His later years were spent training the up-and-coming legendary children of NXT and his own biological children, Cody and Goldust, remain in the top tier of wrestlings biggest stars to this day. This, and a ton of hard work, became the blueprint to win championships for specific sets of twins in WWE. Although they are famous wrestlers, some WWE Superstars have twin siblings that fans may not know of. Now retired, Lord Littlebrook resides with his son in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The nature of professional wrestling dramatically changed in order to better suit television audiences. Because of his ability to stand out and cut amazing promos, many WWE fans flocked to the ring to see the superstar in action. Wrestling began featuring enhanced, hyped character traits and storylines. Though their reign was short, it affirmed them as true legends of Tag Team Wrestling. While Sammartino was a big man who overpowered his opponents and had more charisma than anyone, Backlund was more vanilla but was a technical marvel in the ring. During her early years, Moolah would move from one promotion to another while trying to get a foothold. 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. Cheerfulness kept creeping in." Audiences believed the violent action they were seeing and took it for gospel! These portrait photographs of Russia's ruling Romanovs were taken in 1903 at the Winter Palace in majestic. They now hold the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in their fifth reign. Antonio Inoki. Kayfabe is, however, occasionally broken during shows, usually when dealing with genuine injuries during a match or paying tribute to wrestlers.. In general, anything in a professional wrestling show is to some extent scripted, or "kayfabe", even though at times it is portrayed as legitimate. A wrestling promoter saw them in El Paso, Texas and convinced them to begin a wrestling training program in Ciudad Jurez, Mexico, lifting weights and running often. Starting her career at the age of 15, it wouldnt take her too long to start snatching titles. In the 1960s and 1970s, Kowalski became a great tag team wrestler, while also becoming a top rival for world champion Bruno Sammartino. Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki became two of the most popular Japanese wrestlers of all time. 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. They are the main cast members of reality show Total Divas, and if thats not enough, both sisters are dating WWEs top stars, John Cena (dating Nikki) and Daniel Bryan (married to Brie). 12K views 6 years ago Led by the NWA in Detroit this territory was highlighted as the first renegade promotion in the USA, their battles were bloody their feuds were intense with such stars as The. Unlike a twosome formed by strangers-turned-best friends, twins possess an extra edge because they are mirror images of each other -- not only do most look identical, they know what their sibling is thinking more often than not. Respected and influential wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer went as far as calling him "one of the key figures in the growth of WWF., Named one of the top five WWF Intercontinental Champions of all time, Curt Hennig AKA Mr. Since leaving Vince McMahon's company, Dave Hebner has become a wrestling manager and has appeared in a few other promotions. Randy Savage was an iconic wrestler back in the 1980s all thanks to his impressive ring attire, distinctive and raspy voice as well as unmissable intensity. Most matches started the same, being preceded by a plethora of trash talking. Throughout the 1990s, professional wrestling achieved highs in both viewers and financial success during a time of fierce competition among competing promotions, such as WWF, World Championship Wrestling, and Extreme Championship Wrestling. Whatever the roles may be, theres no overlooking the upper hand some identical siblings have over their rivals. For most, there were no high spots; the German suplex and a bodyslam were finishers, and nobody knew what a hurricanrana, five-star frog splash, Swanton bomb, and outside dive were. He was also credited by the Guinness Book of Records as the Worlds Strongest Midget.. Knowing what was to follow, the venue was apposite. Honored as the best tag team of 2014 by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, the brothers had a lengthy feud with Luke Harper & Erick Rowan and its safe to say both teams delivered in some incredible matches. These wrestlers of the 70s were violent and dangerous men who had no problem beating up the wrestler across the ring from them, and most had no problem stepping in the ring with other athletes. His reputation for playing mind games with his opponents never superseded his actual in-ring acumen. Their parents bought a farm to increase their physical activity and they ate only 1,000 calories per day but could not stop gaining weight. [1][2], The twins were born in Hendersonville, North Carolina. While the WWE continues to evolve and incorporate new ideas and aspects into its production, we can attribute the success that the company currently to the foundations laid by these wrestlers during its formation years. Bobo Johnson also wrestled under the name the Brown Panther. Best known for his tag performances with Louie Louie and later Rocky Johnson, Bobo was one of the earliest Black midget wrestlers alongside Haiti Kid. Ed Farhat, uncle and trainer of Sabu and trainer of Rob Van Dam, held a number of regional titles across the Midwest in the 70s. Many wrestling fans will remember him for his feud with WWEs golden boy, Tito Sammartino. Countless wrestling entertainment talent lives on in our history and memories. Thanks to photographerDavid Maciejewskiwe can see pictures of thelittle wrestlers before the hype and hoopla of WWF took hold. Superstar held the WWWF Heavyweight Championship one time after beating the legendary Bruno Sammartino in 1977, hailed as Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine's Match of the Year. Just two months after arriving in WWE, he was fighting for the world title. During the 70s, he spent time in the AWA, All-Japan Pro Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling where catch wrestling was emphasized. Wrestling matches consisted of hairy, bare chested men in tight Speedo style trunks climbing in the ring to take each other down. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. Fans and pundits even began referring to him as the 8th Wonder of the World, thanks to his colossal size and ability to attract the masses. While Inoki never accepted nor denied these claims, however, this is just but one of the many incidences that took place back in 70s that fans were never aware of. In 1971 he became a dual titleholder when he won the WWWF World Heavyweight Title from Ivan Koloff while holding the United States Heavyweight Title. While the 1970s may seem like a bit of a forgotten time for wrestling, some of the best wrestlers ever performed in this decade. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . Amassing 34 total championship wins in his career, Pipers legacy now lives on in Ronda Rousey, whom he gifted the Rowdy moniker. A few years later, he retired as a referee due to injury and became a road agent. It turns out Earl was hired by The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, which introduced the Hebner twins to the world of pro-wrestling. 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. RELATED: 10 Greatest WWE Golden Era Wrestlers, RankedLadd won a number of regional titles and was a master heel during the 70s wrestling WWWF champions Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales and Bob Backlund, NWA champion Harley Race and the AWAs top titleholder Nick Bockwinkel. Funk was the PWI Wrestler of the Year in 1976 and won the inaugural AJPW Real World Tag League tournament in 1977 and won it again in 79. He later moved to Walkertown, North Carolina and worked for the Christian Golfers Ministry. In the year 1971, Ivan Koloff managed to end Sammartinos 7-year streak as world champion. In the '70s, he was part of the WWE and was still on top of the world until his retirement in 1977. This ones a little cheeky, but with reason; the Olsen Twins (not to be confused with the starlets of Full House), were branded as twin brothers in Chikara, yet Jimmy Olsen and Colin Delaney are not real-life brothers. Men of few words, the Wild Samoans would resort to weird antics and gimmicks including plucking feathers off a live chicken to grunting in primitive languages. During their reign as tag team champions, the Wild Samoans would go head to head with various teams including Rick Martel & Tony Garea, Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson, and The Strongbows. Impresarios were the managers who chose how a wrestler could gain fame and interest among the fans, creating personas and improvising matches to make them more interesting. Wrestling journalist In the book WCW: The Ultimate Guide, Dave Scherer described Hennig as "one of the best all-round competitors this business has ever produced.. Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images. Many of the guys on this list were legit tough guys and gave the sport the credibility lacking in a sense today. According to Wikipedia, kayfabe, /kefeb/ is the portrayal of staged events within the industry as "real" or "true", specifically the portrayal of competition, rivalries, and relationships between participants as being genuine and not of a staged or predetermined nature of any kind. Killer Kowalski began his wrestling career in 1947 and went on to have a long and successful run in professional wrestling. Their penchant for ruthless battles made their sudden change in demeanor very surprising to longtime fans when they debuted in WWE in 1988. Just try not to cry while watching it! In relative terms, a wrestler breaking kayfabe during a show would be likened to an actor breaking character on-camera. Superstar Billy Graham dropped it nearly a year later to Bob Backlund, PWIs 1978 Match of the Year. Over the past few years, the former Diva Search contestant has posted a few photos on Instagram of herself and her sister together. Simon Dean made a few appearances for McMahon in the early 1990s. Now, they host a podcast called " Normal Not Normal ," in which they interview child stars, including former costars Alfred Enoch, Evanna Lynch, Katie Leung, and more. Last updated on May 8th, 2022 at 11:16 am. 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. They first competed in Florida Championship Wrestling where they held the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. One of the greatest Japanese wrestlers of all time, Antonio Inokis contribution to the world of wrestling cannot be ignored. Do check the Promotions tab if you cannot find it in the Primary Inbox. With Frank Valois, Andre managed to make a name for himself in the United Kingdom, Africa, New Zealand, and Germany. Born and raised in a small Italian town, Bruno Sammartinos childhood was quite tough. Mascaras has been inducted in the WWE, NWA, and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame. Studds most memorable opponents include Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. 5 years down the line he would join NWA briefly, before returning to the WWE one more time. 14. The Usos joined the WWE in 2010 and have been managed by their cousin Tamina Snuka as well as Jimmy's wife Naomi. Active since 2011, the Owens are still trying to catch their big break in the business, wrestling for smaller promotions across the United Kingdom and Japan. They often provided an excellent foil to the overpowered Crush Gals throughout their influential run. Many fans may not know that Rikishi has a twin brother, The Tonga Kid (AKA Sam Fatu). Flair had nothing but praise for Race upon his death in 2019: Without Harley Race, there was no Ric Flair. Technically, these two were Rockstars in Japan. If you enjoy what we do, please consider becoming a patron with a recurring monthly subscription of your choosing. Accompanied by Mortimer Plumtree, the Shane Twins were known as The Johnsons, two latex-wearing brutes made to resemble giant penises. Both Hebners served as referees, with Dave taking on more of the backend stuff like promoting and working as a road agent. Owner/booker Verne Gagne may have been the face of the AWA, but Nick Bockwinkel wasnt far behind, holding the promotions heavyweight strap four times over his career. In a book that became to be known as 'The People of the Abyss' London described the time when he lived in the Whitechapel district sleeping in workhouses, so-called doss-houses and even on the streets. Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado is an American professional wrestler and actress who also known as her ring names Sasha Banks (in WWE) and Mercedes Mon (in other promotions). Billy the Kid with Cowboy Bob Bradley (aka Robert Bradley). 1990. Hansen went on to become a major star in Japan as well, starting in 1977 and winning several titles overseas, including the PWF World Championship four times. He went on to win a clutch of wrestling awards including the NWA Midget Wrestling Championship twice and was a firm favorite with fans. Dean has a twin brother, Don Bucci, who has also worked in the wrestling business. Widely respected for his integrity and personal principles, Sammartino was one of the most popular wrestlers in the 60's and 70's. Born and raised in a small Italian town, Bruno Sammartino's childhood was quite tough. Frenchy Lamonte was also known as Rolly the Rocket, the Little Hawk, and Little Evilborn. Since then,both Bellas have worked hard and improved drastically in the ring. Whod be a Midget Wrestler during the 1960s and 1970s? Meanwhile, The Tonga Kid lost his final match at an independent event when he teamed up with Angel Blanco Jr. to face Solar and Solar Jr. Earl Hebner joined WWE in 1988 and spent over a decade and a half in the company, during which he became well-known to the WWE Universe. Hebner's twin brother Dave is also a wrestling referee. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. There have also been twins who haven't worked together on camera. Dynamite Kid. He worked mostly in the AWA and was a tag team specialist, winning titles in the 60s with Harley Race. [4][3], The twins often used a finishing move called the "Tupelo Splash", which involved one of the twins diving belly-first onto a prone opponent; they would follow this with "The Steamroller", where the twin would roll back and forward over the opponent. Prior to The Model, Rick Martel was one half of Strike Force along with Tito Santana. Tito Santana began his wrestling career as a jobber for other well-established wrestlers and heels. They even challenged The Steiner Brothers for the NWA Tag Team Titles in 1990 but came up short. They were victims of some of the worst gimmicks in the history of the business. One of the first true giants in professional wrestling, Haystacks Calhoun weighed more than 600 pounds making him one of the biggest wrestlers of all time. His career finally came to an end in the '80s when he worked with his son. The Hart . Handsome Jimmy, Luscious Johnny, and Gentleman Jerry dominated the tag team scene in the NWA and WWWF. Bucci (AKA Donnie B.) Its in the genes, which is something that cant be taught. He started the decade as a heel, but in 1974 he turned babyface and shot to the top. Koloff went on to the NWA where he became a top villain as the leader of the Russians, with his kayfabe nephew Nikita Koloff and Krusher Kruschev. In the early-1990s, The Cole Twins became a tag team to keep an eye on in WCW, competing regularly on shows such as WCW Worldwide and WCW Saturday Night. museum. The Funker won the NWA World Heavyweight title in 1975 from Jack Brisco and held it for more than a year defending it against the likes of Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes and Jumbo Tsuruta.
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