Most Influential 1980s Wrestlers

The 1980s were a time of great change for pro wrestling, and the most influential wrestlers of the ’80s led that change. WWE’s attempt to become a national promotion paid off, with the company soaring to new heights of popularity and exposure, kicking off a major boom for pro wrestling in the United States.

The results included the rise of pay-per-view events like WrestleMania and Starrcade, and phenomena like the Rock ‘n’ Wrestling Connection and Hulkamania. The decade also saw several legends come into prominence, many of whom have become major pop culture icons. But who were the most influential wrestlers of the ’80s?

UPDATE: 2024/05/08 18:30 EST BY ANDREW KELLY

The 1980s was such a hugely important year for professional wrestling. WWE’s conquest on wrestling territories changed the landscape of professional wrestling in the US, and elsewhere around the world the business continued to grow and change, with the rise of NJPW and the further success of AJPW being notable in Japan. The list is likely endless when it comes to important and influential figures in this era, and even though several names are not mentioned here, that is no disrespect to their talents and importance – it is simply due to the sea of names who were pivotal for wrestling in this decade.

Years Active: 1962-1990

Harley Race’s prime might have come in the decade prior, but in the 1980s he still had a big role to play in the professional wrestling world. Race competed in the likes of the NWA, WWE, and AJPW, helping to deliver great matches and ensuring quality every time.

In the 1980s, Race’s most notable exploits saw him win the King Of The Ring tournament, helping to establish the concept as one of the most beloved tournaments in the entire business.

27 Bob Backlund’s Legendary Reign Began The 1980s

Years Active: 1974-2018

Bob Backlund’s several year reign as WWE Champion began in 1978 and ran all the way to 1983. For three years of the 1980s, Backlund was the number one champion in the company, leading the line as the new man to beat. In the 80s alone he crossed paths with Hulk Hogan, Antonio Inoki, Harley Race, Ken Patera, and more.

Backlund took the big prize to NJPW, where he did battle with the very best they had to offer too. He might have been less active in the latter part of the decade, but he did enough in the first half to warrant a mention.

26 Antonio Inoki Grew NJPW In The 1980s

Years Active: 1960-2001

By the time the 1980s had rolled around, Antonio Inoki’s New Japan Pro Wrestling had already been around for a few years, but the 1980s was a decade where the promotion really began to grow and grow to the point where it was the dominant force in Japan, attracting legendary talent.

Inoki was not only the man behind it, but he was also still competing against the absolute best both in and outside of NJPW.

25 Nick Bockwinkel Was The Thinking Man’s Champion

Years Active: 1954-1993

Nick Bockwinkel became a star in the 1970s, but he defined what AWA was all about in the 1980s. Bockwinkel was like Ric Flair if Flair had more control over his emotions. He presented himself as a star and names like Tully Blanchard and Gino Hernandez only tried to follow in his footsteps. Bockwinkel held the AWA World Championship three times in the 80s, presenting himself as a man who truly deserved to carry a company on his shoulders.

Even with a manager, Bockwinkel was at the top of the game on the mic, and anyone who wanted to be the arrogant, confident world champion used Bockwinkel as the prototype.

24 Kerry Von Erich Was The Modern Day Warrior

Years Active: 1978-1993

At one time, it looked like David Von Erich would become the next big name in the NWA. There were plans for him to go over Ric Flair and have the Von Erich name lead the NWA for years to come. When David died, that went to Kerry Von Erich. While David was the better wrestler, Kerry looked and carried himself like a star.

He was the one Von Erich who ended up in WWE and even held a title there. Kerry had the look and charisma that wrestlers in the 1990s sought to emulate. Sadly, Kerry Von Erich’s personal demons overcame him, and he ruined his career before dying young, sadly something else that carried on in wrestling for years to come.

23 Jerry “The King” Lawler Was The King Of Memphis

Years Active: 1970-2023

Jerry “The King” Lawler had a great career in the 1980s before moving to the WWE and becoming a legendary commentator. What Lawler did was impressive, as he showed up in Memphis and dominated the wrestling promotion there for years. He was the biggest star in the company and carried it on his back as both an arrogant heel and a determined babyface.

He brought celebrities to the territories when WWE was just trying to get their foot in that door, making his feud in Memphis with Andy Kauffman one of the most famous in wrestling history. Lawler was what every territory star strived to become.

22 Stan Hansen Was A Legendary Brawler

Years Active: 1973-2001

Stan “The Lariat” Hansen got his start in the late 1970s, but he came into his own in the 1980s and brought something that looked dangerous to American wrestling. It was when he moved to Japan and became a star there that he developed their strong style and brought it to the AWA where he became a world champion.

Hansen was a lot like other “redneck” wrestlers of the 80s, but he brought a style that not even names like Dick Murdock pulled off. He looked like someone who could hurt his opponent and he developed a style that men like Big Van Vader would carry on in years to come.

21 Rock ‘N’ Roll Express Was The Ultimate Babyface Tag Team

Years Active: 1980-2020

The babyface tag teams in wrestling history owe their entire existence to the team that perfected the form. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Express were Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson, and they mastered the idea of a tag team that had a “babyface in peril” and the “hot tag” that really sucked the fans into the match. Everyone loved Ricky and Robert.

Their feuds with the Four Horsemen and Midnight Express proved how effective their style was, and they could build a storyline on just being the beloved underdogs who proved they could win any match no matter the odds. Everyone from the Young Bucks to New Day owes their success to the Rock ‘N Roll Express.

20 Barry Windham Was A Technical Master

Years Active: 1979-2010

Barry Windham was a second-generation wrestler who eclipsed even the success that his father before him had. The son of Blackjack Mulligan, Barry was an impressive athlete, standing 6ft 6 inches tall and 275 pounds. He could match power with anyone and could also deliver dropkicks and fly around when needed. He was the ultimate babyface who pushed Ric Flair to the limit and then turned into one of the most hated heels when he joined the Four Horsemen.

The fact he remains known as part of the best iteration of the Horsemen in history should say enough. He influenced an entire generation of big men who could really go in the ring. In 2024, he also earned the rare honor of a second WWE Hall of Fame induction (Four Horsemen, U.S. Express).

19 Sting Was The Icon

Years Active: 1985-2024

When Sting got his start in Mid-South Wrestling, he was a big heel, first teaming with Ultimate Warrior in the Blade Runners tag team and then with a young Rick Steiner. However, when he left Hot Stuff International and went off on his own, Sting became a star.

With his bleached blonde hair and bright face paint, he was the NWA equivalent of Hulk Hogan – a babyface with an over-the-top persona that instantly became the most over babyface in the company. In the years that followed, Sting remained an icon and exemplified what it took to be a star in WCW. He remained one of the most beloved wrestlers on the planet until his retirement in 2024, and it all started in the 80s.

18 The Midnight Express Were The Perfect Heel Tag Team

Years Active: 1980-2011

The Rock ‘N Roll Express remains the best babyface tag team in wrestling history, but a babyface is only as strong as their most dangerous heel foes. For the Rock ‘N Roll Express, that was The Midnight Express. The two tag teams battled across the country, facing off in Mid-South, Crockett Promotions, and Memphis, and their strengths helped elevate the other team’s best features.

While Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton were arguably the best version of the Midnights, Stan Lane added a level of flair to the team that Condrey lacked. Every heel tag team that mastered double-team moves with fluidity probably learned from watching the Midnight Express.

17 Honky Tonk Man Was The Ultimate Cowardly Heel

Years Active: 1977-2019

The Honky Tonk Man was a joke in WWE that became one of the biggest stars in the company. He proved that, no matter how bad the gimmick, if a person sold themselves to the idea, they could rise to the top. For Honky Tonk Man, it was his gimmick as an Elvis impersonator, and he took that gimmick and Honky Tonk Man became the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion in history.

Honky mastered the role of the cowardly heel who never won cleanly and cheated to keep his title until fans wanted to see anyone beat him. The cowardly heel is a trope in wrestling and Honky perfected it.

16 Bruiser Brody Was The Ultimate Brawler

Years Active: 1973-1988

Bruiser Brody was someone who was a huge influence on wrestlers even though he never really made his name on a big stage for very long at all. Brody preferred to float around the world, wrestling anywhere and everywhere, and building his name as an almost unbeatable brawler. His style was similar to wrestlers from Japan, as he carried a chain and just beat up anyone put in front of him.

He didn’t pull off many actual wrestling moves, but he didn’t have to. Everyone from Big Van Vader to Mick Foley owes a lot of their style to watching Bruiser Brody destroy his competition. Sadly, he was murdered in Puerto Rico in 1988.

15 Kevin Sullivan Brought The Demonic Presence

Years Active: 1970-1997

Kevin Sullivan did something that was almost unheard of in wrestling in the 1980s. He took on a gimmick that had many wrestling fans believing that he was a Satanist and led his own cult. He carried kayfabe and chose not to break character if he didn’t have to, and he was one of the scariest wrestlers on the planet for many years.

While it became a bit comical when he moved into the 90s with his Dungeon of Doom, his work in Florida paved the way for future stars like Undertaker, Kane, and Bray Wyatt. These characters owe their entire careers to Sullivan creating this demonic persona in the 1980s.

14 The Freebirds Created The Modern-Day Trios Team

Years Active: 1979-1994

The Freebirds were so influential in the 1980s that there is now a “Freebird rule” that exists in professional wrestling, named after their faction. The original Freebirds were one of the greatest factions in wrestling history, with front-man Michael P.S. Hayes, brawler Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy, and technician Buddy Jack Roberts.

The three men were one of the first real trios teams in the United States, and they dominated everywhere they went. They were the biggest heels in World Class history thanks to their feud with the Von Erichs and were stars everywhere they went. They are the big reason “trios” wrestling remains popular to this day.

13 Junkyard Dog Was The Biggest Black Superstar Of The 1980s

Years Active: 1976-1997

The Junkyard Dog is influential because of who he is and what he achieved in professional wrestling. In the early 1980s, there was an unwritten rule in professional wrestling that there could only be a certain number of Black wrestlers and there was a ceiling to the levels they could reach. Bill Watts didn’t care about that rule and he saw big money in Junkyard Dog.

As a result, he made JYD his number one champion, and the face of Mid-South Wrestling. There wasn’t a more popular wrestler in the South than JYD during that time, and he sold out arenas night after night. Junkyard Dog lost a little when he signed with WWE, but proved he was still a major star, breaking barriers set up before him.

12 Ricky Steamboat Was An Early High Flyer

Years Active: 1976-2022

Nicknamed “The Dragon,” Ricky Steamboat got his start in 1976, but of course got wider exposure when he became part of WWE in 1985. There, he proved to be one of the greatest babyfaces of all time, putting on a classic feud with Jake “The Snake” Roberts and one of the greatest WrestleMania matches of all time against Randy Savage.

By the late ‘80s, he had jumped ship to WCW, where his trilogy of bouts with Ric Flair in 1989 is still considered some of the best matches ever. When it comes to in-ring wrestling, Steamboat influenced more young stars than almost anyone concerning technical wrestling and in-ring storytelling.

11 Ted DiBiase Was The Million Dollar Man

Years Active: 1974-1993

Mid-South Wrestling’s Ted DiBiase signed with WWE in 1987, where he was given a gimmick that would make him an icon of The Golden Era: The Million Dollar Man, an absurdly rich heel who used his money to demean fans and wrestlers alike. A top heel in the company, DiBiase used his wealth to make his own title, the Million Dollar Championship, and once infamously bought the WWE Championship off of Andre The Giant.

The “rich guy” gimmick proved to be a slam dunk and has been repeated countless times in the decades since, including with DiBiase’s son, Ted Jr., as well as former NXT star Cameron Grimes.

10 Andre The Giant Was The Eighth Wonder Of The World

Years Active: 1966-1993

One of the most iconic wrestlers of all time, Andre The Giant is remembered by fans for his exceptional size — billed at 7’4” and 520 pounds. In the ring, his legacy is well-known, as his landmark bout with Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 3 is touted as one of the biggest moments in company history. For WWE, Andre was the ultimate “attraction” wrestler, whose sheer size was such a draw that the company had to be careful how they booked the big man.

Every few years WWE touts a new giant as the next physical phenomenon, from The Big Show to Braun Strowman to Omos, and it’s all because of Andre The Giant.

9 Arn Anderson Was The Everyman Wrestler

Years Active: 1982-2000

Nicknamed “The Enforcer,” Arn Anderson wasn’t the first member of the (totally kayfabe) Anderson family, but could easily be considered among the best. He’s not only one of the most enduring members of the Four Horsemen, but also a tremendous tag team wrestler, capturing several NWA and WCW titles, and even winning the WWE Tag Team Championship with Tully Blanchard as The Brain Busters.

The Anderson name has continued in successors like C.W. Anderson and Karl Anderson, but his influence has also persisted in “meat and potatoes” heel tag teams like FTR.