Many fans, especially those in the Deep South, were angered by the collapse of their local wrestling promotions. [11] As a result, only five cable companies opted to remain loyal to Crockett, which gave them only an $80,000 profit after expenses. He started wrestling around Oregon in the early 80s, and was mentored by the legendary 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper. A well-built giant, Hogans charisma, mic skills, and technical skills saw him transcend into a household name. 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. 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. 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. These are the ones that we have never forgotten and what we think were there best moments in wrestling. He was one of the top stars of the 1980s and deserves a lot more credit than he ever received for his work. But the Macho Man said thanks, but no thanks, as he had chosen someone else. 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. He is an actor, known for ROH: Joe vs. Kobashi (2005), WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit (1990) and WXO (2000). Lou Albano by her side, was dethroned. It only happens in wrestling. With Jim Crockett Promotions, Ricky Steamboat would be involved in a series of feuds with Rick Flair. Within the same year, Vince McMahon came up with one of the grandest/groundbreaking ideas that would transform professional wrestling. All these classic feuds played a crucial role in making Roddy Piper one of the biggest draws in the WWF at the time. One day he could not find humor was April 4th, 1968 as that was the day his father died of a heart Robert Louis Backlund is an American retired amateur and professional wrestler. 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. On January 23, 1984, Hogan defeated The Iron Sheik for the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at Madison Square Garden. However, Crockett's spending had left JCP indebted, with the promotion facing a $5 million deficit. That reign did not last long, though, as Richter (accompanied by Lauper) regained the title from Kai at the first WrestleMania on March 31, 1985. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. A chubby Texan with an interesting voice, Dusty represented the people, making him the perfect foil to the peacocking Flair, and a slam-dunk underdog babyface for the fans to rally behind. Start typing to see results or hit ESC to close, Akira: Its Impact, Legacy And Why You Need To Watch It, Excess in the 1980s: A Movie Retrospective, 10 Epic Rave Anthems From 1991 That Will Spark Nostlagia, Looking Back At The 1988 TV Series Of War Of The Worlds, Streets of Rage 2: The Movie Stills Created With AI, Gladiators: The Saturday Night TV Favourite Returns, Darkstalkers Arcade Classic Coming To The Megadrive. From ECW to WWF to WCW, the competition was not only stiff but also each of these promotions commanded a fair share of the professional wrestling market. The Best Celebrity Wrestlers Ever: Logan Paul, David Arquette and More. Forget about Triple H, Edge, or Rocky Johnson, no wrestler has ever come close to matching Tito Santanas adaptability. The Undertaker - Mark William Calaway. By the end of his illustrious wrestling career, The Macho Man had accumulated an impressive 11 titles. USC Title 17. Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. Section 107 specifies usage of copyright material falls under Fair Use when it Roddy Piper was born Roderick George Toombs on April 17, 1954 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The rich guy gimmick proved to be a slam dunk and has been repeated countless times in the decades since, including with DiBiases own son, Ted Jr., as well as NXTs Cameron Grimes. 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. 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. For a bigger part of his wrestling career both with the WWF and WCW, Elizabeth Hulette his real-life wife served as his manager. He has been the Republican Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee since 2018. WWEs 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 the son of professional wrestler Ferrin Barr, or Dandy Sandy. Bret Hart Self | WWF Survivor Series Superfly Jimmy Snuka was one of the most unique characters in wrestling in the 1980s. 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! He has been married to Jane Lee since January 14, 2002. [6] During the segment, the Rock 'n' Wrestling storyline began when Albano called Lauper a "broad", while Lauper retaliated by hitting him with her purse. A Net Inceptions project. The future of not just the WWF's national experiment but the whole professional wrestling industry came down to the success or failure of this pay-per-view. Finally, there was one woman who made a huge impact in the '80s, yet she never competed in a match. The reason Yt5s.io is the best youtube downloader . Hulk Hogan became the top babyface after Verne Gagne retired from full-time wrestling in 1981 and Nick Bockwinkel became the AWA World Heavyweight Champion. 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. His promos were not only one of a kind but also quite memorable. He was a great wrestler, but he was also an incredible talker. Watch every Premium Live Event and get unlimited access to WWE's premium content - available to you anywhere, anytime, on any device. McMahon later booked Lauper and Albano on a segment of Piper's Pit. 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). This cannot be undone. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Mexico MVP - El Hijo Del Vikingo. Wrestling fans watched the Undertaker's resurrection from inside the casket.. Pillman played football in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984 and in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders. Hulk Hogan - Terry Gene Bollea Finishing Move: The Leg Drop and the Pile Driver Advertisements Best Moment: Probably one of the most memorable moments in wrestling was when Hulk Hogan bodyslammed Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III. Enter Miss Elizabeth. WWE's greatest females of the 1980s are highlighted in this photo gallery, including Wendi Richter, Fabulous Moolah and Rockin' Robin. In May 1984, in a failed attempt to garner a greater appeal in the Southeast, McMahon bought a controlling interest in Georgia Championship Wrestling (GCW), an NWA member which held the lucrative Saturday time slot on Atlanta-based independent station WTBSknown outside of Atlanta as "Superstation TBS. He was previously married to Debra Ann Miceli and Missy Hyatt. They have two children. 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. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest 70's wrestler of all time. A different kind of heel compared to some of the guys mentioned above, Ric Flair offered a villain that fans could easily love to hate. Between those Paul "Triple H" Levesque is WWE's Executive Vice President, President of Talent, Global Talent Strategy & Development. With riveting storytelling, captivating storylines and larger-than-life characters, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) were the most popular promotions. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'sportlister_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_2',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Unlike the modern era, wrestling in the 80s consisted of territories spread out in the United States. Going with the gimmick The Dingo Warrior, the Ultimate Warrior received cheers and screams that were never witnessed within the division. 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. The AWA, WCCW and Memphis-based Continental Wrestling Association formed Pro Wrestling USA in 1985 but the endeavor failed by the end of the year. The WWF threatened to cancel their contracts with cable companies that dared to carry Starrcade. [6] Lauper asked Albano to appear as her father in her video for the single "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" in 1983. Shortly after the match, the WWF began promoting wrestling shows with Hogan in the main event in parts of the United States outside the Northeast, which changed a long-standing non-aggression pact between the WWF and other wrestling promotions. Considered to be the greatest titleholder of all time by the WWE, Randy Savages in-ring performance saw him bring some level of credibility to the world title. AND THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE CUZ STONE. Having honed her craft in various wrestling organizations in the early-to-mid-80s, Martel entered WWE on July 24, 1987. [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. The channel 39 broadcast was innovative because it was more like professional sports with host Bill Mercer, a former broadcaster for the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers, mobile cameras at ringside with multiple shotgun microphones as used by Don King to capture and enhance the sound of impacts and crowd noise for boxing pay per views, and vignettes and interviews inspired by the Rocky movies to accentuate the heel or babyface of a wrestler outside of the ring. 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. Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson)is an American retired professional wrestler. The wrestler who would eventually become known as Ravishing Rick Rude was born Richard Erwin Rood on December 7th, 1958. On other occasions, Roddy Piper transformed into a babyface that fans adored and supported throughout his fights. Ricky Steamboat would ultimately leave JCP after having to create differences with Dusty Rhodes, a JCP booker. An elite in-ring performer, Tito Santana knew how to work the ropes and dominate matches. 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. Jeff Jarrett was trained in the USWA which was run by his father. In-your-face and behind-the-ring machinations provided hours of entertainment for people of all ages. Europe MVP - Will Ospreay. WWE's ladies division was so active during the '80s that there was a Womens Tag Team Championship. [3] In the WWE documentary The Rise and Fall of WCW, Crockett explained that his purchase of the timeslot basically paid for McMahon's first WrestleMania.[4]. Hulk Hogan, Andr the Giant, Randy Savage, and Miss Elizabeth, Mackinder, Mack (June 13, 2006). Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. In 1982, Vince McMahon purchased the business from his ailing father Vincent J. McMahon. [6] The success was in part precipitated by the "Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection," a period of cooperation and cross-promotion between the WWF and elements of the music industry. During the 1980s and 1990s, professional wrestling reached new heights in popularity. 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 would go on to the main event WrestleMania II against Hulk Hogan, one of the biggest matches in the history of WrestleMania and one of the biggest matches of all period. 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