Top Lady
1) Rowdy Roddy Piper
So, I basically have had to organize my list in the order by which I could actually think of '80s wrestlers, and the first thing that came into my mind was something about a guy in a kilt. So, although Hulk Hogan is probably the most famous, Piper made the most lasting image in my 10-year old mind (which was, admittedly, pretty crowded with Rainbow Brite at the time).
2) Andre the Giant
Have you seen the Biography of Andre the Giant? Like all giants, all he ever wanted was to be loved. And to drink a lot. Aside from being in The Princess Bride (did I mention the 10-year-old me?), he also has immortality via those Obey Giant stickers that were everywhere a few years ago. And, I guess, he wrestled pretty well.
3) Jerry “The King” Lawler
Jerry Lawler is most famous for wrestling with Andy Kaufmann in 1982 and supposedly getting into a fight with him on Letterman. After Kaufmann’s death (or, “death”) he came forward and admitted it was a hoax—but I’m sure that that was the only fixed match in all of professional wrestling.
4) Mr. T
He pities you.
5) The Fabulous Moolah
I first heard about The Fabulous Moolah when she died two years ago. Her career stretched well before and after the ‘80s, but she did rock some very ‘80s leotards and tights throughout her lifetime. I really don’t know if she actually was the longest continually competing athlete in any sport, ever (as the WWF claimed her to be), but in every photo of her in the ring she always seems to be having fun. Since she won her last match at the age of 76, I’m going to guess she had a lot of it.
Top Guy
1) Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
You have got to love the fictitious backstory: Snuka was supposed to have developed his renowned leaping ability by jumping off of palm trees in his native Hawaii, and then later canoed to the mainland to begin his wrestling career. He was famous for his “I Love You” hand-gesture salute to fans before diving off the top rope to finish off his opponent. He also wrestled a steel cage match against Don “the Rock” Muraco, which ended with Snuka diving off the top of the cage, that was possibly the second best fight of the decade (see below).
2) Andre the Giant
Wrestling’s first true giant also was arguably the best performer ever to enter the squared-circle. His WrestleMania III match against Hulk Hogan—where Hogan body slammed the unbeatable giant—is considered wrestling’s finest. Andre’s performance in The Princess Bride showed that the gentle giant could be a lovable actor in addition to an overwhelmingly good wrestler.
3) The Road Warriors
There was nothing so terrifying for an opposing tag team than to wait in the ring while the opening notes of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” played over the sound system, waiting for Hawk and Animal to run out and the annihilation to ensue. Their matches typically lasted about 30 seconds, they were by far the best tag team of the decade, and Animal’s son is now an All-American linebacker at Ohio State.
4) Ric Flair
The “Nature Boy” might be the best professional wrestler who ever lived. He was a 16-time world champion, he worked the microphone like no one else before or since, and he redefined the nature and role of the heal as the leader of the Four Horsemen. Like many other professional wrestlers, he also was a real athlete—winning a high school wrestling championship and going to the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship
5) “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
No one rocked a kilt like “Rowdy” Roddy. His Piper’s Pit segment was almost always entertaining, and he had more famous feuds (Hulk Hogan, “Superfly” Snuka, Mr. T) than anybody else. He even headlined the first WrestleMania. Piper also ventured outside of wrestling, becoming a bonafide B-movie star with roles in They Live and Hell Comes to Frogtown.
1) Rowdy Roddy Piper
So, I basically have had to organize my list in the order by which I could actually think of '80s wrestlers, and the first thing that came into my mind was something about a guy in a kilt. So, although Hulk Hogan is probably the most famous, Piper made the most lasting image in my 10-year old mind (which was, admittedly, pretty crowded with Rainbow Brite at the time).
2) Andre the Giant
Have you seen the Biography of Andre the Giant? Like all giants, all he ever wanted was to be loved. And to drink a lot. Aside from being in The Princess Bride (did I mention the 10-year-old me?), he also has immortality via those Obey Giant stickers that were everywhere a few years ago. And, I guess, he wrestled pretty well.
3) Jerry “The King” Lawler
Jerry Lawler is most famous for wrestling with Andy Kaufmann in 1982 and supposedly getting into a fight with him on Letterman. After Kaufmann’s death (or, “death”) he came forward and admitted it was a hoax—but I’m sure that that was the only fixed match in all of professional wrestling.
4) Mr. T
He pities you.
5) The Fabulous Moolah
I first heard about The Fabulous Moolah when she died two years ago. Her career stretched well before and after the ‘80s, but she did rock some very ‘80s leotards and tights throughout her lifetime. I really don’t know if she actually was the longest continually competing athlete in any sport, ever (as the WWF claimed her to be), but in every photo of her in the ring she always seems to be having fun. Since she won her last match at the age of 76, I’m going to guess she had a lot of it.
Top Guy
1) Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka
You have got to love the fictitious backstory: Snuka was supposed to have developed his renowned leaping ability by jumping off of palm trees in his native Hawaii, and then later canoed to the mainland to begin his wrestling career. He was famous for his “I Love You” hand-gesture salute to fans before diving off the top rope to finish off his opponent. He also wrestled a steel cage match against Don “the Rock” Muraco, which ended with Snuka diving off the top of the cage, that was possibly the second best fight of the decade (see below).
2) Andre the Giant
Wrestling’s first true giant also was arguably the best performer ever to enter the squared-circle. His WrestleMania III match against Hulk Hogan—where Hogan body slammed the unbeatable giant—is considered wrestling’s finest. Andre’s performance in The Princess Bride showed that the gentle giant could be a lovable actor in addition to an overwhelmingly good wrestler.
3) The Road Warriors
There was nothing so terrifying for an opposing tag team than to wait in the ring while the opening notes of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” played over the sound system, waiting for Hawk and Animal to run out and the annihilation to ensue. Their matches typically lasted about 30 seconds, they were by far the best tag team of the decade, and Animal’s son is now an All-American linebacker at Ohio State.
4) Ric Flair
The “Nature Boy” might be the best professional wrestler who ever lived. He was a 16-time world champion, he worked the microphone like no one else before or since, and he redefined the nature and role of the heal as the leader of the Four Horsemen. Like many other professional wrestlers, he also was a real athlete—winning a high school wrestling championship and going to the University of Minnesota on a football scholarship
5) “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
No one rocked a kilt like “Rowdy” Roddy. His Piper’s Pit segment was almost always entertaining, and he had more famous feuds (Hulk Hogan, “Superfly” Snuka, Mr. T) than anybody else. He even headlined the first WrestleMania. Piper also ventured outside of wrestling, becoming a bonafide B-movie star with roles in They Live and Hell Comes to Frogtown.
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