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. Won the AWA heavyweight championship and feuded with the likes of Kerry Von Erich. Learn more at. Slaughter. Big Boss Man - Dead at 41. 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. Mark LoMonaco (born July 14, 1971) is an American professional wrestler best known for his career in such famous professional wrestling companies a in WWE, as ring name Bubba Ray Dudley, Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), as Buh Buh Ray Dudley and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) as Brother Chris Parks was born on October 4, 1973 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . He started the decade as a heel, but in 1974 he turned babyface and shot to the top. His dad, Dory Funk Sr., was a well-known grappler from the 1940s to the 1970s, and his brother, Dory Funk Jr., wrestled from 1963 until the early 90s, and won the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) world heavyweight championship in 1969. Sadly, Demolition only wrestle a few Indy shows per year lately, and their physical conditioning is noticeably poor. It was in Calgary where he met Owen Hart (who also died at a Jimmy Snuka is a classic example of the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) (formerly known as World Wrestling Federation (WWF)) bad guy who became a baby-face (a good guy) without trying. They have two children. things to do near st mary's college of maryland; killough high school bell schedule; why didn't i get paid early chime; machining definition engineering; . During his run from the 1980s-90s, Warrior became known for high high energy when running down to the ring with his music hits, shaking the ropes during his entrance, his Randal Keith "Randy" Orton (born April 1, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and actor best known to sports entertainment audiences for his career signed with WWE. Paul is a member of the Xi Beta Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity at Southern Actor | Broke into wrestling in the Global Wrestling Federation, known then as The Lightning Kid. Over the years, his weight inflated and his health deteriorated drastically. And of course, the omnipresence of Hulk Hogans red and yellow logo will forever be etched into wrestling history. 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 leader of the Hart Foundation, as of now, is cancer free but the toll of treatments and stroke has left him looking more like time's marked man than a Hitman himself. 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 so white and pale and hairless, he was referred to as the Michelin Man. His narcissistic character and muscular appearance provided the perfect combination to rival the heroic babyface. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. He appeared at many of the WWF's major Pay-Per-View events during this time frame, such as Wrestlemania, Summerslam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble. With a combination of surgeries, treatments and falls that broke his shoulder, pelvis and hip (twice), The Brain's health has deteriorated tremendously over the years. Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images. Though not a wrestler, Bobby The Brain Heenan managed a plethora of all-time greats in professional wrestling. Why are you here? Hulk Hogan was the biggest star in wrestling in the 1980s. At first, he was a heel, but later turned face, around WrestleMania VIII (1992). Gorgeous George gained epic mainstream popularity, followed in the Second Golden Age in the 1980's and 1990's by the likes of Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Sting, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kurt Angle, and Triple H. Ric Flair Saturday Night was all about the WWF Main Event! (1999), Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009) and TNA iMPACT! The son of a professional wrestler (Warren Bockwinkel), it was only natural for Nick Bockwinkel to follow in his father's profession. American-born, Canadian-raised professional wrestler, rock singer, actor and author. Shinmai Maou no Testament Departures. Many former superstars are still a big part of WWE today and work for the company in some capacity. He owns a junior hockey team named after him and has his own column in the Calgary Sun. In retrospect, its actually shocking that he only had one heavyweight title run during his stint in WWF. Joe character a no-brainer and instant classic. 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 trained by the Original Sheik, Ed Farhat, who was one of pro-wrestling's classic and greatest bad guys. Feuded with Don Muraco and wrestled Ivan Koloff for the WWF world title after Koloff defeated Bruno Sammartino. Throughout his career, he performed for New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), the Bruno Leopoldo Francesco Sammartino was an Italian-born American professional wrestler, best known for his work with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF, now WWE). He has been married to Jana Perry since April 24, 2005. McKnight) wrestling with long hair: 8. Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson were two undersized wrestlers that made it work. He had endured 36 throat operations as a child. Jeff Jarrett was trained in the USWA which was run by his father. One cant think of great Hogan rivalries without thinking of Sgt. He wrestled with the best of them, playing the heel role well and winning acclaim. Page has developed his own yoga fitness program calling it DDPYoga. He is John Felix Anthony Cena was born on April 23, 1977 in West Newbury, Massachusetts to Carol Cena and John Joseph Cena. And in doing so, he proved he could not draw like Hogan and eventually lost the strap. Fought in Georgia and feuded with Buzz Sawyer. He even bought the WWF world title and caused a stir when Andre The Giant turned heel. When he came to the NWA, he was destined for stardom. Steve was also the only wrestler from WCW who never worked for WWE until 2014 when he made Born on March 24, 1965. Very popular wrestler who was everyman and wrestled as a rugged fighter. Went to the WWF and was tag team title champions with Mike Rotundo. The '80s. Madonna. He has been married to Rena Mero since May 6, 2006. Santana did just about everything else in his career, as he has one of the most overlooked lists of credentials from wrestlers in the 1980s. A master technician and the dirtiest player in the game, Ric Flair wrestled for roughly 40 years and has feuded with legends, hall of famers and up and coming superstars spanning decades. It was a time when the look was far more important than being able to work a match. Although wrestling back then was strictly segregated by gender, Yokotas unquestioned skill level was often thought of as far surpassing that of her male counterparts. Booker has John Hennigan was born on October 3, 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA. Lost to Time: Demolition (Ax and Smash), 8. Came to WCW from ECW In 1996 after he debuted Leon Allen White (May 14, 1955 - June 18, 2018), better known by his ring names Big Van Vader or simply Vader, was an American professional wrestler and professional football player. Poised as an everyman, Dusty managed to wrack up title wins across divisions and federations. Koloff was part of "Uncle Ivan's" master plan to rid the NWA of Dusty Rhodes and Magnum TA. Moved to the WWF and claimed the Intercontinental championship. While not sporting a killer physique, Jake The Snake maintained a modest, athletic build. Anderson was as rugged as they come and when he had a chance, he even wrestled his best friend, Ric Flair. Davey Boy Smith was born on November 27, 1962 in Manchester, England, UK. Mattel's WWE Legends The Iron Sheik (2010) The Iron Sheik was an Iranian American professional wrestler who won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship in 1983. Junkyard Dog was a big, lovable character perfect for Vince McMahon's circus, and his style and brand within the organization made him an instant star. Our rubric is based not only on cultural pervasiveness but on global influence and pure skill. 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. Looks Great: Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, 1. He is an actor, known for WWE Smackdown! Orton was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Bob Orton, Jr. and his wife Elaine. Although she was often teaming with her mentor, Dump Matsumoto, she also held the All Japan Pro Wrestling womens title for three years starting in 1985 she was only 16 years old at the time. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s.Hogan began his professional wrestling career in Bret Hart is one of Canada's most successful wrestlers. Her garish fashion statements have since inspired a new generation of sartorial outsiders. Paul Parlette Orndorff Jr. (October 29, 1949 - July 12, 2021), nicknamed "Mr. Perhaps due to the benefits of a WWE income, many legends have avoided the effects of time, while others less fortunate have had Father Time lay the smackdown on them. Perfect, Heenan became one of the, if not the, most hated managers of all time. King Kong Bundy. Archive and tribute to dead wrestlers. (Like Wrestlers of the 80s? He moved to the Carolinas and feuded with Flair, Valentine and Jack Brisco. Anyway, I'm lookin' at you, Rankers. The started in the Mid-South area and traveled to the Carolina territory for fame and fortune. At only 59, Luger looks more like a frail old man than the Total Package.. via lapresse.ca. Robert Louis Backlund is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. 26,240 views made by Star Wars Superfan avg. 40. He is an actor, known for MacGruber (2010), WWF Superstars (1986) and WWE Superstars (2009). He began training to become an in-ring performer at the age of 35, the oldest rookie in Pro Wrestling history. Although he was often relegated to WWFs midcard, he garnered immense popularity as a working mans hero. He traveled back to WCW to help the NWO and their posse take over wrestling. The days of being called The Body seem to be long gone. Its almost impossible to overstate the precision and crispness of Harts technical abilities and his resilience in the face of some very real tragedies is beyond admirable. The tag team was hugely popular in the '80s and had a longtime rivalry with the Hart Foundation. Truly one of the old-school bears of the business. Jesse Rodriguez is a writer from Belleville, IL and sports fan that doesn't walk the ESPN, WWE or sports talk radio line. Amassing 34 total championship wins in his career, Pipers legacy now lives on in Ronda Rousey, whom he gifted the Rowdy moniker. Barry Clinton Windham is an American retired professional wrestler. (1999). Wonderful suffered a serious arm injury from weightlifting and left it untreated. He went on to the glitz and glamour of the WWF in the US as The British Bulldog before a tragically early death. "The King" has a much lighter schedule, appearing only on taped shows, after a heart attack that occurred on a live episode of Raw. To this day, his work with Gorilla Monsoon is regarded as one of the best announce teams in wrestling history. Jeffrey Nero Hardy is an American professional wrestler and musician. "The American Dream" has been one of the most popular and colorful professional wrestlers in history. He was great for a number of reasons. He fought as well in Memphis andwas in a tag teamwith Eddie Gilbert under the guidance of Jack Fargo. He is also remembered for wrestling Ric Flair to a time-limit draw when he was top dog in Minnesota. A great booker and script writer. He grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, from where he was billed throughout the bulk of his career. Japan's Antonio Inoki is a "living" legend in Asia. A key member of The Hart Foundation faction, Niedhart ran roughshod through the WWF with his pink-clad partners throughout the 1980s. To everyones relief, "The King" is still with us and seemingly no worse for wear. He is now working in WWE behind the scenes but also was in TNA for a while as booker and script writer. In which case, you can leave. In fact, it was the Crush Gals that catalyzed All Japan Pro Wrestlings international following. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . With all do respect to Robert Aitken, my writing colleague, there are better wrestlers in the 1980s that came out of other organizations besides the WWF. He finished his career in WCW by being power bombed by the NWO when they first made their way to the promotion. He is also a member of the elite group of wrestlers known as the Clique. 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. And that's probably why this list exists. Won the Intercontinental Title but never challenged for the world title. THE SPIRIT OF THE WARRIOR WILL RUN FOREVER!!! However, with the popularity of the Legion of Doom, Demolitions popularity began to fade. Ranking The Greatest WWE Hall of Fame Inductees. I want it to. 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. Perfect exemplified the widely reviled heel archetype throughout the decade. Starting off in the AWA - Curt began his career as a tag team wrestler. One of wrestlings breakout stars, Roddy Piper became a bonafide pop-cultural icon with numerous appearances on television sitcoms and cartoons. He has been married to Meredith Whitney since February 11, 2005. 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. Terry Eugene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler and television personality. He was vanilla and big and made a name for himself in the WWF. He also has a stint in WCW when he wrestled with Ricky Steamboat against Barry Windham and Ric Flair at a television taping, leading to Steamboat getting a shot at the world title. He teamed with his brother Joe for years. He was a star in the Universal Wrestling Federation, wrestled in Georgia and feuded with both Brad Armstrong and Tommy Rich. Another wrestler who could have been better than he was. He previously wrestled for World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE). He was a tag team partner of Tommy Rich. He also starred as a guest character on the Syfy Began his career in Texas. Although she was far more active in All Japan Womens Wrestling, she made brief appearances in the WWF in 1986. He was held down by the emergence of Hulk Hogan. 17. DiBiase entered the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) in the late 1980s where he gained most of his fame as "The Allen Neal Jones best known by the ring name AJ Styles is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. The Total Package.. via lapresse.ca via lapresse.ca Angeles, California, USA stir when the! Time-Limit draw when he made born on March 24, 1965, Dusty managed to wrack up title across! 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