Forget about Triple H, Edge, or Rocky Johnson, no wrestler has ever come close to matching Tito Santanas adaptability. His exposure in the west came through WWEs working relationship with New Japan Pro Wrestling, which resulted in one of the best series' of the decade, as Tiger Mask had several classic bouts with Dynamite Kid, that as a whole proved to innovate the hyper-athletic, fast-paced wrestling that would define the Junior style. After Vince McMahon Jr. took WWF from his father, he would begin searching for the top talents in each territory and bring them to the WWF. Section 107 specifies usage of copyright material falls under Fair Use when it Retroheadz takes a look back at who we think are the real WWF Wrestling stars of the 80s and 90s, many of whom also starred in some awesome action movies too. Booker has Mark Henry was born on June 12, 1971 in Silsbee, Texas, USA. Although it was never a scheduled match, the Ultimate Warrior managed to beat the Honky Tonk Man in just under 30 seconds. [4] Crockett's attempt to generate revenue with the broadcast of the highly promoted Starrcade pay-per-view in late 1987 was thwarted by McMahon, who held his Survivor Series pay-per-view on the same day. His legacy will always be that of being one of the most unique characters in wrestling history as well as being one of the most influential stars of all period. Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. CANOE SLAM! He is also recognized as one of the worlds best wrestlers ever. The channel 39 syndicated show earned extremely high ratings - higher than Saturday Night Live and many wrestling promotions in the United States, including the American Wrestling Association (AWA) and the WWF.[2]. Inoki has some of the most impressive fight stats in mat history. Hogan's clean pin fall loss signaled the end of an era. Due to his mothers Asian ancestry, the WWE saw it as a good marketing opportunity. Then theres Jake The Snake Roberts, one of the most flat-out sinister villains in pro wrestling. However, in 1996, the faction took a serious hit when Pillman left the group. On February 10, David Von Erich died in Tokyo, Japan. He has been married to Jana Perry since April 24, 2005. Andre The Giant is one of the most unique wrestlers in the history of that business. In the 80s, it wasn't uncommon for black wrestlers to have a hard time moving up the card in WWE. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Enter Miss Elizabeth. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Debuted in 1990 in Calgary after training in the Hart Family Dungeon. This was made possible due to a working relationship between the WWF and USWA. Valois, Andre the Giants manager at the time approached Vince McMahon Sr. Due to his vast experience, Vince McMahon came up with several suggestions that would ultimately change the course of Andre the Giants wrestling career. Global Wrestling Federation (GWF). Retrieved April 12, 2015, "The Great Ruse: The comedic genius who rocked wrestling", "End of an era on TBS Solie, Georgia and 'Black Saturday', "Ask WV (9/27/03): WM III attendance, Hart/HBK, Sting/4 Horsemen, & More", "A Look at Randy Savage's Departure from the WWF in 1994", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1980s_professional_wrestling_boom&oldid=1141849134, Universal Wrestling Federation (Bill Watts), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 03:47. Last updated on May 8th, 2022 at 11:27 am. Considered to be the Golden Era of professional wrestling, the 80s was full of numerous wrestling promotions. It is really hard to believe that nobody remembers this match today, but it happened and it was great at the time. He was the first-ever guy to do this and he did it against one of the biggest names in wrestling history. Within the same year, Vince McMahon came up with one of the grandest/groundbreaking ideas that would transform professional wrestling. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Richter represented a girl who just wanted to have fun, and through her association with singer Cyndi Lauper, they did just that. Here are the top WWF wrestlers from the 1980s, ranked, as proven by our rigorous scientific method of deciding for our damn selves who deserved to make the list: 10. Came to WCW from ECW In 1996 after he debuted Christopher Michael Benoit is a Canadian wrestler who was born in Montreal, Quebec, the son of Michael and Margaret Benoit. Anderson and Karl Anderson, but his influence has also persisted in meat and potatoes heel tag teams like FTR. Terry Eugene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler and television personality. His career sky Robert Rechsteiner is an American real estate broker and retired professional wrestler, better known by the ring name Rick Steiner.Steiner is best known for his tenure with World Championship Wrestling (WCW), where he was an eight time World Tag Team Champion (seven times with his brother Scott as Kenta Kobashi was born on March 27, 1967 in Japan. The Anderson name has continued in successors like C.W. Inspired by the Mad Max film, The Road Warrior, Animal and Hawk had a unique look and evocative gimmick that perfectly cemented them as powerhouse performers. Owen Box is in the Player Spotlight. After his loss at Wrestlemania V to Rick Rude, the WWE began to push the Ultimate Warrior to the top. Studd won the Royal Rumble in 1989 and, while never holding any singles gold, was one of the most. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. Featuring wrestling matches, interviews and updates on ongoing feuds and upcoming events. While signed with USWA, Lawler managed to win the World Heavyweight title a record 28 times. Brian Pillman makes the list of a long line of tragic deaths in wrestling. He is an actor, known for MacGruber (2010), WWF Superstars (1986) and WWE Superstars (2009). We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. In February 1988, Hogan and Andr faced each other in a special WrestleMania III rematch on the Friday night prime time spin-off of Saturday Night's Main Event, titled The Main Event I which saw Hogan lose to Andr by manipulation of the "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase. He was a face, but he was a face with an edge. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. Channel 11 had broadcast Von Erich's professional-wrestling television program as Saturday Night Wrestling for over a decade before Channel 39 began the second broadcast. One of the major changes was making Ricky Steamboat more of a babyface by giving him a more memorable middle name The Dragon. COLD. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest trash talkers ever and his promos were always memorable. On the other hand, huge states such as Texas had numerous territories. The 90s had big boots (wrestling boots) to fill considering that they had to follow the 80s which is commonly referred to as the "golden era" of wrestling. Savage and Hogan continued to feud until the February 1990 edition of The Main Event III, where Hogan successfully defended the title in a special WrestleMania V rematch. By Brandon Shrider [email protected]. By the late 80s, he had jumped ship to WCW, where his trilogy of bouts with Ric Flair in 1989 are still considered some of the best matches ever. Santanas impressive 15-year career in the WWF saw him become one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of all time. In just a few months after his official debut, Hogan became the new WWF world champion and the face of the company after defeating Iron Sheikh. Although Ric Flair was a significant member of the group, he still managed to advance his singles career and even in some cases sought help from the faction. In 1984, Hulk Hogan defeated The Iron Sheik in Madison Square Garden to win the WWE Championship and a new era was born. Bret has held the Richard Morgan Fliehr isn't what you'd expect from a professional wrestler. MLW refers to its in-ring performers as "Fighters" as . The show was a huge success. Probably the most recognizable holders of that honor were Judy Martin and Leilani Kai, collectively known as The Glamour Girls. Her in-ring style was aggressive yet cunning, and she was always ahead of the curve as it related to her title defenses. He was best known for his time in the WWF in the early to mid 1980s and was credited for introducing the high-flying style of wrestling to the sport. Standing out than the rest, Ultimate Warrior became one of the most popular wrestlers in the WWE (back then in the WWF). He started wrestling around Oregon in the early 80s, and was mentored by the legendary 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. Often playing second fiddle to Hogan -- so much that it became its own storyline -- Savage had the in-ring acumen and psychology down pat, and his bout against Ricky Steamboat at WrestleMania III is considered a perfect match. In-your-face and behind-the-ring machinations provided hours of entertainment for people of all ages. After Lawler piledrove the comedian during a 1982 match in Memphis, the two got into an altercation on NBC's Late Night with David Letterman, in which Lawler slapped Kaufman on-air and Kaufman responded by shouting profanities and throwing coffee at Lawler before storming out of the studio. In 1985, to counter the AWA's Super Sunday, the NWA's Starrcade and WCCW's Star Wars, the WWF created its own flagship show, WrestleMania I, held at Madison Square Garden and broadcast on 135 closed-circuit networks. Fans just appeared to love this newcomer. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu Maivia) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). Here's a list of Iowa State's multiple . After his long-running feuds came to an end, Jerry Lawler would begin taking on jobbers. Considered to be the most adaptable wrestler of all time, Tito Santana was a wrestler who excelled both in singles and tag team competitions. The '80s changed the face of pro wrestling forever, with a handful of wrestlers being particularly influential and among the best. The new stable wasted no time in establishing themselves in the tag team division during their official debut. Every family had their favourites whether they were the same or not (in our house it was between Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior) and the weekends used to consist with a bowl of popcorn and settling down to watch your favourite WWF wrestlers duke it out, believing that the whole performances where the real deal and watching with excitement when your main man won a Royal Rumble or a coveted WWF title belt. He was jovial, but he was also a bit wild. His father Gory Guerrero became a star in the U.S., an icon in Texas and a legend in Mexico. We have a very wide range of content - there's a strong 80s focus with trivia on EastEnders and Grange Hill, but you can also find articles on popular contemporary TV programmes such . RELATED: 10 Backstage Stories About Andre The Giant We Can't Believe. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[336,280],'inthe1980s_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_12',121,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-inthe1980s_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0');Randy Savage was one of the most unique characters in wrestling history. On December 23, 1983, he signed AWA superstar Hulk Hogan to return to the organization in 1984. During the 1980s and 1990s, professional wrestling reached new heights in popularity. Throughout Pipers illustrious wrestling career, he was part of some amazing feuds against the likes of Greg Valentine, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Rick Rude, Mr. T, and many others. When she debuted in 1985, she was a veritable unknown, but she made an immediate impact on virtually everyone that she came in contact with. Under the ownership of Turner, the promotion was rechristened World Championship Wrestling (WCW). His Dog Collar match with Greg Valentine at Starrcade 83 is an all-time classic of violence, but in WWE, his character work hit new levels. McMahon together with his army of wrestlers had just managed to revolutionize pro wrestling. Hogan faced Bockwinkel on April 18, 1982, and on April 24, 1983, with both matches being decided with "Dusty finishes" where Hogan pinned Bockwinkel for a three count, but was then stripped of the title. The epic encounter between Randy Machoman Savage and Ricky The Dragon Steamboat was a wrestling masterclass that not only lived up to its expectations but was more impressive than the main event later that night between Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. The 1980s professional wrestling boom (more commonly referred to as the Golden Age) saw a surge in the popularity of professional wrestling in the United. 1 "Dr. Death" Steve Williams 2 "Hot Stuff" Eddie Gilbert 3 The 4 Horsemen 4 Angelo Mosca, Jr. ADVERTISEMENT 5 Animal 6 Arn Anderson 7 Arn Anderson & Tully Blanchard 8 The Barbarian 9 Barry Windham 10 Big John Studd 11 Bill Irwin 12 Black Bart ADVERTISEMENT 13 Bob Armstrong 14 Bobby Eaton 15 Brad Armstrong 16 Brett Wayne 17 Brian Pillman 18 Click to reveal These fans turned to Atlanta-based WCW broadcast on TBS. At that point in time, Gagne felt that Hogan did not have what it takes to be the face of the company. It was not until 1988 when Hulk Hogan returned to the company that they finally had a top star who could stand up to Vince McMahon in any way, shape, or form. This eventually struck a friendship between Savage and Hogan. He had a sister living near Edmonton.During his 22-year career, Benoit worked for One of the great Hispanic wrestlers, Eddie Guerrero grew up part of the famous wrestling family: The Guerreros. Another lady who hit a grand slam in her first WWE at bat was Sherri Martel. Here is a list of professional wrestlers who were part of the NWA, later known as WCW, in the 1980's. There was a bump in the road on Feb. 18, 1985 when Moolah's charge Leilani Kai won the Womens Championship from Richter on MTVs War To Settle The Score. So for the first half of the decade, they did what they could with what they had at hand. Some are cowards, some are obnoxious, and others are dominant. Although Ricky Steamboat had a rather impressive run with the WWF, history would once again repeat itself as the wrestler found himself at loggerheads with the management. Every few years WWE touts a new giant as the next physical phenomenon, from The Big Show to Braun Strowman to Omos, and its all because of Andre The Giant. Hogan would feature briefly for AWA, before leaving the company. Fans loved giant wrestlers and thus many wrestling promotions did all they could to bring these larger than size athletes onboard. Get ready for the ultimate WWF wrestlers from the 80s and WWF wrestlers from the 90s list! He was a fierce brawler but also a sound technician. Director | Nicknamed Mick by his father, a lifelong Yankees and Mickey Mantle fan, he attended college in upstate New York, he hitchiked to New York City to see a wrestling match between Jimmy Snuka (Jimmy Snuka) and Don Muraco that Rey Mysterio was a professional wrestler for WCW who made his wrestling debut in Mexico. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a14cee34a69d671 Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. He was trained by the Original Sheik, Ed Farhat, who was one of pro-wrestling's classic and greatest bad guys. He came from a wrestling family, as his uncles were Afa Anoai and Sika Anoai. Get ready for the ultimate WWF wrestlers from the 80s and WWF wrestlers from the 90s list! | Privacy Policy | Contact us | DMCA Notice |. At Wrestlemania III, Randy Savage was part of a wrestling classic that many fans, analysts, and critics have dubbed The Greatest Wrestling Match of all time. One of her greatest finds was an Atari 2800 and the game Donkey Kong by Nintendo. In the early 1980s, professional wrestling in the U.S. consisted mainly of three competing organizations: the promotions the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the Northeast and the American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the Midwest, and the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), which consisted of various wrestling promotions which operated within a territorial system around the country. Well take a look at some of these wrestlers who deserve more credit than they were given in their own time. He was previously married to Peggy Fulbright. In November 1985, a second pay-per-view "The Wrestling Classic" took place. Her skills were of the variety of being the beauty and brains behind the brawn. There were a few exceptions, one of which was "The Ugandan Giant" Kamala. 3. He played football at the North Texas State University. Owen was one of the best wrestlers in the business and his major accomplishments include being the 1994 King of the Ring, former Keiji Mut was born on December 23, 1962 in Yamanashi, Japan. The hardcore wrestling pioneer trained many wrestlers who became original ECW icons such as Rob Van Dam, Raven and his nephew Sabu. He was loved by fans, but he could turn on them in an instant. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . The 13 Most Influential Wrestlers Of The '80s, 5 Things From WWE's Golden Era That Have Aged Well (& 5 That Haven't), The Dragon, Ricky Steamboat got his start in 1976, rich guy gimmick proved to be a slam dunk, 10 Backstage Stories About Andre The Giant We Can't Believe. Months later, Hogan and Savage teamed up as The Mega Powers; and at the first ever SummerSlam, they faced off against DiBiase and Andr's tag team known as The Mega Bucks. Although Jake The Snake Roberts ring work was solid, its his exceptional mic skills and ability to cut promos that made him quite memorable. Television coverage and collaboration with the largest broadcasting companies in the country would help elevate the WWF into a professional wrestling powerhouse. 0. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. He trained under Verne Gagne, and first made his name in the old Mid-Atlantic territory in the Carolinas. Whether it was Bobby Eaton an Dennis Condrey or Stan Lane, the team could wrestle anyone. During his reign as the WWF champion, Macho Man possessed an impressive drawing power that was quite like that of Hulk Hogan. The show featured the babyface Von Erich brothers David, Kerry, and Kevin against heels from the stable of Gary Hart, who culminated nearly two decades of his career in Texas by booking the feud between the Freebirds and the Von Erichs in 1982, and then Skandor Akbar's Devastation, Inc. stable in 1983. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers ever and is also considered one of the biggest draws in wrestling history as well. Lou Albano by her side, was dethroned. He had endured 36 throat operations as a child. He could talk for days and fans would listen to every word. Considered to be one of the greatest in-ring performers of all time and longest-performing pro wrestlers, Ric Flairs animated character and charisma turned him into one of the most memorable wrestlers of the 80s. Recently, within the hallowed halls of WWE.com, there were a few water cooler discussions as to which decade had the best overall crop of female competitors. He began wrestling in the mid 1960's under the name Red McNulty. They have two children. Nicknamed The Enforcer, Arn Anderson wasnt the first member of the (totally kayfabe) Anderson family, but could easily be considered among the best. The wrestler who would eventually become known as Ravishing Rick Rude was born Richard Erwin Rood on December 7th, 1958. Loud and energetic to a chaotic degree, Rowdy Roddy Piper can be considered one of the most influential heels of the 1980s thanks to a mix of promo ability and in-ring viciousness. WWE's attempt to become a national promotion paid off, with the company soaring to new heights of popularity and exposure, kicking off a major boom for pro wrestling in the West. He was a great wrestler, but he was also an incredible talker. He dropped out of school to become a pro wrestler in Mexico. Miss Elizabeth left the WWF in April 1992, and divorced Randy Savage that August. After Bret Hart won the King of the Ring tournament, Lawler would immediately launch an attack on Bret Hart claiming he was the only king of pro wrestling. [6] The 1980s were a time of great change for pro wrestling. MTV's popularity and coverage of the women's wrestling feud generated a great deal of interest in WWF programming at this time. Updated on December 6th, 2021 by Danny Djeljosevic: Of course, when limiting the number of influential wrestlers of the 1980s to only 10 two of which are a package deal as a tag team one leaves out a bunch of major figures whose influence is still being felt today. 212.63.109.211 WWE's ladies division was so active during the '80s that there was a Womens Tag Team Championship. Hogans run as a top name in wrestling lasted for almost ten years and saw him win multiple titles, including four WWF Championships, two NWA Championships, three WWF Tag Team Championships, and one WCW Championship. They started in Bill Watts' promotion before they were lured away by Jim Crockett and his host of. Randy Savage Actor | Spider-Man By the end of 1984, the regional territory[5] system of the NWA in Canada and the United States was clearly in jeopardy. You're gonna wind up at the bottom of a river'," he explained. For any discerning wrestling fans the 80s and 90s it was a fantastic era when it comes to iconic WWF wrestlers. Whether it is hitting an opponent on the head with a foreign object, or giving out a low blow, Randy Savage always did what he had to do. score: 23 of 126 (18%) required scores: 1, 2, 3, 4, 51 list stats leaders vote print comments Like most professional wrestlers, Tito Santana began in the lower cards with his main role being that of a jobber for bigger and well-known heels. The man who would eventually become known as Yokozuna was born in San Francisco on October 22, 1966. While not every wrestler was influential from an in-ring perspective, those who didn't have it in the ring made up for it in different ways. Will you? TBS became a cable television superstation based on broadcasting Georgia Championship Wrestling with both Mr. Wrestling II and Tommy Rich being the top headliners in the territory. WrestleMania's popularity and ratings appeal made professional wrestling a television mainstay. The world was changing and wrestling had to change right along with it. He won an impressive 12 total championships during his career despite only being in wrestling for ten years before retiring at the age of 44 due to ongoing health problems related to being born with Spina Bifida. He is best known for his appearances with Jim Crockett Promotions and its successor, World Championship Wrestling between 1984 and 1992, where he was billed from Russia (and, following the dissolution of the Martin Anthony Lunde , better known by the ring name Arn Anderson, is an American professional wrestling road agent, author, and retired professional wrestler. Many of wrestling's . Throughout his illustrious wrestling career, Lawler won multiple World championships including World Heavyweight titles. His matches with Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, and Terry Funk during this era delivered some all-time classics, but one of his greatest contributions was the formation of The Four Horsemen, one of the sports most famous stables thats been reformed, remixed, and regurgitated throughout the years since its inception. He has held the WWF World Bret Hart is one of Canada's most successful wrestlers. Just vote! 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). Moreover, it is also during this era that pop culture began to have a huge influence on professional wrestling. Jeff Jarrett was trained in the USWA which was run by his father. Though friends and tag partners, over the period of a year tensions began to build for various reasons, finally resulting in Savage striking Hogan in early 1989, turning Savage heel once again, and setting up a WWF World Heavyweight Championship match at WrestleMania V, which saw Hogan after over a year once again hold the title. filter list by All Voters rank it your way 1 Hulk Hogan 4,872 votes Hulk Hogan's Most Ridiculous Opponents #833 of 1,316 The Best Athletes Of All Time #34 of 180 WWE's Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century 2 Roddy Piper 3,754 votes #5 of 48 Professional Wrestlers with the Best Stage Names #4 of 32 The Best Brawlers In Wrestling History #14 of 49 Many wrestling promotions ran out of ideas mainly due to Andre the Giants size and dominance in the ring. The centerpiece of the faction was none other than Ric Flair, while Arn Anderson served as the enforcer of the group.
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