For the professional wrestling industry, the 1980s was a happening decade. Vince McMahon arrived on the scene and helped to turn the WWE into a national wrestling territory. Eventually the WWE swallowed up its competitors one by one. This was a time before the WWE could exercise its hegemony over the wrestling scene. World Championship Wrestling (WCW) was also doing quite good and its fortune saw a meteoric rise as it went from being a television show and a brand to emerge as an organization in its own right. Both would go so on to become so big that, in the next decade they would engage in a cutthroat rivalry. But here, we are talking about the 1980s. There were jobs available for everyone – stars were the main draws and but mid-card workers who would not perform in main-event spots also had important gigs. Then finally, the fans who had plenty of time on their hands and the ability to record television. They could watch different wrestling programs for hours on a weekly basis.
While some would go onto be stars to only fans who watched shows put on by the WWE and the National Wrestling Alliance, others would go onto surpass that and become icons and household names recognized even by casual viewers. Hulk Hogan was perhaps the biggest star of this period, the one main wrestlers who made WrestleMania a massive blockbuster success. So much so that it propelled the WWE to the top of the industry and he came to be known as ‘Hulkamania.’ 2015 was rather unkind to the Hulkamania with his past comments resurfacing to haunt him. It led to World Wrestling Entertainment cutting him off and a parting of ways occurred. Another evergreen star of the period “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, on the other hand, still pops up on WWE television every now and then. These are stories of the more successful ones. Then we have some other stars from the ‘80s with stories that are somewhat hard to read. One such star has seen the up and down roller coaster ride that the personal side of his life has to offer and he hopes that his latest attempt to save himself has been successful. Others have found jobs working for the WWE in varieties of ways; be it either as agents for present day stars or as tutors for up and coming acts with potential with hope that they can be turned into the next great stars to work in the wrestling business. All in all, the wrestling world is better today than it was back then: it is safer, more professional and pays more to wrestlers for putting their bodies up to grueling pains and risk of injuries each time they step on to that ring. Having outlined that, the nostalgia about special times for the industry from the side of the fans is totally understandable. The relative novelty of it back then must have something to do with it. In memories of those days, let us have a look of top 15 wrestling stars of the ’80 and find out what they are up to now.
15. Greg Valentine
Remember Greg “The Hammer” Valentine? I want you to go to Wikipedia and checkoutGreg Valentine’s page. It might surprise you but the word “retired” is not mentioned in the introduction. That is so because Valentine continues to be active and kicking. Literally. This star of the 80s has been known for still frequenting independent wrestling show. In the summer of 2015, he was a member of the “Legends of Wrestling” roster that toured to different spots in the United States during. Valentine also made news for being a jackass this year when he ripped female wrestlers during an interview. That did not win him over many fans and such a douche move is unlikely to win him new fans.
14. Tito Santana
Tito Santana was an extremely good solo as well as tag team wrestler as his records would indicate. On multiple occasions, Tito Santana won the WWE Intercontinental Championship as a solo act. Santana also won gold as a tag team wrestler. These days, the star of the 80s occupies what many would consider to be an equally if not more important job: teaching youth. In New Jersey where he has been living for decades, Santana works as a full-time Spanish teacher. Additionally, he also served as a coach for the school’s basketball team. Outlets such as Yahoo Sports and SI.com have covered and produced stories on this portion of Santana’s life. Santana’s family also owns a salon, where you may see him signing an autograph or two for fans.
