Watch: All Hell Broke Loose When Mike Tyson Came Face to Face With Stone Cold

There are few men out there who have left significant impacts on two industries. Mike Tyson is one of them. The boxing legend has made several appearances in the WWE. Let’s look back at the time when Mike Tyson ended up in a brawl with The Texas Rattlesnake Steve Austin.

On Monday Night RAW 1998, the day after the Royal Rumble which Steve Austin won, Vince McMahon introduced Mike Tyson as the “Baddest Man on the Planet.” This wasn’t taken well by Steve Austin.

Austin got in the ring to say that he is sick of Tyson trying to be all friendly backstage. He added that Tyson is looking at the ‘Toughest son of a b***h’ right now. 

A brawl between the two followed where many officials had to stop both of them. This led to a feud between the two stars, which was something that WWE capitalized on.

Did Mike Tyson save WWE?

WWE was struggling at the heels of its rival promotion, WCW, and the company was looking for something to help them outdo their adversary.

Incidentally, Iron Mike’s boxing license was on hold following his transgressions against Evander Holyfield. Therefore, Iron Mike started making appearances for them.

Steve Austin overcame all obstacles to win the Royal Rumble. He was popular among fans, however,  WWE needed more than that to beat their rivals. Therefore, they placed their bets on a crossover.

Vince McMahon saw an opportunity with Mike Tyson, bringing the star in as a referee to the WrestleMania 14 match between Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. Tyson also aligned himself with D Generation X to increase the hype among the fans.

During the bout at WrestleMania, Tyson turned on Michaels, and Austin ended up winning the Championship. 

WWE ratings went sky high that year thanks to Tyson. Vince McMahon undoubtedly played his cards right.