyd Mayweather was an undisputed champion of the welterweight division.

That makes him around the 145lb mark, and so picking a fight with the 500lb monster Big Show was probably not the best of ideas.

But Mayweather was persistent in his pursuit of the largest athlete in sports entertainment, and in the end, a No Disqualification match was set up for Wrestlemania XXIV.

Show dominated proceedings but, eventually, Mayweather’s entourage became involved and laid out the wrestler with a series of chair shots.

In the melee that followed, the boxing champ adorned a pair of brass knuckles and struck Big Show in the face, legitimately breaking his nose and thus winning by knockout.

#1 – Iron Mike Screws D-X

With Stone Cold Steve Austin proving triumphant every time on his way to the top of the tree in the Attitude Era, Vince McMahon needed to call upon the services of somebody, anybody who could stand up to Austin 3:16.

It turns out that it was Mike Tyson, the self-styled 'Baddest Man on the Planet' who had dominated boxing’s heavyweight division with a series of knockout wins.

In addition to a spine-tingling in-ring face-off between the pair on Raw, Tyson was also installed as the special guest enforcer in Austin’s World Championship clash with Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XIV.

He had masqueraded as a member of D-Generation X in the build-up but, on the big night, Iron Mike showed his true colours by screwing Michaels with a fast count for Stone Cold that saw the title change hands.

Tyson would appear on Raw again in 2010 and, at the time of writing, he is the only boxer to have ever been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Could his namesake Fury join him one day?

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