WI: Muhammad Ali: Pro Wrestler?

Ali was a big fan of Professional wrestling, I think he's even said that he patterned his interview style after Gorgeous George. What if he decided to take that fandom and go into wrestling instead of boxing? Would he still have been as successful? How about his status as a cultural icon?
 
When Ali was getting started in 1960, wrestling was in a decline, and was taken less seriously than boxing. It was also still segregated.

I'm having a little trouble finding a really reliable source, but the figure being frequently given for George Wagner is $100,000 per year - at his peak. While Ali's early earnings were small, he was making good money within a few years. By '64, he was making six figures per fight.

So, I have serious doubts that he would go that route. But, were he to actually do so, he'd be giving up both money and fame.
 
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