Lennox Lewis made memorable SummerSlam cameo but turned down £5m WWE match with Brock Lesnar for insane reason
Wrestling fans often have the memory of an elephant, so it’s no surprise that one small cameo in their world for Lennox Lewis has stayed etched in the mind.
Rewind over 30 years and the Twin Towers of London’s old Wembley Stadium, which hosted WWE’s SummerSlam in 1992.
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In the early 1990s, Brits everywhere were mad for a cartoonish wrestling product that had exploded on the scene thanks to a deal with Sky television – the likes of Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior and Macho Man Randy Savage all becoming household names.
On the summer night in question, however, it was one of England’s very own that stole the headlines as The British Bulldog stepped up to face brother-in-law Bret ‘Hitman’ Hart in the main event for the Intercontinental title.
In front of over 80,000 of his compatriots, the Bulldog achieved what was the biggest win of his career by pinning Hart and snatching the gold he’d go on to surrender so cheaply to Shawn Michaels weeks later.
His momentous victory came after he’d been accompanied to the ring by then WBC Heavyweight Champion Lewis, weeks after his fight in the States against Mike Dixon that took his career record to an unbeaten 21-0.
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Davey Boy Smith’s Rule Britannia entrance theme hit to a thunderous reaction from the crowd, with Lewis entering through the curtain first, hoisting a Union Jack high in the air as a nervous looking Bulldog followed behind.
“I was extremely honoured to walk British Bulldog out that night,†Lewis would post many years later, looking back at the event. “May he rest in love!â€
Bulldog continued to wrestle for WWE, WCW and other entities before his untimely death in 2002, aged just 39, after a heart attack.
Remarkably, ten years later it was almost Lewis stood in the middle of a WWE for a high-profile match after Vince McMahon tried to lure him into action.
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It was reported that McMahon had visions of a showdown between Lewis and an upstart wrestler by the name of Brock Lesnar who was fast starting to attract attention with his bustling physique and power.
McMahon was prepared to to Lewis to make the match happen at the company’s No Way Out pay per view in 2003.
But while Lewis continued to box to the conclusion of a glittering career that included just two defeats and 41 victories, and Lesnar starred in UFC and returned to WWE where it’s expected he could continue to star in matches in future, their stars never aligned, and the mega match never took place.
The reason, Lewis later TSN’s Off The Record, was that McMahon was keen for the match to be played out with the boxer wearing gloves, but not Lesnar – arguably something anyone would be wise to avoid.
Lewis said he was taking the mega offer: “Very seriously, until they said he wasn't wearing gloves. "They wanted to put me in with gloves on."
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While the Brit never did manage a WWE match, fellow boxing legend Mike Tyson did, losing his only wrestling outing while still ending up with the last laugh.
In 1998, Tyson also featured in the main event of WrestleMania 14 as a special enforcer for the WWE title match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels.
WWE SummerSlam 2024 airs this weekend from Cleveland. marvelbet369.com’s handy guide has all you need to know about the mega show, headlined by Cody Rhodes v Solo Sikoa.
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