Cowboy Bob Bradley was born Robert Claton Bradley in Dickens County, TX, in February 1935. Backlund was a collegiate All-American and a former NCAA Champion. Verne was as old-school as they come, a grappler who was all about mat wrestling, and someone who could tie up any opponent and win a match with just about any move. Thanks to photographerDavid Maciejewskiwe can see pictures of thelittle wrestlers before the hype and hoopla of WWF took hold. Rikishi spent over a decade in Vince McMahon's company, during which he won the Intercontinental Championship twice and the tag titles three times. Hebner's twin brother Dave is also a wrestling referee. Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki became two of the most popular Japanese wrestlers of all time. Rikishi and his twin brother shared the ring a few times in WWE and other promotions throughout their careers. 10. Make no mistake, though, that didnt mean the action wasnt good. 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. Of course, this shaved, corpulent, and effeminate fighter in a nude diaper was a villain, but his bizarre characterizations made him quite unique in a sea of hyper-machismo. Antonio Inoki. After his stint as a wrestler, Mr Fuji would embark on a new journey as a manager with Yokozuna, Demolitions and Powers of Pain being his clients. Widely respected for his integrity and personal principles, Sammartino was one of the most popular wrestlers in the 60s and 70s. The sport reached an outrageous and never before seen numbers of viewers. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. 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. 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. His matches with the original Tiger Mask were light years ahead of what some wrestling companies were doing. He is widely regarded as the most recognized wrestling star worldwide and the most popular wrestler of the 1980s. As the match got underway, it could have been anybodys win; until the grand finale. Most matches started the same, being preceded by a plethora of trash talking. Mascaras is one of the best-known Luchadores in Mexico and spent the bulk of his time wowing crowds in the U.S. and Japan during the 1970s. Mercedes Kaestner-Varnado is an American professional wrestler and actress who also known as her ring names Sasha Banks (in WWE) and Mercedes Mon (in other promotions). Times have changed and its increasingly difficult to view grapplers like The Ultimate Warrior without thinking of his appalling and bigoted worldviews. In the '70s, they were one of the most successful tag teams in history. During his time in the WWE, Calhoun became a force to reckon with in the tag team division teaming up with Tony Garea. His first run lasted more than 1,700 days from 1975-1980. 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. The curious thing was that none of the so-called wrestlers were true athletes. Bruno Sammartino was the biggest name in WWE in the '60s and '70s, but in the late '70s, another man took his spot. The Tonga Kid joined the company in 1983 and spent nearly five years there before leaving in 1988. Meltzer has previously described her as the most popular womens wrestler of all time.. Original release. Wrestling became an international phenomenon with the expansion of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF). Her matches with her aforementioned nemeses were attended by sold-out crowds in Japan and bolstered the reputation of Japanese womens wrestling worldwide. While he never beat Bruno for the world title, Kowalski teamed up with Gorilla Monsoon and Big John Studd to win tag team titles. Despite that, Andre was someone that territories brought in to beat their biggest heels, and he sold out every appearance. In a book that became to be known as 'The People of the Abyss' London described the time when he lived in the Whitechapel district sleeping in workhouses, so-called doss-houses and even on the streets. Both flashy and furious, Mil Mscaras is considered one of Mexican wrestlings first international stars. If you enjoy what we do, please consider becoming a patron with a recurring monthly subscription of your choosing. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop. 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. PS. Meanwhile, The Tonga Kid lost his final match at an independent event when he teamed up with Angel Blanco Jr. to face Solar and Solar Jr. Earl Hebner joined WWE in 1988 and spent over a decade and a half in the company, during which he became well-known to the WWE Universe. He became good friends with fellow wrestler Andre the Giant and has a career as a movie actor. This, and a ton of hard work, became the blueprint to win championships for specific sets of twins in WWE. Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images. They were both born in October 1965. One year after their debut in the WWE, the Wild Samoans would win their first-ever tag team championship. With a wrestling career that spanned more than three decades, Ivan Koloff managed to win various titles including the WWWF Heavyweight Championship and the NWA tag team titles. He sadly died at the age of 56 in January 2007. 28. Because of his ability to stand out and cut amazing promos, many WWE fans flocked to the ring to see the superstar in action. 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. Since leaving Vince McMahon's company, Dave Hebner has become a wrestling manager and has appeared in a few other promotions. However, the company released him and his brother from their contracts in mid-2005. Dynamite Kid. And, if youre honest, youll just drag up from the depths all the times youve hated or felt passionately about something and play it. Professional wrestling in the 1970s was huge! 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. His later years were spent training the up-and-coming legendary children of NXT and his own biological children, Cody and Goldust, remain in the top tier of wrestlings biggest stars to this day. Thanks to his massive size, Haystacks Calhoun became an instant hit during the golden era. Their parents bought a farm to increase their physical activity and they ate only 1,000 calories per day but could not stop gaining weight. Aside from a week in December 1974, Brisco held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from July 1973 to December 1975. In the 1960s and 1970s, Kowalski became a great tag team wrestler, while also becoming a top rival for world champion Bruno Sammartino. Unfortunately, the promotion closed two years later. The main rival of the Crush Gals, Matsumotos ghastly look complimented her domineering in-ring presence. WWE billed Andre as an undefeated wrestler until his loss to Hulk Hogan, but that was not entirely true. Referee George Gadaski talks to the legendary Little Beaver (back to camera) with tag partner Jamaica Kid to his left, and rivals Billy the Kid and Cowboy Bradley to his right. After teaming up with his brother, Dorry Funk Sr., The House of Funk (Hoss of funk) was created. Their gravestone displays images of two Honda motorcycles and is inscribed "Worlds Largest Twins". Frenchy Lamonte heading for the ring in Tampa 1970. In the 70s, kayfabe was alive and well and crowds believed what they were seeing. was a promoter and wrestling manager. Please logout and login again. RELATED: The 10 Best Wrestlers In The World Outside WWEHe later went to the WWE where he would become the first masked wrestler to appear at Madison Square Garden while working alongside legends like Superstar Billy Graham, Andre the Giant, and Dusty Rhodes. Although wrestling matches in the 60s, 70s, and 80s were not as smooth and immersive as the matches of later years especially The New Era, these matches still lived up to the expectations of the fans at that point in time. 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. [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. 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. RELATED: 10 Best WWE Wrestlers Of All-Time, According To Cagematch.netMost wrestlers didnt have the physiques or follow the diet and workout regimen that many athletes follow today, but make no mistake, that didnt mean the action wasnt good. We could always count on a suplex, a body slam or a chair over the head. The Shane Twins will forever be subject to ridicule in the wrestling world and some of that criticism is unfair. - Alexander Rodchenko, 1921, The Shop Prints, Sustainable Fashion, Cards & More, Get The Newsletter For Discounts & Exclusives, Photographs of Londons Kings Cross Before the Change c.1990, Photos of Topless Dancers and Bottomless Drinks At New York Citys Raciest Clubs c. 1977, Debbie Harry And Me Shooting The Blondie Singer in 1970s New York City, Jack Londons Extraordinary Photos of Londons East End in 1902, Photographs of The Romanovs Final Ball In Color, St Petersburg, Russia 1903, Eric Ravilious Visionary Views of England, Photographs of the Wonderful Diana Rigg (20 July 1938 10 September 2020), Photographer Updates Postcards Of 1960s Resorts Into Their Abandoned Ruins, Sex, Drugs, Jazz and Gangsters The Disreputable History of Gerrard Street in Londons Chinatown, The Brilliant Avant-Garde Movie Posters of the Soviet Union, Wrestling In 1980s England Big Daddy, Handbags And Tons of Fun, This Sporting Life : Gerry Cranhams Fantastic Photographs Capture The Beauty And Drama of Sport, Fabulous Kodachrome Snapshots from a Day Trip to London in 1962, The Communist Party of Great Britain And The Red Menace 1920-1991, Newsletter Subscribers Get Shop Discounts. 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. 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. By that time, Johnny Valiant had moved on to managing and Jimmy had become the Boogie Woogie Man. 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. In his final match, Rikishi teamed up with Danni Deeds and Todd Quality to defeat Adam Ryder, Marty Sugar, and Shreddz at a PPW event. 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). 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. 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. With dreams of making a huge splash in the wrestling business, both Brandon and Brent seem to be in good hands wrestling for Ring of Honor and Global Force Wrestling. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. 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. Earl still officiates TNA Wrestling matches alongside his son and former WWE employee, Brian Hebner. They'd be 74 today", "Benny Loyd McCrary, World's Heaviest Twin", "McCrary Twins Awe Wrestling Fans Across Country", "Services for Billy McCrary to be Held Here Tomorrow", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_McGuire_Twins&oldid=1141937960, 666kg (1,468lb) (Billy and Benny McGuire), This page was last edited on 27 February 2023, at 17:23. Welcome to professional wrestling in the 1970s, where anything goes and grapplers werent participating in sports entertainment. Cole WWE.com Kent and Keith Cole were WCW regulars during the mid-1990s, a mid-card act who would beat other jobbers but usually lost to more established teams. Their penchant for ruthless battles made their sudden change in demeanor very surprising to longtime fans when they debuted in WWE in 1988. Audiences believed the violent action they were seeing and took it for gospel! It was loosely called a sport, and anything went! Played by Satoru Sayama, who Bret Hart once called the Bruce Lee of professional wrestling, Tiger Mask I was both a real-life wrestling character and the star of a popular Japanese cartoon. Wrestling began featuring enhanced, hyped character traits and storylines. Little Beaver was born Lionel Giroux in Saint-Jrme, Quebec in 1935. he began his wrestling career at the age of fifteen and teamed up with fellow Canadian Sky Low Low, the pair going on to become two of the most famous wrestlers in history. 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. Brooke Adams tried out for the 2006 Diva Search competition. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest 70's wrestler of all time. These wrestlers of the 70s were violent and dangerous men who had no problem beating up the wrestler across the ring from them, and most had no problem stepping in the ring with other athletes. They made their WWE debuts in 1995 as The Blu Brothers, participating in the Royal Rumble Match and eventually losing to Davey Boy Smith and Lex Luger in the opening bout of WrestleMania 11. Here are the top 15 twins in wrestling, with the majority of the selections guaranteed to pick your brain: The Phoenix Twins were regulars on the independent circuit, feuding with The House of Truth approximately half a decade ago, which means theyve shared rings with Jimmy Jacobs and current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins. 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. 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 (723 lb) and 338 kilograms (745 lb), respectively). Many old-school wrestling fans remember the House of Funk for their Wrestlemania 2 appearance. While Andre the Giant took part in various high-stakes matches in his professional career, it is his match at Wrestlemania 3 against Hulk Hogan that would earn him a spot in the anarchs of sports entertainment. Surely, Jimmy and Jey are set aside by some in favor of Tyson Kidd & Cesaro or The Prime Time Players, yet theyve been holding down the fort for a while and excel in entertaining matches. Although she was often teaming with her mentor, Dump Matsumoto, she also held the All Japan Pro Wrestling womens title for three years starting in 1985 she was only 16 years old at the time. Killer Kowalski began his wrestling career in 1947 and went on to have a long and successful run in professional wrestling. In general, anything in a professional wrestling show is to some extent scripted, or "kayfabe", even though at times it is portrayed as legitimate. The Russian Bear beat Bruno Sammartino for the WWE Championship in 1971, a win that almost caused a riot. Blood, barrel chests, and mutton chops. They dropped out of high school and moved to Texas, where they had jobs livestock branding. 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." Bret Hart Self | WWF Survivor Series Perfect Curt Hennig and grandfather of Curtis Axel, but during his time in wrestling, he was one of the top stars in the world. 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. St. Petersburg. Cheerfulness kept creeping in." In 1955, she began working for Vince McMahon Sr. as Fabulous Moolah. While Mascaras received several shots at the title, he always came shot and thus never won any title with the WWE. Jaguar Yokota for a time was considered the best wrestler in the world period. RELATED: 10 Greatest WWE Golden Era Wrestlers, RankedLadd won a number of regional titles and was a master heel during the 70s wrestling WWWF champions Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales and Bob Backlund, NWA champion Harley Race and the AWAs top titleholder Nick Bockwinkel. They were victims of some of the worst gimmicks in the history of the business. Hogan began his professional wrestling career in . Gorgeous George gained epic mainstream popularity, followed in the Second Golden Age in the 1980's and 1990's 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. Ric Flair Saturday Night was all about the WWF Main Event! In the U.S., he made his name thanks to a massive violent feud with Bruno Sammartino in WWE. Their popularity in Japan can be compared to Hulk Hogans popularity in the United States. Flair had nothing but praise for Race upon his death in 2019: Without Harley Race, there was no Ric Flair. Because of his in-ring skills, Big John Studd had some amazing matches with some considered to be the greatest at the time. RELATED: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Curt Hennig. The Usos joined the WWE in 2010 and have been managed by their cousin Tamina Snuka as well as Jimmy's wife Naomi. Both brothers were released from WWE in midst of a merchandise scandal, as they were accused of selling WWE products without permission. Her reigns as womens champion lasted for 8, 6, and 10 years in her run as the top female wrestler in the world. 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. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. At six feet, nine inches tall, he was one of the few men who could almost measure up to Andre the Giant. While the 1970s may seem like a bit of a forgotten time for wrestling, some of the best wrestlers ever performed in this decade. Whatever the roles may be, theres no overlooking the upper hand some identical siblings have over their rivals. Although perhaps better known these days for his bombastic and foul-mouthed twitter rampages, Iron Sheik was a key heel throughout the 80s. Although she was far more active in All Japan Womens Wrestling, she made brief appearances in the WWF in 1986. 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.