Top Ten: Favorite 80’s WWF Wrestlers
Which ones do you remember?
I’ve been passionate about many things in my life, but professional wrestling will always hold one of the top spots. I grew up on a steady diet of the World Wrestling Federation, and in the 1980s and early 1990s, there was no better entertainment for someone like me. Good vs. evil, revenge, justice, and a healthy dose of ridiculous comedy all equaled joy for me.
Here’s a list of my ten favorite 1980s WWF wrestlers.
10. George “The Animal” Steele
George “The Animal” Steele was a fearsome heel for the majority of his career, but by the time I had discovered professional wrestling, he was a lovable, goofy babyface. He delighted crowds by eating the turnbuckle stuffing, sticking out his green tongue, and in a blatant marketing attempt, starting carrying around a stuffed animal that he called “Mine.”
I will always remember the “beauty and the beast” storyline of The Animal falling for Miss Elizabeth, the gorgeous lady manager of Randy Savage. It was the kind of storytelling that appealed to ten-year-old me in all the right ways.
9. The Ultimate Warrior
While the official coronation of The Ultimate Warrior came in 1991 at WrestleMania 6, he made a splash debut a few years before that. He had a memorable feud with Rick Rude over the Intercontinental title. But my favorite Ultimate moment was when the Warrior made a surprise appearance defeating The Honky Tonk Man for the Intercontinental Title at SummerSlam 1988.
8. Andre the Giant
I discovered him while he was still the beloved babyface throwing Bobby “The Brain” Heenan’s money around after he bodyslammed Big John Studd at the first WrestleMania. I enjoyed his victory in the star-studded battle royal at WrestleMania 2. But when he appeared on Piper’s Pit, tore the cross off Hulk Hogan’s chest, and challenged him to a title match — well, I was devastated. And scared. Could Hulk really beat the big nasty giant? There has never been a feud that put as much emphasis on the championship belt as this classic story. And man, did it draw money.
7. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat
My first memory of professional wrestling was seeing Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat being brutally attacked by “The Magnificent” Muraco on WWF Superstars. The way he sold that moment made me believe; as a babyface, there may have been none better. His battles with Jake Roberts on “Saturday Night’s Main Event” were classic, especially when he introduced a Komodo Dragon to even the score with the snake, Damien. But when The Macho Man came off the top rope with the ring bell, crushing his larynx and making him swallow his tongue — well, I was shocked and fully invested in his comeback at WrestleMania 3.
6. “The Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase
I think the first heel I ever saw that had no redeemable qualities was Ted Dibiase as the Million Dollar Man. Other baddies were so charismatic that I might be able to cheer for them (and often did once they “turned good.” But not Dibiase. He was despicable through and through and used class warfare to get magnificent white-hot heat. Ted was a classic ring technician, but the promos previewing his debut were what made the character into a massive star.
5. King Kong Bundy
He was just so big. King Kong Bundy, labeled by Gorilla Monsoon as the “walking condominium,” was as scary a heel as there ever was. He attacked a little person at WrestleMania 3 in one of the evilest acts in all of wrestling history. Still, it was his attack of Hulk Hogan on Saturday Night’s Main Event that is etched in my emotional memory forever.
I had the chance to meet him as an adult, and when he walked to the ring for his match, he yelled at me, reigniting all the fears of my youth. He was nasty, terrifying, and effective.
4. Hulk Hogan
While I don’t think I tuned in specifically to see Hulk, there’s no denying that without his influence, I might not have been a wrestling fan. He was the 1980’s WWF icon, and he headlined all the major cards in the era. Who wouldn’t root for him against such heels as Roddy Piper, King Kong Bundy, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, and Randy Savage? His cage match with The Big Bossman on Saturday Night’s Main Event will always be one of my favorites.
3. Randy “Macho Man” Savage
If this were a list of the best wrestlers in this era and not a list of my favorites, Randy Savage would come in near or at the very top. His matches were always intense, his interviews and character work were purposeful, intentional, and he took even the most ridiculous things (“Snap into a Slim Jim!” anyone?) as seriously as winning the World title. The pairing with him and Miss Elizabeth was a storybook stroke of genius. While it didn’t happen in the 80s, their reconciliation at WrestleMania 7 still brings tears to my eyes every time I revisit it.
2. “Rowdy” Roddy Piper
A lot has been made about the “cool heel” phenomenon in the late 1990s, but long before that era, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper cornered the market on being a baddie with a special kind of edge that made you want to root for him. Almost.
I think it was because he believed everything he said and did; there was no doubt that he was the scrappiest dog in the fight no matter who his opponent was. When he changed sides before WrestleMania 3 and worked the glorious program with Adrian Adonis, I fell in love with his attitude.
1. Jake “The Snake” Roberts
The best thing about professional wrestling is the story of good vs. evil. No one in the 1980s had more compelling storylines than Jake the Snake Roberts. Starting with DDTing Ricky Steamboat on the concrete floor, the psychology of Roberts matches caused the audience to pay attention. And his promos, with the quiet intensity, the dark edge, and the brilliant choice of words cement him as one of the best of all time. But it was his program with Ravishing Rick Rude, where he defended the honor of his wife, Cheryl, that will forever make him my favorite wrestler of all time.
Kirk Sheppard is a 2018 member of the Northern Wrestling Federation Hall of Fame. After 18 years in professional wrestling, working behind the scenes and inside and outside of the ring, Sheppard remains a fan of the art form.