The other biggest star of the 1980s, Hulk Hogan, didn’t fare all that well in our list. I wrote about why Hogan may have fallen down the list, and my theory was that the last 10 years of his career have left a bitter taste in the mouths of wrestling fans. It’s not like Ric Flair has had a glorious last ten years, but the man is teflon. Not even this eye-brow raising story on Grantland hurt his standing.

To most huge 80s wrestling fans who started watching in the 80s, Flair is the greatest wrestler of all-time. He’s the kiss-stealing, wheeling-dealing, limousine-riding, jet-flying son-of-a-gun. He’s the man who changed for me what I always knew wrestling to be. I became a pretty big wrestling fan in the mid-80s, stemming from the time just before the first WrestleMania. I was a Hogan guy through and through. I believe that one of the main reasons I became such a big WWF fan is that their TV was so easy for me to find. They had a nationally syndicated TV show on Saturday morning right at the tail-end of the Saturday morning cartoon run (when that was a major deal). Finding the NWA was a bit harder, but as a budding wrestling fan, I eventually did find them.

I would see bits and pieces of the NWA and one of my best friends at the time would tell me about the Road Warriors, who were his favorite tag team. When I saw the Road Warriors, it was like looking at two super heroes in the ring. But if I trace back the first time I ever saw Ric Flair, it would’ve been on a syndicated Joe Pedicino/Gordon Solie show called “Pro Wrestling This Week”. They were discussing “The Nature Boy” against the “American Dream”. I didn’t know of Flair and Dusty Rhodes quite yet, but when they started talking about who is who, I just figured that the dream would’ve been Flair, since he was wearing his trademarked sequined robe and flanked by blonds. And when Rhodes came out shirtless and fat with a splotch on his belly, I just figured he was of nature. I was very confused when it turned out to be the reverse.

But soon-thereafter, I was hooked on Flair. Now, I would never claim to be a big Flair fan in the mid-to-late 80s, because I was such a Hogan guy and I had to be loyal to Hogan. And plus, Flair was a heel. I was too young to root for the heels at the time. But you couldn’t not keep your eyes on him, especially since one of the main stories the Apter mags would present was about who was better between Hogan and Flair. I would say Hogan was better, but silently believe that Flair was the better guy.
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When the WrestleMania era started, Terry Funk was, by all measures, in the twilight of his career. Aged 41 and having done more in his career than 99% of wrestlers (including a short lived retirement in 1983), most men would have faded into the sunset, content with their undeniable status as a legend of the business. Terry Funk is not most men. He pressed on with his legendary career in All Japan Pro Wrestling and he surfaced back on American television in 1989 for the NWA/WCW. His role was simply to sit in on a panel of judges for the final Flair/Steamboat match of that year. Little did anyone know that on that night Funk would take part in an angle for the ages, as he attacked Flair post match and piledrove him through a table. It set off an epic feud between the two which brought Funk right back to the top of the national scene. Their I Quit match at Clash Of The Champions IX in Troy, New York was one of the best brawls ever to take place on a major US television show and saw Funk put over Flair in the selfless fashion that he did with so many others.

The 90s saw Funk’s career go in a whole new direction. Having always been one of the more believable brawlers in the world, the popularisation of “hardcore” wrestling in Japan and in the US gave Funk a whole new avenue to grow his popularity and feed his insanity. Bordering on 50 years of age, Funk was lighting himself on fire, jumping into C4 explosives and doing moonsaults off balconies. In doing so he helped two fledgling companies in FMW and ECW solidify themselves in the wrestling world with their own niche audience. In a gripping scene from the movie Beyond The Mat, Paul Heyman was shown rallying the ECW crew before their first PPV Barely Legal. With conviction in his voice, he told them all to thank Terry Funk because without him they wouldn’t be where they are. Funk’s role in ECW’s success is often underrated – he really was a key force in establishing what they became at their peak.
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Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat had the reverse career of many guys on our list who wrestled both in WCW/NWA and WWE. Guys like Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Mick Foley and Eddie Guerrero gained more notoriety after leaving WCW for WWE and became bigger stars. Or, guys like Curt Hennig and Ted DiBiase gained great fame in WWE and didn’t have great careers after leaving for WCW. Steamboat was able to have successful careers in both places.

Steamboat wrestled in the NWA before the WrestleMania era started, but left for WWE right before the first WrestleMania. He wrestled Matt Bourne at the WrestleMania I, just before he was given the dragon gimmick yet. After feuding with Don Muraco, Steamboat beat Hercules at WrestleMania 2, before beginning a feud with Jake The Snake Roberts. Roberts DDT’d Steamboat on the concrete floor on one show and it legit knocked Steamboat out. But soon, Steamboat would move into a feud which most would consider his second best work, with Randy Savage.

In late 1986, they wrestled on Superstars of Wrestling and Savage brutalized Steamboat’s throat, injuring his larynx with the ring bell, as well as draping his neck over the guard rail and giving him the double ax handle. Vince McMahon said it looked like Steamboat was trying to “swallow his tongue”. Uh, right Vince. But it worked amazingly well. Savage acted like a lunatic heel, and Steamboat’s overselling made it seem like he was seriously injured.

GG and I spoke about this on a recent edition of FGB Radio and the unfortunate has happened. Former NWA World Heavyweight Champion Gene Kininski passed away earlier this morning, losing his battle with cancer. He was 81.

He was born right outside of Edmonton, Alberta Canada and played college football and wrestled. Kininski portrayed a villainous heel for most of his career and had a legendary feud with “Whipper” Billy Watson early in his career. Kininski will most be remembered by wrestling fans as the first Canadian man to hold the recognized NWA World Heavyweight Championship and a favorite amongst Canadian sportswriters of the era. He defeated Lou Thesz in 1966 in St. Louis to become the Champion and held the title for three years non-stop until he would lose to Dory Funk Jr in Tampa, Florida at the legendary Armory. He was honored in the 1992 Cauliflower Alley Club festival.

We wish his family the best.

I am extremely sad to report that one of my favorite, most bad-ass wrestlers of all time, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams has sadly lost his battle with cancer and passed away last night at the age of 49.

Steve Williams will be remembered by the hardcore fans for his series of incredible matches in All Japan Pro Wrestling during it’s heyday in the mid 90s. Traditional fans of the sport will remember his runs in ECW, teaming with the late Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy. In addition, he had a few shorter runs in WCW In 1992 and then again in 1999, and for the WWF as Jim Ross’ protege in 1998 and 1999.

We would like to send our condolences to the family of Steve Williams.

The only solace is that Doc and Gordy are suplexing each other around in Heaven…

Source Credit: PWInsider.com

Our own Big D interviewed “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko on his Superfriends podcast.

They talked about a bunch of topics including the end of the AWA, the Western States Heritage Title, The Monday Night Wars and why he left TNA.

Check it out on Stevie J’s site at AngryMarks.com.