Boxing Legend Named To 2024 WWE Hall Of Fame Class
With only a few weeks remaining before WrestleMania 40 weekend in Philadelphia, the 2024 WWE Hall of Fame class is beginning to take shape, with Paul Heyman, Bull Nakano, and The U.S. Express (Barry Windham and Mike Rotunda) being announced last week. Now, the trio will be joined by one of the biggest sports icons in history and a man who was involved with the first WrestleMania back in 1985.
Variety reports that the fourth member of the 2024 WWE HOF class is none other than Muhammad Ali. WWE themselves confirmed the news on social media and their official website.
BREAKING: As reported by @Variety, Muhammad Ali will be inducted into the #WWEHOF Class of 2024!
FULL DETAILS 👉 https://t.co/skGGOzPIgt pic.twitter.com/JoF08Y32IL
— WWE (@WWE) March 11, 2024
A pioneer in both boxing and the civil rights movement, Ali was inspired by wrestling from an early age, modeling his trash-talking persona after early wrestling legend Gorgeous George. He would later get involved in the business several times, including facing Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki in an exhibition fight in June 1976. The fight was preceded by Ali attending a WWE show earlier that month, where he took part in an angle with Gorilla Monsoon.
Nine years later, Ali would return to the wrestling world at the inaugural WrestleMania, where he served as one of two special guest referees for the main event tag match between Hulk Hogan & Mr. T and Roddy Piper & Paul Orndorff. Ali would later become involved in the infamous Collision in Korea wrestling events held in North Korea in 1995, attending the events as its "guest of honor."