Standing at 610 and weighing more than 360 pounds, Big John Studd is one of the greatest 70s wrestlers. Its almost impossible to overstate the precision and crispness of Harts technical abilities and his resilience in the face of some very real tragedies is beyond admirable. 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. Countless wrestling entertainment talent lives on in our history and memories. In relative terms, a wrestler breaking kayfabe during a show would be likened to an actor breaking character on-camera. Twin brothers Jimmy and Jey Uso are the sons of former wrestler Rikishi and members of the Anoa'i wrestling family. 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. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). 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. Their in-ring attires truly made them memorable, even if you only saw them a few times. Bucci competed in a few matches between 1996 and 2002, but is now retired. He worked everywhere from the AWA and WWWE to Japan and the territories. Sammartino would then go ahead and beat Inoki bloody. As much a wrestler as a cultural ambassador, Mscaras starred in over 20 films. One of wrestlings breakout stars, Roddy Piper became a bonafide pop-cultural icon with numerous appearances on television sitcoms and cartoons. 28. During their reign as tag team champions, the Wild Samoans would go head to head with various teams including Rick Martel & Tony Garea, Tony Atlas & Rocky Johnson, and The Strongbows. His over-the-top video packages established him as a kind of miraculous meta-human that, despite or because of their inherent campiness, catalyzed his global superstardom. They are the main cast members of reality show Total Divas, and if thats not enough, both sisters are dating WWEs top stars, John Cena (dating Nikki) and Daniel Bryan (married to Brie). The two fought in New Japan Pro Wrestling and in the WWE, and changed wrestling in the process. Yes I have a dark side, doesnt everyone? Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). Widely known as the inventor of the DDT, Jake Roberts often arrived to fights toting his signature reptilian friend. Despite that, Andre was someone that territories brought in to beat their biggest heels, and he sold out every appearance. 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. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Andres professional wrestling career began in his home country France where he wrestled under the moniker, Jean Ferre. Good luck trying to get that out of some of todays professional wrestlers. Times have changed and its increasingly difficult to view grapplers like The Ultimate Warrior without thinking of his appalling and bigoted worldviews. However, like many of his colleagues, his career and achievements have been sadly overlooked. 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 and crowds believed what they were seeing. [8] The brothers are buried side by side in a graveyard near Hendersonville. Its no surprise that The Crush Gals are often considered the greatest womens tag team of all time considering the duos perfectly honed and incredibly powerful movesets. The Hardcore Legend Terry Funk had memorable matches in the 1980s and 90s, but the 70s might have been his golden age. The barnstormers competed as traveling wrestlers did and often cooperated with the carnies to stage the matches, providing enormous profits for both sides in betting. He was also credited by the Guinness Book of Records as the Worlds Strongest Midget.. Cheerfulness kept creeping in." Because of his ability to stand out and cut amazing promos, many WWE fans flocked to the ring to see the superstar in action. The twins have a victory over the Ron & Terry Garvin, and competed against legends such as Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami. [5], From 1974 to 1978, they participated in several matches in Japan, organized by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, defeating other notable wrestling tag teams including Kantaro Hoshino and Seiji Sakaguchi as well as Osamu Kido and Riki Choshu. In retrospect, its actually shocking that he only had one heavyweight title run during his stint in WWF. While Terry Funk had many classic singles matches, it is his tag team matches that stood out. He became good friends with fellow wrestler Andre the Giant and has a career as a movie actor. Even when he fell in love - and that was frequently - he was never submerged by disappointment. 1990. This, and a ton of hard work, became the blueprint to win championships for specific sets of twins in WWE. This was Afa and Sika, the men who were the patriarchs of the Samoan Dynasty. The Owens, composed of Leah and Casey, are two Irish girls that recently auditioned for WWE Tough Enough casting. As a professional wrestler, Terry Funk worked with various promotions including WCW, USWA, ECW TNA, and WWF. 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 1960, Giant Baba left Baseball and began training in Mitsuhiro Momotas dojo as the legend identified him as his successor. Did a WWE legend just take a shot at Sami Zayn's physique right here? Of the two, Jack proved to be the star. On top of that, the win would mark one of the longest reigns as Bruno would retain the title for 8 consecutive years. The Blossom Twins had high hopes in the wrestling industry as two twin girls growing up in the United Kingdom. In his debut night, Tito Santana and Ivan Putski would win the World Tag Team Titles from Johnny and Jimmy Valliant. Here are four WWE Superstars you may not know have twin siblings. Wrestling became an international phenomenon with the expansion of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Rikishi and his twin brother shared the ring a few times in WWE and other promotions throughout their careers. 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. Little Bruiser and Billy the Kid, September 23, 1972. The 72-year-old joined Vince McMahon's company in the early 1980s and has refereed some historic matches, including Randy Savage vs. Hulk . He died aged 76 in January 2013. 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. Cowboy Lang was born Harry Lang in Saskatchewan, Canada on August 28, 1950. 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. Her matches with her aforementioned nemeses were attended by sold-out crowds in Japan and bolstered the reputation of Japanese womens wrestling worldwide. 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. Many of the guys on this list were legit tough guys and gave the sport the credibility lacking in a sense today. Jamaica Kid and Little Beaver backstage at a wrestling arena April 25, 1969. But the thing about nostalgia is that it tends to whitewash some of the darker parts of history in favor of a rose-tinted rearview. He then spent several years competing on the independent circuit and in ECW before officially joining WWE in 2002. A force to reckon with, Big John Studd dominated matches with much ease. Pat Patterson was the first man to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship. For a while Race was a record holder as far as World Heavyweight Title reigns went until he was bested by Ric Flair. This secret weapon made Mr. Fuji one of the most dangerous wrestlers in the WWE. Killer Kowalskis reputation went beyond the world of wrestling thanks to his fearsome and terrifying nature. Over the past few years, the former Diva Search contestant has posted a few photos on Instagram of herself and her sister together. They each weighed 200 pounds by age 10 and 600 pounds by age 16. Little Tokyo went on to win the NWA World Midget Champion three times equaling Lord Littlebrooks achievement. Beefcake held nine titles throughout his career and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. His reputation for playing mind games with his opponents never superseded his actual in-ring acumen. Competing in Ohio Valley Wrestling for five years with a combined four title reigns, Hannah and Holly made a name for themselves wrestling under TNA, first appearing on TNA Wrestling: British Bootcamp, where Rockstar Spud and Mary Scurll were also discovered. He was born Roland Barriault in Sudbury, Ontario on July 22, 1946. Though their reign was short, it affirmed them as true legends of Tag Team Wrestling. Little Bruiser in Chicago, September 1, 1972. Flair had nothing but praise for Race upon his death in 2019: Without Harley Race, there was no Ric Flair. After a ban on masks in the WWF was lifted, Mil Mascaras would join WWE where he began his long-running feud with Superstar Billy Graham for the World Heavyweight title. [3], Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 17:23, List of premature professional wrestling deaths, "The Wrestling Mc Guire Twins Weigh 747 and 727 but It's Their Opponents Who Go Boing, Boing", "700-pound NC twins rode minibikes, wrestled with Andre the Giant. Graham would then go ahead and hold the championship for about 10 months making it one of the longest reigns by a villain. 10 Best WWE Wrestlers Of All-Time, According To Cagematch.net, 10 Things Fans Should Know About Curt Hennig, The Russian Bear beat Bruno Sammartino for the WWE Championship in 1971, a win that almost caused a riot, 10 Best Pat Patterson Moments In WWE History, first Triple Crown Champion in company history, The 10 Best Wrestlers In The World Outside WWE, 10 Greatest WWE Golden Era Wrestlers, Ranked. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportlister_com-leader-2','ezslot_5',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-leader-2-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportlister_com-leader-2','ezslot_6',112,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-leader-2-0_1');.leader-2-multi-112{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:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. During his stint with JWA, Antonio Inoki faced Bruno Sammartino in one of the most controversial matches of all time. A warrior and fighter inside the squared circle, Terry Funk managed to win a title with almost every promotion that he worked with. Apart from doing all he could to win matches, Mr. Fuji always took it a step further and hid bags of salt within his pants. A major star of 'Midget Wrestling' Littlebrook was born in England in 1929. Thanks to photographerDavid Maciejewskiwe can see pictures of thelittle wrestlers before the hype and hoopla of WWF took hold. Ed Farhat, uncle and trainer of Sabu and trainer of Rob Van Dam, held a number of regional titles across the Midwest in the 70s. It is his ruthlessness and fearless nature during matches and interviews that saw him pull crowds. Superstar spawned a number of imitators that include Hulk Hogan, Jesse the Body Ventura, and Scott Steiner. 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. Despite his goofy yellow polka dots, theres something sort of poetic about Dusty The American Dream Rhodes rise to fame. By what name was AWA All-Star Wrestling (1972) officially released in Canada in English? In 1963, Bruno Sammartino defeated the WWE champion, Buddy Rodgers in just under 48 seconds, a feat that no wrestler managed to replicate. They were victims of some of the worst gimmicks in the history of the business. 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. We need to confirm your email address. If you enjoy what we do, please consider becoming a patron with a recurring monthly subscription of your choosing. Respected and influential wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer went as far as calling him "one of the key figures in the growth of WWF., Named one of the top five WWF Intercontinental Champions of all time, Curt Hennig AKA Mr. Born in England, Robinson is one of the godfathers of strong style and is considered one of the best ever by Japanese fans. However, long before these emerging stars ever eyed a career between the ropes, there was a rugged brother tag team travelling the territories in the 1970's as "The Islanders". 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). 5 years down the line he would join NWA briefly, before returning to the WWE one more time. Do check the Promotions tab if you cannot find it in the Primary Inbox. Superstar Billy Graham dropped it nearly a year later to Bob Backlund, PWIs 1978 Match of the Year. 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. Hebner's twin brother Dave is also a wrestling referee. This made Koloff one of the only men to ever beat Sammartino in a WWE match. Two years later, Vince McMahon, Sr would come knocking and, in the process, signing Andre the Giant to the WWE. 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. Jack and his brother Gerry were the original Brisco brothers, not to be confused with the ROH pair. Both Bart and Brad, who spent the majority of their time in WCWA, took on all comers such as Kevin Sullivan, Matt Borne, The Moondogs, and a tag team called The Thrillseekers, a duo made up of Chris Jericho and Lance Storm. 10. 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. We could always count on a suplex, a body slam or a chair over the head. Having made appearances in Japan, Mexico and North America, The Headhunters (consisting of twins Manuel and Victor Santiago) are best known for their stints in WWE and ECW. Until the 1920s, professional wrestling in the United States was viewed as a serious and legitimate sport showcasing true athletic competition. The Samoans were a staple of Vince McMahon, Sr. and his WWF company in the 1970s and early 1980s. Giant Babas most memorable match would be a tag team match with Andre the Giant against Demolition at the Wrestling Summit. In the year 1971, Ivan Koloff managed to end Sammartinos 7-year streak as world champion. All of this when the AWA sported one of the deepest rosters in territorial wrestling. 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. [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! The Klimaszewski girls are popular for being The Coors Light Twins, yet they also appeared on WCW Nitro frequently as members of The Nitro Girls. A 3-time tag team champion, Mr. Fuji made a name for himself as one of the biggest rule breakers in sports entertainment. 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. He went on to win a clutch of wrestling awards including the NWA Midget Wrestling Championship twice and was a firm favorite with fans. Jimmy and Jey Uso, for example, joined WWE in 2009 and have achieved a lot throughout their 13 years with the company. Antonio Inoki. Bucci (AKA Donnie B.) 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. While other '80s wrestlers are known as much for their bombastic personalities as for their actual fighting ability, its the latter quality that continues to endear industry insiders to Hart. By that time, Johnny Valiant had moved on to managing and Jimmy had become the Boogie Woogie Man. Starting her career at the age of 15, it wouldnt take her too long to start snatching titles. A gimmick that kind of worked out but was really cheesy. Quick! [2], The twins were married to sisters Maryse and Danielle Juarry, whom they met in Montreal. A co-founder of NJPW, Antonio Inoki did not hold as many titles as other Japanese wrestlers at the time and those who came after him. In the '70s, he was part of the WWE and was still on top of the world until his retirement in 1977. They competed as The Power Twins under a WWE development territory, yet both Diane and Elaine werent exactly equipped for the squared circle. Randy Savage was an iconic wrestler back in the 1980s all thanks to his impressive ring attire, distinctive and raspy voice as well as unmissable intensity. 7. Terry Funk had memorable matches in the 1980s and 90s. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s.

Why Did Mack Leave Z Nation, 850 Coca Cola Flavors In Japan, Does United Healthcare Cover Compression Stockings, How Much Is The Swing Painting Worth, How Did Motown Records Achieve Crossover Success?, Articles T