10 Wrestlers Who Peaked In The 1980s
The 1980s was a major decade for pro wrestling — while WWE was rapidly expanding and taking over the sport, fans witnessed in-ring phenomena like the rise of Hulkamania and Ric Flair cementing his legacy with multiple World Title reigns and countless classic matches. The ‘80s also introduced wide audiences to up-and-comers like Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, who’d end up becoming huge stars in the following decade.
On the flip side, there were also loads of wrestlers who did their best work in this time, failing to recapture the success they did in the years that followed. Let’s take a look at 10 wrestlers who peaked in the 1980s, even if their career went far past the decade.
10 Sgt. Slaughter
A villainous drill sergeant — though occasionally a babyface — Sgt. Slaughter made his in-ring debut back in 1972 but did some of his best work in the 1980s. With runs in WWE, NWA, and AWA, the decade was defined by Slaughter putting on a barn-burner with Pat Patterson for the Intercontinental Championship as well as becoming an actual G.I. Joe character. Following that, Slaughter had a lackluster feud with Hulk Hogan in 1991 and before having a forgettable babyface run in the 1990s and becoming a WWE authority figure.
9 Paul Orndorff
The in-ring career of “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff lasted all the way until his final appearance as a full-time wrestler on WCW Monday Nitro in 1995, which feels like a miracle given how his career stalled in the 1980s. During a marquee feud with Hulk Hogan, Orndorff injured his right arm but chose to work with the injury instead of giving up on a whole lot of main event paydays. Unfortunately, the injury became too much and caused Orndorff to step away from the ring in 1988. Paul returned in 1990, but wasn’t the same performer — and worse, the injury ended up getting even worse as the ‘90s went on.
8 Dusty Rhodes
Already a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion before the 1980s even started, Dusty Rhodes found himself becoming a working class babyface icon as the decade went on. His World Title feud with Ric Flair in the mid-1980s was arguably the apex of Rhodes' career, resulting in the classic “Hard Times” promo and the first-ever WarGames matches.
Rhodes ended the decade wrestling for WWE, where he felt like a strange fit until his 1991 departure. Upon returning to the ring that same year, Rhodes’ active in-ring career mostly died down save for the odd return match.
7 The Iron Sheik
Trained by Verne Gagne and Billy Robinson, The Iron Sheik hit the height of his in-ring career in 1983 when he defeated Bob Backlund for the WWE Championship, holding it for 28 days before dropping it to Hulk Hogan. From there, he was a solid foreign heel, both as a singles competitor and a tag team specialist alongside Nikolai Volkoff, with whom he held the WWE World Tag Team Championship. While he continued wrestling into the 21st century, the 1990s and 2000s saw Sheik’s in-ring abilities and wide exposure ultimately decline.
6 Jim Duggan
The former football player “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan made his in-ring career in 1979, and found success in the early to mid 1980s when he performed in Mid-South Wrestling as part of Ted DiBiase’s Rat Pack faction. The year 1987 brought Duggan to WWE, where he became a popular patriotic babyface, albeit one that never rose above the midcard. The following decade brought additional in-ring success including championships in WCW, but it was clear to many fans that Jim Duggan was most popular and did some of his best in-ring work in the ‘80s.
5 Tito Santana
Debuting in 1977, Tito Santana has wrestled as recently as 2022, but his obvious heyday was in the 1980s. The championships alone tell the story, as throughout the decade Santana held the WWE World Tag Team Championship and the Intercontinental Championship two times each. In the early 1990s, Santana found himself getting repackaged in WWE as El Matador, and eventually moved on to smaller outfits like early (pre-Extreme) ECW, where he actually held the ECW Championship.
4 Ted DiBiase
Another wrestler who debuted in the mid-’70s, Ted DiBiase really hit his stride in the 1980s. As part of Mid-South Wrestling, DiBiase held the North American Championship multiple times and even embarked on his first-ever heel turn, becoming Mid-South’s top bad guy.
In 1987, DiBiase moved on to WWE, where he’d adopt his famous Million Dollar Man heel persona and enjoy a huge feud with Hulk Hogan. When the 1980s ended, DiBiase’s career wouldn’t last much longer, as he’d suffer a career-ending injury in 1993.
3 Dynamite Kid
In 1980s WWE, Thomas Billington — better known as Dynamite Kid — was an impressive tag team specialist alongside his real-life cousin Davey Boy Smith as The British Bulldogs. Meanwhile, Dynamite was changing the game overseas in New Japan Pro Wrestling bouts with the original Tiger Mask that would innovate the fast-paced, high-flying junior heavyweight style. Unfortunately, a back injury severely disrupted Dynamite Kid’s career, and the former standout suffered various health issues and embarked on several retirements before hanging up the boots for good in 1996.
2 Jimmy Snuka
Arriving in WWE in 1982, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka started off as a heel but soon turned babyface and engaged in notable rivalries with Don Muraco and Roddy Piper. The feud with Muraco is especially notable, as it resulted in Snuka famously pulling off his Superfly Splash maneuver from the top of a steel cage. After leaving WWE in 1985, Snuka ultimately closed out the ‘80s back in WWE, but as the kind of veteran booked to lose matches against younger talent.
1 Roddy Piper
Even before WWE, the aforementioned “Rowdy” Roddy Piper was impressing wrestling fans in the Portland territory as well as Jim Crockett Promotions, where he put on a classic Dog Collar Match with Greg Valentine. Upon arriving in WWE, however, Piper proved to be one of the top heels in the company, especially as his feud with Hulk Hogan was at the center of the “Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection” cross-promotion with MTV. Eventually turning babyface, Piper’s career into the 1990s and 2000s in both WWE and WCW, but the 1980s were arguably the peak of his career.
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