Heavyweight boxing champion Tyson Fury still hasn’t taken a loss in organized and televised professional combat sports, as the “Gypsy King” was successful in his WWE in-ring debut today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, defeating Braun Strowman via countout.
Fury looked every bit the wrestling novice that he is, which was to be expected, but was perhaps a bit more physical overall than some may have anticipated, taking a few bumps and delivering more offense than just tussling around and throwing a few punches.
For his part, Strowman did a fine, professional job in carrying the encounter, making Fury look as good as he could while dealing with his opponent’s total lack of pro wrestling experience.
The finish came when Fury caught Strowman with a right cross as Strowman was on the apron trying to re-enter the ring, knocking the big man to the floor below. Though Strowman staggered around trying to get to his feet, he was counted out of the ring and Fury was the official winner.
Post-match, Strowman delivered a powerslam to Fury, who didn’t much sell that at all, popping up a little (lot) quicker than he probably should have. That leaves things open for a potential return to a WWE ring for Fury down the line — a rematch with Strowman at a major show in 2020 could make sense, depending on Fury’s boxing schedule. Right now, he’s tentatively slated to rematch Deontay Wilder in February, but we’ll see.
Another combat sports star crossed over to WWE on the same show, as Cain Velasquez made his WWE in-ring debut against WWE champion Brock Lesnar. The two were UFC rivals in the past, with Velasquez handing Lesnar an MMA defeat years ago. This one was quick, as Lesnar submitted Velasquez in short order. So we can officially and finally put it to bed: boxing is superior to mixed martial arts.
You had to know @BraunStrowman wasn't going to take that loss well… #WWECrownJewel #TysonVsBraun pic.twitter.com/rkvUbL18oF
— WWE Universe (@WWEUniverse) October 31, 2019
Do your thing, #GypsyKing.@Tyson_Fury #WWECrownJewel pic.twitter.com/7h3McmFlgy
— WWE (@WWE) October 31, 2019
