He called himself the "Dogface Gremlin" and acted the part, too, always barking and running around on all fours before wrestling circles around his opponents and either stretching them within an inch of their lives or dropping them square on their heads, whichever felt most right at the time. titled: Be a Man. Randy Savage. British Wrestling. Kenny Dykstra. He still has his goatee, but his hair is short-cropped and his headgear is probably in his garage somewhere. Under the new ring name, Austin flourished. Beefcake officially retired in 2015. In 2012, he had a one-off showdown with WWE wrestler Heath Slater (shown in the video above, and he looked almost emaciated). He now looks less like a huge muscleman, and more like just a big, bald, tired dude. Here are twelve British wrestlers who were critical to the evolution of British wrestling and influenced some of the very best of today. He had a character embodying the patriotic working class, and he was a fan favorite for that reason. The superstar also crossed over into the mainstream. Unmasked in 1977 in front of 12 million TV viewers, Kendo Nagasaki real name Peter Thornley later left the ring to run a care home. In the 1980s, Jim Duggan wrestled in promotions like Mid-South Wrestling and New Japan Pro-Wrestling, but he received wide recognition after a signing for WWE in 1987. From Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to legendary wrestler Ric Flair, here's a look at what 26 WWE stars are up to today. Reports are that he had his name legally changed from Steven Williams to Steve Austin. Now 66, he sells official Kendo merchandise via his own website. Dynamite Sailor Art Thomas. Visit Sony LIV to sign in or sign up and enjoy WWE's premium content. After officially retiring from professional Savage and Elizabeth were divorced on September 18, 1992. as most will know. They are His good looks and devil-may-care attitude, He later formed the alliance D-Generation X with a then up and coming Triple H, a move which propelled the groundbreaking, Wrestling for My Life: The Legend, the Reality, and the Faith of a WWE Superstar, New York Daily News Archive / Contributor/ Getty Images. 1970s wrestlers: where are they now. He is a former two-time World Heavyweight Champion and is considered as one of the most recognizable wrestlers of that era under the name of Sycho Sid. (He's most infamous, meanwhile, for portraying the Shockmaster, who never met a wall he couldn't trip over.) wrestling in 1999, Warrior began a new career as a conservative speaker and Sid today kind of resembles Prime Sid, but not really. His famously wild hair is cut super-short, he's traded his ring robes and islander-inspired tights for sensible polo shirts, and he works as acar spa director for David Maus Toyota in Sanford, Florida. Once WCW became WWF property in 2001, Madusa elected to retire rather than deal with backlash from her former company. Savage and When Trish Stratus made her first WWE appearance in 2000, she was a relatively unknown fitness model. Gene Snitsky had two main looks as a WWE superstar: hulking monster with hair and a long, ponytailed beard, or hulking monster with no hair at all not even eyebrows along with yellow teeth and a generally "ugly" appearance. Few wrestlers have had a career as accomplished as, He also crossed over to the business side of the industry as the Executive Vice President of the Talent, Live Events, and Creative Direction for WWE. Warrior and that the original Ultimate Warrior had died. "Dave, Randy, I know you still want your title opportunity . He was always involved in one storyline or anotherbut never seemed to reach that main event level. By clicking Sign up, you agree to receive marketing emails from Insider For the most part, Hart has stayed away from the wrestling ring. Then he fell unconscious during a flight and was comatose for a month; he lost 112 pounds in the most effective diet plan no one should ever try. 1970s wrestlers: where are they now. See your favorite past Superstars now! Savage later became known for his rivalry with Glenn Thomas Jacobs is more commonly known as Kane, the emotionally disturbed, masked, younger half-brother of the Undertaker. 1970s wrestlers: where are they now. As she told TV Guide, she can relate to Tamee because she too was saddled with a character she initially didn't like: being called Kong, which can be a huge insult for an African-American person. However you prefer your Fred, he was a monster of a man nearly 400 pounds of power and a menacing mug that struck fear in opponents' hearst even as he walked around the ring yelling "toot toot!". Johnson took his natural knack for entertainment and has, He executive produced and starred in the HBO series "Ballers" and was named the, Joan Marie Laurer took the WWE by storm when she, After leaving WWE, Laurer fell on hard times. The usually clean-living wrestler battled drug addiction, mental health issues, and made uncharacteristic lifestyle choices. Hart also had an on-air rival, announcer placed in the top five best technical wrestlers of all time. He still resides in Hawaii and is enjoying his retirement life. But it makes sense, as interviews like this one from 1985 show that Bundy, despite most "monster" wrestlers staying ominously silent, could always talk up a storm. In the 1980s, Hogan transformed the wrestling Other past acting gigs include roles on Rocky The surging popularity of professional wrestling in the mid '80s led World Wrestling Federation head Vince McMahon to take a chance on producing a super-card calledWrestlemania on closed-circuit television in 1985. The most comprehensive and complete list of deceased wrestlers on the internet. Despite the comments clearly being a joke, Valentine attracted a good bit of controversy over his remarks. She was the first female wrestler to become the number one contender for the WWF Championship, take part in the King of the Ring, and enter the Royal Rumble. Some even became household names and rose to legendary status in the industry. It doesn't make up for being paralyzed, but hey, not everyone gets to ride around in a tank. That said, if an anecdote like "Meng bit off a man's nose during a bar brawl" is even half-true (Tonga insists it's all true, but you know how wrestlers lie), that still makes him tougher than most anyone you've ever met. It worked so well, he apparently did it once and then never again. She was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2013. called Hogan Knows Best, which focuses on his own family life. Heres what theyre up to now. Broadcast from New York Citys Madison Square Garden, the signal went out as closed-circuit mass viewings at arenas, theaters and high school gymnasiums, as well as a pay-per-view event in select markets on Mar. Together, they run an event rental company called "inJOY The Party." his dark charisma, his extensive use of psychology in his matches, and has been He lost to almost every major star of WWE in that era, putting over debutants or big names on the roster. He can probably lift at least a few pounds these days, but the only way he'll grasp 450 pounds is if he travels to England and hits the ATM. The British Bulldogs were the team of cousins Today, however, you'd be hard-pressed to figure why; today's Sunny is a shell of her former self. It doesn't change the fact that Darren Drozdov has not walked since 1999. to their old home in Stampede and also resumed touring with the AJPW (All Andre the Giant, born Andr Ren Roussimoff in Hart retired from professional wrestling in Let's face it: When a mastodon speaks, you listen. Andre was of course best known for his great In 2013, Flair's son Reid, also a wrestler. Migos rapper. Rumors began that Dingo Warrior was not the original Ultimate His post-wrestling career has involved an appearance in an Insane Clown Posse film and a podcast appearance where he said that women shouldnt be wrestlers and should be at home washing dishes. Wrestling needs more bad guys anyway. Besides winning the International Championship twice, Tito Santana was also a two-time Tag Team Champion. Dory Funk and his brother Terry are two of the originators of modern wrestling. In 1987, the British Bulldogs lost the titles Some of them have continued to make blockbuster hits. .Andr died in his sleep on January 27, 1993, in his Paris hotel Jake the snake is still involved with She might not look like she did in the ring, but she's clearly as successful as ever. in the company and he has injected new life into the brand with NXT, a pipeline of fresh wrestling talent. Wrestling Posters. were brutal competitors on the independent scene performing as The Sheepherders and Los Pastores during the 1970s and 80s. After leaving WWE, he wrestled in the indies and WCW but under different gimmicks. Today, the retired Ottman doesn't look anything like he used to. He died peacefully in his sleep in 2002 aged 86. Unfortunately, like many a grappler, drugs and alcohol overtook Hall, and he's been struggling to become himself again for a long time. In 2009, Austin was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Later, he was "saved" by Slick, a pimp-turned-preacher, who convinced Kamala that he was a man, not an animal. A comeback bout with Hulk Hogan was axed in 1995 after Haystacks, born Martin Ruane, contracted cancer. McMahon stated that A few have stepped away from the limelight. Using the ring name Rocky Maivia, he found success as part of stables like The Nation of Domination and the Corporation. 1970s wrestlers: where are they now. Chris Adams: The former judo star switched to wrestling in 1978 and went on to train Stone Cold Steve Austin. 19 Stan Hansen. Plus, get every WWE Premium Live Event and the worlds best TV and movies. Moose Cholak. He suffered a stroke which caused paralysis on his left side in 2002, after hitting his heading in a bicycle accident. He also crossed over to the business side of the industry as the Executive Vice President of the Talent, Live Events, and Creative Direction for WWE. He was never ripped, but he was still clearly a muscular, tough dude. He, like many wrestlers before him, battled drug issues in 2004, the Boston Herald reported that Beefcake caused a scare on the Boston subway system, by leaving behind a bag of his cocaine that passengers feared was anthrax. WWE legends The Bushwhackers have announced they are making a wrestling comeback at a combined age of 150 on Royal Rumble weekend. In addition, she opened up a pet spa and doggie bakery, and serves as commissioner of a Japanese women's wrestling promotion called World Wonder Ring Stardom. World Wrestling Entertainment (better known as WWE) can be traced as far back as 1952 and has undergone a variety of name changes over the years. In 1996, he returned again. Sycho Sid was a monster throughout the '90s. Robert Booker Tio Huffman better known as, Hart is not just known for his prowess as a singles performer, but together with his brother-in-law, the late Jim Neidhart, they formed the, For the most part, Hart has stayed away from the wrestling ring. Hogan continued to make appearances in professional wrestling until WWE terminated its contract with Hogan in 2015 after his controversial sex tape leak on which he could be heard saying the N-word. Her autobiography "If They Only Knew" landed on the New York Times bestseller list, she appeared on the cover of Playboy and was interviewed on "The Tonight Show.". As a babyface, Tito Santana was an important name on the wrestling scene of the 1980s. Menu. She got into monster trucks and quickly turned into a champion driver, winning international contests in her truck (which she naturally named "Madusa") and even serving as vice president of her own monster truck league for a year.