- THQ issued the following earlier today:

The ‘Baddest Man On The Planet’ Returns

Mike Tyson Returns To The Ring

The campaign premise of “Live the Revolution” continues, as THQ today announced the return of the incomparable Mike Tyson to the ring – virtually – in WWE® ’13, the revolutionary next installment in the WWE flagship videogame franchise. Often touted as the “baddest man on the planet,” the boxing legend and former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world will be available as an exclusive playable character for consumers who pre-order the videogame at any participating retailer in the UK for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system (while supplies last).

Tyson made headlines with WWE (NYSE: WWE) in early 1998 as part of the company’s groundbreaking “Attitude Era,” a time period prominently featured in WWE ’13 through a brand new single-player campaign. He is best remembered for his appearances leading up to and at WrestleMania® XIV, where he was recruited by D-Generation X (DX) to serve as a ringside enforcer during the main event match between DX member Shawn Michaels® and Stone Cold Steve Austin® for the WWE Championship. Tyson, sporting a sleeveless DX t-shirt and black jeans – the same look as his playable character in WWE ’13 – interfered in the match, allowing Austin to secure the victory and ultimately abandoning his presumed alliance with the renegade faction. Tyson returned to WWE on January 11, 2010 as a guest host on Monday Night Raw® and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2, 2012.

“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, Global Brand Management, 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.”

“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.’”

- WWE ’13 is available for pre-order on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii on Amazon.com. WWE ’13′s schedule release date is October 30, 2012. For more details and to pre-order click here.

- PWMania.com has added several screenshots featuring Mike Tyson in WWE ’13, which you can view by clicking here or checking out our backstage specials section.

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