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WWF Superstars

1986

WWE's flagship show of the early-90s featuring great in-ring action, news from the world of sports-entertainment, and more.

Brian Costello

is an American professional wrestler. He was best known for his run as a jobber in the World Wrestling Federation from 1987 to 1992. Costello's most memorable match during his WWF run was against Andre the Giant, which took place during a March 1988 television taping for WWF Superstars of Wrestling. The match – merely a setup to have Hacksaw Jim Duggan come to the ring, confront Andre and begin their feud – lasted less than 30 seconds, and involved Andre simply grabbing Costello and headbutting him twice before throwing him from the ring.

Kevin Wacholz

Kevin Wacholz is a former professional wrestler who worked for WWE in 1992 as Nailz. He was also known as "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly in The American Wrestling Association (AWA) in the 1980s. Wacholz, still performing under the name Kevin Kelly, received a tryout match on June 6, 1989 at a WWF Superstars taping in Madison, WI, defeating Tim Horner. A night later he defeated Jim Powers at a Wrestling Challenge taping, but was not signed to a contract that year. After the AWA folded, Wacholz received another tryout match, this time at a WWE Superstars taping on May 6, 1991, defeating Brian Costello. The following night at a Wrestling Challenge taping he defeated Gary Jackson in a dark match. In 1992, Wacholz debuted in WWE as Nailz, an ex-convict who, in a series of promos, alleged he was abused by former prison guard The Big Boss Man during his incarceration.He also claimed to be innocent of his (unspecified) crimes. Following Big Boss Man's squash of Dave Roulette on the May 30 episode of WWF Superstars of Wrestling, Nailz (dressed in an orange prison jumpsuit) attacked Boss Man, handcuffing him to the top rope before repeatedly hitting and choking him with his own nightstick.Nailz easily defeated numerous jobbers en route to defeating Boss Man's ally Virgil at SummerSlam.He continued to feud with Boss Man, who had recovered from Nailz's beating. The feud came to its climax when Big Boss Man defeated Nailz in a nightstick match at Survivor Series.Before Nailz finished the feud with Boss Man, he began another feud, this time with The Undertaker. The two had a stare down on the October 24 episode of Superstars, a photo of which was used as the cover of the January 1993 issue of WWE Magazine. This stare down was a result of Nailz not willing to leave the ring after his match in time for the next match that happened to feature The Undertaker. This face-off was well received by the WWE fans and according to sources could have been a titanic match. The commentator described the face-off as 'The unstoppable force meeting the immovable object'. Wacholz appeared at World Championship Wrestling's Slamboree event in 1993 as 'The Prisoner' (looking identical to his Nailz persona), losing to Sting. He wrestled In Jim Crockett's short-lived promotion, WWN, in 1994, as The Convict. He also wrestled for New Japan Pro Wrestling that year, as D.O.C. Nelson. In 1996, Wacholz appeared in Paul Alperstein's American Wrestling Federation as Nails as many WWF wrestlers from the 1980s and 1990s were wrestling in that promotion. Wacholz officially retired in 2000.

Randy Colley

Randy Colley was an American professional wrestler better known as Moondog Rex. In 1976 he joined Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling and began wrestling under his real name for the first time. This would also be his first singles run. While appearing in MACW he would compete against opponents such as Steve Strong, Two Ton Harris, and Larry Sharpe. For the remainder of the 1970s he moved around various National Wrestling Alliance territories. He next appeared in Georgia Championship Wrestling. Wrestling with Moondog Spot (Larry Latham), the Moondogs made their debut on October 25, 1982 in a match at the Omni against Brad Armstrong and Tito Santana. The Moondogs would continue with the promotion for the next three months, wrestling The Wild Samoans and various combinations that included Stan Hansen. The Moondogs jumped to the World Wrestling Federation in the midst of its national expansion. The Moondogs made their return on the March 4th, 1984 edition of All American Wrestling and defeating Bobby Fulton and Brian Madden. The new duo remained undefeated until June 30, where they lost a Los Angeles house show match to The Wild Samoans. The Moondogs continued to unsuccessfully feud with the Samoans throughout that summer. In June 1984 Colley received two singles shots against WWF Champion Hulk Hogan on the Canadian television tapings that aired on both Maple Leaf and All-Star wrestling. In September 1984 they were programmed into a house show series against the newly arrived Fabulous Freebirds. While continuing to defeat preliminary opposition on television, the Dogs were winless against the Freebirds. Following departure of Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, and Buddy Roberts from the promotion, the Moondogs feuded with the Brisco Brothers. On February 22, 1986 Colley made his return to the WWF on a house show in Melbourne, Australia and lost to Jacques Rougeau. Following an April tour of All Japan Pro Wrestling that saw him team with Andre the Giant and Dick Murdoch he returned to full time action in the World Wrestling Federation. On April 14 he was reunited with Moondog Spot, losing to The Rougeau Brothers on Prime Time Wrestling. Colley now found himself in a similar position as in his previous WWF run, defeating preliminary opposition but losing to more established teams. Their most high profile match came on the July 12th, 1986 edition of WWF Championship Wrestling, where they lost to WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff; the match being worked entirely by Orndorff and part of the famous feud between the latter that would begin shortly. In the fall of 1986 they began a house show series with The Islanders and finished the year facing The Killer Bees and US Express. On January 4, 1987, in Springfield, Massachusetts, Colley was repackaged as "Smash" in the new tag team of Demolition, facing and defeating The Islanders before later taking part in a battle royal won by Pete Doherty. The following day in East Rutherford, New Jersey, he made his televised debut at a WWF Superstars taping. Despite having his hair trimmed, his beard shaved off, and wearing face paint, fans almost immediately recognized him and began chanting "Moondog" when he entered the ring. Following a third appearance, this time at a Wrestling Challenge taping, he was replaced by Barry Darsow.

Scott Casey

Scott Casey is an American retired professional wrestler, best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation between 1987 and 1990. Scott Casey began his wrestling career around 1970 and in his early career spent nine years in Joe Blanchard's Southwest Championship Wrestling promotion. On August 30, 1983 Casey defeated Adrian Adonis to win the Southwest Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship.[2] A month later, on September 11 he defeated Tully Blanchard to win the SWCW Southwest Heavyweight Championship. In September, Casey also held the SWCW Southwest Tag Team Championship with Buddy Mareno, replacing the 'injured' Bobby Jaggers. After leaving SCW he went to World Class Championship Wrestling where he was managed by Sunshine. Casey and Sunshine would also bring in The Great Kabuki in a feud with Jim Cornette and Midnight Express, and later Kabuki after he turned on Scott and Sunshine. John Tatum and Missy Hyatt would also show up and work a program with Casey and Sunshine too. However he would leave WCCW in the middle of the program and Sunshine would keep the program going with other wrestlers involved. On the June 13, 1987 edition of WWF Superstars Casey made his debut, teaming with Lanny Poffo in a loss to Demolition. He immediately began wrestling full-time for the World Wrestling Federation and was programmed into a short house show series against heel cowboy wrestler Ron Bass. Casey was slotted into an upper level opening card enhancement talent, losing that summer to the likes of Rick Rude and The Honky Tonk Man but also defeating Jose Estrada, Mike Sharpe and Steve Lombardi. On WWF television he was used primarily as an enhancement talent, and would not gain his first televised victory until the September 24, 1987 edition of Prime Time Wrestling where he teamed with SD Jones to defeat The Shadows. He would gain his first televised singles victory a month later, when he pinned Iron Mike Sharpe on the October 15 edition of Prime Time Wrestling. The winter and spring of 1988 found Casey continuing to be in the opening cards of the numerous WWF house shows, facing Danny Spivey, Terry Gibbs, Steve Lombardi, and a returning Iron Shiek. While still being primarily utilized as an enhancement talent on television, Casey also remained under a modicum of a push and defeated Barry Horowitz on the March 7, 1988 edition of Prime Time Wrestling, and then Mike Sharpe in the May 2 episode. This status continued throughout most of 1988 as he lost to upper level competition, but defeated the likes of Richard Charland and Pete Doherty on house shows and on television. His most high-profile appearance came at the 1988 Survivor Series (substituting for an injured B. Brian Blair) where he teamed with Jake Roberts, Tito Santana, Ken Patera and Jim Duggan in a losing effort against André the Giant, Rick Rude, Curt "Mr. Perfect" Hennig, Harley Race and Dino Bravo. Casey's appearances became more sporadic in 1989, and he only wrestled on 11 occasions after appearing in well over five times as many matches the previous year. His final match of the year was against Barry Horowitz on March 24 in Salt Lake City, UT, after which he departed the company.

Brian James

Brian Girard "B.G." James is an American professional wrestler and former United States Marine. He is currently working for WWE as an agent, an occasional wrestler and as a commentator on the web series Are You Serious? James is best known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as The Roadie from 1994 to 1995 and as "The Road Dogg" Jesse James or simply Road Dogg from 1996 to 2001 and World Wrestling All-Stars. James has held numerous championships over the course of his career, including the WWF Intercontinental Championship once, the WWF Tag Team Championship five times with Billy Gunn as the New Age Outlaws, the WWF Hardcore Championship once, and the NWA World Tag Team Championship twice with Konnan and Ron Killings under the Freebird Rule as the 3Live Kru. He is also a one time world heavyweight champion, having held the WWA World Heavyweight Championship in 2001. WWE has described James as "one of the most popular Superstars of WWE's Attitude Era". James is a second generation wrestler; his father Bob wrestled, as did his brothers Scott, Brad, and Steve.

Chris Pallies

Christopher Allan Pallies was an American professional wrestler, stand-up comedian and actor, better known by his ring name, King Kong Bundy. Bundy achieved mainstream recognition in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in the 1980s and 1990s: he headlined WrestleMania 2 in 1986 against Hulk Hogan in a steel cage match for the WWF Championship, and at WrestleMania XI in 1995 he was also the fourth victim in The Undertaker's now 21-match undefeated WrestleMania streak. Late WWF play-by-play commentator Gorilla Monsoon dubbed Bundy as the "Walking Condominium" in reference to his imposing size and weight. After leaving the WWF in late 1995, Bundy wrestled for several independent promotions in the United States. In April 1997, he resurfaced in magazines when he joined a faction managed by Kenny Casanova called "Camp Casanova" along with "Danger" Dave DeJohn and the Masked Maniac at times in USWF, NBW, and USA Power Pro Wrestling. In a match against "the Seven Foot Tall" Primo Canera III, Bundy knee-dropped his opponent and then "Bundy-splashed" him. The impact actually broke the ring, leaving the two grapplers in a pit in the center of the squared circle. This independent footage was picked up by Pro Wrestling Illustrated. His feuds against "Superfly" Jimmy Snuka, Doink the Clown, and Tom Brandi are among many main events in the northeast independent circuit. In 1999, at the Kolf Arena in Oshkosh, Wisconsin he won the AWA Superstars of Wrestling Heavyweight Championship from Jonnie Stewart. Later that same year, Bundy the reigning AWA heavyweight champion wrestled again headlining an AWA "Super Event" at the Dee Events Center in Ogden, Utah. That night ended differently for Bundy, losing a "bodyslam match" to Koszmar Polski who was managed by Ken Patera. Bundy still wrestled across the country, primarily in the Southern and Eastern United States. He continued to be a headliner and a crowd favorite at all events he attended. King Kong Bundy's last match is thought to have been at the Legends of Wrestling Show at the Pulaski County Fair in Somerset, Kentucky in 2007. Bundy lost to "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan in the main event. Acting career In 1986, Bundy appeared in television commercials and print advertisements for the Vendex HeadStart personal computer. Bundy had two guest spots and one bit part on Married... with Children, as the creators had named the lead characters "Bundy" as an homage to him.[28] In 1987, he played Uncle Irwin, the brother of Peggy Bundy. In 1995, he appeared again as the King Kong Bundy character, teaching Bud how to wrestle. Born in Woodbury, New Jersey on November 7, 1955, Pallies attended Washington Township High School in Sewell, New Jersey, graduating in 1973. In July 2016, Pallies joined a class action lawsuit filed against WWE which alleged that wrestlers incurred "long term neurological injuries" and that the company "routinely failed to care" for them and "fraudulently misrepresented and concealed" the nature and extent of those injuries. The suit was litigated by attorney Konstantine Kyros, who has been involved in a number of other lawsuits against WWE. The case was dismissed by US District Judge Vanessa Lynne Bryant in September 2018. Pallies was fond of cats, and had “about 10” as pets at the time of his death.Their names included Stewie, Paige, Gio, and Pat

Glenn Ruth

Cast · Known for WWE Heat

is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Thrasher. He is best known for his appearances in the World Wrestling Federation between 1996 and 2000, where he was one half of the tag team The Headbangers with Mosh. Thrasher is a former NWA World Tag Team Champion and WWF World Tag Team Champion. After retiring in 2002, he returned to professional wrestling in 2011, reforming The Headbangers with Mosh and appearing on the independent circuit. Professional wrestling career Ruth grew up in South Jersey. He trained as a wrestler under Larry Sharpe and debuted in 1990 as The Spider. He later became Sharpe's assistant and trained wrestlers such as the Big Show and others at Sharpe's "Monster Factory". Among the wrestlers trained by Sharpe and Ruth was Chaz Warrington, Ruth's future tag team partner. Ruth made a number of appearances for the World Wrestling Federation in the early 90s including a losing effort against Marty Jannetty on the 2nd ever episode of Raw, competing under his given name as an enhancement talent. World Wrestling Federation (1996-2000) Ruth is best known for his appearances with the WWF in the late 90s, where he formed a successful tag team with his old training classmate Chaz Warrington. Warrington and Ruth were best known in the WWF as The Headbangers: Ruth wrestled as Thrasher, while Warrington wrestled as Mosh. Both men debuted in the World Wrestling Federation on the November 24, 1996 episode of Superstars as the Headbangers. The Headbangers were a team that portrayed a pair of punk/metal fans and were known for their outrageous costumes, which usually featured nose rings and kilts. They captured the vacant WWF World Tag Team Championships on September 7, 1997 by defeating three other teams in a four team tag match at Ground Zero. They lost the titles to The Godwinns on October 5 of that same year.

Barney Irwin

is an American former professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, "Wild" Bill Irwin. Irwin is also known for his appearances with the World Wrestling Federation as The Goon in 1996. He is the brother of the late Scott Irwin. Working in both the Mid South and also the WCCW in 1981, he would leave the Mid South in 1982 for WCCW, and now going by the name Wild Bill Irwin, he won the NWA Texas Heavyweight Championship off Al Madril and then having became a member of H & H Ltd tagging with Bugsy McGraw to win the NWA World Tag Team Championship (Texas version) then Vacate the NWA Texas Heavyweight belt owing to a match between him and David Von Erich by 1983s after blaming McGraw for losing them the Tag belts then afer a light feud began teaming with King Kong Bundy becoming North American Tag Team Championship witch he would do another 4 times with his brother Bill as both original tagteam named The Super Destroyers not ECW later version and there last run was as The Lone Riders also in that year he won the WCCW Television Championship to complete his total of 7 time. what? Making a late return in 1983 to WCCW as Super Distroyer #2 with his brother Scott and managed again by Skandor Akbar and recent NWA North American Tag Team Champions for the first time. Irwin later provided extensive commentary on the WWE's "The Triumph and Tragedy of WCCW" video retrospective of World Class Championship Wrestling, regarding his time in Texas, what it was like to wrestle in the Dallas Sportatorium, and his fateful trip with David Von Erich to Japan. Irwin stayed in wrestling in the independents and resurfaced in the NWA during 1989. Later he would form a tag team with Black Bart in the Global Wrestling Federation from 1991 to 1992.[5] Irwin, as "Wild" Bill Irwin, also appeared sporadically in World Championship Wrestling, including in a loss to Davey Boy Smith in Smith's WCW debut at SuperBrawl III In 1996, Irwin wrestled in the World Wrestling Federation as The Goon, a hockey character who was "kicked out of every league he ever participated in." He made his TV debut on the July 20, 1996 episode of Superstars. The gimmick did not last long, as he left a few months after arriving. In 2001, Irwin returned to the WWF for one night, resuming the gimmick of "The Goon" for the gimmick battle royal at WrestleMania X-Seven. On Raw XV, the 15th-anniversary WWE Raw special on December 10, 2007, Irwin, wrestling as "The Goon" once again, and sporting a thick moustache, participated in the 15th Anniversary Battle Royal. He was eliminated by the Repo Man.

John Rodriguez

Cast · Known for WWF Championship Wrestling

John Rodriguez is an American former professional wrestler. He has previously worked as a professional wrestler under the ring name Johnny Rodz. WWE (1965–1985) He was part of WWE from its early years, appearing on WWE cards as far back as 1965. He wrestled Bob Backlund in Madison Square Garden while working for the WWE at the time. Dubbed the "Fire Brand from the Bronx" and the "Unpredictable", he was a proficient worker and a solid heel. Johnny would often tag with Jose Estrada, and Frank "the Gypsy" Rodriguez. For much of the next two decades through mid-1985, Rodz was a mainstay of the federation, though largely used as enhancement talent, for which he was praised by some of his peers. At times Rodz worked in Japan, Puerto Rico and other territories. On August 9, 1980, at the Showdown at Shea, he was defeated by Ivan Putski. His last WWE match was a loss to Gama Singh on June 19, 1985. NWA Hollywood Wrestling (1976-1978) For a time, he also worked with Mike and Gene LeBell's NWA Hollywood Wrestling. He won a greater share of matches wrestling as "Arabian Wildman" Java Ruuk and even won the promotion's battle royal in 1976. Post-retirement In 1996, Rodz was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame class of 1996 by Arnold Skaaland. On the March 1, 2007 episode of Total Nonstop Action Wrestling's Impact showed the Latin American Xchange (LAX) attacking Rodz as part of their feud with Team 3D. Ten days later at Destination X, he accompanied Team 3D to the ring for their Ghetto Brawl match with LAX at the pay-per-view. Training Johnny Rodz has been training students for over 30 years, out of Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn. Rodz has trained many students who have gone on to have successful careers in and out of the ring for various wrestling promotions, serve as high-level executives at television networks, and some even went on to become high level government officials at agencies such as FDA and FDIC. Wrestlers trained by Rodz include: Taz, Tommy Dreamer, D-von Dudley, Damien Demento, Prince Nana, Marti Belle, Wendy Choo, Big Vito, Masha Slamovich, William Morrissey, Vince Russo, and many more. A few of Rodz' students have gone on to train other future superstars at their own wrestling academies. Rodz founded the independent wrestling promotion known as World of Unpredictable Wrestling.

Jacqueline Moore

Jacqueline DeLois Moore is an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager. She is best known for her time in WWE from 1998 to 2004, as well as working for World Championship Wrestling in 1997-98 and later Total Nonstop Action Wrestling as a wrestler, manager and road agent. She began her career in World Class Championship Wrestling, but was well known in the United States Wrestling Association, where she was a fourteen-time USWA Women's Champion. She later moved to World Championship Wrestling, where she briefly managed the team Harlem Heat. In 1998, she joined the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later World Wrestling Entertainment). She began managing Marc Mero and had her first rivalry with Sable, which culminated in the re-establishment of the WWF Women's Championship, which Moore held twice during her time with the WWF. In 1999, she formed an all-female alliance with Terri Runnels and Ryan Shamrock called the Pretty Mean Sisters. In the early 2000s, Moore worked as both a referee and trainer for the WWF, and she also held the WWE Cruiserweight Championship, which was a title predominantly held by men. She was the third woman to accomplish the feat, but the only woman to do so under the WWE banner (following Madusa and Daffney in WCW). In 2004, she joined TNA, where she worked mostly as a manager and occasional wrestler. On April 2, 2016, Moore was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame Moore grew up in Dallas, Texas.[5] As a young fan of professional wrestling, Moore stated that the Von Erichs were her favorite wrestlers. She has a third degree black belt in taekwondo and also has experience in kickboxing and boxing. In mid-2001, Moore, along with Tazz, Al Snow, and Tori, became a trainer on the MTV reality TV series Tough Enough.[22] It was her first time training other wrestlers.On the show, she helped train future WWE wrestlers Nidia and Maven. In 2002, Moore competed on a special WWF superstar edition of Fear Factor, coming in second place to Matt Hardy After leaving WWE, Moore began taking acting classes on an action movie set in Los Angeles during the 1970s. Jacqueline made her video game debut in the PlayStation version of WCW Nitro. She would later appear in nine WWE video games, which include WWF Attitude, WWF WrestleMania 2000, WWF SmackDown! 2: Know Your Role, WWF No Mercy, WWE WrestleMania X8, WWE Raw 2, WWE 2K17 (DLC), WWE 2K18 and WWE 2K19.

Steve Austin

Cast · Known for Grown Ups 2

Steven James Anderson, formerly Steven James Williams, better known by his ring name "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, is an American film and television actor and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE. Austin wrestled for several well-known wrestling promotions such as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) and most famously, the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), which later became World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) in 2002. Billed as "The Most Popular Superstar in WWE History", he gained significant mainstream popularity in the WWF during the mid-to-late 1990s as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, a disrespectful, beer-drinking antihero who routinely defied his boss, Vince McMahon. This defiance was often shown by Austin flipping off McMahon and incapacitating him with the Stone Cold Stunner, his finishing move. McMahon inducted Austin into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2009. Austin held nineteen championships throughout his professional wrestling career, and is recognized by WWE as a six-time world champion, having held the WWF Championship on six occasions, and the fifth Triple Crown Champion. He was also the winner of the 1996 King of the Ring tournament, as well as the 1997, 1998 and 2001 Royal Rumbles. He was forced to retire from in ring competition in early 2003 due to a series of knee and neck injuries sustained throughout his career. Throughout the rest of 2003 and 2004, he was featured as the Co-General Manager and "Sheriff" of Raw. Since 2005, he has continued to make occasional appearances. In 2011, Steve Austin returned to WWE to host the reality series Tough Enough. On August 14, 2002, Austin was arrested and charged with domestic abuse. He pleaded no contest on November 25, 2002, and was given a year's probation, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to carry out 80 hours of community service.] Marshall told Fox News that Austin beat her three times and that the 2002 incident was the result of roid rage. She also stated that WWE knew of the abuse, working to conceal the bruises on her face, and kept her from revealing that Austin hit her, as it would cost the company millions of dollars. During his early years as a wrestler, Austin was a technical wrestler. However, after his neck injury against Owen Hart in 1997, he changed his style from technical to brawler. His most famous finishing move is the Stone Cold Stunner, or simply Stunner. During his time as The Ringmaster he used the Million Dollar Dream as finisher, since it was Ted DiBiase's finisher. During his time in WCW, Austin used the Stun Gun as finisher One of Austin's taunts during the Attitude Era was to show the middle finger. In August 2001, Austin cut a promo, debuting his catchphrase "What?", which is used today by fans when they want to mock wrestlers during promos

Pinky Larson

Pinky Larson was a professional wrestler from Rhode Island, active in Vince McMahon Sr.'s WWWF from the 1970s to the early 1980s. He was part of the road crew, responsible for transporting the ring, and also a supporting wrestler. His career highlight was serving as the corner man and security for Superstar Billy Graham during his championship reign. After retiring from active wrestling, Larson continued working with the WWWF/WWF and later became part of the live event security team in Los Angeles.

Bryan Danielson

Bryan Danielson is an American former professional wrestler who now works as a commentator on AEW Dynamite. He is also widely known for his time in WWE from 2009 to 2021 under the ring name Daniel Bryan. Danielson began his professional wrestling career in 1999 on the independent circuit and signed an 18-month contract with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) in 2000, later making uncontracted WWE appearances until 2003. In 2002, he joined Ring of Honor (ROH), wrestling in the main event of the promotion's first show, The Era of Honor Begins. Considered a cornerstone of ROH, he remained with the company until 2009, winning both the ROH World Championship and ROH Pure Championship—unifying them during his reign—and becoming the inaugural winner of the Survival of the Fittest tournament. His influence led to his induction into the ROH Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2022. Danielson also competed extensively in Japan, winning the GHC Junior Heavyweight Championship in Pro Wrestling NOAH and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Championship in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) with Curry Man. He captured numerous independent wrestling titles as well, including two PWG World Championships, the FIP Heavyweight Championship, and the wXw World Heavyweight Championship. In 2009, Danielson re-signed with WWE, though he was briefly fired in 2010 before returning later that year. During his WWE run, he won the WWE Championship four times, the World Heavyweight Championship once, and the United States and Intercontinental Championships once each. He also won the WWE Tag Team Championship with Kane as Team Hell No and the SmackDown Tag Team Championship with Erick Rowan, making him WWE’s 26th Triple Crown Champion and 15th Grand Slam Champion. Additional accomplishments include winning the 2011 Money in the Bank ladder match, being named Superstar of the Year at the 2013 Slammy Awards, and headlining major WWE pay-per-views, including WrestleMania in 2014 and 2021. Danielson initially retired from in-ring competition in 2016 due to injuries from multiple concussions that caused seizures and a brain lesion, transitioning to an on-screen general manager role for SmackDown. He remained in that position until 2018, when he was medically cleared to return to wrestling. After his WWE contract expired in May 2021, Danielson signed with AEW, debuting that September and later transitioning full-time into commentary.

Christopher Irvine

Cast · Known for All Elite Wrestling: Dynamite, Terrifier 3

Christopher Keith Irvine, better known by the ring name Chris Jericho, is an American-Canadian professional wrestler, rock musician, and actor who signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) in 2019, where he became the inaugural AEW World Champion. Noted for his over-the-top "rock star" persona, his in-ring technical wrestling prowess, and his ability to reinvent his character throughout the course of his career, Jericho has been named by journalists and industry colleagues as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time. During the 1990s, Chris Jericho competed in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), World Championship Wrestling (WCW), and promotions across Canada, Japan, and Mexico before debuting in World Wrestling Federation (WWF, later renamed WWE 2002) in 1999, later becoming the first Undisputed WWF Champion in 2001 by defeating Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock on the same night, headlining major events including WrestleMania X8, helping pioneer matches like TLC and Elimination Chamber, earning induction into the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Hall of Fame in 2010, and winning multiple world titles, a record nine Intercontinental Championships, becoming the ninth Triple Crown and fourth Grand Slam Champion, and earning Slammy Awards including 2008 Superstar of the Year and 2009 Tag Team of the Year with Big Show as Jeri-Show. After his departure from WWE in 2018, Jericho signed with New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW), where he became a one-time IWGP Intercontinental Champion, becoming the first man to have held both the WWE and IWGP versions of the Intercontinental Championship. In January 2019, Jericho signed with All Elite Wrestling (AEW) and became the inaugural holder of the AEW World Championship in August of that year. While in AEW, Jericho would also capture the ROH World Championship, the main title of AEW's sister promotion Ring of Honor, twice and the FTW Championship. In 1999, Jericho became the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Fozzy, who released their eponymous debut album the following year. The group's early work is composed largely of cover versions, although they have focused primarily on original material from their third album, All That Remains (2005), onward. Jericho has also appeared on numerous television shows over the years, including the 2011 season of Dancing with the Stars. He hosted the ABC game show Downfall, the 2011 edition of the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, and the UK's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in 2012 and 2017.

Steve Regal

Steve Regal is an American retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with the American Wrestling Association. Born in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Regal started wrestling in 1977 and later achieved his biggest success in the American Wrestling Association (AWA) during the mid-1980s. During his tenure there, Regal defeated Buck Zumhofe for the AWA World Light Heavyweight Championship in 1984. In 1985, the AWA began teaming him with "Gorgeous" Jimmy Garvin and, with the help of the Fabulous Freebirds, surprisingly defeated The Road Warriors to win the tag title.[2][3] Regal and Garvin lost the tag title to Curt Hennig and Scott Hall four months later. Regal also made appearances with World Class Championship Wrestling during this time period, challenging Brian Adias for the Texas Heavyweight Title. The pair then signed to wrestle with NWA Pacific Northwest Wrestling, where he held the NWA Pacific Northwest Heavyweight Championship twice. He vacated the title in December 1981 due to an injury. In 1986, he joined Jim Crockett Promotions and made his debut on May 17 at a house show in Baltimore, MD where he fought Denny Brown to a draw for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. They would wrestle several more times to draws during the month. Regal made his first televised appearance on the May 31st edition of NWA Worldwide, facing Rocky King. On the June 7th edition of NWA Pro Regal joined heel Jimmy Garvin in attacking Wahoo McDaniel. On June 4 he sustained his first loss, falling to Denny Brown at a house show in Raleigh, NC. Through June and July Regal continued to face Brown for the title on the Great American Bash house show summer tour; on the final night of the series he defeated Brown to win the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship in front of 12,000 at the Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, GA on August 2. Regal would successfully defend his title several times in August against Brown before finally losing the championship back to him at a house show in Greensville, NC on September 1. Following a match with Hector Guerrero on September 4, he departed for the World Wrestling Federation. While with the AWA and NWA, Regal's career appeared to be on the rise, but by 1985, the WWF roster was full of large athletes and bodybuilders, and the primary focus was on brawling and personality over science. Despite his talent, Regal was used exclusively as a jobber,[5] a fate shared by many WWF wrestlers at the time who were not large bodybuilders and didn't have an over-the-top gimmick. Regal was still billed as "Mr Electricity", but did not receive the promotional vignettes that many of the other incoming wrestlers received who joined the WWF in the second half of 1986, such as Koko B. Ware, Superstar Billy Graham, Dick Slater, Outback Jack, or The Honky Tonk Man.

Ernie Roth

Cast · Known for WWF Championship Wrestling

Irwin "Ernie" Roth, known by the ring names The Grand Wizard of Wrestling and Abdullah Farouk, was an American professional wrestling manager. Not a wrestler himself due to his small stature, he was noted for his flamboyant outfit of sequined jackets, wraparound sunglasses, and a brightly colored turban decorated with jewels and feathers. He was inducted into the WWE's Hall of Fame class of 1995. Ernie Roth got his start in the entertainment business as a disc jockey. He was discovered by Jim Barnett who helped Roth get into the wrestling industry. He became involved in professional wrestling as a manager in the 1960s in Detroit-based territories. Roth first worked under the names "Mr. Clean" and "J. Wellington Radcliffe." He also portrayed "Abdullah Farouk", the heel (villainous) manager of The Sheik. He frequently appeared on the Toronto wrestling circuit, where local announcer Lord Athol Layton would usually refer to him as "The weasel, Abdullah Farouk". Sporting a turban, Farouk took great pains in trying to control his madman protégé. But he also carved a niche for himself as a deceitful, underhanded character who insulted US fans whenever he had a chance. Farouk was a pioneer of "manager interference", as he physically would attempt to alter a match's outcome in the Sheik's favor. This sort of interference was rare at the time. Roth began a stint with the World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) in the 1970s, where he became known as The Grand Wizard. Roth, who was Jewish, reportedly took the name "The Grand Wizard" as a snub to the white supremacy organization the Ku Klux Klan, whose leaders were called Grand Wizard. Almost immediately after arrival in 1971, the Wizard managed Black Jack Mulligan and "Beautiful Bobby" Harmon. He later led Mr. Fuji and Prof. Toru Tanaka to two reigns with the WWWF World Tag Team Championship. A year later, the Wizard led Stan Stasiak to victory over Pedro Morales for the WWF Championship in Philadelphia on December 1, 1973. The Wizard guided a second protégé, Superstar Billy Graham, to the very same championship on April 30, 1977, when Graham overcame Bruno Sammartino in Baltimore. On February 20, 1978, Bob Backlund dethroned Graham at Madison Square Garden. The Wizard made it his duty to gain revenge on Backlund, sending charges such as Don Muraco, Ken Patera and Greg Valentine after him. The Wizard managed the first Intercontinental Champion Pat Patterson, and later Patera (who defeated Patterson for the title in April 1980 after the Wizard and Patterson parted ways) and Muraco to the same championship.[3] Other protégés of the Wizard included "Beautiful Bobby" Harmon, Killer Kowalski, "Crazy Luke" Graham, Sgt. Slaughter, "Big Cat" Ernie Ladd, Ox Baker, "Cowboy" Bob Orton and The Masked Superstar.

WWF Championship Wrestling

1980

The first nationally syndicated WWE television series, Championship Wrestling features numerous WWE Hall of Famers and Legends in action.

Edward White

Edward John White best known as "Moondog King" in the WWF, was a Canadian professional wrestler who rose to prominence in the 1980s, particularly as part of The Moondogs tag team with Moondog Rex. They won the WWF Tag Team Championship in 1981. White began his wrestling career in 1972 and achieved success in Canada, winning several titles. After a border dispute between Canada and the U.S., he was temporarily replaced in the WWF. In addition to his wrestling career, White ran for the Canadian Parliament twice, but was not elected. In his later years, he suffered from several health issues and a car accident in 2004. He passed away in 2005 after remaining on life support due to injuries from the crash. His biography was written by Dave Elliott.

Jim Neidhart

Cast · Known for WWF Superstars

James Henry Neidhart was an American professional wrestler known for his work in the WWF during the 80s and 90s. He gained prominence primarily as a member of The Hart Foundation, the tag team alongside his brother-in-law Bret Hart, with whom he won the WWF World Tag Team Championship twice. Neidhart was also part of the famous Hart wrestling family through his marriage to Ellie Hart, daughter of Stu Hart. Before becoming a wrestler, Neidhart was a standout athlete in high school, setting a shot put record. After a brief stint in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, he moved to Calgary to train with Stu Hart and join Stampede Wrestling, where he won the International Tag Team Championship twice. Neidhart made his WWF debut in 1985, initially as a singles wrestler. However, his real success came when he teamed up with Bret Hart to form The Hart Foundation. Together, they dominated the tag team division, winning the WWF World Tag Team Championship in 1987. Throughout their careers, they faced other major teams like Demolition and Strike Force, and their tag move, the Hart Attack, became iconic. In 1991, Neidhart briefly teamed with Owen Hart to form The New Foundation, but his time in the WWF ended in 1992 when he was fired for refusing a drug test. After leaving WWF, he had stints in WCW and ECW, but his career in those companies was less prominent. Neidhart returned to WWF briefly in 1994 as part of the heel side alongside his brother-in-law Owen Hart, reuniting in a new version of The Hart Foundation and facing off against wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin. In 1997, after one final return to WWF, Neidhart left the company and retired more definitively. In his later years, Neidhart appeared at several independent events, with his last match taking place in 2016. Despite personal issues, including drug arrests, and his battle with the passing of time, Neidhart left behind a significant legacy in the wrestling world. On August 13, 2018, he passed away at the age of 63 after an accident at his home. His death was attributed to a head injury after he fell while trying to adjust the thermostat. WWE paid tribute to Neidhart, remembering his contributions to wrestling and his legacy as one of the greats in WWF history.

Terry Gibbs

Manny Saine was an American wrestler known for his time in the WWF, AWA, WWC, and NWA during the 1980s. He started his career in 1977 in the southern territories of the U.S. and quickly made a name for himself, winning the ICW Southern Heavyweight Championship in 1979. In 1980, he captured the NWA Tri-State Heavyweight Championship and toured Japan in 1981. In 1984, he won the WWC Puerto Rico Championship, although he lost the title shortly after. Gibbs debuted in the WWF in 1984, where he had several matches against major figures such as Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, and Bret Hart, though he didn’t secure any major victories. His final match in the WWF was in 1988, where he lost to Owen Hart. After his time in the WWF, Gibbs wrestled in the AWA in 1989, where he retired that same year, marking the end of his wrestling career. Throughout his career, Gibbs was a recognized wrestler in the major promotions of the era before retiring from the ring.

Jose Luis Rivera

Marcelino Rivera Alicea is a retired professional wrestler best known for his time in WWF (now WWE), where he performed as Conquistador #1 alongside José Estrada Sr. He began his career in 1973 in Puerto Rico, later joining the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) before moving to WWF in 1982. In WWF, Rivera often wrestled in preliminary matches and formed The Shadows with Randy Colley in 1987. He later teamed with Estrada as Los Conquistadores, a gimmick that saw limited success but earned them some notable victories. Rivera’s WWF career was marked by frequent losses, but he had a long tenure in the company. In 1991, after a brief spell in WCW, he returned to Puerto Rico, where he worked for local promotions like the American Wrestling Federation (AWF) and World Wrestling Council (WWC), winning minor titles. He returned to wrestling in 2005, making appearances in small Puerto Rican promotions and finally appeared at Wrestle-Reunion 3 in 2014. Outside of wrestling, Rivera worked as a corrections officer in Puerto Rico since 1993. He was mistakenly reported dead in 2022, though the news was later corrected. Rivera also appears in the 2024 book The Six Pack: On the Open Road in Search of Wrestlemania.

Billy Anderson

William Laster is a retired American professional wrestler and trainer, best known for his work in WWF, AWA, and various promotions in Mexico and Japan during the 1980s and 1990s. He began his career in 1974 and became known for his role as an enhancement talent in WWF, facing big names like Randy Savage and Bret Hart. In 1986, he became the first WWA World Heavyweight Champion and worked under the name Black Knight in WWF in 1988. After retiring from wrestling in 1996, he focused on training wrestlers and published several books about his career and professional wrestling.

Rick McGraw

Cast · Known for WWF Championship Wrestling

Richard McGraw was an American professional wrestler known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) during the 1980s. He began his career in 1975 in the Florida area, adopting the nickname "Quickdraw" inspired by the cartoon character Quick Draw McGraw. After wrestling in regional territories and the NWA, McGraw joined the WWF, where he had a series of notable matches, generally losing to bigger stars. In 1982, he won the WWA World Tag Team Championship alongside The Dream Machine and later became part of the Carolina Connection tag team in the WWF. Throughout his career, McGraw had rivalries with notable wrestlers such as Killer Khan, who "broke" his neck in a match, and had bouts with figures like André the Giant. A key incident occurred in October 1985 when McGraw appeared on an episode of Piper's Pit, where he was brutally beaten by Roddy Piper. Coincidentally, the episode aired the day after McGraw’s death, leading some to mistakenly speculate that Piper was involved in his passing. The cause of his death was a heart attack on November 1, 1985. It was later revealed that McGraw had been taking Placidyl, a sedative, which may have contributed to his early death. McGraw left behind his wife, Lisa, and their son, Ricky.