Best known as a top showjumper who occasionally flicked a V-sign, Yorkshire's finest, 78, also grappled in the 1970s. 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. Known for his signature evil laugh, "The Million Dollar Man" bragged about you guessed it his extraordinary wealth while trouncing opponents around the world. In 1972, Moolah made history by becoming the first-ever female star to wrestle at Madison Square. They made their WWE debuts in 1995 as The Blu Brothers, participating in the Royal Rumble Match and eventually losing to Davey Boy Smith and Lex Luger in the opening bout of WrestleMania 11. Starting her career at the age of 15, it wouldnt take her too long to start snatching titles. 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 He spent his later childhood years growing up in Brooklyn and became a fan favorite for New York Citys large Puerto Rican population, the home base of the WWE. The 49-year-old spent nearly five years in the promotion, during which he failed to win any titles on the main roster. 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. The twin brothers founded Phoenix Championship Wrestling together in 2001. The Big Cat was an AFL All-Pro before he had a Hall of Fame career as a professional wrestler. I'm thinking of you" - Pablo Iglesias Maurer, At the end of October 1959 in the basement of 39 Gerrard Street - an unexceptional and damp space that was once a sort of rest room for taxi drivers and an occasional tea bar - Ronnie Scott opened his first jazz club. Ted Dibiase. Neither of the brothers has competed since 2019. Although the conceit might seem silly, Sayama had the skill to back up the story: his match at NJPW Sumo Hall Show in 1983 (against Dynamite Kid Thomas Billington) was the first fight Meltzer ever granted a 5 Star rating. Cant you almost hear the raspy, strained shouts of Macho Man Randy Savage? 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. Many wrestling fans will remember him for his feud with WWEs golden boy, Tito Sammartino. Although wrestling matches in the 60s, 70s, and 80s were not as smooth and immersive as the matches of later years especially The New Era, these matches still lived up to the expectations of the fans at that point in time. Competing since the mid-1980s, The Batten Twins have tussled against some of the best in the world, but they never quite got the recognition they wanted. But Ladd never won a major promotion's top belt. Bruno Sammartino is one of the most famous and popular faces ever to wrestle for the McMahon machine. In 1974, Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Robinson their Most Popular Wrestler of the Year. Her matches with her aforementioned nemeses were attended by sold-out crowds in Japan and bolstered the reputation of Japanese womens wrestling worldwide. Both flashy and furious, Mil Mscaras is considered one of Mexican wrestlings first international stars. These guys could keep crowds engaged for 30, 45, or 60 minutes with ease, as that was the length of their matches on a regular basis. 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. Many of the guys on this list were legit tough guys and gave the sport the credibility lacking in a sense today. Her reigns as womens champion lasted for 8, 6, and 10 years in her run as the top female wrestler in the world. He worked as a villain when he was given the title, with Lou Albano as his manager, but when he broke away, he became one of the most popular WWE wrestlers of his era. Cowboy Bob Bradley was born Robert Claton Bradley in Dickens County, TX, in February 1935. Inspired by the legendary Muhamad Ali, Billy Graham would step in front of a microphone and deliver a promo that is full of rhyming words. 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. In his final match, Rikishi teamed up with Danni Deeds and Todd Quality to defeat Adam Ryder, Marty Sugar, and Shreddz at a PPW event. He became good friends with fellow wrestler Andre the Giant and has a career as a movie actor. 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. Bret Hart Self | WWF Survivor Series Though their reign was short, it affirmed them as true legends of Tag Team Wrestling. As you will notice, this list features some of the biggest wrestlers in the history of wrestling, a trend that the WWF adopted back in its early years. Bubby Rodgers and Bruno Sammartino were just among the few renowned wrestlers that faced Calhoun. They even challenged The Steiner Brothers for the NWA Tag Team Titles in 1990 but came up short. Accompanied by Mortimer Plumtree, the Shane Twins were known as The Johnsons, two latex-wearing brutes made to resemble giant penises. Aside from a week in December 1974, Brisco held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from July 1973 to December 1975. They'd be 74 today", "Benny Loyd McCrary, World's Heaviest Twin", "McCrary Twins Awe Wrestling Fans Across Country", "Services for Billy McCrary to be Held Here Tomorrow", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_McGuire_Twins&oldid=1141937960, 666kg (1,468lb) (Billy and Benny McGuire), This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 17:23. 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). Since then,both Bellas have worked hard and improved drastically in the ring. For a time, Hart was considered the most famous person in Canada and is quite often regarded as the greatest wrestler of all time. 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. A few years later, he retired as a referee due to injury and became a road agent. With Grand Wizard by his side, it did not take long before Billy Graham became a WWE Heavyweight Champion, in the process toppling Bruno Sammartino. Theyve also shared rings with two promising Scottish standouts, Carmel Jacob and Nikki Storm, as well as Japans Tsukasa Fujimoto. When you think of pro-wrestling in the 1980s who comes to mind? Cole WWE.com Kent and Keith Cole were WCW regulars during the mid-1990s, a mid-card act who would beat other jobbers but usually lost to more established teams. In the United States, in the First Golden Age of professional wrestling was in the 1940s and 1950s. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. The Owens, composed of Leah and Casey, are two Irish girls that recently auditioned for WWE Tough Enough casting. Their popularity in Japan can be compared to Hulk Hogans popularity in the United States. 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. A wrestler called Jack Cassidy ready to rumble in 1968. Remember, this is before professional wrestling was called sports entertainment. Audiences believed the violent action they were seeing and took it for gospel! 1960. While Mascaras received several shots at the title, he always came shot and thus never won any title with the WWE. His matches with the original Tiger Mask were light years ahead of what some wrestling companies were doing. Prior to his professional wrestling debut, Giant Baba was a professional pitcher for one of the biggest baseball teams in Japan. See production, box office & company info, WWE Legends: Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s. 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. He sadly died at the age of 56 in January 2007. This made Koloff one of the only men to ever beat Sammartino in a WWE match. Unfortunately, though, some twins have been more successful than others, and while a number of twins have set foot in WWE and other major promotions, most are easily forgotten. 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. Pro Wrestling fans may remember some of the most prominent wrestling twins, Today we are presenting you with " Top 10 Twins In Wrestling History That You Pro. 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. In 1965, Mascaras made his professional debut in Guadalajara, Mexico. 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. We need to confirm your email address. One of the greatest Japanese wrestlers of all time, Antonio Inokis contribution to the world of wrestling cannot be ignored. 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. 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. This, however, was before professional wrestling was called sports entertainment. Known for his signature evil laugh, The Million Dollar Man bragged about you guessed it his extraordinary wealth while trouncing opponents around the world. Here are the top 15 twins in wrestling, with the majority of the selections guaranteed to pick your brain: The Phoenix Twins were regulars on the independent circuit, feuding with The House of Truth approximately half a decade ago, which means theyve shared rings with Jimmy Jacobs and current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins. 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. Sky Low Low (outside ring) in a tag team with Little Beaver (nearside) versus Mighty Atom, May 5, 1967. This, and a ton of hard work, became the blueprint to win championships for specific sets of twins in WWE. - Douglas Percy Bliss on his friend Eric Ravilious from their time at the Royal College of Art Eric Ravilious loved. 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. Eventually, the character morphed into a deranged barber who cut the hair of his opponents following his decisive victories. And although his identity is now known worldwide, hes one of the few masked wrestlers to have never revealed his face to the public. Jamaica Kid and Little Beaver backstage at a wrestling arena April 25, 1969. They dont quite look alike, but to the Olsens credit, they often wore matching outfits, which facilitated the gimmick, also helping tag teams like The Fabulous Ones, The Dicks, and The Basham Brothers to look like similar siblings in the past. A gimmick that kind of worked out but was really cheesy. Pedro Morales was the perfect champion for Vince McMahon Sr.'s New York territory in the 70s. RELATED: The 10 Best Wrestlers In The World Outside WWEHe later went to the WWE where he would become the first masked wrestler to appear at Madison Square Garden while working alongside legends like Superstar Billy Graham, Andre the Giant, and Dusty Rhodes. Standing at 610, Giant Baba was one of the biggest wrestlers in the WWE. It turns out Earl was hired by The Million Dollar Man Ted DiBiase, which introduced the Hebner twins to the world of pro-wrestling. Perfect exemplified the widely reviled heel archetype throughout the decade. Ephemeral, disposable, they served only one purposeto let someone know "I'm here. Rhodes made some appearances in the WWWF in the 70s, but it was the NWA where he had his biggest success. Kayfabe is, however, occasionally broken during shows, usually when dealing with genuine injuries during a match or paying tribute to wrestlers.. A major star of Midget Wrestling Littlebrook was born in England in 1929. He dropped out of West Texas State College in 1953 to take up the fight game. 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. 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. Hence, she has made her Instagram profile private. Prior to The Model, Rick Martel was one half of Strike Force along with Tito Santana. In the 70s, kayfabe was alive and well and crowds believed what they were seeing. When he retired, Kowalski started a wrestling school and ended up training Triple H years later. If you look up the word wrestler in the dictionary, you might come upon Robinsons name. Members of the renowned Anoia family, the Wild Samoans were not only barbaric and ruthless but also a force to reckon with back in the 70s and 80s. Little Beaver was born Lionel Giroux in Saint-Jrme, Quebec in 1935. he began his wrestling career at the age of fifteen and teamed up with fellow Canadian Sky Low Low, the pair going on to become two of the most famous wrestlers in history. They include: The Executioners (Kowalski, Stuff, & Volkoff), The Blackjacks (Blackjacks Mulligan & Lanza), The Wild Samoans (Wild Samoans Afa & Sika), The Valiant Brothers (Johnny, Jimmy, & Jerry), The Strongbows (Chief Jay & Jules Strongbow). In the '70s, he had a chance to work title matches in the WWWF against Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales before returning to the AWA, where he finally became a babyface.He ended up feuding with former allies Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens. It is his ruthlessness and fearless nature during matches and interviews that saw him pull crowds. 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. He was also credited by the Guinness Book of Records as the Worlds Strongest Midget.. 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. Brie, along with her identical twin sister, Nikki, rose to fame with their "Twin Magic" in which they would switch places in the ring during matches a move created by movie star Freddie Prinze Jr., who was writing for the WWE at the time.The rest, as they say, is history, and now the Bella twins have . Referee George Gadaski talks to the legendary Little Beaver (back to camera) with tag partner Jamaica Kid to his left, and rivals Billy the Kid and Cowboy Bradley to his right. Their penchant for ruthless battles made their sudden change in demeanor very surprising to longtime fans when they debuted in WWE in 1988. [3], They spent three years working at the Circus Circus Las Vegas, then performed their minbike routine for a few months in Los Angeles. In the U.S., he made his name thanks to a massive violent feud with Bruno Sammartino in WWE. Wrestling became an international phenomenon with the expansion of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). This was an era where there were three major United States promotions in the NWA. In 1957 after spending most of his early wrestling years in Canada, Kowalski began working for Vince McMahon. Meanwhile, his brother continued refereeing in several companies, including IMPACT Wrestling and AEW. They dropped out of high school and moved to Texas, where they had jobs livestock branding. Thanks to size and height, Andre the Giant popularity in the United States grew tremendously. Played by Satoru Sayama, who Bret Hart once called the Bruce Lee of professional wrestling, Tiger Mask I was both a real-life wrestling character and the star of a popular Japanese cartoon. While Olsen is best known for his time in Chikara, Delaney is a familiar face to WWE fans, competing in the revamped ECW against the likes of Matt Hardy, Tommy Dreamer, and Mark Henry, to name a few. [1] [2] As the match got underway, it could have been anybodys win; until the grand finale. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest 70's wrestler of all time. Thanks to photographerDavid Maciejewskiwe can see pictures of thelittle wrestlers before the hype and hoopla of WWF took hold. As a professional wrestler, Terry Funk worked with various promotions including WCW, USWA, ECW TNA, and WWF. Unfortunately, the promotion closed two years later. The prototypical arrogant pretty boy, Rude was known for insulting the mostly-male crowds before enticing women with promises of sexual promiscuity. Widely known as the inventor of the DDT, Jake Roberts often arrived to fights toting his signature reptilian friend. He moved to the US in the early 1960s, where he became NWA World Midget Championwinning a record three times (tied with Little Tokyo). Haven't seen this in it's full version so here it is. Several pairs of twins have worked in Vince McMahon's company over the years, including The Bellas and The Usos. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Beefcake held nine titles throughout his career and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. A movie star, a pop hero, and a gentle soul Andres kindness is often remembered as fondly as his physical domination. 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. One year after their debut in the WWE, the Wild Samoans would win their first-ever tag team championship. Of the two, Jack proved to be the star. WWE billed Andre as an undefeated wrestler until his loss to Hulk Hogan, but that was not entirely true. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). 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. 28. Being a Luchador, Mascaras has never stepped into the squared circle without a mask.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'sportlister_com-sky-3','ezslot_23',116,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-sky-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'sportlister_com-sky-3','ezslot_24',116,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-sky-3-0_1');.sky-3-multi-116{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. At one point she even worked as Nature Boys valet. Billy the Kid born John William Guillot in Waco, Texas in 1936. Born and raised in a small Italian town, Bruno Sammartinos childhood was quite tough. The Niedhart legacy these days is carried on through current WWE superstar Natalya, but her father frequently known as The Anvil had cemented his heroic status long before she began fighting. Cowboy Lang was born Harry Lang in Saskatchewan, Canada on August 28, 1950. Just two months after arriving in WWE, he was fighting for the world title. [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. Born in a wrestling family, Mil Mascaras began his training at an early age. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. Yes I have a dark side, doesnt everyone? 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. 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. Although perhaps better known these days for his bombastic and foul-mouthed twitter rampages, Iron Sheik was a key heel throughout the 80s. However, the company released him and his brother from their contracts in mid-2005. He worked everywhere from the AWA and WWWE to Japan and the territories. The history of womens wrestling may have taken an entirely different direction had Wendi not been bamboozled by Vince McMahon and The Fabulous Moolah during the infamous Rock N Wrestling connection moment. Although the world of 80s pro-wrestling was filled with neon tiger stripes and cocaine dreams that decade was also a time of immense athleticism, over-the-top characters, and intrepid innovation in the art of combat sports. Moving forward into the 1930s, however, professional wrestling became identified with modern day theatrics and "admitted fakeness. The sport of wrestling had started becoming so scripted that critics began viewing it as somewhat of a joke; particularly in comparison to boxing, mixed martial arts, amateur wrestling, and the real sport itself, wrestling. Giant Babas most memorable match would be a tag team match with Andre the Giant against Demolition at the Wrestling Summit. In it there are many variations of the species, each peculiar to its own terrain and indigenous populous. 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