DragonKingKarl Classic Wrestling Marathon: Muhammad Ali
The Greatest.
Simply the most appropriate nickname for one of the biggest mega-stars ever. Few people in modern history have reached the level of fame that Muhammad Ali did.
Ali was a force beyond stardom in the 1970’s. If you were old enough to be aware of sports then Ali was as big as they came. He fought George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Antonio Inoki, and even Superman.
Ali had a lot in common with pro wrestlers, in fact, it was the entertainment aspect of pro wrestling, when combined with the incredible boxing skills of Ali, that made him a world-wide superstar.
Ali, of course, crossed over into the wrestling world multiple times. He created catchphrases and stood tall above his peers in a way that probably only Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has in modern times.
Say my name — Muhammad Ali.
Karl Stern is a pro wrestling historian specializing in the 1980s and pioneer era (pre-1900) of pro wrestling. He is an author who has written several books on wrestling and independently runs the When It Was Cool retro pop culture website.