WWE's Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century 2 Roddy Piper 3,754 votes #5 of 48 Professional Wrestlers with the Best Stage Names #4 of 32 The Best Brawlers In Wrestling History #14 of 49 The Best Wrestling Announcers Of All Time 3 Randy Savage 4,962 votes #138 of 183 The All-Time Greatest Action Stars #206 of 248 The Best Marvel Movie Actors Ever Nikki Bella. For a while Race was a record holder as far as World Heavyweight Title reigns went until he was bested by Ric Flair. He made his debut into in the wild world of Professional Wrestling in 1959 and defeated Buddy Rogers with a reverse backbreaker to capture the WWWF World title in 1963. If you enjoy what we do, please consider becoming a patron with a recurring monthly subscription of your choosing. 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. The Hardcore Legend Terry Funk had memorable matches in the 1980s and 90s, but the 70s might have been his golden age. While Mascaras received several shots at the title, he always came shot and thus never won any title with the WWE. Celebrating their birthday in 2015, Adams sent her twin a heartfelt message: Brittaney is not a professional wrestler. Brie held the belt once and wonthe Wrestling Observers Newsletters Worst Feud of The Year in 2014 (among having a number of terribly worked matches). Ive played a lot of evil, ball-breaking women. 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. In the 70s, he also worked matches against boxer, Chuck Wepner. However, when picking out the best wrestlers of the decade, a fan will always find more names to add to the list of the best of the best. Kayfabe is, however, occasionally broken during shows, usually when dealing with genuine injuries during a match or paying tribute to wrestlers.. Rikishis boys have grown by leaps and bounds since debuting in 2010, winning the WWE Tag Team titles twice and considered by many to be the premiere tag team in the company. The brothers worked together in the 1970s in Stampede Wrestling They also moved on in that decade to various territories in the NWA as well as in Puerto Rico and the World Wrestling Council, where the won several tag team titles before finally making their way to WWE in the 1980s. Giant Babas most memorable match would be a tag team match with Andre the Giant against Demolition at the Wrestling Summit. This was Afa and Sika, the men who were the patriarchs of the Samoan Dynasty. 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. Eventually, the character morphed into a deranged barber who cut the hair of his opponents following his decisive victories. With the sex appeal of a Chippendales performer, this Ravishing fighter was a WCW legend before career-ending injuries forced him to stop performing in 1997. 14. To show dominance over the American, Inoki applied a real submission move that Sammartino somehow managed to overpower. It was loosely called a sport, and anything went! Jimmy and Jey Uso, for example, joined WWE in 2009 and have achieved a lot throughout their 13 years with the company. The Blossom Twins had high hopes in the wrestling industry as two twin girls growing up in the United Kingdom. The Shane Twins will forever be subject to ridicule in the wrestling world and some of that criticism is unfair. ( 1960) -. Ephemeral, disposable, they served only one purposeto let someone know "I'm here. Billy Leon McCrary (December 7, 1946 - July 14, 1979) and Benny Loyd McCrary (December 7, 1946 - March 26, 2001), known together as The McGuire Twins, were American professional wrestlers listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "World's Heaviest Twins" (328 kilograms (723 lb) and 338 kilograms (745 lb), respectively). Widely respected for his integrity and personal principles, Sammartino was one of the most popular wrestlers in the 60s and 70s. A major star of 'Midget Wrestling' Littlebrook was born in England in 1929. Hooks are illegal in conventional amateur wrestling but have high rates of success against even the most athletic and experienced of competitors, essentially removing rules from professional wrestling. was a promoter and wrestling manager. He was also, at the time, one of the best pure wrestlers in the company. In his debut night, Tito Santana and Ivan Putski would win the World Tag Team Titles from Johnny and Jimmy Valliant. While he never beat Bruno for the world title, Kowalski teamed up with Gorilla Monsoon and Big John Studd to win tag team titles. 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. Their popularity in Japan can be compared to Hulk Hogans popularity in the United States. With adopted names like Little Bruise, Sky Low Low, Billy The Kid, Little Beaver, Lord Littlebrook and Little Tokyo, men (and a few women) who might have eked out a living in the circus started a spectatorport. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Little Bruiser in Chicago, September 1, 1972 Cowboy Bob Bradley and Joey Russell, February 23 1968. BELLA TWINS #wweshorts #shortsvideo #shorts Wrestling Summerthis topics covered videobella Twins ne mauj krdeebella twins togetherbella twins d. With dreams of making a huge splash in the wrestling business, both Brandon and Brent seem to be in good hands wrestling for Ring of Honor and Global Force Wrestling. Born in a wrestling family, Mil Mascaras began his training at an early age. A few years later, he retired as a referee due to injury and became a road agent. The Big Cat was an AFL All-Pro before he had a Hall of Fame career as a professional wrestler. museum. Many of the guys on this list were legit tough guys and gave the sport credibility that it is lacking in a sense today. Stan Hansen was one of the toughest wrestlers in the '70s, running through everyone and making his name in both the United States and Japan. His career finally came to an end in the '80s when he worked with his son. They were victims of some of the worst gimmicks in the history of the business. [6][4], Billy McCrary died on July 14, 1979, at the age of 32, following a motorcycle accident in Niagara Falls en route to a Ripley's Believe It or Not! She also likes to stay away from the public eye. Thanks to his massive size, Haystacks Calhoun became an instant hit during the golden era. In the U.S., he made his name thanks to a massive violent feud with Bruno Sammartino in WWE. 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. In the latter half of the decade, the Sheik teamed with Abdullah the Butcher in a string of matches against the Funks in what can be described as complete insanity. 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. After his stint as a wrestler, Mr Fuji would embark on a new journey as a manager with Yokozuna, Demolitions and Powers of Pain being his clients. Although they are famous wrestlers, some WWE Superstars have twin siblings that fans may not know of. Weve compiled a list of 15 wrestlers whom we believe stood out during the 70s and helped propel the company to greater heights. He continued wrestling until the late 1980s, when he was enshrined into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. 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. Bob Backlund was as different from Bruno as anyone. DiBiase ran rampant in NWA, NJPW, and WWF throughout the 80s and proved himself to be a paragon of in-ring excellence in each federation. Bockwinkel was also an AWA World Tag Team champ three times with Ray Stevens from 1972-75 with the pair being named the PWI Tag Team of the Year in 1973. 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. Backlund was a collegiate All-American and a former NCAA Champion. Handsome Jimmy, Luscious Johnny, and Gentleman Jerry dominated the tag team scene in the NWA and WWWF. In 1972, Moolah made history by becoming the first-ever female star to wrestle at Madison Square. 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. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . Earl still officiates TNA Wrestling matches alongside his son and former WWE employee, Brian Hebner. Little Bruiser and Billy the Kid, September 23, 1972. But Ladd never won a major promotion's top belt. Unlike his brother, Dash, Tweek still competes to this day and both twins have wrestled indie vets like Austin Aries, The Briscoe Brothers, Chris Sabin, and The Young Bucks. Dean has a twin brother, Don Bucci, who has also worked in the wrestling business. via twitter.com. Both brothers were released from WWE in midst of a merchandise scandal, as they were accused of selling WWE products without permission. Although she did not make the final eight, WWE signed her. A Montreal native, The Wild Bear was a dominant force in the WWF. Rhodes made some appearances in the WWWF in the 70s, but it was the NWA where he had his biggest success. Poised as an everyman, Dusty managed to wrack up title wins across divisions and federations. He worked mostly in the AWA and was a tag team specialist, winning titles in the 60s with Harley Race. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). In 1957 after spending most of his early wrestling years in Canada, Kowalski began working for Vince McMahon. The world of sports has seen its fair share of successful twin tandems, including NHLs Sedin brothers, MMAs Nogueira brothers, footballs Pouncey brothers, and the Lopez brothers competing in the NBA, to name a few. The Usos also went to war with another brother duo in Goldust and Stardust, where they lost their belts to the Rhodes brothers at Night of Champions 2014. He sadly died at the age of 56 in January 2007. Along with Ronnie himself and his, "It is time for art to flow into the organisation of life." Killer Kowalski began his wrestling career in 1947 and went on to have a long and successful run in professional wrestling. In the 70s, kayfabe was alive and well! 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. Many wrestling fans will remember him for his feud with WWEs golden boy, Tito Sammartino. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. In it there are many variations of the species, each peculiar to its own terrain and indigenous populous. Hes a member of the WWE and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame, has been honored multiple times by the Cauliflower Alley Club and was the 1973 PWI Wrestler of the Year. If you look up the word wrestler in the dictionary, you might come upon Robinsons name. WWE billed Andre as an undefeated wrestler until his loss to Hulk Hogan, but that was not entirely true. Kowalski would lose the match and head into retirement after a successful and illustrious career as a professional wrestler. He retired in 1970 and moved to Las Vegas where he became a blackjack dealer. Entering the ring to Queens infectious anthem, Another One Bites The Dust, Junkyard Dog was a paradigm of pure power. 1960. 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. A pioneer of womens wrestling, Fabulous Moolah had an illustrious wrestling career that saw her become one of the biggest female superstars of all time. Of course, this shaved, corpulent, and effeminate fighter in a nude diaper was a villain, but his bizarre characterizations made him quite unique in a sea of hyper-machismo. The Hart . Despite that, Andre was someone that territories brought in to beat their biggest heels, and he sold out every appearance. Rick Martel is perhaps best known as The Model - an arrogant heel who sprayed cologne and acted as though he was one step above the rest of the WWE Superstars. 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. However, like many of his colleagues, his career and achievements have been sadly overlooked. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. This win meant that Bruno became the second-ever WWE champion. The company released Dean from his contract in 2007. Her sweetness and indomitable spirit were documented in the GLOW documentary. WWF and AWA, and Japan was as important as it ever was. 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. Wrestling became an international phenomenon with the expansion of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). An early example of the queer coded villain in the wrestling world, Adrian Adonis was a grotesque caricature of gay culture but a compelling personality nonetheless. Starting her career at the age of 15, it wouldnt take her too long to start snatching titles. Dynamite Kid. Farmer Pete wrestling in Milwaukee, December 3, 1972. Billy and Benny werent exactly the most talented superstars in wrestling history, yet the business was different in their days, which ultimately led them to matches in NJPW and Canadas very own Stampede Wrestling. Jaguar Yokota for a time was considered the best wrestler in the world period. He toured across America with fellow wrestlers and held several championship titles. For a time, Hart was considered the most famous person in Canada and is quite often regarded as the greatest wrestler of all time. However, the company released him and his brother from their contracts in mid-2005. DONATE, Before the money moved in, Kings Cross was a place for born-and-bred locals, clubs and crime, See what really went on during that time in NYC's topless go-go bars, Chris Stein 's photographs of Debbie Harry and friends take us back to a great era of music. 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. Benny then opened a pawn shop and worked as an auctioneer in Hendersonville. Rikishi spent over a decade in Vince McMahon's company, during which he won the Intercontinental Championship twice and the tag titles three times. In 1965, Mascaras made his professional debut in Guadalajara, Mexico. Carnies, who traveled and wrestled at these events, used tricks to protect their money and reputations during competitions, devising little-known and often dangerous wrestling moves, called "hooks." Trained by the legendary Killer Kowalski, Big John Studds debut in the WWE would be alongside his trainer and partner. Their gravestone displays images of two Honda motorcycles and is inscribed "Worlds Largest Twins". He started his career as a circus acrobat before taking up wrestling in the 1950s. The Tonga Kid joined the company in 1983 and spent nearly five years there before leaving in 1988. 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. The 37-year-old spent nearly a year in Vince McMahon's company, during which she only competed in four matches on the main roster. Born and raised in a small Italian town, Bruno Sammartinos childhood was quite tough. Standing at 610 and weighing more than 360 pounds, Big John Studd is one of the greatest 70s wrestlers. After leaving WWE, Adams joined IMPACT Wrestling, where she became one of the top female wrestlers, winning three Knockouts Championships and one Knockouts Tag Team Championship. In the U.S., he made his name thanks to a massive violent feud with Bruno Sammartino in WWE. The 56-year-old also entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. 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. Wrestle: A compilation of old school images of 80s wrestlers has been published by nostalgia website These Americans and the best (or worst) of the bunch can be seen here The Point: The fashion. Times have changed and its increasingly difficult to view grapplers like The Ultimate Warrior without thinking of his appalling and bigoted worldviews. His reputation for playing mind games with his opponents never superseded his actual in-ring acumen. It doesnt matter if its Throwback Thursday or Flashback Friday, every day of the week, people are taking the opportunity to look back and reminisce about the glory days. Due to the lack of complete records, it is believed that Farmer Pete was World Champion for seven days in 1957, after beating Sonny Boy Cassidy, who won the title back in a rematch in October the same year. Andre the Giant won his only world title in 1988, but he was a man who never needed a title to be the biggest star in any company he wrestled in. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Morales also became the first Triple Crown Champion in company history after winning the World Tag Team and Intercontinental Championships. This made Koloff one of the only men to ever beat Sammartino in a WWE match. NEXT: The 10 Greatest 80s Wrestlers of All Time, The 25 Greatest WWE Wrestlers of All Time, WWE Salary: Highest Paid Wrestlers, Richest Wrestlers, Lowest Paid Wrestlers, Referee Earnings. Beefcake held nine titles throughout his career and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop. Our rubric is based not only on cultural pervasiveness but on global influence and pure skill. Only Keith would be given PPV time, competing in the Lethal Lottery alongside Ron Simmons at Battlebowl 1993. Bret Hart Self | WWF Survivor Series News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. His first run lasted more than 1,700 days from 1975-1980. He then spent several years competing on the independent circuit and in ECW before officially joining WWE in 2002. He even found time to release the single True Love in 1975 and still has. Little Tokyo went on to win the NWA World Midget Champion three times equaling Lord Littlebrooks achievement. 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). Her garish fashion statements have since inspired a new generation of sartorial outsiders. They competed as The Power Twins under a WWE development territory, yet both Diane and Elaine werent exactly equipped for the squared circle. Billy Leon McCrary (December 7, 1946 July 14, 1979) and Benny Loyd McCrary (December 7, 1946 March 26, 2001), known together as The McGuire Twins, were American professional wrestlers listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "World's Heaviest Twins" (328 kilograms (723lb) and 338 kilograms (745lb), respectively). By the end of his illustrious wrestling career, The Macho Man had accumulated an impressive 11 titles. When they returned to WWE, they adopted the names 8-Ball and Skull, joining their real-life cousin Brian Lee (as Chainz) and Crush in The Disciples of Apocalypse. Two of the best tag team wrestlers ever. The world of sports has seen its fair share of successful twin tandems, including NHL's Sedin brothers, MMA's Nogueira brothers, football's Pouncey brothers, and the Lopez brothers competing in the NBA, to name a few. Despite his goofy yellow polka dots, theres something sort of poetic about Dusty The American Dream Rhodes rise to fame. Larry "The Axe" Hennig remains known as the father of Mr. Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images. Matches frequently went up to an hour on a regular basis. He was born Roland Barriault in Sudbury, Ontario on July 22, 1946. We need to confirm your email address. They dropped out of high school and moved to Texas, where they had jobs livestock branding. Graham would then go ahead and hold the championship for about 10 months making it one of the longest reigns by a villain. Terrys wrestling career spanned for more than 50 years, enabling the wrestler to compete in all the well-established promotions. Just two months after arriving in WWE, he was fighting for the world title. Do check the Promotions tab if you cannot find it in the Primary Inbox. Pat Patterson was the first man to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship. While Terry Funk had many classic singles matches, it is his tag team matches that stood out. Prior to his professional wrestling debut, Giant Baba was a professional pitcher for one of the biggest baseball teams in Japan. 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. [8] The brothers are buried side by side in a graveyard near Hendersonville. Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, Ricky Steamboats fights against Macho Man Randy Savage (1987) and Ric Flair (1989) were both awarded Match of the Year by Pro-Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer. Some twins rose to prominence by being glamour models inside and out of the squared circle, while other duos shared a common goal of calling matches down the middle. A key member of The Hart Foundation faction, Niedhart ran roughshod through the WWF with his pink-clad partners throughout the 1980s. Aside from a week in December 1974, Brisco held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from July 1973 to December 1975. Giant Baba and Andre the Giant would walk out of the ring victorious after delivering a pulsating match. Gorgeous George gained epic mainstream popularity, followed in the Second Golden Age in the 1980s and 1990s 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. By way of the beginning of television in the 1950s and, subsequently cable television in the 1980s, professional wrestling began appearing in powerful, multiple media outlets. 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! 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