cSs Top Five: Boxers in Wrestling

Which fighting style is best? That is an age old question that may receive some insight Saturday night, August 26 as mixed martial arts superstar Conor McGregor duels arguably the greatest boxer ever in Floyd Mayweather. The showdown will take place under boxing rules. In anticipation for that bout, let’s count down the top five boxers in wrestling.

You may be asking what qualifies me to make a top five list for boxers in wrestling? I used to live next door to a Boxer dog. That's about it. With that out of the way, let's get this started.

Now, one might think Floyd Mayweather is a lock for the top five. You would be wrong. Despite defeating Big Show at Wrestlemania XXIV, Mayweather resorted to the use of brass knuckles. I’m not going to reward nefariousness with a spot on this prestigious list.

5. Buster Douglas

Shortly before Buster Douglas' appearance in WWE, he knocked out Mike Tyson. Jim Lampley deemed it, "The biggest upset in the history of heavyweight championship fights." How did Douglas capitalize on his newfound stardom? By being special guest backup referee to the epic rematch between Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, of course.

After the inevitable ref bump, Douglas charged into the ring for the winning three count, which can be debated as a bit fast. That's when things really started to heat up. Savage was none too pleased and began mocking Douglas by bobbing and weaving. Tensions boiled with a slap by the Macho King. An audible gasp escapes every time I see it. Hogan nudged the confrontation along with a mischievous push to Macho's back right into some punches by Douglas. Yeah, it was a cheap shot but still an electric moment.

Most of the credit must go to Savage as a spectacular performer. He set the mood and steamed up the pressure with his antics. Nonetheless, Douglas played his role just fine to create one heck of a memorable occurrence.

4. Butterbean

http://www.mixedmartialarts.com/vault/mma/425-lb-pro-fighter-vs-265-lb-wwe-wrestler-real-fight-ends-brutal-ko

Trying to strike on the fads of UFC and Toughman Contests, WWE came up with the Brawl for All concept where their wrestlers competed against each other in modified mixed martial arts rules. An unlikely victor emerged by the name of Bart Gunn. That led to the idea of putting together a Wretlemania XV bout against Butterbean.

If you like vicious knockouts, then this match is for you. Bart got his bean buttered. It only took 35 seconds for Butterbean to get his Wrestlemania moment.

3. Chuck Wepner

The Associated Press

1976 was a banner year for boxers fighting wrestlers. Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki being the most famous, although it wasn't nearly as exciting as Ali in an airplane spin from Gorilla Monsoon. Nor did it top the clash between Chuck Wepner and Andre the Giant.

Chuck Wepner is the alleged, but not official, inspiration behind Sylvester Stallone's Rocky film. Wepner's fight with Ali bares similarity to Rocky Balboa vs Apollo Creed.

Wepner and Andre had a slow start as Andre tried working the clinch game only for Wepner to grab the ropes. Round three picked up with a headbutt by Andre and subsequent slam over the ropes out of the ring. Seeing the end makes me think inspiration struck twice for Rocky's exhibition against Thunderlips, the Ultimate Male.

2. Mike Tyson

Mike Tyson has had various appearances in a WWE ring over the years. My favorite is his encounter with the Texas Rattlesnake, Stone Cold Steve Austin.

Tyson still had an aura about him at that time. The year prior, he bit a chunk out of Evander Holyfield's ear. There was no telling what to expect from Tyson. Meanwhile, Austin was at the peak of his powers. He routinely whipped up the crowd to a fever pitch.

Putting the two together was explosive. A little bit of jawing, two middle fingers, and a huge shove blew the roof off the building.

1. Mr. T

Technically, Mr. T isn't a boxer, but he did play one as Clubber Lang in Rocky III. That's good enough for me. I pity the fool that don’t agree.

After being partnered with Hulk Hogan in a tag match for Wrestlemania I, a feud between Mr. T and Roddy Piper carried over to a boxing contest at Wrestlemania II. The two duked it out until an illegal body slam by Piper in round four led to a corner-emptying melee. It might have been ugly boxing, but it was great sports action. Whether apple picking or beating up Roddy Piper, Mr. T has proven to be an entertainment dynamo.

Checking back on last week's poll, 30% of 450 votes believed Samoa Joe was going to leave SummerSlam as champ. The beefiness of those hosses was close as 29% predicted Braun Strowman and 28% picked Brock Lesnar. Roman Reigns is least beefy, so it makes sense he had the fewest votes at 14%.

How does this boxer top five stack up to your list? Agree with the entrants? Is it a knockout or does it make you want to knock me out? Whether it be best five or favorite five, share yours in the comments.

Possibly one day in the future, we'll look at the other side of the coin for top five with an MMA background. Until then, I'll leave you with a humorous tweet from Lance Storm.