Image: Mshake3 at English Wikipedia via Wiki Commons
About This Quiz
The popularity of wrestling exploded in the 1980s with many franchises, particularly the World Wrestling Federation, securing television airtime which brought a range of varied stars right to the home of fans of the sport.
Which was your favorite?
The World Wrestling Federation, run by Vince McMahon, quickly became the leader in the sports entertainment field, as wrestling was dubbed. But as you know, it would not have been such a success without the multitude of wrestlers who fought in the squared circle. And the variety was simply astonishing.Â
Some were over 7 feet tall and weighed over 500 pounds, others had fearsome finishing moves. Some were named after superheroes or simply thought they were the best at the sport and named themselves appropriately. Others had comedic personas that saw the crowd instantly on their side. And finally, many were cast as villains, intent on ensuring that the hero didn't win that precious belt.
But could you identify and name these '80s wrestling superstars from just an image? Yes, some are particularly easy, having become legends of the sport, yet others may test your wrestling knowledge to the limit.
So climb to the top turnbuckle and launch yourself to victory!Â
Good luck!
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Andre the Giant
Born André René Roussimoff, this '80s wrestling superstar stood 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 520 pounds. He wrestled all around the world but made a name for himself in the World Wrestling Federation. He died in 1993, aged just 43, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in the same year.
Hulk Hogan
The Ultimate Warrior
Ric Flair
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Andre the Giant
Hulk Hogan
Terry Bollea is known under many different stage names, of which the most famous is Hulk Hogan. He was extremely popular during the '80s and is the only wrestler ever to pick up and body slam Andre the Giant.
The Ultimate Warrior
Ric Flair
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Andre the Giant
Hulk Hogan
Ric Flair
The Ultimate Warrior
One of the most popular wrestlers of the 1980s, the Ulitmate Warrior (James Brian Hellwig) built his name in WCW before moving to the WWF in 1987 where he went on to become the Intercontinental Champion and World Heavyweight Champion.
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Andre the Giant
Ric Flair
Wooo! Rick Flair's signature call still rings out around wrestling shows today. One of the most respected wrestlers in the world, Flair's career encompasses 40 years in the squared circle. He is a 16-time world champion.
Stone Cold Steve Austin
The Rock
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Howard Stern
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Triple H
Ric Flair
Sean Michaels
The Iron Sheik
Born in Tehran in 1942, Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri, better known as the Iron Sheikh, had a colorful wrestling career which saw him crowned WWF Champion in 1983. He is considered one of the best villains in wrestling history. One of his finishing moves was the Camel Clutch, a submission hold.
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
The Iron Sheik
Hulk Hogan
Bret Hart
Bret "The Hitman" Hart, a member of the fabled Hart family of wrestlers, started his career in the mid-1970s with Stampede Wrestling. By the mid-1980s, he had caught the attention of the WWF and moved stables. He was extremely popular in the WWF and became a multiple champion in the early '90s.
The Rock
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Aurelian Smith Jr., or Jake 'The Snake' Roberts to the wrestling fraternity, spent much of the '80s terrorizing his opponents with his pet snakes. His signature finishing move, The DDT, is one of the most recognizable moves in wrestling. Roberts is semi-retired but did return to the WWF in 2014.
Ric Flair
Andre the Giant
Bret Hart
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WWE
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Ric Flair
Hillbilly Jim
Jake 'The Snake' Roberts
Sgt. Slaughter
Professional wrestler Robert Remus, or Sgt. Slaughter as he was known, started his career in the early '70s. During the '80s, he moved between the WWF, National Wrestling Alliance and the American Wrestling Association.
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WWE
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Sgt. Slaughter
Hillbilly Jim
With his trademark brown floppy hat, James Morris or HIllybilly Jim was one of WWF's most popular wrestlers in the mid to late '80s. His finishing move was the Bear Hug.
Hulk Hogan
The Ultimate Warrior
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The Jobbers via youtube
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
The British Bulldog
Davey Boy Smith, better known as the British Bulldog, proved to be a popular foreign import into the WWF in the '80s. He died in 1999, aged just 39, after suffering a heart attack.
Hulk Hogan
Hillbilly Jim
Stone Cold Steve Austin
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan proved to be extremely popular, thanks to his ever-present American flag. He was the winner of the first ever Royal Rumble in 1988.
The Undertaker
Triple H
The British Bulldog
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Andre the Giant
'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan
Bad News Brown
Born Allen Coage in 1943, Bad News Brown was actually a US Olympian in 1976 in Judo where he won a bronze medal. After competing in a number of different wrestling associations in the 1980s, he joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1988 where his loner persona was respected as he always fought to the very end. His finishing move was known as the Ghetto Blaster.
Hulk Hogan
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WWE via youtube
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
The Ultimate Warrior
The Rock
Smash
Part of the Demolition tag team, Smash (William Reid "Bill" Eadie) gained notoriety in the World Wrestling Federation in the late 1980s.
Bad News Brown
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Hillbilly Jim
Andre the Giant
Bad News Brown
"Macho Man" Randy Savage
"Macho Man" Randy Savage (Randy Poffo) was a renowned professional wrestler during the 1980s. He held both the World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Championship belt and the Heavyweight Championship belt during his career.
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DaWrestlingKnowledge via youtube
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
'Macho Man' Randy Savage
Smash
Ric Flair
Big Boss Man
Born Ray Washington Taylor Jr, Big Boss Man was a successful wrestler whose career grew when he joined the World Wrestling Federation in 1988. He went on to hold their Hardcore Championship on four occasions. Taylor died in 2004 from a heart attack at the age of 41.
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
'Macho Man' Randy Savage
Dino Bravo
A stalwart of the World Wrestling Federation in the mid- to late 1980's, Dino Bravo, born Adolfo Bresciano, was generally cast as a villain. He was murdered in 1993, aged just 44.
The Iron Sheik
Big Boss Man
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
The Honky Tonk Man
Wayne Farris, popularly known as the Honky Tonk Man was a professional wrestler from 1977 and still wrestles to this day on the independent circuit. He was most popular during his time with the WWF, where he was the Intercontinental Champion between 1987 and 1988.
Dino Bravo
Hulk Hogan
Andre the Giant
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Wrestling Home Museum - Wrestling Classics via youtube
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Ricky Santana
Ricardo Santana Ortiz kept his wrestling name of Ricky Santana pretty close to the original. He fought in a number of different wrestling bodies including the WWF. Santana made his debut in 1982.
The Rock
The Honky Tonk Man
Bad News Brown
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WWE
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
The Undertaker
Ric Flair
Rocky Johnson
Born Wayde Douglas Bowles, Rocky Johnson started his professional wrestling career in 1964. In the early '80s, he was part of the WWF roster and became Tag Team champion with Tony Atlas in 1983, the first African American pair to hold the title. Johnson is the father of wrestler and actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
Ricky Santana
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eyeofthecyclone via youtube
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
The Barbarian
Born Sione Havea Vailahi, The Barbarian is a professional wrestler from Tonga who performed for Jim Crockett Promotions and the WWF in the 1980s.
Bret Hart
Rocky Johnson
Jake 'The Snake' Roberts
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John McKeon from Lawrence, KS, United States via Wiki Commons
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Hillbilly Jim
The Barbarian
Brutus Beefcake
Ed Leslie, wresting name Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, was a regular performer in WWF for much of the '80s. He formed a formidable tag team partnership with Greg "The Hammer" Valentine called The Dream Team.
The British Bulldog
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Meng4Now via youtube
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
The Undertaker
Triple H
Brutus Beefcake
Haku
Tonga Fifita, known in wrestling circles as Haku, hailed from the island of Tonga. He first started out a sumo wrestler, before turning to the wrestling circuit and becoming part of the WWF stable in 1986.
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By Cory Barnes from Vancouver, WA, United States via Wikimedia Commons
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
'Hacksaw' Jim Duggan
Ric Flair
Haku
Jesse Ventura
Without a doubt, Jesse Ventura has lived an interesting life filled with wrestling and politics. He performed in the squared circle for a number of stables including the WWF and later became a commentator for the franchise and governor of Minnesota.
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Jesse Ventura
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper
Born Roderick George Toombs in Canada in 1954, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper made use of his Scottish heritage to build his wrestling persona. He always came to the ring accompanied by bagpipe music and wearing a kilt. Piper was extremely popular in the 1980s, particularly in the WWF. He died in 2015.
Smash
The Ultimate Warrior
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RoFra at German Wikipedia via Wiki Commons
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Brutus Beefcake
Tatanka
Born Christopher Charvis, Tantanka used his Native American roots to build his wrestling persona. His career started in 1989.
The British Bulldog
'Rowdy' Roddy Piper
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Tatanka
Junkyard Dog
Sylvester Ritter, the Junkyard Dog, wrestled both for the NWA and WWF during the 1980s. He proved to be extremely popular.
Andre the Giant
Hulk Hogan
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WWE
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Junkyard Dog
Hercules
Raymond Fernandez, stage name of Hercules, was a popular WWF wrestler from the mid-'80s. He even fought for Hulk Hogan's World Heavyweight title, although he lost.
Ric Flair
Smash
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Jaknight Wrestling via Youtube
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Hercules
The Honky Tonk Man
Tatanka
Dynamite Kid
Thomas Billington, the Dynamite Kid, wrestled for three franchises during the 1980s including four years at the WWF. He formed part of the tag team the British Bulldogs.
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Acclaim Entertainment
Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Bob Backlund
Two-time heavyweight champion Bob Backlund was extremely successful during the 1980s. His signature move was the cross-faced chicken wing!
Ax
Junkyard Dog
Dynamite Kid
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Hulk Hogan
Bob Backlund
Rick Martel
Richard Vigneault, known by his wrestling name of Rick Martel, wrested for both the WWF and the American Wrestling Association during the 1980s. In the early '80s, he was a Tag Team Champion in the WWF.
Bret Hart
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Hercules
'Macho Man' Randy Savage
Tito Santana
Tito Santana spent the whole of the '80s as part of the WWF stable, winning the Intercontinental Championship in the process.
Rick Martel
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Tito Santana
Triple H
The Rock
Nikolai Volkoff
Josip Hrvoje Peruzović, better known as Nikolai Volkoff, was often the villain of the piece during his wrestling career in the 1980s. He partnered with another villainous character, the Iron Sheik, to win the Tag Team Championship in the mid-1980s.
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Hulk Hogan
"Ravishing" Rick Rude
Another wrestler who died early (aged just 40), Ravishing Rick Rude wrestled for four different franchises in the '80s, ending with the WWF. Sadly, he died from heart failure in 1999.
George 'The Animal' Steele
Hercules
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Haku
Ax
Hercules
Dusty Rhodes
Virgil Riley Runnels Jr or "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes proved a popular wrestler in the 1980s. He was known for his excellent oratory skills and brilliant personality.
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Bam Bam Bigelow
At 6 feet 4 inches and weighing 390 pounds, Scott Charles Bigelow, or Bam Bam, was a massive unit. He started in the wrestling scene in the mid-'80s, quickly progressing to the ever-growing WWF. More stable changes followed in the '90s. Bigelow died in 2007, aged just 45, from a drug overdose.
Dusty Rhodes
Sgt. Slaughter
Jake 'The Snake' Roberts
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Mr. Perfect
Hulk Hogan
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Born James Wiley Smith, Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka's wrestling career began in the late '60s. During the '80s he fought in both the WWF and the American Wrestling Association. His signature finishing move was the SuperFly Splash.
Bam Bam Bigelow
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Big John Studd
Smash
"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase, or The Million Dollar Man, participated in a number of different wrestling promotions during the '80s. He returned to the WWF in 1987 with his signature finishing move, The Million Dollar Dream.
Ax
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
One Man Gang
Shawn "The Heartbreak Kid" Michaels
Shawn Michaels began his wrestling career in the 1980s, becoming extremely popular in the WWF from the middle of the decade as part of the tag team, "The Rockers." He went on to win many accolades in the 1990s.
The Undertaker
Ric Flair
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Shawn "The Heartbreak Kid" Michaels
Ric Flair
The Undertaker
One of the most recognized wrestlers in the world, The Undertaker started out his career in the late 1980s and went on to become one of the greatest athletes in the sport.
Hulk Hogan
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Which '80s wrestling star is shown in this image?
Owen Hart
Part of the legendary Hart family out of Canada, Owen Hart started his career in the WWF in 1988. He tragically died in 1999 when his entrance into the ring (where he was lowered from the roof) went horribly wrong.
The Undertaker
Hercules
Sgt. Slaughter
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You Got:
/40
Mshake3 at English Wikipedia via Wiki Commons