15 1980’s Wrestlers Who Shouldn’t Be Forgotten

The 1980’s were a tremendous boom time for professional wrestling. Long a regional sport, Vince McMahon made wrestling national and brought in movie and music stars to draw even more eyeballs. These were the grapplers who ruled the sport in the decade.

15. The Junkyard Dog

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A former college and professional football player, JYD was hugely popular in the southern region of the country. Vince McMahon then brought him to the WWE where he became an even bigger star thanks to his incredible charisma and athletic ability.

14. Arn Anderson

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Ole Anderson was the grizzled old vet and Ric Flair was the megawatt talent, but Arn Anderson was the true backbone of the Four Horsemen. A skilled grappler who could make any opponent look great, Anderson held the Tag Team belts in both the WCW and WWE.

13. The Honky Tonk Man

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An Elvis-impersonating heel who drew major heat, the Honky Tonk Man experienced great success in the WWE during the last 1980s. He won the Intercontinental Championship from Ricky the Dragon Steamboat and went on a record-setting run before losing the strap to the Ultimate Warrior.

12. Barry Horowitz

Not everyone gets to win the majority of their matches and win championships, there are also guys who have to eat losses. The WWE’s best jobber in the 80s was Barry Horowitz, who made a gimmick of slapping himself on the back when he did something well.

11. Koko B. Ware

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Some guys are better than jobbers but still won’t really be in the title picture. Koko B. Ware was a strong mid-carder during the 1980s who was very over with the fans thanks in part to his macaw, Frankie. Ware was part of some major pay per views including Wrestlemania III.

10. Barry Windham

The son of wrestling star Blackjack Mulligan, Barry Windham has plenty of success in the 1980s. In the WWE he was in a tag tag with Mike Rotunda that appeared at Wrestlemania I. And in the late 1980s, he was made a member the Four Horsemen alongside Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard and Arn Anderson.

9. Kerry Von Erich

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At times in the 1980s, Kerry Von Erich was on the top of the world wrestling with his brothers for his father’s promotion and winning the World Title in 1983. That would be the high-water mark for the grappler, though, who passed away in 1993.

8. Magnum T.A.

Terry Allen, nicknamed Magnum T.A. thanks to his resemblance to Tom Selleck, had the look and the skill to be a long-time champion and he engaged in feuds with stars like Tully Blanchard and Nikita Koloff. A 1986 car accident, though, resulted in a broken back and ended his promising career.

7. Ricky the Dragon Steamboat

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While he never showed all the much charisma on the microphone, Steamboat regularly put on classic matches with the likes of Ric Flair and Randy Savage. Considered to be an amazing in-ring technician, Steamboat was an influence on many of the superstars who came after him.

6. Roddy Piper

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There was nothing physically about Roddy Piper that would push him toward the top of the card. But the Rowdy one was incredible on the microphone and could get any crowd with him or against him at the drop of a hat and became one of wrestling’s great anti-heroes.

5. Jake ‘The Snake’ Roberts

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Jake Roberts, the son of wrestler Grizzly Smith, had a great look, but more importantly, was a master of ring psychology. Even though he was meant to be a heel, Roberts got way over with the fans who loved his snake Damian and his finishing move, the DDT.

4. Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage

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Another son of a legend, Angelo Poffo, Randy Savage came to the WWE in 1985 and was immediately near the top of the card. With a great look, incredible mic skills and fantastic in-ring ability, Savage was one of the top stars of the 80s.

3. Dusty Rhodes

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Dusty Rhodes never had a great body, but he was unbelievable in the ring and is likely the most charismatic wrestler in the history of the sport. He began the decade feuding with Ric Flair for the World Championship and ended it getting the Common Man gimmick over in the WWE.

2. Hulk Hogan

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Vince McMahon wanted to take wrestling to the mainstream in the 1980s and he had the perfect star to do so in Hulk Hogan. The massive star was over not only in the ring but in Hollywood as well and he brought more eyeballs to the sport than anyone ever.

1. Ric Flair

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Ric Flair, who plied his trade in the WCW during the 1980s, wasn’t as well known among non-wrestling fans as Hogan was. It is undeniable, though, that Flair is the greatest wrestler and personality in the history of the sport and plenty of his best work was done during the decade.

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