When he got to the WWF, The King was a mid-carder who was a hit but could never capture world gold. Piper was a mainstay in the Northwest under Don Owen when he first came to the NWA. Sadly, he was killed after a match and is missed for his devilish persona and his flat-out brash behavior. His IRL truculent personality and tendency towards bridge-burning made him an unlikely favorite in the industry and although he was likely portrayed as a villain (along with his partner Nikolai Volkoff) due to xenophobia within the USA, he certainly lived up to his dastardly, devil-may-care reputation out of the ring. They were mean, and everyone who wrestled them knew they were in for a fight. Now at age 66, time hasnt been kind to Ventura. He moved to the Carolinas and feuded with Flair, Valentine and Jack Brisco. Even today, McMahon absolutely crushes the weights at the gym and still looks superhuman at 71. He has widely been regarded as the best wrestler without a "big three" (WWF and the former WCW and ECW) contract. William Jason Reso (born November 30, 1973) is a Canadian actor and retired professional wrestler. Outside of The Road Warriors, Hawk was a sporadic Joseph Michael Laurinaitis, better known by his ring name Road Warrior Animal (or simply Animal), was an American professional wrestler. More of a loner and indy wrestler much like Bruiser Brody. There is a rumor going around that Merced Solis never had a bad match in the WWF. When he was in college, he played football. They have two children. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation from 1976 to 1984 and in the 1990s, where he held the WWWF Championship/WWF Championship on two occasions. One of wrestlings premiere villainesses, Bull Nakanos striking punk rock-influenced look would enrapture audiences around the world, as did her absolute physical domination in the ring. King Kong Bundy. Wrestled in the UWF and WCW and then went to the WWF and flourished. He joined the Horsemen and teamed with Arn Anderson to form a powerful tag team. They feuded with The Midnight Express, the Andersons, and the Road Warriors. Dead at 80. Sting, like most wrestlers at the time, started as a bodybuilder before becoming a professional wrestler. James Reiher Snuka, better known as Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, wrestled for several promotions from the 1970s to 2010. Ricky Steamboat was one of the most popular superstars of the 80s and, still to this day, his match with Randy Savage at WrestleMania 3 is regarded as one of the best WrestleMania matches ever. 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. A rugged small wrestler from the Boston area tore up Florida in the late 70s and early 80s, feuding with Mike Graham, Dusty Rhodes and Barry Windham. He is the son of Ata Johnson (born Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu Maivia) and professional wrestler Rocky Johnson (born Wayde Douglas Bowles). He also starred as a recurring character on the History Channel series Vikings. 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. Butcher is iconic, leading to the big men like Kamala and other wild men from "parts unknown.". 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. Ax and Smash reunite outside of the WWE, but legal battles have soured their relationship with WWE. People seemed to swear up and down in our Facebook post on this that he looks like Jack Swagger/Hager in this photo. Search for: . Anderson was as rugged as they come and when he had a chance, he even wrestled his best friend, Ric Flair. 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 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. Funk, himself, became Terry Michael Brunk is an American retired professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Sabu. 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. 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. Jacqueline was ahead of her game with the women at that time. He feuded with everyone and was the lead face while Ric Flair was the lead heel. In WCW, he was the head of the Varsity Club, which had Steve Williams, Mike Rotundo and a young Rick Steiner. The Greatest Pro Wrestling Champions, Ranked, WWE's Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century, Professional Wrestlers with the Best Stage Names, The Best Wrestling Announcers Of All Time, Famous Men You'd Want To Have A Beer With, Ranking The Greatest WWE Hall of Fame Inductees, The Greatest Pro Wrestling Catchphrases of the '90s, 14 Heartwarming Stories About Andre The Giant From The People Who Knew Him. When he was wrestling in Bill Watts' promotion, JYD was a talker and a performer. (1999), Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009) and TNA iMPACT! The Niedhart legacy these days is carried on through current WWE superstar Natalya, but her father frequently known as The Anvil had cemented his heroic status long before she began fighting. At 58, Sting still looks totally capable of donning the paint for one more match. He went on to the glitz and glamour of the WWF in the US as The British Bulldog before a tragically early death. 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. A great mat wrestler and high-flyer with a flying elbow that was lethal. In the early 80s, he was in the WWF and feuded with Pedro Morales, but his heart was in Portland and the Western region of the NWA. In today's video, we go back to the 1980s and the 'Golden Age' of WWF Wrestling. They have three children. He first came to the WWF in 1990 as Ted DiBiase's mystery partner at The Survivor Series (1990). Jeff Jarrett was trained in the USWA which was run by his father. When he got to the WWF, he created a buzz with feuds against Big John Studd and Hulk Hogan. 40. They often provided an excellent foil to the overpowered Crush Gals throughout their influential run. Ric Flair is one of, if not the most, popular wrestler of all time. 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. At first, he was a heel, but later turned face, around WrestleMania VIII (1992). I know I will take heat for this one when Piper is ahead of Savage. 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. "The Snake" was an NWA mid-card player for years in the Carolinas as Barry Windham's tag team partner and then traveled to Florida, became a member of Kevin Sullivan's cult and feuded with Windham, breaking his nose. This generation of wrestlers made professional wrestling a global phenomenon and for that we all owe them a debt of gratitude. He won a Olympic Gold Medal in 1996 having notoriously won it with a broken neck. Jannetty in particular was rocking a style that would break Billy Ray Cyrus' "achy breaky heart" on the spot. This colorful, high-flying wrestler was a mainstay in the WWF from 1986 to 1993. Davey Boy Smith was born on November 27, 1962 in Manchester, England, UK. He wrestled Harley Race to time-limit draws in Missouri and was popular in the Orient. Started in Texas and toured the world. A symbol of the spirit of Lucha Libre, Mil Mscaras is one of the few masked fighters ever inducted into WWEs notorious Hall of Fame. The Russian Nightmare. Budy's streak was snapped when Hogan defeated him in a wild brawl. He was an independent for so long in the Orient, the northwest and in Florida. 2. Rhodes went to the WWF and was summarily used as a mid card wrestler. Bret Hart is a name often brought up when discussing greatest wrestlers of all time. 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. Unfortunately, Roberts suffered from alcohol abuse during his career. Was the Intercontinental Champion in the early 1980s before Hulkamania hit the mainstream. Although the world of 80s pro-wrestling was filled with neon tiger stripes and cocaine dreams that decade was also a time of immense athleticism, over-the-top characters, and intrepid innovation in the art of combat sports. Strong Female Characters That Are Unforgettable! Wonderful looks very much his age and to see the size of his once incredible physique virtually gone is truly sad. It's like Hulkamania, YOU CAN'T STOP IT, BROTHER! Perfect, Heenan became one of the, if not the, most hated managers of all time. Debuted in 1990 in Calgary after training in the Hart Family Dungeon. He had a body that made men mad and made women swoon. The Gimmick started in the Mid-South region and kept right on going to the WWF universe. The history of womens wrestling may have taken an entirely different direction had Wendi not been bamboozled by Vince McMahon and The Fabulous Moolah during the infamous Rock N Wrestling connection moment. 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. The days of being called The Body seem to be long gone. He wrestled Ric Flair to a 45-minute time limit draw on the Clash of the Champions. WrestlerDeaths.com is the #1 Dead Wrestlers and WWE Deaths tribute site! Another wrestler who could have been better than he was. He may have been one of the first small-style wrestlers to get over in the 1980s. Though being the heel commentator, his hilarious one-liners on commentary have endeared him to the fans. Japan's Antonio Inoki is a "living" legend in Asia. He even bought the WWF world title and caused a stir when Andre The Giant turned heel. 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. With their incredible power, over the top attire and KISS-like face paint, Ax and Smash were a force to be reckoned with. Twitter. Long regarded as one of the best wrestlers in the world, Styles has headlined numerous pay-per-view events internationally.Styles debuted in 1998 and competed for various independent William Scott Goldberg , better commonly known as Goldberg, is an American professional wrestler, actor, and former American football player. Starting off in the AWA - Curt began his career as a tag team wrestler. Bertha Faye - Dead at 40. Jeffrey Nero Hardy is an American professional wrestler and musician. 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