THQ announced today that former boxing heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will be featured in WWE ’13. His virtual character will be playable for all customers who pre-order the wrestling video game at any retailer in North America. Pre-orders for any console – Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii – will unlock Tyson.

“As one of the most dominant champions in boxing history and one of the most memorable guests to ever be featured on WWE programming, Mike Tyson led an incredible revolution that changed the way fans perceive the sport,” said Sean Ratcliffe, vice president of global brand management at THQ. “He was a tremendous addition to the ‘Attitude Era’ and is certain to attract a wide variety of fans to ‘live the revolution’ offered in WWE ’13.”

“Incredible revolution” is obviously hyperbole, but Tyson did indeed appear in some WWE (WWF, back then) story lines in the late 90’s. This is a period that the WWE has evidently dubbed the “Attitude Era,” perhaps in reference to the popular WWF Attitude video game released at the time. In 1998, Tyson joined a group of wrestling baddies knows as D-Generation X. He was featured in the title bout between Shawn Michaels and Stone Cold Steve Austin during WrestleMania XIV, the end of which can be seen in the video below. For his work, Tyson was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in April of this year.

“The baddest man on the planet is back – and only in WWE ’13,” said Mike Tyson. “Fans everywhere can now relive what I experienced during the ‘Attitude Era.'”