[3], They spent three years working at the Circus Circus Las Vegas, then performed their minbike routine for a few months in Los Angeles. DiBiase ran rampant in NWA, NJPW, and WWF throughout the '80s and proved himself to be a paragon of in-ring excellence in each federation. Audiences believed the violent action they were seeing and took it for gospel! St Petersburg is the city Christopher Hitchens called "an apparent temple of civilization: the polished window between Russia and Europe the, "I never saw Eric Ravilious depressed. A few years later, he retired as a referee due to injury and became a road agent. Jaguar Yokota for a time was considered the best wrestler in the world period. These guys could keep crowds engaged for 30, 45, or 60 minutes with ease, as that was the length of their matches on a regular basis. The legendary Lord Littlebrook (aka Eric Tovey), in Milwaukee July 7, 1968. 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." In the '70s, he had a chance to work title matches in the WWWF against Bruno Sammartino and Pedro Morales before returning to the AWA, where he finally became a babyface.He ended up feuding with former allies Nick Bockwinkel and Ray Stevens. Bucci competed in a few matches between 1996 and 2002, but is now retired. Poised as an everyman, Dusty managed to wrack up title wins across divisions and federations. Bucci (AKA Donnie B.) He continued wrestling until the late 1980s, when he was enshrined into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. During the 70s, he spent time in the AWA, All-Japan Pro Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling where catch wrestling was emphasized. Hence, she has made her Instagram profile private. Upon joining WWE, Bruno Sammartino would become an instant hit and the companys biggest star at the time. ( 1990) AWA All-Star Wrestling was a syndicated television series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). 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. The twin brothers founded Phoenix Championship Wrestling together in 2001. Known for his signature evil laugh, The Million Dollar Man bragged about you guessed it his extraordinary wealth while trouncing opponents around the world. In his debut night, Tito Santana and Ivan Putski would win the World Tag Team Titles from Johnny and Jimmy Valliant. They were both born in October 1965. Quick! In 1955, she began working for Vince McMahon Sr. as Fabulous Moolah. During her early years, Moolah would move from one promotion to another while trying to get a foothold. A gimmick that kind of worked out but was really cheesy. 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. [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. The Big Cat was an AFL All-Pro before he had a Hall of Fame career as a professional wrestler. 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. Wrestling journalist In the book WCW: The Ultimate Guide, Dave Scherer described Hennig as "one of the best all-round competitors this business has ever produced.. Their second reign would last approximately 6 months. Flair had nothing but praise for Race upon his death in 2019: Without Harley Race, there was no Ric Flair. Only Keith would be given PPV time, competing in the Lethal Lottery alongside Ron Simmons at Battlebowl 1993. Brooke Adams tried out for the 2006 Diva Search competition. Here are four WWE Superstars you may not know have twin siblings. In 1974, Killer Kowalski would have his last match against Bruno Sammartino for the WWF World heavyweight championship. Cowboy Bob Bradley and Joey Russell, February 23 1968. Many of the guys on this list were legit tough guys and gave the sport credibility that it is lacking in a sense today. In 1963, Bruno Sammartino defeated the WWE champion, Buddy Rodgers in just under 48 seconds, a feat that no wrestler managed to replicate. I'm thinking of you" - Pablo Iglesias Maurer, At the end of October 1959 in the basement of 39 Gerrard Street - an unexceptional and damp space that was once a sort of rest room for taxi drivers and an occasional tea bar - Ronnie Scott opened his first jazz club. RCW Tag Team Title: The Wrecking Crew ( Dean Richtor & Shaun Martens) defeat The Voros Twins ( Chris Voros & Patrick Voros) (c) - TITLE CHANGE !!! Frenchy Lamonte heading for the ring in Tampa 1970. While Inoki never accepted nor denied these claims, however, this is just but one of the many incidences that took place back in 70s that fans were never aware of. 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". Matches frequently went up to an hour on a regular basis. 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. Unfortunately, the promotion closed two years later. Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, Ricky Steamboats fights against Macho Man Randy Savage (1987) and Ric Flair (1989) were both awarded Match of the Year by Pro-Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer. In an homage to Dusty on the WWE Network, Vince McMahon claimed that no wrestler "personified the essence of charisma quite like Dusty Rhodes., As one half of the Crush Gals, Chigusa Nagayo was a key player in the rising popularity of Japanese womens wrestling in the 1980s and quickly became an international icon. [4] In July 1972, at age 26, they made their in-ring debuts in Montreal, defeating John Anson and Kurt Von Hess. The twins are former CMLL World Tag Team Championship, but wrestling fans will most likely remember them for appearing in the 1996 Royal Rumble Match as The Squat Team. During his first reign as WWE tag champion, Mr Fuji and Tanaka reigned supreme in WWEs tag team division for more than a year. Remember, this is before professional wrestling was called sports entertainment. Ted Dibiase. Ivan Koloff did the impossible. RELATED: 10 Best Pat Patterson Moments In WWE HistoryPatterson also became one of the most important men behind the scenes when he retired in the '80s. In it there are many variations of the species, each peculiar to its own terrain and indigenous populous. Hebner's twin brother Dave is also a wrestling referee. After being rebranded as The Arabian Butchers (a team managed by Jim Cornette), the Santiago brothers wrestled against teams such The Dudley Boyz, The Gangstas, and The Bruise Brothers (who come up shortly on this listing) in ECW. Fans who started watching professional wrestling in the 1980s never got to see how great the Valiant Brothers really were. 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. In 1965, Mascaras made his professional debut in Guadalajara, Mexico. His IRL truculent personality and tendency towards bridge-burning made him an unlikely favorite in the industry and although he was likely portrayed as a villain (along with his partner Nikolai Volkoff) due to xenophobia within the USA, he certainly lived up to his dastardly, devil-may-care reputation out of the ring. 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. Tipping the scales at approximately 1,470 pounds, The McGuire Twins were once the worlds heaviest twins in the Guinness Book of World Records. Perfect Curt Hennig and grandfather of Curtis Axel, but during his time in wrestling, he was one of the top stars in the world. They never won WWE gold, but the brothers did win the WCW Tag Team titles three times as Creative Control, as well as the USWA World Tag Team Championship five times. Brie held the belt once and wonthe Wrestling Observers Newsletters Worst Feud of The Year in 2014 (among having a number of terribly worked matches). The curious thing was that none of the so-called wrestlers were true athletes. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. The cartilage in his knee wore out and he was eventually bedridden. Kowalski would lose the match and head into retirement after a successful and illustrious career as a professional wrestler. Certainly, the drug-fueled charms of the salacious and ostentatious Ric Flair are indelibly imbued into our collective memories. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. Gorgeous George gained epic mainstream popularity, followed in the Second Golden Age in the 1980s and 1990s by the likes of Ric Flair, Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Sting, The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, Kurt Angle, and Triple H. By way of the beginning of television in the 1950s and, subsequently cable television in the 1980s, professional wrestling began appearing in powerful, multiple media outlets. By the end of his illustrious wrestling career, The Macho Man had accumulated an impressive 11 titles. Until the 1920s, professional wrestling in the United States was viewed as a serious and legitimate sport showcasing true athletic competition. 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. While both men were great wrestlers in their own right, there was not a tag team in the 1970s that was more dominating that the Wild Samoans. On top of that, the win would mark one of the longest reigns as Bruno would retain the title for 8 consecutive years. [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. Twin brothers Jimmy and Jey Uso are the sons of former wrestler Rikishi and members of the Anoa'i wrestling family. 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. Although the conceit might seem silly, Sayama had the skill to back up the story: his match at NJPW Sumo Hall Show in 1983 (against Dynamite Kid Thomas Billington) was the first fight Meltzer ever granted a 5 Star rating. 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. In the 70s, kayfabe was alive and well and crowds believed what they were seeing. The Phelps twins, 36, will forever be known as Ron Weasley's lovable older twin brothers, Fred and George, roles they played from 2001 to 2011. From an early age, Lamonte had a great interest in wrestling deciding at eight to become a wrestler, telling his mother Im gonna be a dirty one. Trained by Lord Littlebrook, Lamonte made his debut in 1963. 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. Koloff is one of the only former WWE Champions who is still not in the WWE Hall of Fame. Verne Gagne started out the 1970s as the AWA World Champion and he was a top contender to the title even after the rise of Nick Bockwinkel. Wrestlers such as Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, Ivan Koloff, and Antonio Inoki helped lay the foundations that the WWE currently stands on. Because of his in-ring skills, Big John Studd had some amazing matches with some considered to be the greatest at the time. Unknown wrestler getting flipped by Little Bruiser. His matches with the original Tiger Mask were light years ahead of what some wrestling companies were doing. The Blossom Twins had high hopes in the wrestling industry as two twin girls growing up in the United Kingdom. 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 history of womens wrestling may have taken an entirely different direction had Wendi not been bamboozled by Vince McMahon and The Fabulous Moolah during the infamous Rock N Wrestling connection moment. They dropped out of high school and moved to Texas, where they had jobs livestock branding. Rikishi and his twin brother shared the ring a few times in WWE and other promotions throughout their careers. They laced up the boots to face tandems like Harlem Heat and The Hollywood Blondes, both sporting mullets and looking like long-lost cousins of Ricky Morton and Dan Spivey. 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. Billy and Benny werent exactly the most talented superstars in wrestling history, yet the business was different in their days, which ultimately led them to matches in NJPW and Canadas very own Stampede Wrestling. Their popularity in Japan can be compared to Hulk Hogans popularity in the United States. Thanks to photographerDavid Maciejewskiwe can see pictures of thelittle wrestlers before the hype and hoopla of WWF took hold. 1990. This win meant that Bruno became the second-ever WWE champion. He started wrestling at the age of fifteen and went on to become one the worlds top midget wrestler over a 30 year period, during which time he won the NWA World Midget Championship twice. 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. An early example of the queer coded villain in the wrestling world, Adrian Adonis was a grotesque caricature of gay culture but a compelling personality nonetheless. Ephemeral, disposable, they served only one purposeto let someone know "I'm here. Terry Funk had memorable matches in the 1980s and 90s. Entering the ring to Queens infectious anthem, Another One Bites The Dust, Junkyard Dog was a paradigm of pure power. Knowing what was to follow, the venue was apposite. The twins have a victory over the Ron & Terry Garvin, and competed against legends such as Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami. Wrestling became an international phenomenon with the expansion of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Two years later, Vince McMahon, Sr would come knocking and, in the process, signing Andre the Giant to the WWE. The Hart . 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}. A movie star, a pop hero, and a gentle soul Andres kindness is often remembered as fondly as his physical domination. Meltzer has previously described her as the most popular womens wrestler of all time.. It is his ruthlessness and fearless nature during matches and interviews that saw him pull crowds. The Sheik was PWIs Most Hated Wrestler of 1972, the first year of the award, and has been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. The main rival of the Crush Gals, Matsumotos ghastly look complimented her domineering in-ring presence. However, he was an enormous star in the 70s as well, working almost exclusively in the NWA and its territories. His reputation for playing mind games with his opponents never superseded his actual in-ring acumen. During his run in the land of the rising sun, Mascaras wrestled Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta, and other legends, while performing acrobatic moves that would become a staple of the Japanese style. Members of the renowned Anoia family, the Wild Samoans were not only barbaric and ruthless but also a force to reckon with back in the 70s and 80s. Koloff went on to the NWA where he became a top villain as the leader of the Russians, with his kayfabe nephew Nikita Koloff and Krusher Kruschev. Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki became two of the most popular Japanese wrestlers of all time. The Usos also went to war with another brother duo in Goldust and Stardust, where they lost their belts to the Rhodes brothers at Night of Champions 2014. Andres professional wrestling career began in his home country France where he wrestled under the moniker, Jean Ferre. PS. A hardcore wrestling pioneer, the Sheik was vicious in the ring, attacking with whatever weapons he could get his hands on. 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. At six feet, nine inches tall, he was one of the few men who could almost measure up to Andre the Giant. Studds most memorable opponents include Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. It doesnt matter if its Throwback Thursday or Flashback Friday, every day of the week, people are taking the opportunity to look back and reminisce about the glory days. He later moved to Walkertown, North Carolina and worked for the Christian Golfers Ministry. His career finally came to an end in the '80s when he worked with his son. Aside from a week in December 1974, Brisco held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from July 1973 to December 1975. Ive played a lot of evil, ball-breaking women. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Their penchant for ruthless battles made their sudden change in demeanor very surprising to longtime fans when they debuted in WWE in 1988. In the '70s, he was part of the WWE and was still on top of the world until his retirement in 1977. The Golden Era and the Attitude Era gave wrestling fans some of the most electrifying matches in WWEs history. In 1972, Moolah made history by becoming the first-ever female star to wrestle at Madison Square. He died aged 75 on June 24, 2010 in Amarillo, Texas. The prototypical arrogant pretty boy, Rude was known for insulting the mostly-male crowds before enticing women with promises of sexual promiscuity. Weve compiled a list of 15 wrestlers whom we believe stood out during the 70s and helped propel the company to greater heights. The Niedhart legacy these days is carried on through current WWE superstar Natalya, but her father frequently known as The Anvil had cemented his heroic status long before she began fighting. One of wrestlings premiere villainesses, Bull Nakanos striking punk rock-influenced look would enrapture audiences around the world, as did her absolute physical domination in the ring. With Frank Valois, Andre managed to make a name for himself in the United Kingdom, Africa, New Zealand, and Germany. 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. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest 70s wrestler of all time. Unlike a twosome formed by strangers-turned-best friends, twins possess an extra edge because they are mirror images of each other -- not only do most look identical, they know what their sibling is thinking more often than not. By that time, Johnny Valiant had moved on to managing and Jimmy had become the Boogie Woogie Man. Her matches with her aforementioned nemeses were attended by sold-out crowds in Japan and bolstered the reputation of Japanese womens wrestling worldwide. Countless wrestling entertainment talent lives on in our history and memories. In 1971 he became a dual titleholder when he won the WWWF World Heavyweight Title from Ivan Koloff while holding the United States Heavyweight Title. After teaming up with his brother, Dorry Funk Sr., The House of Funk (Hoss of funk) was created. Why have one when you could have two?The world of sports has seen its fair share of successful twin tandems, including NHLs Sedin brothers, MMAs Nogueira brothers, footballs Pouncey brothers, a. Jack and his brother Gerry were the original Brisco brothers, not to be confused with the ROH pair. June 7, 2022; id10t podcast cancelled . Farmer Pete and Cowboy Lang backstage in Milwaukee, February 3, 1972. Technically, these two were Rockstars in Japan. 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. Welcome to professional wrestling in the 1970s, where anything goes and grapplers werent participating in sports entertainment. 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. Three years later, a young Mascaras would make his international debut in Los Angeles where he faced various wrestlers including Goliath, John Tolos and Ernie Lad. Television also helped many wrestlers break into mainstream media, becoming influential celebrities and icons of popular culture. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Fans and pundits even began referring to him as the 8th Wonder of the World, thanks to his colossal size and ability to attract the masses.