The Great Wife Hope/References

References/Trivia

Cultural references

Title is a reference to the 1970 biographical film "The Great White Hope", and to the early 20th century boxers to whom the appellation was applied.
There is an ad on a billboard that says "When a Man Gloves a Woman". This is an allusion to the 1966 song by Percy Sledge called "When a Man Loves a Woman" and also a 1994 film of the same name. Milhouse sings the song in "A Star Is Torn", but is cut short when Lenny shouts, "which are you, the man or the women?!?".
When the ringmaster announces Marge as "the mom I'd like to fight," it is a reference to another meaning of the acronym MILF.
The ending might be a spoof of the ending of Dragonball Evolution where Goku and Chichi jump up in the air aiming kicks against each other and the camera freezes. What they say just before is pretty close to what they say in Dragonball Evolution.
The music that Mr. Burns fights to and that is heard in the end credits is "Boola Boola/When the Saints" performed by the Sing-A-Long Gang. "Boola Boola" is the fight song for Yale University.

You can see Barney Gumble is not only at the wrestling place, screaming "We've been here for hours!", but seconds later you can see him at Moe's.