LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Boxing legend and Louisville's own Muhammad Ali will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2024, according a report from Variety.
Ali made a handful of appearances in professional wrestling, including as the special guest referee for the main event at the inaugural WrestleMania. WWE confirmed the news Monday.
"Many claim to be great, but only one man is 'The Greatest,'" WWE Chief Content Officer Paul "Triple H" Levesque said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Muhammad Ali transcended sport to become a global icon who captivated and impacted the world like no other. @WWE is honored to induct 'The Greatest' Muhammad Ali into the #WWEHOF."
Ali will be inducted by his widow, Lonnie Ali. The ceremony will be livestreamed on Peacock starting at 10 p.m. April 5 in Philadelphia.
Ali is considered by many to be the greatest boxer of all time, but he also dabbled in the wild world of professional wrestling.
In 1976, he fought Japanese wrestling legend Antonio Inoki in front of a sold-out crowd in Tokyo. The hybrid boxing-wrestling match was seen by an estimated 1.4 billion people worldwide.
The 15-round bout was seen as one of the precursors to modern-day mixed martial arts.
In 1985, Ali served as the special guest referee for the main event at WrestleMania I at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The famous match featured Hulk Hogan teaming with Mr. T against Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff.
Ali was also the guest of honor at the "Collision in Korea" pay-per-view event held in North Korea in 1995.
Ali was born and raised in Louisville and attended Central High School. He started training as an amateur boxer at 12 years old.
He won a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympics and then turned pro.
He was involved in some of the biggest boxing matches in the sport's history, including bouts against Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman. Ali was a three-time heavyweight champion of the world.
He finished his pro career at 56-5. He died in 2016 at 74.
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