NFL x WWE Throwback: The night Lawrence Taylor main-evented WrestleMania XI 

On April 2, 1995, the main event of WrestleMania XI saw New York Giants linebacker Lawrence Taylor face WWE superstar Bam Bam Bigelow. The match came about at another WWE pay-per-view, the 1995 Royal Rumble in January.

Bigelow teamed up with superstar Tatanka to face Bob Holly and the 1-2-3 Kid for the vacant WWE Tag Team title in the opening match.

Bigelow and Tatanka were seen as major favorites to defeat Holly and the 1-2-3 Kid entering the match, but the latter two took advantage of several errors to pull off a big-time win. What transpired following the match is what took the headlines of the wrestling world at the time.

Fans that night at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida seemed to take great satisfaction in Bigelow being pinned to the mat by the 1-2-3 Kid. They gave Bigelow a hard time by constantly booing him following the match.

Bigelow finally had enough of the heckling, finally pushing a man at the front row of the crowd.

But the man he pushed was not just any average person: it was the Giants linebacker. The Hall of Famer was known as one of the most dreaded players in league history during this time.

Safe to say, the linebacker didn't take Bigelow's shoving too kindly.

Watch below:

After the confrontation, Bigelow would eventually challenge Taylor to a match at WrestleMania XI. After initially rejecting the offer, the Giants linebacker eventually accepted Bigelow’s challenge.

Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

The Main Event of WrestleMania XI

The match took place in Hartford, Connecticut within the Hartford Civic Center. The event had seven matches on the card. However, all of those matches were second to Taylor vs. Bigelow.

Not only was this match taking place at the biggest show of the year, but it was the main event of the night.

The linebacker had plenty of support for the match. He had several former NFL players in his corner. These players included Giants teammate Carl Banks, Detroit Lions linebacker Chris Spielman, San Francisco 49ers linebackers Ken Norton Jr. and Rickey Jackson, Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Reggie White, and Chicago Bears defensive tackle Steve McMichael.

Given that Taylor had zero experience in the wrestling ring, the match was great. He’d go on to win with a forearm off the second rope. Even in defeat, Bigelow needs some recognition to make the eight-time All-Pro look amazing in the squared circle.

The match opened WWE to become mainstream, allowing those outside of wrestling to compete in the industry. Taylor tackled down that door with his performance and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.