Where are They Now? Remembering the WWF Wrestlers From the 80s
Remembering the craziest, funniest, coolest, and cheesiest wrestlers of the 80’s. Here’s what they’re up to now.
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Many of them will never be forgotten. Some of them will. They are the WWF wrestlers of the 80’s. Many of them transformed the wrestling federation into a dynamite entertainment spectacle. Many of them are remembered for their wrestling techniques, and many of them are remembered for their strange gimmicks, humorous catchphrases, or unforgettable sidekicks. Here’s a trip down memory lane to remember these old school wrestlers and to find out what they’re up to now.
Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan, born in 1953 as Terry Gene Bollea , has been in the wrestling spotlight since the beginning of the 80’s. He is a twelve-time world champion and in 2005 he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
In the 1980’s, Hogan transformed the wrestling industry into a primetime sports entertainment spectacle for people of all ages and backgrounds. His grand entrances and theme songs such as “Eye of the Tiger”, grabbed the attention of people all around the world. He was portrayed as a real-life superhero in the eyes of his younger fans. Hogan was featured on the covers of Sports Illustrated, TV Guide, and People magazines, while also appearing on The Tonight Show and co-hosting Saturday Night Live.
Although his roots are still with wrestling, Hogan is focusing more on television roles. He now has his own reality show, called “Hogan Knows Best”, which focuses on his own family life. In addition, he now hosts the comeback series “American Gladiators”.
Other past acting gigs include roles on Rocky III, No Holds Barred, The A-Team, Walker, Texas Ranger, and others.
Andre the Giant
Andre the Giant, born André René Roussimoff in 1946 in France,began wrestling professionally in his late teens. He made his WWF debut in 1973 and remained with the federation until 1991. He was the first to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He was one of the most famous professional wrestlers of the 70’s and 80’s and was loved by audiences and fans all over the world.
Andre was of course best known for his great size. He stood over 7 feet tall, and weighed over 300 pounds at the beginning of his career. By the end of his career he had reached a whopping 540 pounds. Andre also had an abnormally large wrist, at 13″, which is indicative of overall bone structure.
Supposedly he went 15 years without a loss by pinfall or submission before being pinned by Hulk Hogan in 1987 at WrestleMania III In 1986, André won a twenty-man battle royal that featured top NFL stars and wrestlers.
By the late 1980’s the disease that granted him his immense size started to take its toll on his body. André was in constant, near-crippling pain, and his heart struggled to pump blood throughout his massive body. When he was not in front of a camera, he was usually in a wheelchair. .André died in his sleep on January 27, 1993, in his Paris hotel room. He was in France to attend the funeral of his father. André’s body was cremated in accordance with his wishes and his ashes scattered at his ranch in Ellerbe, North Carolina.
‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage
The’ Macho Man’ Randy Savage, born Randall Mario Poffo in 1952 in Columbus, Ohio, made his WWF debut n 1985. Savage became instantly known by wrestling fans for his distinctively deep, husky voice, colorful attire (often comprised of sunglasses and a bandanna, gaudy robes and/or a cowboy hat), and his catch phrase “Oooh, yeah!”For much of his tenure in the WWF, he was managed by his real life wife, “Miss Elizabeth” Hulette.
Macho Man was a two-time WWF champion and a four-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion.
Savage later became known for his rivalry with Hulk Hogan, after accusing Hogan of sleeping in Elizabeth’s bed during a road trip. Savage and Elizabeth were divorced on September 18, 1992. Savage and Hogan reportedly have a strained relationship to this day.
In 2005, Savage reported he was unable to wrestle any longer due to health concerns.
He also reported that he will star in the next season of of VH1’s The Surreal Life along with Playboy Playmate Tina Marie Jordan and rock musician Peter Steele. VH1 has not released the official cast list yet.
In 2003, Savage released a hip hop album titled: Be a Man. The album features a tribute to wrestler and friend Curt Hennig and the title track which mocks former friend Hulk Hogan.
His former wife Elizabeth Hulette was found dead in the home of professional wrestler Lex Luger on May 1, 2003 from a drug overdose.
Jake’ the Snake’ Roberts
Jake “the Snake” Roberts was born Aurelian Smith, Jr. in 1955. His nickname comes from being thin and snake-like. He often would slide into and out of the ring on his belly under the bottom rope. By the time he reached the WWF in 1986, Roberts was bringing a huge, live Burmese Python, named Damien, to ringside in a canvas bag. After executing a DDT, Roberts would coil the constrictor around the opponent’s neck, and the snake would slither around on top of the fallen wrestler, sometimes appearing to strangle him.
Roberts made his initial WWF debut in 1986. He later left in 1992, but then returned again in 1996. He was always known for his dark charisma, his extensive use of psychology in his matches, and has been credited for inventing the DDT, though that has been challenged. He is also credited with training wrestlers and teaching wrestling psychology to famous wrestlers Steve Austin and the Undertaker.
Jake “the snake” is still involved with professional wrestling today. However, his long bout with alcoholism and drug abuse has caused him some troubles over the years. In December, 2007, the WWE placed him in a nine-week rehab program.
The Ultimate Warrior
The Ultimate Warrior (born Brian James Hellwig in 1959) was a WWF superstar from the mid-1980’s to early 1990’s and was known for entering the ring at full speed and violently shaking the ropes up and down with extreme energy. He was also known for the distinctive patters of face paint.
His tenure at the WWF was characterized by several feuds with the federation owner, Vince McMahon.
The Ultimate Warrior had three runs with the WWF. His WWF debut was in 1987 and continued until 1991. He left in 1991 over a pay dispute with owner, Vince McMahon. He then returned to the WWF, as Dingo Warrior, in 1992. Rumors began that Dingo Warrior was not the original Ultimate Warrior and that the original Ultimate Warrior had died. These rumors were shown on several occasions not to be true. The Ultimate Warrior left WWF, again, in late 1992 after yet another feud with the federation, this time over the legal rights to the name “Ultimate Warrior”. The WWF cited steroid use as the reason for firing the Ultimate Warrior from the WWF.
In 1996, he returned again. This time the WWF fired him for taking time off to grieve his father’s death. McMahon stated that the Ultimate Warrior didn’t have a close relationship with his father and hasn’t seen him in over ten years. Warrior claimed that the real reason why he was a no-show to the WWF events was a breach of contract by McMahon.
In 1993, Jim Hellwig legally changed his name to Warrior in order to retain the legal rights to use the name outside of the WWF. His children carry the Warrior name as their legal surname
In 1996, Warrior a comic book entitled WARRIOR, featuring himself as the main character. The comics sold well in the first two months. The sales slowed and the book was taken out of circulation in early 1997.
After officially retiring from professional wrestling in 1999, Warrior began a new career as a conservative speaker and commentator, denouncing left-wing politics. Specifically, he has made comments against homosexuality, stating that “the human race would die out if everyone were a homosexual.”
Brett “Hitman” Hart
Bret Sergeant Hart, aka Brett “Hitman’ Heart, was born in Alberta, Canada, in 1957. Known for his fluid technical skills and agility and for his ability to create tense and entertaining matches, he is thought to be one of the most popular and gifted technical professional wrestlers of his generation.
>Hart was a seven-time world champion through his career in World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Federation. In 2006, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. He was also placed in the top five best technical wrestlers of all time.
He made his first televised WWF debut in August 1984. In 1985, he partnered up with Jim Neidhart to build the tag team known as The Hart Foundation. The partnership lasted a few years but eventually split up.
Hart wrestled with most of WWF’s infamous wrestlers. Notable opponents include his brother, Owen Hart, and wrestling legend Stone Cold Steve Austin. Hart also had an on-air rival, “announcer” Vince McMahon, who at the time was being exposed as the owner of WWF.
Hart retired from professional wrestling in 2000.
On June 23, 2002, Hart suffered a major stroke after hitting his head in a bicycle accident. He suffered total paralysis on his left side, which required months of physical therapy. He has since recovered much of his mobility and is in good health.
In late 2007, Hart released an autobiography, titled Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling. The book is an honest look into the world of wrestling as he describes in detail the chronic abuse of drugs and alcohol he witnessed during his tenure. He also discusses his own infidelities and personal struggles. The book reached number one on the Globe & Mail bestseller list.
Ravishing Rick Rude
Ravishing Rick Rude, born Richard Erwin Rood in 1958, was known for his over-confidence and arrogance in the WWF. Before a match he would make a show of removing his robe while running down the males in the crowd. After a successful match he would kiss a girl from the audience. On one occasion, he tried to get Jake “The Snake” Roberts’ real-life wife, Cheryl, to comply, which upset Roberts. On another memorable occasion Rude came to the ring with a picture of Cheryl stenciled on the front of his tights. A furious Roberts charged the ring and stripped Rude naked (he appeared as naked to TV viewers but was in fact wearing a thong).
Rude departed from WWF in October 1990 to later enter the WCW (World Championship Wrestling). After injuring his back during a fight in 1994, Rude did not return to wrestling until 1997. He came back to the WWF as an “insurance policy” and assisted with several sneak attacks on The Undertaker. Rude was not signed to a full-time contract with WWF, he was performing on a “pay-per-appearance”. Later that year he departed to return to the WCW.
In 1999, Rude died at the age of 40 after suffering heart failure. An autopsy report showed he died from an overdose of “mixed medications.” At the time of his death, he was planning on opening a wrestling school in Rome, Georgia, where he and his family resided.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
“Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, born James Stuart Duggan in 1954, is best known for his gimmick as an American patriot with his favorite weapon, the 2×4.
Duggan was signed to the World Wrestling Federation, in 1987. He was the winner of the first Royal Rumble in 1988.
Although he did not win any major titles in the seven years, he was a consistent fan favorite with his patriotic gimmick. His character was mainly comical, as he rarely was in major contention for titles.
Duggan left the WWF and signed with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) in 1994. During his employment with WCW, Duggan was diagnosed with kidney cancer. His real-life struggle with the disease was very public and his comeback to wrestling after fighting off the ailment was a triumphant.
Duggan is still wresting. He returned to the WWE in 2005.
The British Bulldogs
The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Davey Boy Smith & Dynamite Kid who joined the WWF in 1984. They are considered one of the top tag-teams of all time.
Their first and probably most well known feud was with the Hart Foundation. . In 1987, the British Bulldogs lost the titles to the Hart Foundation in a match that saw Dynamite Kid so debilitated that he was carried to the ring by Davey Boy Smith. They left the federation for a while. When they returned to the WWF, they had a real live bulldog, Matilda. They quit the federation in 1988 as a result of backstage altercations between Dynamite Kid and Jacques Rougeau.
After leaving the WWF, the Bulldogs returned to their old “home” in Stampede and also resumed touring with the AJPW (All Japan Pro Wrestling), but years of steroid abuse made them too large and Dynamite Kid’s back injury limited his movement. In 1990, Davey Boy Smith abruptly withdrew the Bulldogs from AJWP by returning to the WWF, fabricating a lie that Dynamite was in a serious car accident and couldn’t compete. Dynamite went on to form the British Bruisers with the AJWP but the years of steroid abuse, working a high-impact style and cocaine usage caught up with the Dynamite Kid.
In 2002, Davey Boy Smith died of a heart attack while vacationing in Invermere, B.C. Dynamite Kid is now confined to a wheelchair.
76 Comments
Geeze. You are good. This was excellent. Terrific!
Interesting article about wrestling..
A fine, enjoyable walk down memory lane. I liked Hulk Hogan best.
Interesting article, I’d never heard of most of these wrestlers as I wasn’t born when they were wrestling. It’s cool to see the “costumes” they used.
Andre’ always said his favorite thing ever was doing the Princess Bride film.
Cool. These guys were my heroes, especially Macho Man and Andre. Thanks for this.
Where is Spotnick, and Rocket Monroe, Jerry Lawler, the guys that wresled back in that time? The ones you have there are good but where are the rest? The guys that were wresling when I was 12. My son said I am older than all of the wreslers. I’m not. Where are the 60 year old guys?
I’m trying to remember the name of the wrestler that always said, “I’m just too sweet”. Can anyone help me?
wheres ricky the dragon steamboat prettyboy floyd brutus thebeefcake barber stone cold steve austin killer bees sting val venus rick flare goldberg? you sure missed alot of wrestlers and some good ones too. so where are the rest of them from the 80s on tis list?
I really liked what you did, but where is the man with the power, the man who is too sweet to be sour, the man who lifts metal plates and eats T bone steaks. Where is Superstar Billy Graham?
jake the snake roberts was a good man he invented the ddt
a person thats not out of wrestling but goes back a while the second best in the world hbk shawn michaels hes wrisced his life for the buisness for many years and he will never be forgotton cause i will always remember him
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where is steve blackman?
ok thanks for the info but you are missing some of the best of all tim here are my top 10
1) ric flair (superstar)
paul bearer (manager)
2) hulk hogan (superstar)
3) andre the giant (superstar)
4) the iron sheik
5) jake “the snake” roberts (superstar)
6) bam bam bigalo (superstar)
7) may young (diva)
9) jerry “the king” lawler (superstar and comentator)
10) rowdy roddy piper (superstar)
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Ultimate Warrior
The Legion of Doom
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Great list, loved it, well done, not many happy endings for most of em tho!
they were gooddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
you are cool
thanks for the memories i liked it all keep up the good work.
Great article. I never was a wrestling fan but, my son was when he was 8 or 9 years old. You did your homework because i can remember all these wrestlers. Good job.
don’t forget about one of the best tag team duo…THE ROAD WARRIORS
THIS IS GAY PUT NEW WRESLERS ON HEAR
Tragic. So many are dead by forty or crippled.
Rampant drug, alcohol and steroid abuse…
Insane. These guys really sacrificed themselves at the alter of low class entertainment.
I pray for them and their souls.
what ever happened to one of the greatest wwf tag teams of all time(Tony Garea and Larry Zybsko)
I,m just to sweet, was Dusty Rhodes
Awesome site! Thank you for your insight! I would love to read about more of the all-time greats.
Great article, great photos, and great memories.
I hear someone say FIRE UP YOU KNOW IT WILDFIRE TOMMY RICH
looking for rickey sexton he wrestled in the 1970’s 1980’s in the state of main e and mass.
that was great i know the pains of wrestling and it ended my carreer early at 25 with a knee injury had two in six months time so to the now WWE god bless all of them with good health and may they still be able to worrk way in the future with great sports entetnent
what about the bounty hunters(david,jerry novak)anybody know anything about them,where are they now????
and how about shawn micheals
I love the Hulk, cant wait for his son to come into wwf
what about THE GIANT GONZALEZ wow how can you forget JOHN CENA i know he started in 2000 but what a great wrestler
you mentioned some great wrestlers…………but what about,
1. greg valentine
2. mike rotundo
3. barry whindam
4. lex luger
5. george ” animal” steele
6. brother love
7.tatanka
As a Professional Wrestler of the 70′S and 80′S I knew all the wrestlers in your story,thanks for the info,I have lost track of most of them.Drug and alcohol use was rampant in those days,so was sex,I thank my higher power for my great health now.How about the Midget wrestlers? Thanks Little Atlas.
Can someone answer the question about Steve Blackman?
what about The Ram? where are his pictures, everytime I try to look him up I get Mickey Rourke and the wrestler movie…which was great..but I want to see the REAL Ram, Rourke was not the real Ram…
this was awesome
i love torrie wilson
no 1 cares about steve blackman
Great article, but I cannot BELIEVE you left out Rowdy Roddy!!
I recall….
million $ man
bushwreckers
tug boat
Texas tornado
D oink
yokozuna
model rick martel
Jimmy snuka
Scott steiner
virgil
mr. perfect
demolition
barbarians
undertaker
gold dust
list goes on
Jake the snake is now a follower of Jesus.
He was on TV, on Benn Hinn show.
What about some of the real oldies like the Hollywood Blonds, the H & H Express, Harley Hog and JR The Wild Hog. What happened to Julian Votee?
A lot of the wrestlers that people are saying the author missed out weren’t around in the 80s. And Hogan never had ‘Eye of the Tiger’ as his entrance theme.
Brilliant blog, enjoyed reading up on the lifeand times of some of childhood favorites. Top work
hogan rules but bert the hit man hart is better
The 80´s had so many corny yet endearing wrestlers. I was just a little guy, but I still remember Rowdy Roddy piper, The Junk Yard Dog, Hulk Hogan, Jake the Snake Roberts, etc. Good clean fun, at least on the surface.
hulk hogan is the man…………………………………………….
what about these …..
king kong bundy
ricky the dragon steamboat
and managers like ….
the lovely elizabeth
jimmy hart
this blew me away, thanks for the information. It was good but sad for a lot of my old school wrestlers…
f***k crank head
I was at Madison Square Garden Center in the Felt Forum on January 23, 1984 watching the matches on closed circuit TV. Hulk Hogan came to the ring with “Eye Of The Tiger” blaring over the PA. Hulk appeared in the movie “Rocky III” in 1982, and the song was big at that time. On that night, Hogan pinned the Iron Sheik in under 6 minutes to win his first WWF championship.
“Real American” was written and recorded by Rick Derringer. It was originally used as entrance music for the US Express (Barry Windham & Mike Rotundo). After that team broke up, WWF used the music for the Hulkster.
was just watching the wwe special on randy savage !!
how different things have gotten !!!
thanks for the memories..
be safe you all !!!
I was saddened to read how Miss Elizabeth dies… I was a little kid when she was in the WWF but even then I had a huge crush on her. Wow, I’m really upset by this.
My friend Ruben looks like Mr. Fuji with his top hat
how about bruno
I need to know the names of the tag team brothers of the seventies. They once fought Andrie The Giant when he teamed up with Cheif J Strongbow. They also teamed up with Hulk Hogan when he first started. They were bald and they swung thier arms like a hammer,and they each had goatees. Please help me with this cause it is driving me and my brother crazy…
Glad someone else remembered the “JYD”. Sylvester Ritter was old school fo sho… “THUMP”
Boy do I miss them good old days…
Ya’ll keep the faith.
your info is very interesting i`m stunned by some of the passings especially miss elizabeth, i had the privelidge of meeting hulk & randy savage at clearwater beach in `96 hulk was polite but more interested in chating up some young lovellies on the beach but randy was a pure gem i asked one question & about 20mins.later (after the answer) i asked him more questions. the man loves to talk about any & everthing he has a true appeciation of his fans . the thing about these guys is that they had personalities in the ring & could sell a move, to borrow a quote from stone cold the current bunch “could`nt sell a chair” .you need to update as sorry to say more have passed -
mr.perfect
ravishing rick rude
& the ultimate warrior
ring in peace guys
can someone please tell me who “the red rooster” is he looks like someone but cant figure it out. please help
Nancy i think you are thinking of the bushwackers.
here’s my list:
1)HUlk Hogan 2)Hitman (my favourite) 3)Undertaker 4)Yukozumo 5) Razor Ramon 6)Ultimate Warrior 5)Macho Man 6)Andre The Giant
i think nancy is talking about hill billy jim i forgot the name of his partner
did you guys know that hulk hogan never beat the ultimate warrior
the red roosters real name is terry taylor
what did they call the guys dressed as iraqi generals?????
the warrior is not dead and Hogan did beat him in WCW in the late 90’s
IT WAS GOOD BUT DID NOT ME TELL WHERE MACHO MAN WAS AND DID NOT MENCHIN ANY GOOD WRESTLERS EXCEPT HOGAN AND SNAKE AND SAVAGE
great info it will help in my quest to find names and photos of all the great ones thanks LEO->
cool thanks for the update but what about Ricky the Dragon, Brutus the Barber, Abdullah the Butcher, Iceman King Parson, the Junkyard Dog, Superfly Snuka, Greg the Hammer, Adrianne Adonnis, Kamala the Ugandan Giant, The Great Kabuki, and George the Animal Steel.
Has everyone forgot some of the other great wrestlers like Ivan(the polish hammer)Putskie or Rugged Ronnie Garvin,Junk Yard dog, Chief J strong bo, Sargent Slaughter, Jim the anvil, just to name a few
I still have the tapes and magazines and i should say that their are the best. More Power and Thanks.