This generation of wrestlers made professional wrestling a global phenomenon and for that we all owe them a debt of gratitude. Now at age 66, time hasnt been kind to Ventura. Before all this happened, the NWA was a better product with better wrestlers and the AWA was able to present a brand in the Midwest and the the northern states like Minnesota that was crisp and regional and cool. Actually he was a mid-carder before coming to the NWA and struck gold. All comments are welcome. They have one Scott Steiner has been a mainstay in professional wrestling for over 15 years. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. His quick one-liners, sharp tongue and squeaky voice made his heel role a perfect fit and helped transition The King from wrestler to announcer. He was mainly used as a jobber - a wrestler who rarely wins and is King Kong Bundy was riding a win streak of 300 consecutive victories when he challenged Terry "Hulk" Hogan to the World Wrestling Federation World's Heavyweight Championship. People seemed to swear up and down in our Facebook post on this that he looks like Jack Swagger/Hager in this photo. While Slaughter was a bit on the stocky side, even in his prime, he looks much the same with high chin and trademark stash. Went to the WWF and another superstar was born. The wrestler who would eventually become known as Ravishing Rick Rude was born Richard Erwin Rood on December 7th, 1958. He is best known for his time in WWE under the ring name Christian and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) under the ring name Christian Cage. Even worse, Flair lost his son, Reid, to an accidental overdose. Wigan-born Davey Boy Smith started out on World of Sport at 15, known as Young David. Our list is sortable by ring name, real name, date, age, and cause of death. They're the cream of the crop! Hulk Hogan was the biggest star in wrestling in the 1980s. King Kong Bundy was an '80s wrestling monster. He had the best mind to create anything he wanted. WATCH: Scott Dawson (then known as K.C. Ronald Simmons is an American retired professional wrestler and football player. Terry Eugene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler and television personality. However, for some of these legends, that has not been the case. Its no surprise that The Crush Gals are often considered the greatest womens tag team of all time considering the duos perfectly honed and incredibly powerful movesets. He trained under Verne Gagne, and first made his name in the old Mid-Atlantic territory in the Carolinas. The flashy, charismatic and smooth talking Million Dollar Man didnt possess the hulking mass of many of the more popular superstars like Paul Orndorff or Ultimate Warrior, but Ted DiBiase was still in tremendous, athletic shape. Asai now works for CMLL in Mexico City and also Luis Ignacio Urive Alvirde was born on December 22, 1982 in Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico. The son of a professional wrestler, Ted DiBiase had started his pro wrestling career as a fan favorite, but soon "changed sides" and became a heel throughout the rest of his career. Dead at 80. Barry Clinton Windham is an American retired professional wrestler. Though he didnt have the bodybuilder physiques of Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, the King of Ba-da Bing was always in tremendous shape. He was a former AWA and NWA wrestler who was successful as a heel and when the WWF came calling, he was perfect for taking his persona up north. The man is rumored to be a complete workaholic and micromanages everything that happens in the company. His father Gory Guerrero became a star in the U.S., an icon in Texas and a legend in Mexico. Came back to the NWA and beat The Great Muta for the title. Fought with Verne Gagne, Hulk Hogan and Billy Robinson. Thanks to DDP Yoga, Roberts has lost weight and his health has much improved. Eddie's brothers, Hector, Amadno and Chavo, Sr. also became wrestlers. Lost to Time: Demolition (Ax and Smash), 8. Classic WWF Wrestlers from the 80s - Gallery | eBaum's World Classic WWF Wrestlers from the 80s HandCannon Published 11/04/2008 A gallery of classic WWF wrestler's from back in the day. Never one to hold titles, he caused a commotion as the leader of a cult in Florida featuring Jake Roberts and Mark Lewin (Purple Haze). He was in the first Wrestlemania against Hogan and Mr. T. As a competitor, he could have and should have held World gold in WWF but never attained the status. His over-the-top video packages established him as a kind of miraculous meta-human that, despite or because of their inherent campiness, catalyzed his global superstardom. He was best known for his appearances with the American professional wrestling promotions Extreme Championship Wrestling, World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation/Entertainment under the ring name Mike Awesome and for Roy Wayne Farris, better known by the ring name The Honky Tonk Man, is an American retired professional wrestler. He had great looks and a great technique. He has been married to Kira Hennigan since June 1, 2018. He was best known as Road Warrior Hawk, one half of the tag team known as The Road Warriors (The Legion of Doom in WWF), with Road Warrior Animal. Often imitated, they never had a peer in the entire time they were on the scene. 9 Tully Blanchard - Slingshot Suplex As one of the original Four Horsemen, Tully Blanchard will be always be associated with greatness. Many of us never saw him wrestle, err, beat people up, err, bloody people to a pulp. Perfect exemplified the widely reviled heel archetype throughout the decade. His gruff voice and protruding chin made his G.I. Best known as "The Undertaker" from World Wrestling Entertainment. McKnight) wrestling with long hair: 8. He is known for his trademark style of hardcore wrestling, which he pioneered in his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) from 1995 to 2000. [16] Ivan Koloff. Gary Hart brought him over from the Orient to feud with Dusty Rhodes in Florida. After his time in the navy, Ventura started lifting weights and soon entered the world of pro wrestling becoming known as Jesse The Body Ventura. They have three children. He was never a top-tier performer, but he barked and made dog sounds, much like his name would indicate, proving that even the best can be brought down a few rungs on the ladder. He is considered royalty and his bouts with Butcher and others are stuff of legend. To this day, there is still no wrestler more popular than Hulk Hogan. He feuded with Roddy Piper in the famous "Dog Collar" match which almost destroyed Piper. Slaughter and Greg Valentine were successful in the NWA. A powerful athelete from an early age, Shelton was the South Carolina state heavyweight champion in high school wrestling in both his junior and senior years at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School. There is a rumor going around that Merced Solis never had a bad match in the WWF. He has been married to Jane Lee since January 14, 2002. The feud between Orndorff and Hogan was one of the longest and most memorable feuds of the 80s. You can view movies and shows in one place and filter by streaming provider, genre, release year, runtime, and rating (Rotten Tomatoes, Imdb, and/or Metacritic). Sadly, he was killed after a match and is missed for his devilish persona and his flat-out brash behavior. The prototypical arrogant pretty boy, Rude was known for insulting the mostly-male crowds before enticing women with promises of sexual promiscuity. He could have been one of the best of all time, but was rushed too soon and we never got to see the best of him. He was truly one of the best showmen the business has ever seen. He also appears for AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor (ROH), where he is the current ROH World Television Champion in his first Ken Anderson was born on March 6, 1976 in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, USA. Born and raised in Cameron, North Carolina, Hardy started his career as a youth performing in the Trampoline Wrestling Federation, which he started alongside his brother Matt Hardy. A car accident nearly killed him and the dream he would be the hero everyone wanted to be champion. And most of all, he was well spoken and was an instant fan favorite. But he was one of the few bigger men that could move well and also spent time in the NWA wrestling in Georgia. Frank Goodish was a wild man who was a lone wolf. With the sex appeal of a Chippendales performer, this Ravishing fighter was a WCW legend before career-ending injuries forced him to stop performing in 1997. In retrospect, its actually shocking that he only had one heavyweight title run during his stint in WWF. A year later, after sending tapes of his matches to the major wrestling companies at the time, he was contacted by the AWA, who proposed that he team Christopher Daniels is a professional wrestler who has competed all over the globe. Theres a reason why he was known as The Narcissist in WWE and The Total Package in WCW, Lex Luger without question, had the look. Whether playing the narcissistic heel or the Made in the U.S.A. action hero, Lex Lugers remarkable physical condition captivated the fans with his superhuman strength, being one of few superstars to body slam Yokozuna and The Giant. Michael Lee Alfonso was an American professional wrestler. OOOOHHHHHHH YYEEEEEEEAAHHHHH!!! Darren Matthews was born on May 10, 1968 in Staffordshire, England, UK. He was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson and rose to fame in the western states. Jannetty in particular was rocking a style that would break Billy Ray Cyrus' "achy breaky heart" on the spot. (2007) and WCW Monday Nitro (1995). Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, Ricky Steamboats fights against Macho Man Randy Savage (1987) and Ric Flair (1989) were both awarded Match of the Year by Pro-Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer. He has never wrestled in the WWE, which still could happen. Jacqueline was ahead of her game with the women at that time. Page has developed his own yoga fitness program calling it DDPYoga. This led to a buying of NWA by McMahon that led to the formation of WCW, which Hogan took over as their top guy. 2. Despite all of this, he still finds the time to kill it in the gym, perhaps preparing for one more match. The Weasel never had the physique of the wrestlers and a neck injury kept him from taking bumps, but for the most part, Heenan always appeared in good health. Erick Rowan with Hair. One of the first great wrestlers to compete in "real" fights. Daniels made one Bobby Roode was born on May 11, 1976 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He is the grandson of Bob Orton, Sr. and the Adam Copeland is an actor and an professional wrestler, who wrestles as Edge in the WWE. The injury persisted and even caused muscle shrinkage, later in his career. Wrestler Deaths. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. One of the few men to have been inducted into five separate wrestling Hall of Fames, Harley Race is studied to this day as a technical master so much so that he was often announced as the "The Greatest Wrestler on God's Green Earth." Yoga. Sting has toured the world and wrestled in the NWA, WCW and now TNA. Her appearance as a heart-hardened sensei in the 2000 documentary Gaea Girls showed how she viewed wrestling not as an art form or a sport but as a kind of sacred pursuit. He has been married to Shawn Trebnick since January 9, 2008. This list details eight wrestling legends of the 80s that still remain in great shape and eight others who have jobbed out to Father Time. Paul Orndorff became a WWE star during the promotion's rise in popularity, and feuded with wrestlings biggest star, Hulk Hogan. Very popular wrestler who was everyman and wrestled as a rugged fighter. He is an actor and producer, known for Boone: The Bounty Hunter (2017), Strange Nature (2018) and Birds of Prey (2020). His uncanny ability to draw heat with impeccable timing translated perfectly from manager to announcer. Hes still capable of walking down the aisle and putting a maggot in his place. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Considered to be the Golden Era of professional wrestling, the 80s was full of numerous wrestling promotions. He also won the World Class Heavyweight Title and feuded with The Freebirds with his brothers and then with Jerry Lawler before taking his act to the WWF as the Texas Tornado. He turned face when Magnum TA was injured and nearly killed in a car crash. Her matches with her aforementioned nemeses were attended by sold-out crowds in Japan and bolstered the reputation of Japanese womens wrestling worldwide. It would be beyond cliche to call Andre larger than life but its an appropriate descriptor considering his largesse both in and out of the ring. A great mat wrestler and high-flyer with a flying elbow that was lethal. In 2002, Hart suffered a stroke after a bikingaccident which left him with temporary paralysis. He always said he would raise his arm in his sleep if he heard someone count to two. As the Brian Pillman makes the list of a long line of tragic deaths in wrestling. Flair had nothing but praise for Race upon his death in 2019: Without Harley Race, there was no Ric Flair. Jimmy Snuka. Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. (October 29, 1949 - July 12, 2021), nicknamed "Mr. From Andre, to Mr. Traveled to the NWA and Ric Flair taught him to make money and made him a star. A medical student at Minnesota University (his father was a doctor, his mother an actress), Flair dropped out college to train for the mat wars under legendary former AWA World champ Verne Gagne. Big Bully Busick - Dead at 63. He was previously married to Cindy Womack. I know I will take heat for this one when Piper is ahead of Savage. Maybe the greatest attraction in wrestling anywhere he wrestled. Despite the abuse his body took at his age and through his long career, Diamond Dallas Page remains in top physical form. It makes us pause in anticipation for the . Monsoon weighed more than 400 lbs, but that didn't stop him pointing out the size of many other large wrestlers of his day. 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