WWE Hall of Fame 2012: Induction of Mike Tyson Is Great Outreach for Wrestling

Mike Tyson is great for the sport of wrestling. The WWE did the right thing by inducting him into the Hall of Fame.

Some disagree with the decision and some don't like it, but in the end, it's the best thing for both the WWE as a brand and wrestling as a sport.

Tyson is good for wrestling. He's a huge name that goes far beyond his career as a professional boxer.

Tyson has literally become a pop culture icon.

He's a Hall of Fame boxer, but he may be most famous for taking a bite out of an ear. This generation knows him as the guy with the crazy face tattoo or the guy who races pigeons. If anything, he's the guy who has a pet tiger and punches Zach Galifianakis in The Hangover.

"Iron Mike" is one of the greatest characters the sports world has ever seen, if not the world in general, so it's only fitting that he can represent a sport and organization that is all about characters and storyline.

Tyson brings people in, and hopefully that's something that he can do for the WWE as a member of the Hall of Fame. He's a great representative of the sport from an entertainment side, but also as a fighter.

There's no doubting his pedigree as a boxer, but those who doubt his impact between the professional wrestling ropes should look no further than this epic recap from Jim Varsallone of the Miami Herald:

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Tyson appeared on shows from ringside as a fan with his kids and also in some segments, including his first major angle which involved Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 14. Tyson appeared at the 1998 Royal Rumble and Raw the following day, getting into a shoving match with another ‘Bad’ man, Stone Cold Steve Austin, leading to his involvement as a referee at WrestleMania 14.

In January 2010, Tyson served as guest host for WWE Monday Night Raw (9 p.m. USA Network), the company’s top rated weekly primetime cable show. Tyson helped draw very good ratings. In the main event on Raw, he actually teamed with Y2J Chris Jericho against DX (Shawn Michaels and Triple H).

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Tyson played a huge part in the success of the WWE, and he'll continue to be a good ambassador to the sport as a member of the Hall of Fame.

It's good outreach for a sport that frankly would have a hard time reaching an audience that hasn't already been built in.

You don't just stumble upon the WWE. You have to be introduced to it and give it an investment of your time. Tyson makes that investment much more interesting for the average fan.