Tito Santana began his wrestling career as a jobber for other well-established wrestlers and heels. Bob Backlund was as different from Bruno as anyone. Because of his in-ring skills, Big John Studd had some amazing matches with some considered to be the greatest at the time. Both brothers were released from WWE in midst of a merchandise scandal, as they were accused of selling WWE products without permission. Weve compiled a list of 15 wrestlers whom we believe stood out during the 70s and helped propel the company to greater heights. Beefcake held nine titles throughout his career and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. Be the first one to comment on this story. As for championships, Nikki is the reigning Divas champ, currently enjoying her second stint with the title. Arguably the most popular set of twins in wrestling today, The Bellas arent everyones forte, but theyve been at the forefront of WWEs Divas division for quite some time. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. Ephemeral, disposable, they served only one purposeto let someone know "I'm here. This was an era where there were three major United States promotions in the NWA. [3], Benny died at age 54 on March 26, 2001 of heart failure. He continued wrestling until the late 1980s, when he was enshrined into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Kayfabe was fiercely maintained for decades, but with the advent of the Internet wrestling community, and the sports entertainment movement, the pro wrestling industry has become less concerned with protecting so-called backstage secrets and typically maintains kayfabe only during the shows. Eventually, the character morphed into a deranged barber who cut the hair of his opponents following his decisive victories. 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. It is his ruthlessness and fearless nature during matches and interviews that saw him pull crowds. As you will notice, this list features some of the biggest wrestlers in the history of wrestling, a trend that the WWF adopted back in its early years. Now retired, Lord Littlebrook resides with his son in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Vintage Photos Of Midget Wrestling (1960s - 1970s) - Flashbak He toured across America with fellow wrestlers and held several championship titles. He was a clever and wily opponent who brought considerable showmanship to the arena. A wrestling promoter saw them in El Paso, Texas and convinced them to begin a wrestling training program in Ciudad Jurez, Mexico, lifting weights and running often. PS. Top 15 Twins In Wrestling History - TheSportster Wrestling began featuring enhanced, hyped character traits and storylines. Farmer Pete and Cowboy Lang backstage in Milwaukee, February 3, 1972. Aside from a week in December 1974, Brisco held the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from July 1973 to December 1975. Both flashy and furious, Mil Mscaras is considered one of Mexican wrestlings first international stars. twin wrestlers from the '70s. Hebner's twin brother Dave is also a wrestling referee. These guys could keep their fans crowds on the edge of their seats for 30, 45 or 60 minutes with no effort at all. Although she did not make the final eight, WWE signed her. 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. twin wrestlers from the '70s - americanuzbekistan.org One of wrestlings breakout stars, Roddy Piper became a bonafide pop-cultural icon with numerous appearances on television sitcoms and cartoons. RELATED: 10 Things Fans Should Know About Curt Hennig. Ron and Don have been wrestling since the late-1980s, competing against The Rock n Roll Express, Shane Douglas, and The British Bulldog in their early days. 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. Upon joining WWE, Bruno Sammartino would become an instant hit and the companys biggest star at the time. One of the greatest Japanese wrestlers of all time, Antonio Inokis contribution to the world of wrestling cannot be ignored. The legendary Lord Littlebrook (aka Eric Tovey), in Milwaukee July 7, 1968. He started his career as a circus acrobat before taking up wrestling in the 1950s. Welcome to professional wrestling in the 1970s, where anything goes and grapplers werent participating in sports entertainment. He became good friends with fellow wrestler Andre the Giant and has a career as a movie actor. Unfortunately, though, some twins have been more successful than others, and while a number of twins have set foot in WWE and other major promotions, most are easily forgotten. Top 25 Best Wrestlers Of The 1970s - TheSportster Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki became two of the most popular Japanese wrestlers of all time. 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. 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. 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. Superstar spawned a number of imitators that include Hulk Hogan, Jesse the Body Ventura, and Scott Steiner. 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. Entering the ring to Queens infectious anthem, Another One Bites The Dust, Junkyard Dog was a paradigm of pure power. In the 70s, kayfabe was alive and well! Former WWE wrestlers Brie and Nikki Bella may not tag team in the ring anymore but the twin sisters are on another journey together they're both pregnant with due dates a week and a half. The 72-year-old joined Vince McMahon's company in the early 1980s and has refereed some historic matches, including Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania V. Dave was also involved in a storyline with his twin brother in the late 1980s. Terrys wrestling career spanned for more than 50 years, enabling the wrestler to compete in all the well-established promotions. 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. This, however, was before professional wrestling was called sports entertainment. Billy the Kid born John William Guillot in Waco, Texas in 1936. A symbol of the spirit of Lucha Libre, Mil Mscaras is one of the few masked fighters ever inducted into WWEs notorious Hall of Fame. BELLA TWINS #wweshorts #shortsvideo #shorts Wrestling Summerthis topics covered videobella Twins ne mauj krdeebella twins togetherbella twins d. As the match got underway, it could have been anybodys win; until the grand finale. In the 70s, he also worked matches against boxer, Chuck Wepner. Feuding with teams such as The Road Warriors and The Nasty Boys, Mike and Todd caught a big break winning the NWA World Tag Team Championship, which lead to a stint in TNA Wrestling, where they appeared on the very first pay-per-view (PPV) event. ( 1960) -. The Russian Bear beat Bruno Sammartino for the WWE Championship in 1971, a win that almost caused a riot. 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. He sadly died at the age of 56 in January 2007. 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. [6][4], Billy McCrary died on July 14, 1979, at the age of 32, following a motorcycle accident in Niagara Falls en route to a Ripley's Believe It or Not! Here are four WWE Superstars you may not know have twin siblings. He won a variety of regional titles including the Stampede North American Title, the AWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship and the PWF Heavyweight Championship. He died aged 75 on June 24, 2010 in Amarillo, Texas. When it comes to pro-wrestling, weve seen twins trick their opponents, help one another out, and dish out the punishment on foes that take their adversaries for granted. This win meant that Bruno became the second-ever WWE champion. Koloff is one of the only former WWE Champions who is still not in the WWE Hall of Fame. These portrait photographs of Russia's ruling Romanovs were taken in 1903 at the Winter Palace in majestic. The 49-year-old spent nearly five years in the promotion, during which he failed to win any titles on the main roster. 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. See production, box office & company info, WWE Legends: Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s. Studds most memorable opponents include Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant. Used primarily for their looks, these two glamour models -- Brie and Nikki -- often competed as a tag team and even had an onscreen breakup not long ago. A Montreal native, The Wild Bear was a dominant force in the WWF. Thanks to size and height, Andre the Giant popularity in the United States grew tremendously. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Standing at 610, Giant Baba was one of the biggest wrestlers in the WWE. The Owens, composed of Leah and Casey, are two Irish girls that recently auditioned for WWE Tough Enough casting. A hardcore wrestling pioneer, the Sheik was vicious in the ring, attacking with whatever weapons he could get his hands on. Rick Martel is perhaps best known as The Model - an arrogant heel who sprayed cologne and acted as though he was one step above the rest of the WWE Superstars. 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. Little Bruiser and Billy the Kid, September 23, 1972. 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. While some of these siblings have previously worked in Vince McMahon's company, others have never competed inside the squared circle. Along with Ronnie himself and his, "It is time for art to flow into the organisation of life." A warrior and fighter inside the squared circle, Terry Funk managed to win a title with almost every promotion that he worked with. Although wrestling back then was strictly segregated by gender, Yokotas unquestioned skill level was often thought of as far surpassing that of her male counterparts. Although perhaps better known these days for his bombastic and foul-mouthed twitter rampages, Iron Sheik was a key heel throughout the 80s. 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.