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The Top 10 Wrestlers Of The 80's?

8K views 24 replies 16 participants last post by  rzombie1988 
#1 ·
Okay, so the Jerry Lawler thread got me thinking, the 80's was a fantastic decade and there were a tonne of great wrestlers/personalities during that era. Pretty hard to rank a list but, what are your top 10 wrestlers of the 80's? In order if you can. :p

My List

1. Ric Flair
2. Randy Savage
3. Jerry Lawler
4. Ricky Steamboat
5. Harley Race
6. Barry Windham
7. Bob Backlund
8. Ted DiBiase
9. Jake Roberts
10. Sting

Honourable mentions: Roddy Piper, Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Magnum TA, Hulk Hogan & Dusty Rhodes
 
#6 ·
I just don't understand how not one person has said Tully Blanchard when he was only behind Ric Flair as the best all round in ring performer in NWA/JCP, my list in no particular order would be as followed.

Ric Flair
Jerry Lawler
Tully Blanchard
Randy Savage
Hulk Hogan
Ricky Steamboat
Rowdy Roddy Piper
Terry Funk
Jake Roberts
Dusty Rhodes

Magnum T.A probably would have made the list had he wrestled longer but he only wrestled in NWA/JCP for two years but didn't really do much until 1985 when he began working with The Four Horsemen and Ivan and Nikita Koloff. Compare that to what Tully Blanchard did from 1984 through to 1989 and how people speak about how great he was then Magnum T.A couldn't be ranked above Tully Blanchard.
 
#8 ·
I need to see more Tully to really decide where to put him on a GOAT/Best of 80's etc list. Outside of... wow, pretty much his I quit match with Magnum, I've only really seen bits of his tag run with Arn. Enough of the tag run to know he's great, but considering how much I've seen of everyone else I listed compared to Tully, there was no way I personally could rank him in the top 10.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Not in order:

Jerry Lawler
Ric Flair
Ricky Steamboat
Ricky Morton
Terry Funk
Stan Hansen
Jumbo Tsuruta
Dick Murdoch
Barry Windham
Sgt Slaughter

Purely off of in ring work, match calibre and their performances. Would not argue against Hogan, Savage,Andre, Piper, Dusty etc being included and Arn, Tully, Bill Dundee, Dutch Mantell, Backlund, Butch Reed,Bobby Eaton, Jim Duggan, Ted Dibiase, Dick Slater etc all just narrowly miss out. Slaughter's matches vs Backlund, Patterson and the infamous Boot Camp match vs Iron Sheik demonstrate his tremendous in ring ability, and his tag with Kernodle v Steamboat & Youngblood in 1983 is a contender for greatest US Tag Match of all time.

Ricky Morton to me is the closest thing to Ricky Steamboat as the textbook babyface/face in peril, just watch any number of his tags throughout the decade against the Midnight Express as well as his singles run in 1986 against Ric Flair in the Cage at the Great American Bash to see evidence of his talent.

Dick Murdoch to me is one of the most naturally gifted and talented pro wrestlers of all time, very much in the Terry Funk class of just understanding the little touches that make a match so great and a truly gifted performer in any environment. The infamous Windham match from 87 or his Mid South epic v Butch Reed highlight the talent he possessed.

As for Stan Hansen, well just watch the Andre match from 81, anyone of his singles/tag matches opposite Terry Funk in All Japan (special mention to the 08/31/83 retirement tag in particular)as well as his matches v Tsuruta and other Japan natives. Truly a brilliant heel and powerhouse brawler and his work opposite Andre in NJPW demonstrates the talent he had as a babyface in engaging the Japanese crowd, something not many foreign wrestlers have managed to emulate througout the history of gaijins in Japan.
 
#10 ·
It's impossible to make a list of the top 10 wrestlers because of the difficulty on pin-pointing what makes a good wrestler. I did one make a video though after analysing the PPV numbers of the 80's and put together a list of the top 10 draws of the 80's.

 
#11 ·
North America, not in order:

- Ric Flair
- Ricky Steamboat
- Dusty Rhodes
- Randy Savage
- Tully Blanchard
- Bob Backlund
- Sgt. Slaughter
- Terry Funk
- Wahoo McDaniel
- Harley Race

HMs: Barry Windham, Magnum TA, Sting, Jerry Lawler, Ricky Morton, etc.
 
#12 · (Edited)
1. Ric Flair
2. Jerry Lawler
3. Dusty Rhodes
4. Hulk Hogan
5. Nick Bockwinkle
6. Randy Savage
7. Roddy Piper
8. Stan Hansen
9. Sgt Slaughter
10. Ricky Steamboat

Suprised at how many of you are leaving off Bockwinkle. The AWA was still very much a top three until the late 80's and Bockwinkle carried the torch.

Also I don't think Funk breaks into this top ten. From what I remember, he was traveling alot in Japan early in the 80's before he spent a brief time buried in the WWF, and did not re-emerge as a national star until like 1988. I maybe wrong on this.

Same goes for guys like Sting who broke out too late in the decade to merit consideration. And guys like Backlund who dissapeared after losing the belt in 84. He spent most of the decade off the radar.

The Road Warriors as a team have to get some HR. As does JYD who really dominated the Mid-South. Mr Wrestling 2 was still on the top of his game until like 86 or so...so maybe he would rate higher than some of the guys being mentioned.

Oh and hardly anyone has mentioned Kerry Von Erich....I think he's a candidate as well.
 
#15 ·
Eh, Ricky Morton revolutionized tag team wrestling in the United States and can play face-in-peril better than anyone. Tito Santana is one of the best babyfaces of all-time from an in-ring perspective and was a helluva tag team guy too. I stand by those picks.
 
#16 · (Edited)
But top ten of the entire decade?

Sanatana never ever carried a company. I really don't think there is a need to debate him, he's not even well...I don't know maybe top 30, if that?

Morton, dude how in the heck did he revolutionize tag team wrestling? He learned the biz from Jerry Jarrett who btw did actaully play the face-in-peril better than anyone in his day. Guys had been doing the hot tag thing for 50 years before Morton, some just as well, some better. Look he was great no doubt, but top ten? Funny I always thought if anyone revolutionized tag teams in the 80's it was the Road Warriors.

You have a right to your own opinion I am not saying your wrong I am just finding the logic behind these two hard to believe. Sounds to me like you grew up a fan of them....and that's okay. I would like to debate.

You are telling me you take Ricky Morton and Tito Santana over...Bockwinkle, Piper, Rhodes, Race, Brody, Von Erich, Slaughter, The Road Warriors, Ventura, Orndorff, Andre...I just find that hard to believe....but it's your opinion. Great discussion, don't mean to come across rude....I just really like list.
 
#17 ·
Actually, Andre should be on there and I thought he was, but the rest? Yeah, I stand by that. The name on mine that I question the most is Steamboat, honestly, not Morton or Santana. And I would certainly put Santana or Morton up against Piper or Slaughter, both of whom you listed. Different strokes.

I don't think "carrying a company" has anything to do with it, really. We going to start naming Von Erichs or Freebirds?
 
#18 · (Edited)
That's fair, like I said I am not trying to slam you.

I think you can make a case for Morton, but in no way do I see him over anyone that I listed especially Bockwinkle, Dusty Rhodes, or the Road Warriors and including Slaughter and Piper. Slaughter was in arguably the two hotest fueds of the decade. He sold out buildings all over in the Atlantic territory then repeated the same feat in the WWF. People base Slaughter in the 80's soley on his WWF run, when in reality he was the top heel in the Mid-Atlantic region for a couple of years. Piper....don't forget his fued with Valentine in the NWA before he poured gasoline on the WWF with his Hogan fued that gave birth to WM 1. As for Santana he was a curtain jerker at WM. Santana as far as I know never drew based on his name alone. His case is hard to make. His top runs were his fueds with Muraco, Valentine, and later his last big fued with Butch Reed.....none of which sold out buildings as far as I know. He spent most of the 80's in the WWF where he was behind; Hogan, Slaughter, Andre, Snuka, and eventually JYD, Steamboat, Savage, Ultimate Warrior and Jake Roberts. He was never pushed higher than any of those faces. In his heyday, during his biggest runs he was still at best for brief periods of time the fourth biggest face they had. He was basically on the same level with Putski, Hacksaw, and Tony Atlas. Even in his run with Rick Martel in Strikeforce, That in itself showed that he was not big enough to stand out on his own, it felt like a demotion. And really they were overshadowed by the Bulldogs, Hart Foundation and even Demolition.

As far as carrying the company, I think it is a fair baramoter of how well a wrestler drew, how over he was. Unless you were the owner, or booker the guys who made it to the top and generated ticket sales worked main events. They carried the company. Every guy I listed did this in the 80's. I admit, The Rock n Roll Express did do this at times, and Morton worked lots of main events, but you joked about the Freebirds and Von Erich's, but I consider Morton on their level. If I were ranking the top 50 stars of the 80's they would all be around the same number....not Mike and Buddy Roberts of course ;). But I will give you credit, after considering maybe Morton is not that big of a reach. You won me over. I still don't think he's top ten but top 20 okay. Santana on the other hand, were just going to agree to disagree.
 
#20 ·
Op list didnt have Piper? Close this down and let someone else start the topic

Sent from my DROID RAZR using VerticalSports.Com App
 
#23 ·
1.Hulk Hogan
2.Andre The Giant
3.Ric Flair
4.Antonio Inoki
5.Dusty Rhodes
6.Bob Backlund
7.Randy Savage
8.Legion Of Doom
9.Bruiser Brody
10.Roddy Piper
 
#24 · (Edited)
So based on earlier comments I had to do this, gave it a lot of thought ;)

Eevryone has their own opinions, but some guys who did little in the 80's are getting way too much consideration, anyways just for fun...the top 50.

1. Ric Flair
2. Hulk Hogan
3. Dusty Rhodes
4. Andre
5. Jerry Lawler
6. Nick Bockwinkle
7. Randy Savage
8. Roddy Piper
9. Stan Hansen
10. Sgt Slaughter
11. Ricky Steamboat
12. Hawk
13. Animal
14. Harley Race
15. Kerry Von Erich
16. Tully Blanchard
17. Terry Funk
18. Ted Dibiase
19. Jimmy Snuka
20. Junkyard Dog
21. Brusier Brody
22. Arn Anderson
23. Jesse Ventura
24. Barry Whindham
25. Michael Hayes
26. Iron Sheik
27. Jake Roberts
28. Bob Backlund
29. Sting
30. Magnum T.A.
31. Nikita Koloff
32. Paul Orndorff
33. Ricky Morton
34. Ultimate Warrior
35. Masked Superstar
36. Dick Murdoch
37. Rick Martel
38. Dr. Death Steve Williams
39. Rick Rude
40. Bobby Eaton
41. Terry Gordy
42. Kevin Von Erich
43. Kevin Sullivan
44. Butch Reed
45. Tito Santana
46. Billy Jack Haynes
47. Hacksaw Duggan
48. Gino Hernandez
49. Stan Lane
50. Ronnie Garvin
 
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