5 legendary boxers who have appeared in WWE
One thing that makes the world of WWE so unpredictable, is that anyone from any form of entertainment or sporting organization can show up at any time. Whether it be musicians, athletes or actors, they are all welcome to get involved to make an impact on the WWE stage.
More recently, we've seen Latin music sensation Bad Bunny appear in WWE. He worked with the company earlier this year, which resulted in a match at WrestleMania 37. The crossover benefited both, with Bad Bunny's stock at an all-time high right now in the music world.
Over the years, WWE has seen multiple athletes appear, including from the world of boxing. It makes sense for two worlds to crossover given their work takes place in similar environments.
That being said, let's take a look at five legendary boxers who have appeared in WWE.
#5. Evander Holyfield has appeared on WWE television
Evander Holyfield & Matt Hardy boxing. What a time #wwe07 was to be alive. https://t.co/NYtSuhumdk
Former boxing world champion Evander Holyfield made a surprise appearance at the 2007 Saturday Night's Main Event show at Madison Square Garden. Not only did he appear, but he was featured in an exhibition boxing match against Matt Hardy.
Initially, MVP was due to face Holyfield, but was pulled from the match due to a legitimate health condition. The match itself ended in a no-contest.
I do not remember Matt Hardy boxing Evander Holyfield at all. Where the hell was I when this happened? https://t.co/F7GSjY0GQ0
Matt Hardy spoke about his time working with Evander Holyfield:
"It was amazing. What a shock when they brought him in. It was also intimidating. I’d talked with Evander Holyfield, and everything was cool and ready to go. Evander’s manager was his wife, and apparently, JBL had said something backhanded about Evander being there, and Holyfield heard it because the locker room was wired into one of the earlier shows. He heard it and got upset. I went back to speak to him and he was mad. People were like, ‘what are you going to do? Evander Holyfield’s mad at you, he’s not going to want to do any business.’"
The multi-time WWE Tag Team Champion continued:
"I remember we went out and fought, and everyone was happy with it, and Vince told JBL ‘You have to be careful about what you say, because we almost lost Evander Holyfield,’ and JBL said to him ‘Hell, we almost lost Matt!’ One of the greatest boxers of all-time, and he’s legitimately mad. If he wants to beat me up there’s nothing I can do. It was intimidating, but it was an honor to be in the ring with him," Matt Hardy said (h/t 411 Mania).
Evander Holyfield did not make another on-screen return to WWE and this was considered a one-time appearance. However, he did visit WWE during a SmackDown taping in April 2018.