Came back to the NWA and beat The Great Muta for the title. He has won nearly every belt in both WCW and WWE and is in the top ten of combined days as WWE champion. It makes us pause in anticipation for the . Seeing Ax, at 69, and Smash, at 57, still donning their trunks and face paint wrestling in front of only a few hundred fans, looking remarkably overweight is a depressing sight to behold. Many former superstars are still a big part of WWE today and work for the company in some capacity. King Kong Bundy was an '80s wrestling monster. Masahiro Chno was born on September 17, 1963 in Mitaka City, Tokyo, Japan. He was not much of a wrestler in WWF as much as he was an entertainer. (1999), WWE Saturday Morning Slam (2012) and WWE Raw (1993). "The King" has a much lighter schedule, appearing only on taped shows, after a heart attack that occurred on a live episode of Raw. There, he proved to be one of the greatest babyfaces of all time, putting on a classic feud with Jake "The Snake" Roberts and one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time against Randy Savage. Though he didnt have the bodybuilder physiques of Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior, the King of Ba-da Bing was always in tremendous shape. While other '80s wrestlers are known as much for their bombastic personalities as for their actual fighting ability, its the latter quality that continues to endear industry insiders to Hart. Entering the ring to Queens infectious anthem, Another One Bites The Dust, Junkyard Dog was a paradigm of pure power. He was trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson and rose to fame in the western states. They have one Scott Steiner has been a mainstay in professional wrestling for over 15 years. Barry Clinton Windham is an American retired professional wrestler. As a fan for the past 35 years and a writer who covered it in South Carolina, I seen some great things. His reputation for playing mind games with his opponents never superseded his actual in-ring acumen. His mother, Beverly Jane (Harrison), remarried to Kenneth Williams, and he took his stepfather's surname. That is high praise from anyone. Jeff Jarrett was trained in the USWA which was run by his father. Later on, Rotunda won Actor | Our list is sortable by ring name, real name, date, age, and cause of death. It's the greatest WWE Superstars of the '80s! Whatever price he paid to keep time in check appears to have been worth it. A great booker and script writer. Looks Great: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, 1. Best known as "The Undertaker" from World Wrestling Entertainment. Bockwinkel wrestled for several years in various regions, but gained his greatest fame in the now-defunct American Wrestling Association (AWA). Lost to Time: "Mr. Maybe a bad analogy, but Colon feuded with the best of them, including Abdullah the Butcher. Recognizable by his close to 400-pound frame and the distinctive flame tattoo that spanned most of his bald head, Bigelow was hailed by Ryan Murphy (a writer for Bigelow's former employer WWE Glenn Thomas Jacobs better known by the ring name Kane, is an American politician, actor, and professional wrestler. McKnight) wrestling with long hair: 8. All the personal troubles and wheelin and dealin" seem to have taken its toll on the "Nature Boy" who, at 68, looks almost unrecognizable compared to his pretty boy good looks of his youth. Started out as Terry Allen in Florida before moving to Jim Crockett Promotions where Ric Flair said Allen would be the man to replace him as champion and take over the NWA. Yet, he doesn't get as much recognition outside of Britain. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW) as a manager. But the thing about nostalgia is that it tends to whitewash some of the darker parts of history in favor of a rose-tinted rearview. He is an actor, known for Stampede Wrestling (1957), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WCW Saturday Night (1985). At 64, The Hulkster retains his much of his 20 pythons and remains in good physical health. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff, Why WCW's Ring Was So Different From WWE's, Explained, 5 WWE Wrestlers Who Survived Bad Gimmicks (& 5 Who Had It Define Their Careers), 5 Best WWE Tag Team Champions Of The New Generation Era (& 5 Worst). He held the WWE Intercontinental Championship twice, plus he was a three-time World Tag Team Champion with two different partners. At 58, Sting still looks totally capable of donning the paint for one more match. He was previously married to Stacy Carter, Paula Jean Carruth and Martha Kay Williams. Rhodes went to the WWF and was summarily used as a mid card wrestler. Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki were key figures in the Japanese womens tag scene during the 80s and even had success as a duo in the WWF. He had a body that made men mad and made women swoon. When he got to the WWF, that was a different story. Darren Matthews was born on May 10, 1968 in Staffordshire, England, UK. Lost to Time: Demolition (Ax and Smash), 8. Both Hector and Amando Christopher Michael Benoit is a Canadian wrestler who was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Michael and Margaret Benoit. He had many legendary matches and feuds with Ric Flair, culminating in their epic "Holy Trilogy" of matches at WCW Sidney Raymond Eudy is an American former professional wrestler. Wayne Ferris took a gimmick and rode it into success. Michael Lee Alfonso was an American professional wrestler. Trained by Dusty Rhodes, The Peoples Champ became one of the most popular wrestlers ever, equipped with the deadliest finisher of all time, the Diamond Cutter. WWE's Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century. Ric Flair said David Von Erich could have been champion and carried the NWA. 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. He is of Italian (father) and French-Canadian and English (mother) descent, and is the grandson of baseball player Tony Lupien. He is an actor, known for Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legends - The Movie (2009), Glory to the Filmmaker! Introducing acrobatic aerial attacks to Japanese audiences, Mscaras is considered an innovator of high-risk antics like the ever-popular tope suicida. He was the best talker ever in wrestling and was a better mat wrestler than you think. Dead at 80. He was an actor, known for Fully Loaded (1999), WCW Monday Nitro (1995) and WWE Smackdown! The Sheik was an accomplished amateur before he went pro. Ted DiBiase was one of the most hated heels in the WWE. He starred as one of the leads in the fifth season of the popular television series Haven on Syfy. The Midnight Express 11 of 50 Whether it was Bobby Eaton an. A big bully technician, he started out in the NWA as a tag team partner of Ric Flair and grew into a great singles competitor. Sting shocked the world and showed up in WWE, taking on Triple H and The Authority, even challenging then WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins. He is also remembered for wrestling Ric Flair to a time-limit draw when he was top dog in Minnesota. He was WWWF Champion before moving to the NWA. He was an actor, known for Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup (1987), Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup (1986) and Jim Crockett Sr. Memorial Cup (1988). Came back to WCW and beat Flair for the heavyweight title. While no longer flaunting his Million Dollar Championship belt, hes still on good terms with the WWE and makes special appearances from time to time. He has been the only wrestler to stay in WCW since the late 1980s and he had a reconstructive knee surgery in 1991. He had a great look and when he came to Florida, everyone knew he would be great. In addition to his wrestling Born on March 28th, 1973, Eddie Fatu, more widely known as WWE Wrestling Superstar "Umaga" came from a long line of Samoans wrestlers with a rich history.Also known as "The Samoan Bulldozer," the 6' 4", 350-lb. His brother Bret is also one of the most well known wrestlers of all time. The son of a professional wrestler (Warren Bockwinkel), it was only natural for Nick Bockwinkel to follow in his father's profession. 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. Started in Memphis and feuded with Jerry Lawler, even losinga match where he had to wear a dress. He always said he would raise his arm in his sleep if he heard someone count to two. blonde wrestlers from the 80s. This will spark a debate. Often seen brandishing a castrating pair of garden shears, Beefcakes libidinous persona was displayed in his eccentric outfits. (1999), WWE Saturday Night's Main Event (2006) and ECW One Night Stand (2005). He is best known for his various Sid gimmicks, each distinguished by the ring names Sid Justice, Sid Vicious, and Sycho Sid in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE). Poised as an everyman, Dusty managed to wrack up title wins across divisions and federations. Truly one of the old-school bears of the business. He defeated Hulkamania. He was a three-time world title holder, and held court in Florida and the Carolinas. Known for his unexpected grace in the ring, Steamboat was also a proficient tag team wrestler alongside his partner Jay Youngblood. Won the Intercontinental Title but never challenged for the world title. He has been married to Akira Hokuto since Actor | He spent his childhood in Robinsdale, Minnesota, and had an early childhood friendship with future pro wrestler Curt Hennig. After wrestling for decades and battling a heart attack, The King is making time his peasant and looks to be on the winning side of age 67. If you were born in the 1980s and a fan of wrestling then you probably grew up idolizing larger than life heroes, like Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Lex Luger and Ultimate Warrior. Some of these wrestlers have lost all of their superhuman size from time away from the gym, while others have aged poorly due to health issues. One cant think of a larger than life wrestler without thinking of Lex Luger. He is an actor, known for WrestleMania XIX (2003), Summerslam (2002) and WWE Unforgiven (2002). He presently works for Impact Wrestling. His program has kept him in terrific shape at 61, improving his quality of life. He is an actor, known for The Testament of Sister New Devil: Departures (2018), Briscoe Brothers - Sandy Fork Originals (2013) and New Japan Pro-Wrestling 30th Anniversary 1997-1999 (2002). His finisher looked great and looked devastating for its time. One of the first great wrestlers to compete in "real" fights. Big and powerful, he was an instant favorite. He was held down by the emergence of Hulk Hogan. Muraco was a big guy back in the day and feuded with Tito Santana in the early 1980s at the beginning of the height of Hulkamania. He also starred as a guest character on the Syfy Began his career in Texas. Jeffrey Nero Hardy is an American professional wrestler and musician. He started out as Sting's tag team partner, went to Texas as the Dingo Warrior and then traveled to the WWF. Mullet Critique: Riveting. This generation of wrestlers made professional wrestling a global phenomenon and for that we all owe them a debt of gratitude. Joe character a no-brainer and instant classic. While Ventura remains busy with non-wrestling projects, his long, stringy, gray hair makes him look more like a crazy hermit than a former pro wrestler turned governor. A great mat wrestler and high-flyer with a flying elbow that was lethal. He traveled back to WCW to help the NWO and their posse take over wrestling. The wrestler who would eventually become known as Ravishing Rick Rude was born Richard Erwin Rood on December 7th, 1958. He has been married to Jane Lee since January 14, 2002. Cant you almost hear the raspy, strained shouts of Macho Man Randy Savage? Probably because of these WWE (then WWF) Superstars. His heel tactics in the ring, paying off referees and superstars and his diabolical laugh vilified him to the fans. Over the years, his weight inflated and his health deteriorated drastically. His work in the 80s mostly consisted of work in Championship Wrestling from Florida and with WCW. I want it to. He has just as much to do with the success of Ric Flair as anyone else. Sadly, he was killed after a match and is missed for his devilish persona and his flat-out brash behavior. Though not a wrestler, Bobby The Brain Heenan managed a plethora of all-time greats in professional wrestling. Richard Morgan Fliehr isn't what you'd expect from a professional wrestler. With his 64-inch chest and bleach blonde hair, it was hard for him not to be popular with fans. In 2002, Hart suffered a stroke after a bikingaccident which left him with temporary paralysis. This is a list of masked wrestlers.The earliest known masked wrestler in the United States was The Masked Marvel who famously "crashed" the international tournament, which featured many of the top stars of the "Farmer" Burns-Frank Gotch era, held at the Manhattan Opera House in 1915. He was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. 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