( WATCH). McMahon would use the additional income generated by advertising, television deals, and video sales and rentals to further his bold ambition to tour nationally. However, the winds of change were starting to blow as 1984 began, as arguably the most impactful WWE womens moment of the decade was to unfold, thanks to a young Texas girl by the name of Wendi Richter. He is an actor, known for ROH: Joe vs. Kobashi (2005), WWF/AJPW/NJPW Wrestling Summit (1990) and WXO (2000). The son of a professional wrestler, Ted DiBiase had started his pro wrestling career as a fan favorite, but soon "changed sides" and became a heel throughout the rest of his career. Booker has Mark Henry was born on June 12, 1971 in Silsbee, Texas, USA. He was previously married to Debra Ann Miceli and Missy Hyatt. Santanas impressive 15-year career in the WWF saw him become one of the greatest Mexican wrestlers of all time. His character was unlike anything else seen at the time. Lou Albano by her side, was dethroned. Global Wrestling Federation (GWF). Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan were AWA's major on-air talent. Born as Steve Borden, Sting has held the WCW World Title 10 times and multiple other titles. Jarrett had his first major run in the WWF - winning the Intercontinental Title 6 times before joining WCW. Curtbegan training to follow in his fathers footsteps when he was just 12 years old. Untouted, she went right into the frying pan and came out as the new Womens Champion, defeating The Fabulous Moolah (who had regained the title from Richter under the disguise as Spider Lady). Also, you can track what you've seen, want to see, like, or dislike, as well as track individual seasons or episodes of shows. 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. [7], MTV broadcast the first live wrestling match on cable television as well as the first live women's professional wrestling match. He was the son of professional wrestler Ferrin Barr, or Dandy Sandy. After 18 years in professional wrestling, working behind the scenes and inside and outside of the ring, Sheppard remains a fan of the art form. Another lady who hit a grand slam in her first WWE at bat was Sherri Martel. The Ultimate Warriors otherworldly promos, entrance routine, and dominant display made him a household name in professional wrestling. One of the most iconic wrestlers of all time, Andre The Giant is remembered by fans for his exceptional size billed at 74 and 520 pounds as well as for extracurricular activities like his role as Fezzik in The Princess Bride. A similar situation arose in January 1988, when Crockett's Bunkhouse Stampede pay-per-view was counter-programmed by the inaugural Royal Rumble, which aired for free on the USA Network. Wrestling fans watched the Undertaker's resurrection from inside the casket.. 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. 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. Managed by "The Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart, the platinum-haired duo generally had little trouble disposing of their opponents, until two imports from Japan arrived on the scene. 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. Although he is widely regarded as one of the finest tag team wrestlers in history, 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. WWF held its most successful event, WrestleMania III, in March 1987. Of course, fast forward to 1991, and there was reconciliation with Savage at WrestleMania VII, and their eventual wedding at SummerSlam that year. MLW refers to its in-ring performers as "Fighters" as . Click to reveal It is through these cameos and collaboration with renowned personalities that would ultimately put the WWF on the map and in turn get noticed by various networks such as MTV. 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. Well, in this article, I am going to zero in on the decade that launched WWE into a major force in sports and entertainment, the decade that produced the ladies of the 80s. ( PHOTOS). We will also take a look at some wrestlers who got over despite themselves and well see if we can discern why this happened and what it means for wrestling today. CANOE SLAM! This would mark Titos journey as a singles wrestler. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. A second-generation competitor, Rockin' Robin brought energy and exuberance to the Womens Championship. There have been 13 two-time NCAA champs in program history, as well as two three-timers and one four-timer Cael Sanderson, who went 159-0 from 1999-02. 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 One of the most colorful wrestlers in and out of the ring, Randy "Macho Man" Savage became a larger-than-life pop icon along with other wrestling superstars, such as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Jimmy Snuka (aka "Superfly Jimmy Snuka"), Jesse Ventura and Dwayne Johnson (aka "The Rock").When American-born, Canadian-raised professional wrestler, rock singer, actor and author. Hart comes from the legendary Hart Family of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Lesnars exit from AWA culminated after the wrestler came to the realization that Verne Gagne had no plans of handing the world title to Hogan. Gagne's failure to keep his fortunate position is a significant factor in the history of professional wrestling. The greatest wrestler ever to step in the ring in Asia, he just may be the greatest wrestler of all times. Pillman played football in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1984 and in the CFL for the Calgary Stampeders. He is 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was born in Victoria, Texas, as Steven James Anderson, on December 18, 1964, the youngest of five children. He was trained by the Original Sheik, Ed Farhat, who was one of pro-wrestling's classic and greatest bad guys. Despite being billed as being from Russia, Ivan was actually born and raised near Montreal Canada. He has held the WWF World Bret Hart is one of Canada's most successful wrestlers. This rivalry led to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, where on Jan. 24, 1988, at the first Royal Rumble event, The Angels ascended to the heights of becoming Womens Tag Team Champions by defeating The Glamour Girls in a best two-out-of-three falls bout. Pipers Pit wasnt the first WWE talk show -- that was Rogers Corner with Buddy Rogers -- but it proved to be the most influential thanks to all the iconic moments it delivered, resulting in various imitators. Sports. 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. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. 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. The WWF would go on to a period of unprecedented success in the mid-to-late 1980s and early 1990s. The WWF threatened to cancel their contracts with cable companies that dared to carry Starrcade. After a brief stint in France, Andre the Giant relocated to Canada where he became a sensation hit. At Wrestlemania IV, the Ultimate Warrior was already a sensation hit and thus the WWE placed him in a non-tournament match against Hercules. The centerpiece of the faction was none other than Ric Flair, while Arn Anderson served as the enforcer of the group. And did you know that at WrestleMania V, Robin opened the event by singing "America The Beautiful"! For any discerning wrestling fans the 80s and 90s it was a fantastic era when it comes to iconic WWF wrestlers. For a bigger part of his wrestling career both with the WWF and WCW, Elizabeth Hulette his real-life wife served as his manager. The pop star recruited Albano to be part of her Girls Just Want To Have Fun music video, and things gravitated from there. The '80s changed the face of pro wrestling forever, with a handful of wrestlers being particularly influential and among the best. The C-Show is much like the lower card and mainly consisted of jobbers, newcomers, and lower-level TV stars. Although it was never a scheduled match, the Ultimate Warrior managed to beat the Honky Tonk Man in just under 30 seconds. In 1982, Vince McMahon purchased the business from his ailing father Vincent J. McMahon. Popularly billed as the 8th Wonder of the World, Andre the Giant was a towering behemoth and one of the biggest wrestlers of all time. Hogan, who won in the main event, appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated which, after the swimsuit issue, was the magazine's best seller of 1985. 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. Between those Paul "Triple H" Levesque is WWE's Executive Vice President, President of Talent, Global Talent Strategy & Development. Multiple NWA territories were very successful in the 1970s and continued that success in the early 1980s. Ivan Koloff was one of the most fearsome wrestlers of the 1970s and 1980s. Her firebrand style brought many fans into her camp. His character was very over with fans, but he also had a great look about him as well which helped make him into a star even more than his promos did. Best Box Office . The event saw one of the last WWF appearances of Andr the Giant (as a member of the Colossal Connection), who had become barely mobile in the ring due to real life health issues, and his parting with long-time manager Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. By late 1987, Crockett's ownership of so many NWA affiliates, coupled with his continued presidency of the NWA, gave him considerable power. He also starred as a recurring character on the History Channel series Vikings. Hogan's return to the WWF in February 1993, episode of Monday Night Raw (which replaced another WWF program during the 1980s, Prime Time Wrestling) received a lackluster reaction from the crowds. A mistake that he later came to realize. Professional wrestling began to become mainstream, thanks, in large part, to the appeal of Hulkamania among children. After years of financial turmoil and the constant changing of bookers, WCW would resume competition with McMahon's WWF when former AWA commentator Eric Bischoff was appointed as the promotion's Executive Vice President. While he was not the greatest technical wrestler, Roddy Piper often relied on his brawling abilities, body language, and facial expressions. The show was a huge success. Nikita Koloff (born Nelson Scott Simpson)is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his various Sid gimmicks, each distinguished by the ring names Sid Justice, Sid Vicious, and Sycho Sid in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) and the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE). 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. By defeating the Honky Tonk Man, the Ultimate Warrior not only sent the entire Madison Square Garden into a frenzy but also became the new Intercontinental Champion. McMahon together with his army of wrestlers had just managed to revolutionize pro wrestling. Watch WrestleMania and other WWE Premium Live Events on Flow. While Sherri managed the likes of Ric Flair, Randy Savage, "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase and Shawn Michaels, she was also a superb wrestler. Mexico MVP - El Hijo Del Vikingo. McMahon did not meet immediate success. All rights reserved. A 16-time world champion, Ric Flair made history by becoming the first-ever wrestler to hold the WCW International World Championship title and the WCW World Championship title. Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF). You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Finishing Move:The Leg Drop and the Pile Driver. 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. 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]. He was loved by fans, but he could turn on them in an instant. Although Jake The Snake Roberts ring work was solid, its his exceptional mic skills and ability to cut promos that made him quite memorable. Vince Jr. aquired the WWWF from his father, and renamed the company to World Wrestling Federation..; Vince Jr. began signing wrestlers away from different territories as well as buying up smaller territories.. Vince's biggest asset was Hulk Hogan, who he lured away from Verne Gagne's AWA, and ran wild with Hulkamania..; Vince McMahon and the WWF also single-handedly created a market for . WWF Superstars: With Vince McMahon, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Curt Hennig. WWE's greatest females of the 1980s are highlighted in this photo gallery, including Wendi Richter, Fabulous Moolah and Rockin' Robin. Miss Elizabeth left the WWF in April 1992, and divorced Randy Savage that August. The AWA signed a TV contract with ESPN, but the revenue was insignificant compared to the WWF's pay-per-view business, which was based on annual March/April events featuring Hogan in a landmark world-championship match each year from 1986 to 1991. A marketing genius, McMahons plan to go national was finally working out and the centerpiece of his blueprint was none other than Hulk Hogan. The decade also saw a considerable decline in the power of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), a cartel which had until then dominated the wrestling landscape, and in the efforts to sustain belief in the kayfabe of wrestling. Tell us what you think about this feature. It would be unfair not to mention tag team wrestling when talking about influential wrestlers, and one of the greatest tag teams of the 1980s is certainly The Road Warriors, who experienced a meteoric rise in the National Wrestling Alliance since their debut in 1983. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. Enter Miss Elizabeth. He All Japan Pro Wrestling 2002 Real World Tag League Gaora TV Special. In August, the Ultimate Warrior took part in the promotions first-ever Summerslam Event. 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. He has been married to Mai Mizuki since October 2, 2010. In November 1985, a second pay-per-view "The Wrestling Classic" took place. Randy Savage Actor | Spider-Man In the years that followed, Lawler would feud with Bret Hart and the entire Hart family. On November 24, 1983, Ric Flair defeated Harley Race for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship at the closed-circuit wrestling event Starrcade, which inaugurated Flair's golden era and was credited with showing that a major event could earn significant income across many locations. Lauper chose Wendi Richter, while Albano chose The Fabulous Moolah. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a14cee34a69d671 Just like Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper remains one of the most polarizing superstars to ever step into the squared circle. 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