Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. appears in the ring with wrestlers Big Show and Chris Jericho during the WWE Monday Night Raw show at the Thomas & Mack Center on Aug. 24, 2009 in Las Vegas. Mayweather was a special guest host during the broadcast. (Ethan Miller, Getty Images)
The storyline, the slow build, the drama, the anticipation. The long-awaited bout between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. has all the makings of a main event match for Wrestlemania.
Follow me for a minute here.
Mayweather has the swagger of the classic heel, the bad guy. He’s even admitted it in interviews from years ago that he’s willing to take that role. He’s cocky, he flaunts his money, has multiple criminal conviction, and even .
Every heel needs a babyface — a good guy — to battle. Enter Pacquiao. He’s humble, he comes the ring with a smile and cheesy, happy music (the man came out to “Eye of the Tiger” on more than one occasion). But once inside, he’s furious and exciting — a people’s champion.
Both have had some linkage to the squared circle. Here’s a look:
Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Unlike Pacquiao, Mayweather has actually been in a professional wrestling match. At WrestleMania XXIV, Mayweather faced off against the 7-foot, 500-pound Big Show where he defeated the giant via knockout with the aid of a pair of brass knuckles. He returned to guest host WWE Raw on Aug. 24, 2009 when he interfered in a tag-team match between Big Show and Chris Jericho vs. MVP and Mark Henry. Giving brass knuckles to MVP, he aided the team to a win over Show and Jericho.
Manny Pacquiao
Pacquiao’s had some on a video by Funny Or Die. I would’ve loved to see him as “The Flying Filipino.”
His connection with the pro wrestling world comes more from his entrances in the boxing world. A couple of wrestlers joined Pacquiao’s entourage, including the Undertaker and Batista.
