Mike Tyson was once part of a major storyline in the WWE. The Champion boxer was very involved in the buildup of the feud between Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Heartbreak Kid was the reigning WWE Champion heading into WrestleMania 14. The Rattlesnake, the challenger in the feud, was on the verge of being the biggest thing in wrestling. Before their main event feud, Tyson sided with HBK and the DX. However, on the night of WrestleMania 14, he turned on the then WWE Champion and helped Stone Cold pick up his maiden WWE Championship to usher in the Austin Era. Tyson celebrated with Steve Austin. However, curious fans have since wondered whether there were any plans to have them wrestle each other at any point.
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Tyson did not appear in the WWE again until after Stone Cold had officially retired from the business. Any possible match that could have taken place remained nothing but a pipe dream. But was there ever any intention of pitting two of the biggest combat sports stars against each other?
Did WWE ever consider having Mike Tyson wrestle Stone Cold Steve Austin?
During a recent episode of “Grilling JR,” the former WWE commentator talked about Mike Tyson. The then Head of Talent Relations revealed that they never considered a match between the two, and Tyson was strictly there to be a special enforcer.
He explained that the reward for the match was not worth putting the guy they planned to build the company around in the ring with an untrained brute.
“You’re not going to put an untrained brute in the ring with a guy that you’re counting on to lead the company who has a bad neck. You’re just not going to do it, it’s a risk/reward scenario that’s out of proportion. Mike was never considered, at least to my knowledge,” JR said.
He acknowledged that the match could have been discussed at some point. However, he never heard of it. The main reason for bringing in Tyson was the eyeballs he would bring and then “move on from there.”
While a match between the two would have certainly sold a lot of tickets, it is important to note that Tyson had just bitten Evander Holyfield on the ear. Perhaps not doing the match was the better option, all things considered.
Stone Cold Steve Austin made his WWE return last year
Stone Cold was announced for last year’s WrestleMania. He was scheduled for an interview segment with Kevin Owens in the main event of Night 1. However, things got heated between the two and an impromptu match took place. This was his first match since hanging his boots around two decades back.
The WWE Hall of Famer picked up the win, but that was not the end of his WrestleMania celebrations. The next night his old nemesis Vince McMahon also turned up for an impromptu match against Pat McAfee, who had just beaten Austin Theory.
The WWE Chairman won the match with a little help from his protégé. But out came Stone Cold to deliver a round of stunners on everyone, including the man he came out to rescue, Pat McAfee. The crowd, however, didn’t care, they celebrated with the Rattlesnake who was finally back home.
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