The twin brothers founded Phoenix Championship Wrestling together in 2001. Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan are big stars both in the WWE world and reality TV world. 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. Carnies, who traveled and wrestled at these events, used tricks to protect their money and reputations during competitions, devising little-known and often dangerous wrestling moves, called "hooks." We could always count on a suplex, a body slam or a chair over the head. Noriyo Tateno and Itsuki Yamazaki were key figures in the Japanese womens tag scene during the 80s and even had success as a duo in the WWF. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. In the year 1971, Ivan Koloff managed to end Sammartinos 7-year streak as world champion. Obviously, the gimmick was an unsuccessful one. His IRL truculent personality and tendency towards bridge-burning made him an unlikely favorite in the industry and although he was likely portrayed as a villain (along with his partner Nikolai Volkoff) due to xenophobia within the USA, he certainly lived up to his dastardly, devil-may-care reputation out of the ring. 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. [5] They used the stage name McGuire, which is the French version of their last name, since it was easier for Japanese ring announcers to pronounce. As the match got underway, it could have been anybodys win; until the grand finale. In the '70s, they were one of the most successful tag teams in history. Fans who started watching professional wrestling in the 1980s never got to see how great the Valiant Brothers really were. With a wrestling career that spanned more than three decades, Ivan Koloff managed to win various titles including the WWWF Heavyweight Championship and the NWA tag team titles. Though their reign was short, it affirmed them as true legends of Tag Team Wrestling. Moving forward into the 1930s, however, professional wrestling became identified with modern day theatrics and "admitted fakeness. The sport of wrestling had started becoming so scripted that critics began viewing it as somewhat of a joke; particularly in comparison to boxing, mixed martial arts, amateur wrestling, and the real sport itself, wrestling. Tipping the scales at approximately 1,470 pounds, The McGuire Twins were once the worlds heaviest twins in the Guinness Book of World Records. Larry "The Axe" Hennig remains known as the father of Mr. The 56-year-old also entered the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015. Prior to The Model, Rick Martel was one half of Strike Force along with Tito Santana. Bucci (AKA Donnie B.) Jimmy and Jey Uso, for example, joined WWE in 2009 and have achieved a lot throughout their 13 years with the company. Neither of the brothers has competed since 2019. Years later, the brothers appeared on WWE programming, this time accompanied by fitness freak Simon Dean as Gymini, an offshoot from the mythical Gemini twins. Little Bruiser in Chicago, September 1, 1972 Cowboy Bob Bradley and Joey Russell, February 23 1968. [3], Last edited on 27 February 2023, at 17:23, List of premature professional wrestling deaths, "The Wrestling Mc Guire Twins Weigh 747 and 727 but It's Their Opponents Who Go Boing, Boing", "700-pound NC twins rode minibikes, wrestled with Andre the Giant. 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. During her early years, Moolah would move from one promotion to another while trying to get a foothold. Dynamite Kid. 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. In 1974, Killer Kowalski would have his last match against Bruno Sammartino for the WWF World heavyweight championship. One year after their debut in the WWE, the Wild Samoans would win their first-ever tag team championship. However, like many of his colleagues, his career and achievements have been sadly overlooked. Many fans may not know that Rikishi has a twin brother, The Tonga Kid (AKA Sam Fatu). Surely, Jimmy and Jey are set aside by some in favor of Tyson Kidd & Cesaro or The Prime Time Players, yet theyve been holding down the fort for a while and excel in entertaining matches. Andre started his career in 1964 and by the 1970s he was a top star all over the world. In the early-1990s, The Cole Twins became a tag team to keep an eye on in WCW, competing regularly on shows such as WCW Worldwide and WCW Saturday Night. After meeting Frank Valois, a Canadian promoter, Andre would later relocate to Japan before moving on to Quebec Canada. Known for his signature evil laugh, "The Million Dollar Man" bragged about you guessed it his extraordinary wealth while trouncing opponents around the world. They are the main cast members of reality show Total Divas, and if thats not enough, both sisters are dating WWEs top stars, John Cena (dating Nikki) and Daniel Bryan (married to Brie). While Terry Funk had many classic singles matches, it is his tag team matches that stood out. 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. In addition, some spectators capable of beating the carnies roamed the country to compete in open challenges, setting side bets to make money. Born in a wrestling family, Mil Mascaras began his training at an early age. Last updated on May 8th, 2022 at 11:16 am. All-Star Wrestling footage (and AWA footage as a whole) is now owned by World Wrestling Entertainment . Hebner's twin brother Dave is also a wrestling referee. Despite his goofy yellow polka dots, theres something sort of poetic about Dusty The American Dream Rhodes rise to fame. While some of these siblings have previously worked in Vince McMahon's company, others have never competed inside the squared circle. Jaguar Yokota for a time was considered the best wrestler in the world period. When he retired, Kowalski started a wrestling school and ended up training Triple H years later. He died aged 76 in January 2013. AWA All-Star Wrestling (TV Series 1972-1990) - IMDb Best Of 70s Big Time Wrestling Vol 1-5 - YouTube if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportlister_com-leader-2','ezslot_5',112,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-leader-2-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportlister_com-leader-2','ezslot_6',112,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-leader-2-0_1');.leader-2-multi-112{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:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. Rikishi and his twin brother shared the ring a few times in WWE and other promotions throughout their careers. With the sex appeal of a Chippendales performer, this Ravishing fighter was a WCW legend before career-ending injuries forced him to stop performing in 1997. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). It is his ruthlessness and fearless nature during matches and interviews that saw him pull crowds. Professional wrestling in the 1970s was huge! Verne was as old-school as they come, a grappler who was all about mat wrestling, and someone who could tie up any opponent and win a match with just about any move. In 1960, Giant Baba left Baseball and began training in Mitsuhiro Momotas dojo as the legend identified him as his successor. The Hart . Bubby Rodgers and Bruno Sammartino were just among the few renowned wrestlers that faced Calhoun. They were both born in October 1965. BELLA TWINS #wweshorts #shortsvideo #shorts Wrestling Dubbed the Executioners, the duo would go ahead and capture the World Tag Team belts in the same year. Top 25 Wrestlers from the '60s and '70s - YouTube Standing at 610, Giant Baba was one of the biggest wrestlers in the WWE. Sky Low Low (outside ring) in a tag team with Little Beaver (nearside) versus Mighty Atom, May 5, 1967. Graham would then go ahead and hold the championship for about 10 months making it one of the longest reigns by a villain. Since leaving Vince McMahon's company, Dave Hebner has become a wrestling manager and has appeared in a few other promotions. They first competed in Florida Championship Wrestling where they held the FCW Florida Tag Team Championship. Rhodes made some appearances in the WWWF in the 70s, but it was the NWA where he had his biggest success. A warrior and fighter inside the squared circle, Terry Funk managed to win a title with almost every promotion that he worked with. RCW Tag Team Title: The Wrecking Crew ( Dean Richtor & Shaun Martens) defeat The Voros Twins ( Chris Voros & Patrick Voros) (c) - TITLE CHANGE !!! Though he never won a title, he was a firm favorite with fans. The brothers worked together in the 1970s in Stampede Wrestling They also moved on in that decade to various territories in the NWA as well as in Puerto Rico and the World Wrestling Council, where the won several tag team titles before finally making their way to WWE in the 1980s. The McGuire Twins - Wikipedia However, long before these emerging stars ever eyed a career between the ropes, there was a rugged brother tag team travelling the territories in the 1970's as "The Islanders". [4] Benny believed in evangelicalism and enjoyed golf, playing until he was bedridden. 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. He held the AWA World Championship for 4,677 total days. He went on to win one world title. The legendary Lord Littlebrook (aka Eric Tovey), in Milwaukee July 7, 1968. Frenchy Lamonte heading for the ring in Tampa 1970. The Phelps twins, 36, will forever be known as Ron Weasley's lovable older twin brothers, Fred and George, roles they played from 2001 to 2011. Bruno Sammartino is the greatest 70s wrestler of all time. The 49-year-old spent nearly five years in the promotion, during which he failed to win any titles on the main roster. 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. Little Bruiser and Billy the Kid, September 23, 1972. Rhodes ended up as a multi-time NWA World Champion and is a WWE Hall of Fame superstar. Pedro Morales was the perfect champion for Vince McMahon Sr.'s New York territory in the 70s. Widely known as the inventor of the DDT, Jake Roberts often arrived to fights toting his signature reptilian friend. After working for AWA for a few years, Tito Santana eventually attracted the attention of Vince McMahon. 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. 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. Their penchant for ruthless battles made their sudden change in demeanor very surprising to longtime fans when they debuted in WWE in 1988. Your login session has expired. See production, box office & company info, WWE Legends: Greatest Wrestling Stars of the '80s. Just try not to cry while watching it! 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. AWA All-Star Wrestling: With Scott Hall, Reginald Lisowski, Curt Hennig, Gene Okerlund. [5], From 1974 to 1978, they participated in several matches in Japan, organized by New Japan Pro-Wrestling, defeating other notable wrestling tag teams including Kantaro Hoshino and Seiji Sakaguchi as well as Osamu Kido and Riki Choshu. Whatever the roles may be, theres no overlooking the upper hand some identical siblings have over their rivals. Although in the year 2020 fans are more likely familiar with Machu Picchu, the GLOW character she inspired, Mountain Fiji was widely considered the heart and soul of the imminently campy Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling TV series that went on to garner a cult following. Little Tokyo (aka Shigeri Akabane) who was inspired to quit homeland and join Lord Littlebrook and his troupe after they visited Japan in the 1960s. Little Beaver was born Lionel Giroux in Saint-Jrme, Quebec in 1935. he began his wrestling career at the age of fifteen and teamed up with fellow Canadian Sky Low Low, the pair going on to become two of the most famous wrestlers in history. 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. Technically, these two were Rockstars in Japan. In 1963, Bruno Sammartino defeated the WWE champion, Buddy Rodgers in just under 48 seconds, a feat that no wrestler managed to replicate. 1990. In 1965, Mascaras made his professional debut in Guadalajara, Mexico. A gimmick that kind of worked out but was really cheesy. Top 15 Twins In Wrestling History - TheSportster Randy Savage was an iconic wrestler back in the 1980s all thanks to his impressive ring attire, distinctive and raspy voice as well as unmissable intensity. Both flashy and furious, Mil Mscaras is considered one of Mexican wrestlings first international stars. Respected and influential wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer went as far as calling him "one of the key figures in the growth of WWF., Named one of the top five WWF Intercontinental Champions of all time, Curt Hennig AKA Mr. Over the next few years, Rikishi's twin competed in a few other promotions, including WCW. St. Petersburg. They often provided an excellent foil to the overpowered Crush Gals throughout their influential run. Their gravestone displays images of two Honda motorcycles and is inscribed "Worlds Largest Twins". NEXT: The 10 Greatest 80s Wrestlers of All Time, The 25 Greatest WWE Wrestlers of All Time, WWE Salary: Highest Paid Wrestlers, Richest Wrestlers, Lowest Paid Wrestlers, Referee Earnings. Hence, she has made her Instagram profile private. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop. Until the 1920s, professional wrestling in the United States was viewed as a serious and legitimate sport showcasing true athletic competition. During his first reign as WWE tag champion, Mr Fuji and Tanaka reigned supreme in WWEs tag team division for more than a year. Apart from Tito Sammartino, Ivan Koloff also holds several other memorable wins against renowned wrestlers such as Bob Buckland, Gorilla Monsoon and Bruno. Many wrestling fans will remember him for his feud with WWEs golden boy, Tito Sammartino. Perfect exemplified the widely reviled heel archetype throughout the decade. 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. He toured across America with fellow wrestlers and held several championship titles. 28. AWA All-Star Wrestling - Wikipedia He sadly died at the age of 56 in January 2007. 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. 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. The Hardcore Legend Terry Funk had memorable matches in the 1980s and 90s, but the 70s might have been his golden age. His later years were spent training the up-and-coming legendary children of NXT and his own biological children, Cody and Goldust, remain in the top tier of wrestlings biggest stars to this day. The Bushwhackers | WWE With Grand Wizard by his side, it did not take long before Billy Graham became a WWE Heavyweight Champion, in the process toppling Bruno Sammartino. ( 1990) AWA All-Star Wrestling was a syndicated television series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). He moved to the US in the early 1960s, where he became NWA World Midget Championwinning a record three times (tied with Little Tokyo). 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. Pro Wrestling fans may remember some of the most prominent wrestling twins, Today we are presenting you with " Top 10 Twins In Wrestling History That You Pro. Owner/booker Verne Gagne may have been the face of the AWA, but Nick Bockwinkel wasnt far behind, holding the promotions heavyweight strap four times over his career. [1] [2] Thanks to size and height, Andre the Giant popularity in the United States grew tremendously. Its almost impossible to overstate the precision and crispness of Harts technical abilities and his resilience in the face of some very real tragedies is beyond admirable. Good luck trying to get that out of some of todays professional wrestlers. The Flashbak Shop Is Open & Selling All Good Things. 7. He then spent several years competing on the independent circuit and in ECW before officially joining WWE in 2002. With adopted names like Little Bruise, Sky Low Low, Billy The Kid, Little Beaver, Lord Littlebrook and Little Tokyo, men (and a few women) who might have eked out a living in the circus started a spectatorport. 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. The Usos also went to war with another brother duo in Goldust and Stardust, where they lost their belts to the Rhodes brothers at Night of Champions 2014. The company released Dean from his contract in 2007. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. One of the few men to have been inducted into five separate wrestling Hall of Fames, Harley Race is studied to this day as a technical master so much so that he was often announced as the "The Greatest Wrestler on God's Green Earth." Bret Hart Self | WWF Survivor Series As a member of the notorious Crush Gals tag team, Lioness Asuka helped to propel womens wrestling to global popularity. 4 WWE Superstars you may not know have twin siblings - Sportskeeda Our rubric is based not only on cultural pervasiveness but on global influence and pure skill. Accompanied by Mortimer Plumtree, the Shane Twins were known as The Johnsons, two latex-wearing brutes made to resemble giant penises. He started his career as a circus acrobat before taking up wrestling in the 1950s. Its no surprise that The Crush Gals are often considered the greatest womens tag team of all time considering the duos perfectly honed and incredibly powerful movesets. [4][3], The twins often used a finishing move called the "Tupelo Splash", which involved one of the twins diving belly-first onto a prone opponent; they would follow this with "The Steamroller", where the twin would roll back and forward over the opponent. It was loosely called a sport, and anything went! He was born Roland Barriault in Sudbury, Ontario on July 22, 1946. He later moved to Walkertown, North Carolina and worked for the Christian Golfers Ministry. Along with Ronnie himself and his, "It is time for art to flow into the organisation of life." First-run syndication. They both left TNA in 2014 and havent competed since. While Mascaras received several shots at the title, he always came shot and thus never won any title with the WWE. Billy the Kid with Cowboy Bob Bradley (aka Robert Bradley). The 16 Most Famous Sets of Celebrity Twins - Insider 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. Varnado made her acting debut in season 2 of the acclaimed show The Mandalorian (2019) in the role of Koska Reeves. One of the first true giants in professional wrestling, Haystacks Calhoun weighed more than 600 pounds making him one of the biggest wrestlers of all time. The American Dream Dusty Rhodes rose to the top of the professional wrestling world in the 1980s. 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. via twitter.com. We need to confirm your email address. Ultimately, promoters in Canada would run out of acceptable opponents to face this giant. Syndicated series featuring wrestling matches as promoted by the American Wrestling Association (AWA). 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. Hes a member of the WWE and Professional Wrestling Halls of Fame, has been honored multiple times by the Cauliflower Alley Club and was the 1973 PWI Wrestler of the Year. One of wrestlings breakout stars, Roddy Piper became a bonafide pop-cultural icon with numerous appearances on television sitcoms and cartoons. Theyve also shared rings with two promising Scottish standouts, Carmel Jacob and Nikki Storm, as well as Japans Tsukasa Fujimoto. He worked everywhere from the AWA and WWWE to Japan and the territories. Handsome Jimmy, Luscious Johnny, and Gentleman Jerry dominated the tag team scene in the NWA and WWWF. True Life Tales British Wrestling In The Seventies - YouTube Boris Spremo/Toronto Star via Getty Images. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'sportlister_com-small-rectangle-1','ezslot_28',122,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-sportlister_com-small-rectangle-1-0'); Apart from losing his brother and sister, Bruno also watched helplessly as Hitlers troops wreaked havoc in his small home town. For most, there were no high spots; the German suplex and a bodyslam were finishers, and nobody knew what a hurricanrana, five-star frog splash, Swanton bomb, and outside dive were. A hardcore wrestling pioneer, the Sheik was vicious in the ring, attacking with whatever weapons he could get his hands on. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. Do check the Promotions tab if you cannot find it in the Primary Inbox. Inspired by the legendary Muhamad Ali, Billy Graham would step in front of a microphone and deliver a promo that is full of rhyming words. The 37-year-old spent nearly a year in Vince McMahon's company, during which she only competed in four matches on the main roster. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. In WWE, he beat Superstar Billy Graham for the WWE Championship in 1978 and held the title for five years before dropping it to Iron Sheik. This ones a little cheeky, but with reason; the Olsen Twins (not to be confused with the starlets of Full House), were branded as twin brothers in Chikara, yet Jimmy Olsen and Colin Delaney are not real-life brothers. Twin brothers Jimmy and Jey Uso are the sons of former wrestler Rikishi and members of the Anoa'i wrestling family. Sammartino was a tough Italian guy who immigrated to the United States at the age of 15. Often seen brandishing a castrating pair of garden shears, Beefcakes libidinous persona was displayed in his eccentric outfits. 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. In his debut night, Tito Santana and Ivan Putski would win the World Tag Team Titles from Johnny and Jimmy Valliant. Unique lists featuring pop culture, entertainment and crazy facts. In the 70s, kayfabe was alive and well and crowds believed what they were seeing. Top 10 Twins In Wrestling History That You Probably Never - YouTube A co-founder of NJPW, Antonio Inoki did not hold as many titles as other Japanese wrestlers at the time and those who came after him. The Shane Twins will forever be subject to ridicule in the wrestling world and some of that criticism is unfair. But Ladd never won a major promotion's top belt. During the 70s, he spent time in the AWA, All-Japan Pro Wrestling, Stampede Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling where catch wrestling was emphasized. Top 25 Best Wrestlers Of The 1970s - TheSportster A Montreal native, The Wild Bear was a dominant force in the WWF.