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. Although perhaps better known these days for his bombastic and foul-mouthed twitter rampages, Iron Sheik was a key heel throughout the 80s. He won a variety of regional titles including the Stampede North American Title, the AWA British Empire Heavyweight Championship and the PWF Heavyweight Championship. 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. Over the past few years, the former Diva Search contestant has posted a few photos on Instagram of herself and her sister together. After teaming up with his brother, Dorry Funk Sr., The House of Funk (Hoss of funk) was created. It would be beyond cliche to call Andre larger than life but its an appropriate descriptor considering his largesse both in and out of the ring. We could always count on a suplex, a body slam or a chair over the head. Tipping the scales at approximately 1,470 pounds, The McGuire Twins were once the worlds heaviest twins in the Guinness Book of World Records. Later, he would join AJPW where he feuded with The Destroyer. He died aged 76 in January 2013. 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. Even an alternative canon of pro-wrestling would have to include Andre The Giant. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'sportlister_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_25',106,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-medrectangle-4-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'sportlister_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_26',106,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-medrectangle-4-0_1');.medrectangle-4-multi-106{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. Also, since wrestling is performed in front of a live audience, whose interaction with the show is crucial to its success, kayfabe can be compared to the fourth wall in acting, since hardly any conventional fourth wall exists to begin with. 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. Apart from Tito Sammartino, Ivan Koloff also holds several other memorable wins against renowned wrestlers such as Bob Buckland, Gorilla Monsoon and Bruno. Nonetheless, Richter won championships around the globe before her retirement in 2005. Born in England, Robinson is one of the godfathers of strong style and is considered one of the best ever by Japanese fans. Standing at 610 and weighing more than 360 pounds, Big John Studd is one of the greatest 70s wrestlers. In the world of pro-wrestling, no other set of twins are as well traveled as The Harris Brothers. While Sammartino was a big man who overpowered his opponents and had more charisma than anyone, Backlund was more vanilla but was a technical marvel in the ring. I believe this was broadcast on 26 August 1997. Certainly, the drug-fueled charms of the salacious and ostentatious Ric Flair are indelibly imbued into our collective memories. They each weighed 200 pounds by age 10 and 600 pounds by age 16. The nature of professional wrestling dramatically changed in order to better suit television audiences. 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. For a time, Hart was considered the most famous person in Canada and is quite often regarded as the greatest wrestler of all 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. Most matches started the same, being preceded by a plethora of trash talking. 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 legendary Lord Littlebrook (aka Eric Tovey), in Milwaukee July 7, 1968. Here are four WWE Superstars you may not know have twin siblings. In the 1960s and 1970s, Kowalski became a great tag team wrestler, while also becoming a top rival for world champion Bruno Sammartino. Poised as an everyman, Dusty managed to wrack up title wins across divisions and federations. A movie star, a pop hero, and a gentle soul Andres kindness is often remembered as fondly as his physical domination. 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. This made Koloff one of the only men to ever beat Sammartino in a WWE match. 14. While he never beat Bruno for the world title, Kowalski teamed up with Gorilla Monsoon and Big John Studd to win tag team titles. A wrestler, politician and founder of the 800-pound gorilla of New Japan Pro Wrestling, Antonio Inoki was best known for his use of heavy strikes mixed with shoot wrestling. Varnado made her acting debut in season 2 of the acclaimed show The Mandalorian (2019) in the role of Koska Reeves. 1990. ( 1990) AWA All-Star Wrestling was a syndicated television series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). He even found time to release the single True Love in 1975 and still has. Some twins rose to prominence by being glamour models inside and out of the squared circle, while other duos shared a common goal of calling matches down the middle. Both Bart and Brad, who spent the majority of their time in WCWA, took on all comers such as Kevin Sullivan, Matt Borne, The Moondogs, and a tag team called The Thrillseekers, a duo made up of Chris Jericho and Lance Storm. However, the company released him and his brother from their contracts in mid-2005. He was also credited by the Guinness Book of Records as the Worlds Strongest Midget.. Weve compiled a list of 15 wrestlers whom we believe stood out during the 70s and helped propel the company to greater heights. 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. Many fans may not know that Rikishi has a twin brother, The Tonga Kid (AKA Sam Fatu). Both flashy and furious, Mil Mscaras is considered one of Mexican wrestlings first international stars. 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. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportlister_com-narrow-sky-2','ezslot_18',121,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-narrow-sky-2-0'); However, accolades alone cannot describe Inokis contributions and accomplishments in sports entertainment. He spent his later childhood years growing up in Brooklyn and became a fan favorite for New York Citys large Puerto Rican population, the home base of the WWE. Upon joining WWE, Bruno Sammartino would become an instant hit and the companys biggest star at the time. His first job was a constructions worker and during the evenings, he worked out at a local gym in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their gravestone displays images of two Honda motorcycles and is inscribed "Worlds Largest Twins". When they returned to WWE, they adopted the names 8-Ball and Skull, joining their real-life cousin Brian Lee (as Chainz) and Crush in The Disciples of Apocalypse. They dont quite look alike, but to the Olsens credit, they often wore matching outfits, which facilitated the gimmick, also helping tag teams like The Fabulous Ones, The Dicks, and The Basham Brothers to look like similar siblings in the past. The Big Cat was an AFL All-Pro before he had a Hall of Fame career as a professional wrestler. He made his debut into in the wild world of Professional Wrestling in 1959 and defeated Buddy Rogers with a reverse backbreaker to capture the WWWF World title in 1963. As a member of the notorious Crush Gals tag team, Lioness Asuka helped to propel womens wrestling to global popularity. 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. There have also been twins who haven't worked together on camera. Cheerfulness kept creeping in." 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. 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. Sammartino would then go ahead and beat Inoki bloody. Their in-ring attires truly made them memorable, even if you only saw them a few times. Eventually, the character morphed into a deranged barber who cut the hair of his opponents following his decisive victories. During his time in the WWE, Calhoun became a force to reckon with in the tag team division teaming up with Tony Garea. 28. Competing since the mid-1980s, The Batten Twins have tussled against some of the best in the world, but they never quite got the recognition they wanted. Little Bruiser and Billy the Kid, September 23, 1972. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. 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. 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). Benny then opened a pawn shop and worked as an auctioneer in Hendersonville. Blood, barrel chests, and mutton chops. Voros Twins - CAGEMATCH - The Internet Wrestling Database Amassing 34 total championship wins in his career, Pipers legacy now lives on in Ronda Rousey, whom he gifted the Rowdy moniker. twin wrestlers from the '70s. Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan are big stars both in the WWE world and reality TV world. Inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009, Ricky Steamboats fights against Macho Man Randy Savage (1987) and Ric Flair (1989) were both awarded Match of the Year by Pro-Wrestling Illustrated and the Wrestling Observer. A major star of Midget Wrestling Littlebrook was born in England in 1929. Giant Baba and Antonio Inoki became two of the most popular Japanese wrestlers of all time. Now retired, Lord Littlebrook resides with his son in Saint Joseph, Missouri. Moreover, there were instances when the Wild Samoans would eat raw fish during interviews or simply begin picking their noses. Competing in Ohio Valley Wrestling for five years with a combined four title reigns, Hannah and Holly made a name for themselves wrestling under TNA, first appearing on TNA Wrestling: British Bootcamp, where Rockstar Spud and Mary Scurll were also discovered. 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. In 1974, Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Robinson their Most Popular Wrestler of the Year. However, in 1985 she was forced to vacate her championship due to an injury, which prompted an early retirement in 1986 at the age of 24. Welcome to professional wrestling in the 1970s, where anything goes and grapplers werent participating in sports entertainment. He went on to win one world title. 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. Billy started his career in the 1950s, where he established himself as a wrestling bad guy. 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. This win at Madison Square would mark the beginning of a 170 days reign before dropping the titles to another promising duo, the Wild Samoans. The Dynamite Kid was one of the most innovative wrestlers of the 1980s. Did a WWE legend just take a shot at Sami Zayn's physique right here? The best British wrestlers: From Big Daddy to Mick McManus - mirror 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. Despite being a well-known name in the wrestling industry, many fans may not know that Adams has a twin sister, Brittaney. Unlike his brother, Dash, Tweek still competes to this day and both twins have wrestled indie vets like Austin Aries, The Briscoe Brothers, Chris Sabin, and The Young Bucks. And although his identity is now known worldwide, hes one of the few masked wrestlers to have never revealed his face to the public. AWA All-Star Wrestling: With Scott Hall, Reginald Lisowski, Curt Hennig, Gene Okerlund. Vintage Photos Of Midget Wrestling (1960s - 1970s) - Flashbak The Tonga Kid joined the company in 1983 and spent nearly five years there before leaving in 1988. 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. With Frank Valois, Andre managed to make a name for himself in the United Kingdom, Africa, New Zealand, and Germany. In relative terms, a wrestler breaking kayfabe during a show would be likened to an actor breaking character on-camera. The twins have a victory over the Ron & Terry Garvin, and competed against legends such as Antonio Inoki and Tatsumi Fujinami. Both Manuel and Victor were eliminated by fellow behemoths, Yokozuna and Vader. He started the decade as a heel, but in 1974 he turned babyface and shot to the top. He eventually big-splashed his way to co-holding the WWWF Tag Team titles. 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. Now, they host a podcast called " Normal Not Normal ," in which they interview child stars, including former costars Alfred Enoch, Evanna Lynch, Katie Leung, and more. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest 70s wrestler of all time. Born Wayne Coleman, the bodybuilder with the 22-inch biceps spoke as well as the Christian preacher whose name he used as his own. The Owens, composed of Leah and Casey, are two Irish girls that recently auditioned for WWE Tough Enough casting. Original release. Handsome Jimmy, Luscious Johnny, and Gentleman Jerry dominated the tag team scene in the NWA and WWWF. In the latter half of the decade, the Sheik teamed with Abdullah the Butcher in a string of matches against the Funks in what can be described as complete insanity. When you think of pro-wrestling in the 1980s who comes to mind? His over-the-top video packages established him as a kind of miraculous meta-human that, despite or because of their inherent campiness, catalyzed his global superstardom. 10 Things You Should Know About Kevin Nash's Life Outside WWE, 10 Great Women's Wrestlers Who Never Got Their Big Break, 5 Wrestling Valets & Managers That Were Helpful (& 5 That Were Just Eye Candy). A few years later, he retired as a referee due to injury and became a road agent. The company then released her from her contract in November 2007. Ed Farhat, uncle and trainer of Sabu and trainer of Rob Van Dam, held a number of regional titles across the Midwest in the 70s. Beefcake held nine titles throughout his career and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2019. One of wrestlings breakout stars, Roddy Piper became a bonafide pop-cultural icon with numerous appearances on television sitcoms and cartoons. 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. 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! Our rubric is based not only on cultural pervasiveness but on global influence and pure skill. The World's Most Entertaining Car Website. Both brothers were released from WWE in midst of a merchandise scandal, as they were accused of selling WWE products without permission. During his run in the land of the rising sun, Mascaras wrestled Giant Baba, Jumbo Tsuruta, and other legends, while performing acrobatic moves that would become a staple of the Japanese style. To show dominance over the American, Inoki applied a real submission move that Sammartino somehow managed to overpower. Perfect exemplified the widely reviled heel archetype throughout the decade. Thanks to size and height, Andre the Giant popularity in the United States grew tremendously. Do check the Promotions tab if you cannot find it in the Primary Inbox. What Do These Iconic 1980s Wrestlers Look Like Today? - TheSportster Sky Low Low (outside ring) in a tag team with Little Beaver (nearside) versus Mighty Atom, May 5, 1967. Dave Hebner, the assigned referee, greeted his doppelganger mid-match and the two brothers began clawing at each other to prove who was the real referee. Bruno Sammartino was the biggest name in WWE in the '60s and '70s, but in the late '70s, another man took his spot. They now hold the SmackDown Tag Team Championships in their fifth reign. The Bushwhackers | WWE Funk was the PWI Wrestler of the Year in 1976 and won the inaugural AJPW Real World Tag League tournament in 1977 and won it again in 79. Twin wrestlers Brie and Nikki Bella announce they're both pregnant The American Dream Dusty Rhodes rose to the top of the professional wrestling world in the 1980s. Luke & Butch continued brawling across America throughout the '70s and '80s, capturing championships in various National Wrestling Alliance territories and Bill Watts' Universal Wrestling Federation. Pat Patterson was the first man to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Her garish fashion statements have since inspired a new generation of sartorial outsiders.