Classic 1980s Wrestling Star Identification Quiz

Many dedicated fans of wrestling put Hulk Hogan at the top of the list of greatest wrestlers of all time. Hogan, born Terry Bollea, began his professional wrestling career in 1977 and has gone by several other ring names, including Terry Boulder, The Super Destroyer and Mr. America.

The Macho Man’s real name is Randy Poffo, but he got his more fitting ring surname thanks to the fact that he “wrestled like a savage.” Among Savage’s most memorable matches are the WrestleMania III, VII and VIII bouts against Ricky Steamboat, Ultimate Warrior and Ric Flair.

“André the Giant” Roussimoff had a condition known as gigantism which contributed to him reaching a height of 7 feet, 4 inches and weighing 520 pounds. He began wrestling professionally at age 18 and is often remembered for the legendary feud between himself and Hulk Hogan.

Paul “Mr. Wonderful” Orndorff was one of the wrestlers in the main event of the very first WrestleMania in 1985. He teamed up with Rowdy Roddy Piper in an epic battle against Hulk Hogan and Mr. T. Orndorff and Piper lost, but it was this match which set the stage for wrestling’s golden years and many more WrestleMania events to come.

The very first WrestleMania began in 1985 and grew out of a feud between Roddy Piper (the villain; teamed with Mr. Wonderful) and Hulk Hogan (the face or good guy; teamed with Mr. T). Piper was so good at being bad that he was voted Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Most Hated Wrestler of the Year in 1984 and 1985.

A “mysterious” injury kept “Cowboy” Bob Orton’s hand in a cast for several years and he used that cast as a weapon in many of his matches. One of his main roles was as enforcer/bodyguard to Rowdy Roddy Piper. Orton’s father (Bob Orton Sr.), his brother (Barry Orton) and his son (Randy Orton) are all professional wrestling champions, as well.

Michael “Hawk” Hegstrand was half of the Road Warrior tag team which also went by the name Legion of Doom. He and his partner Joseph “Animal” Laurinaitis lit up the wrestling ring with their face paint, spikey shoulder pads and over-the-top energetic style.

Rick Martel had one of wrestling’s most memorable gimmicks. He went the name “The Model,” behaved in a very narcissistic manner and entered the ring with an oversized bottle of his “cologne” called Arrogance which he sprayed to blind his opponents!

His power slams and head butts made Sylvester “Junkyard Dog” Ritter one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the ring. He thrilled young fans by dancing with them in the ring after matches.

Don Muraco began wrestling professionally in 1970, and by 1985 his talents won him his very first ever King of the Ring title. Interestingly, for a while in the 1980s, Muraco used the nickname “The Rock” and also had a wrestling feud with Rocky Johnson, father of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

At one point in his career, Haku, who is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and weighs 290 pounds, was half of the tag team The Colossal Connection alongside André the Giant. Haku was born in the Kingdom of Tonga in Polynesia and has three sons who are also professional wrestlers. Many wrestling fans may also be aware of another connection – Haku is uncle to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

Ken Patera was a professional weightlifter and strongman before he began his professional wrestling career in 1973. He spent a part of the 1980s as a member of the Heenan Family where one of his most high-profile feuds was with Hulk Hogan.

With his blue and green face paint, an oddly shaved head and the tendency to headbutt anything, Bryon Robertson truly lived up to his ring name “The Missing Link.” When he debuted in wrestling, however, he was a scientifically-minded good guy with the ring name Dewey Robertson.

Jesse “The Body” Ventura began wrestling professionally in 1974 and by the 1980s, he was one of the sport’s most recognizable villains. Along with becoming the Governor of Minnesota (1999 – 2003), Ventura is also an actor and author of several books .

The very first WrestleMania in 1985 was a significant one for Greg “The Hammer” Valentine. It was here that he defended his Intercontinental Heavyweight Championship title against challenger Junkyard Dog. The Hammer had won the title the year before by defeating Tito Santana.

Big John Studd (6 feet, 10 inches and 364 pounds) built up his gimmick by claiming he could not be body slammed by another wrestler – although he was on several occasions. His most memorable feud was with André the Giant to whom he issued his “$15, 000 Bodyslam Challenge” at the first WrestleMania. André (7 feet, 4 inches and 520 pounds) won.

Nikolai Volkoff was one of the 1980s “Russian” villains which wrestling fans loved to hate. Volkoff, who is actually from Croatia, made his mark on wrestling history by winning the Tag Team Championship title at the very first WrestleMania (1985) with his partner The Iron Sheik.

Robert Remus, a.k.a. Sgt. Slaughter, debuted as a professional wrestler in 1972. He became one of the sport’s most intriguing characters by the time he retired 42 years later, in 2014. Sgt. Slaughter, who had been an actual drill instructor in the United States Marine Corps, has had a very popular G.I. Joe character named after him.

Edward Leslie has gone by a string of ring names since he debuted in 1977 as a professional wrestler. He is best remembered, however, by his 1980s persona, Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, as well as for his long-running friendship with Hulk Hogan. The Barber was also a part of the Dream Team tag team with Greg “The Hammer” Valentine.

Much to the delight of spectators, Jake “The Snake” Roberts took his reptilian gimmick very seriously. He was known to slither like a snake into the ring and then out again after a match. He brought pet python to matches and wrapped it around the neck of each defeated opponent after successful use of his signature DDT (front facelock into the mat) move.

Muscle-bound and gyrating sensually, “Ravishing” Rick Rude (real name: Richard Rood) put all his energy into living up to his ring name. His female fans were more than pleased, since he had the habit of selecting one to plant a kiss on after each victorious match.

Bret “The Hitman” Hart had a successful solo career and was half of the popular Hart Foundation tag team with Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart. Bret belongs to the famous Hart Dynasty of wrestlers headed by his father Stu Hart. Bret and his 11 siblings (plus some of their own children) are either wrestlers, referees or involved in wrestling in some way.

Iranian-born Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri held the WWF World Heavyweight Championship title for just 4 weeks in 1983. Paired with Nikolai Volkoff, he won the WWF Tag Team Championship at the first WrestleMania in 1985.

Best-known in wrestling by his ring name Tito Santana, Texas native Merced Solis was often billed as being Mexican. He played the good guy role his entire career and formed the tag team Strike Force with Rick Martel, who eventually turned heel against him.

At 6 feet, 5 inches and 468 pounds, King Kong Bundy was a formidable opponent, indeed. Bundy, whose real name is Christopher Pallies, had the biggest moment of his career when he appeared in a steel cage match against Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania II.

The British Bulldogs was a tag team made up of English-born wrestlers Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid, his cousin. They showed off their wrestling skill in intricate maneuvers and became one of the top teams of the 1980s.

Randy “Moondog Rex” Colley debuted in 1971 and went on to become a part of the Moondogs wrestling stable. He was also one-half of the Moondogs tag team alongside Edward “Moondog King” White. Next came a short stint with the Demolition tag team as the first Smash, partnered with William “Demolition Ax” Eadie.

William Eadie began wrestling professionally in 1973. He soon chose the name “The Masked Superstar” and it was as this persona that he body slammed André the Giant. In 1987, he became Demolition Ax when he and Randy “Moondog Rex” Colley (who now went by Demolition Smash) formed the Demolition Team.

Jacques Rougeau entered professional wrestling in 1977 with his brother Raymond as his tag team partner in the Fabulous Rougeau Brothers. They played the part of very entertaining villains and, after they broke up, Jacques became another villain, The Mountie. Other members of the family involved in wrestling include their father, uncle, sister and a third brother.

Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart was already an accomplished wrestler before he married into the Hart Dynasty of wrestlers. He and his brother-in-law, Bret “The Hitman” Hart formed the Hart Foundation tag team. Neidhart’s daughter, Natalie, is also a professional wrestler.

Wayne “The Honky Tonk Man” Farris has one of the most classic gimmicks of the 1980s. He was a villain dressed like Elvis Presley and prone to pulling off all kinds of sneaky stunts to win his matches.

Believe it or not, Ricky Steamboat’s real surname is “Blood” – which seems like a perfect name for wrestling! He couldn’t use it, however, since he was always cast as a good guy (or face) in his matches and feuds, including his iconic feud with Randy Savage, leading to his intercontinental Heavyweight Championship title at WrestleMania III.

When it comes to gimmicks, Ted DiBiase had one of the richest, literally! He was known to arrive at his matches in a limousine, pay fans to kiss his feet and stuff $100 bills into the mouths of his defeated competitors. His most outrageous stunt, however, could be that time he bought the WWF belt and title from André the Giant.

Jim “Hacksaw” Duggan entered professional wrestling in 1979. The highlight of his career, so far, could be the fact that he won the very first Rumble Royal match when the event was first held in 1988.

George “The Animal” Steele (real name: William Myers) is considered by some to be one of the legends of wrestling. His professional wrestling career began in 1967 and although his crazed “The Animal” character could not utter a coherent sentence, Myers was in fact, a high school teacher with a master’s degree.

Terry Gordy was a member of the Fabulous Freebirds stable of wrestlers and it was with them that he won several of his tag team championship titles in the 1980s. Gordy often wrestled under his own name but he also used the ring names Terry Mecca and The Executioner during his career.

Many people within the wrestling community regard Curt “Mr. Perfect” Hennig as one of the sport’s best all-round talents – almost perfect in every way! He played his perfectionist storyline perfectly and became one of the best-loved villains in the sport.

Steve Borden debuted as a professional wrestler in 1985 using the ring name “Flash.” It wasn’t long before he would change his name to the iconic one every wrestling fan knows very well – Sting! He is regarded as one of the greatest (and most colorful) wrestlers of all time.

James “The Ultimate Warrior” Hellwig is best remembered for his high energy, muscle-bound physique and of course, his distinctive face paint. He took on the best of the best and very often held his own, including his win against Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania VI (1990).

The Demolition tag team is not named for their technical skill but rather for their ability to destroy everything in their path – or to at least use up loads of energy while trying! Barry “Demolition Smash” Darsow joined the group in 1987 and its other members are William “Demolition Ax” Eadie and Brian “Demolition Crush” Adams.