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. See production, box office & company info, WWE Legends: Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s. The Blossom Twins had high hopes in the wrestling industry as two twin girls growing up in the United Kingdom. In 1974, Killer Kowalski would have his last match against Bruno Sammartino for the WWF World heavyweight championship. Certainly, the drug-fueled charms of the salacious and ostentatious Ric Flair are indelibly imbued into our collective memories. 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. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . After briefly competing in Deep South Wrestling in 2006, WWE parted ways with both Mike and Todd. 3. The Dynamite Kid was one of the most innovative wrestlers of the 1980s. [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. Nonetheless, Richter won championships around the globe before her retirement in 2005. Please consider making a donation to our site. 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. 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. 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}. He died aged 76 in January 2013. Most of the wrestlers didnt even have the physiques or follow the diet and workout regimen that many athletes follow today. Earl is notorious for ringing the bell at Survivor Series 1997, costing Bret Hart the WWE Championship against Shawn Michaels in an episode titled the Montreal Screwjob.. 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. 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. Although she did not make the final eight, WWE signed her. Nikki Bella. He retired in 1970 and moved to Las Vegas where he became a blackjack dealer. He held the AWA World Championship for 4,677 total days. They often provided an excellent foil to the overpowered Crush Gals throughout their influential run. In WWE, he beat Superstar Billy Graham for the WWE Championship in 1978 and held the title for five years before dropping it to Iron Sheik. Cowboy Bob Bradley and Joey Russell, February 23 1968. 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. Bob Backlund was as different from Bruno as anyone. All-Star Wrestling footage (and AWA footage as a whole) is now owned by World Wrestling Entertainment . [7], After the death of Billy, Benny tried to continue wrestling, partnering with Andre the Giant, but was not successful without his brother. Larry "The Axe" Hennig remains known as the father of Mr. Haven't seen this in it's full version so here it is. was a promoter and wrestling manager. Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki became two of the most popular Japanese wrestlers of all time. A Montreal native, The Wild Bear was a dominant force in the WWF. Dubbed the Executioners, the duo would go ahead and capture the World Tag Team belts in the same year. 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. When it comes to the division, Jimmy and Jey have shared rings with WWEs best, and even though the Samoans havent rejuvenated since losing to Kidd and Cesaro back in February at Fast Lane, they should be resuming where they left off once Jey is cleared to compete again from shoulder surgery. Widely respected for his integrity and personal principles, Sammartino was one of the most popular wrestlers in the 60s and 70s. Whatever the roles may be, theres no overlooking the upper hand some identical siblings have over their rivals. The company released Dean from his contract in 2007. These portrait photographs of Russia's ruling Romanovs were taken in 1903 at the Winter Palace in majestic. Unknown wrestler getting flipped by Little Bruiser. Most matches started the same, being preceded by a plethora of trash talking. Years later, the brothers appeared on WWE programming, this time accompanied by fitness freak Simon Dean as Gymini, an offshoot from the mythical Gemini twins. PS. Blood, barrel chests, and mutton chops. After teaming up with his brother, Dorry Funk Sr., The House of Funk (Hoss of funk) was created. Theyve competed against two major tag teams on the indie circuit in War Machine and Best Friends, and they make appearances regularly as Dalton Castles boys as two elegant and dreamy studs that had an episode alongside Japanese legend Jushin Liger at this past years Global Wars in Canada. Now retired, Lord Littlebrook resides with his son in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Bruno Sammartino was the biggest name in WWE in the '60s and '70s, but in the late '70s, another man took his spot. Wrestling began featuring enhanced, hyped character traits and storylines. 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. She also likes to stay away from the public eye. The American Dream Dusty Rhodes rose to the top of the professional wrestling world in the 1980s. Graham would then go ahead and hold the championship for about 10 months making it one of the longest reigns by a villain. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). 28. Beefcake held nine titles throughout his career and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. A symbol of the spirit of Lucha Libre, Mil Mscaras is one of the few masked fighters ever inducted into WWEs notorious Hall of Fame. Over the next few years, Rikishi's twin competed in a few other promotions, including WCW. 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). Kayfabe has also evolved to become a code word of sorts for maintaining this "reality" within the direct or indirect presence of the general public. 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. Little Bruiser and Billy the Kid, September 23, 1972. Terry Eugene Bollea, better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American retired professional wrestler and television personality. Audiences believed the violent action they were seeing and took it for gospel! And, if youre honest, youll just drag up from the depths all the times youve hated or felt passionately about something and play it. On top of that, the win would mark one of the longest reigns as Bruno would retain the title for 8 consecutive years. Known for his unexpected grace in the ring, Steamboat was also a proficient tag team wrestler alongside his partner Jay Youngblood. Hebner's twin brother Dave is also a wrestling referee. Only Keith would be given PPV time, competing in the Lethal Lottery alongside Ron Simmons at Battlebowl 1993. Used primarily for their looks, these two glamour models -- Brie and Nikki -- often competed as a tag team and even had an onscreen breakup not long ago. The two fought in New Japan Pro Wrestling and in the WWE, and changed wrestling in the process. Superstar held the WWWF Heavyweight Championship one time after beating the legendary Bruno Sammartino in 1977, hailed as Pro Wrestling Illustrated Magazine's Match of the Year. ( 1990) AWA All-Star Wrestling was a syndicated television series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). 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. Weve compiled a list of 15 wrestlers whom we believe stood out during the 70s and helped propel the company to greater heights. RCW Tag Team Title: The Wrecking Crew ( Dean Richtor & Shaun Martens) defeat The Voros Twins ( Chris Voros & Patrick Voros) (c) - TITLE CHANGE !!! They were victims of some of the worst gimmicks in the history of the business. Entering the ring to Queens infectious anthem, Another One Bites The Dust, Junkyard Dog was a paradigm of pure power. WWWF Wrestling TV 70's # 3 4WrestlingFans 83.6K subscribers Subscribe 645 Share 89K views 4 years ago WWWF Wrestling TV 70's # 3 Show more Show more Classic AWA Wrestling 1985 #1. 14. At one point she even worked as Nature Boys valet. Whod be a Midget Wrestler during the 1960s and 1970s? The cartilage in his knee wore out and he was eventually bedridden. They even challenged The Steiner Brothers for the NWA Tag Team Titles in 1990 but came up short. Cowboy Bob Bradley was born Robert Claton Bradley in Dickens County, TX, in February 1935. Sammartino would then go ahead and beat Inoki bloody. Born Wayne Coleman, the bodybuilder with the 22-inch biceps spoke as well as the Christian preacher whose name he used as his own. Wrestling matches consisted of hairy, bare chested men in tight Speedo style trunks climbing in the ring to take each other down. Fans who started watching professional wrestling in the 1980s never got to see how great the Valiant Brothers really were. Jimmy and Jey Uso, for example, joined WWE in 2009 and have achieved a lot throughout their 13 years with the company. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). And although his identity is now known worldwide, hes one of the few masked wrestlers to have never revealed his face to the public. Born in a wrestling family, Mil Mascaras began his training at an early age. 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. worlds heaviest twins were wrestlers "the mcguire twins" - bigtime memories clip - wrestling legends. The Russian Bear beat Bruno Sammartino for the WWE Championship in 1971, a win that almost caused a riot. Despite being a well-known name in the wrestling industry, many fans may not know that Adams has a twin sister, Brittaney. Many wrestling fans will remember him for his feud with WWEs golden boy, Tito Sammartino. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'sportlister_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_25',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-medrectangle-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'sportlister_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_26',106,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-medrectangle-4-0_1');.medrectangle-4-multi-106{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}. Although they are famous wrestlers, some WWE Superstars have twin siblings that fans may not know of. 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. This, however, was before professional wrestling was called sports entertainment. While some of these siblings have previously worked in Vince McMahon's company, others have never competed inside the squared circle. 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." Updated on February 1, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: The 1970s didn't feature the flashiest wrestlers in professional wrestling history, but its wrestlers were some of the toughest. A wrestling promoter saw them in El Paso, Texas and convinced them to begin a wrestling training program in Ciudad Jurez, Mexico, lifting weights and running often. Perfect exemplified the widely reviled heel archetype throughout the decade. Two of the best tag team wrestlers ever. While he never beat Bruno for the world title, Kowalski teamed up with Gorilla Monsoon and Big John Studd to win tag team titles. Ultimately, promoters in Canada would run out of acceptable opponents to face this giant. In the '70s, he was part of the WWE and was still on top of the world until his retirement in 1977. Rikishi spent over a decade in Vince McMahon's company, during which he won the Intercontinental Championship twice and the tag titles three times. ( 1960) -. The Hardcore Legend Terry Funk had memorable matches in the 1980s and 90s, but the 70s might have been his golden age. via twitter.com. 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. June 7, 2022; id10t podcast cancelled . He moved to the US in the early 1960s, where he became NWA World Midget Championwinning a record three times (tied with Little Tokyo). Along with Ronnie himself and his, "It is time for art to flow into the organisation of life." One of the few men to have been inducted into five separate wrestling Hall of Fames, Harley Race is studied to this day as a technical master so much so that he was often announced as the "The Greatest Wrestler on God's Green Earth." Little Tokyo went on to win the NWA World Midget Champion three times equaling Lord Littlebrooks achievement. He was one of Vince McMahon's most trusted confidants and is the man who created the Royal Rumble match. Dynamite Kid. When it comes to pro-wrestling, weve seen twins trick their opponents, help one another out, and dish out the punishment on foes that take their adversaries for granted. The nature of professional wrestling dramatically changed in order to better suit television audiences. He was also credited by the Guinness Book of Records as the Worlds Strongest Midget.. However, in 1985 she was forced to vacate her championship due to an injury, which prompted an early retirement in 1986 at the age of 24. Accompanied by Mortimer Plumtree, the Shane Twins were known as The Johnsons, two latex-wearing brutes made to resemble giant penises. Because of his immense popularity back in the 60s and 70s, Haystacks Calhoun got the opportunity to go head to head with some of the biggest names in wrestling at the time. 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.