The Top 5 Most Popular WWF Wrestlers of the 1980s

Another reason that he was so popular was that he was original. He was a normal guy. He wasn't much bigger than your average man in the audience but he put all he had into each match, no matter who he faced. His approach to wrestling Andre The Giant was the same way he would approach wrestling The Haiti Kid. He didn't discriminate. He never shied away from a fight. He wanted to fight more that he wanted to win. It was the enjoyment of the experience that mattered to him. He couldn't care less about having a championship belt around his waist. He just wanted to kick some ass and chew bubble gum and he was always out of bubble gum. Roddy was the Chuck Norris of wrestling. He wasn't the biggest, he wasn't the strongest, but for some reason you feared and respected him the most. Maybe it was his unpredictable nature? Who knows? The wrestling world had never seen anybody like him when he came along, and sadly we still haven't seen somebody like him since. He was one-of-a-kind.

#5 - THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR - The Warrior is the only wrestler of the 80s who could have challenged Hogan's reign as the best of the decade. I'm not saying that he did challenge, I'm saying that he had the potential. Unfortunately with the Warrior, it was too much too soon. He suffered from the Bill Goldberg syndrome. When he first hit, he was the biggest thing the sport had ever seen. He was cheered more loudly than even the Hulkster. Fans went ape when he sprinted to the ring. He was all about satisfying the fan. He had his craft so finely tuned that even Hogan had to be in awe and shaking in his boots. The Warrior could have been the one to carry the torch through the 90s and into today. He was that charismatic, that appreciated, that good. Too bad he faded as fast as he lit.

Maybe the world wasn't ready for 2 wrestlers of equal popularity. Maybe deep down we still needed Hulk Hogan to be our hero. Maybe it was something else. The world will never know. Whatever it was, that time is passed. We all just need to be thankful for the few moments that we had with the Warrior. He forever changed wrestling by giving any wrestler the hope that they, too, could rule the wrestling world, with the right mix of the right ingredients. Goldberg knew this and followed in his footsteps and he had his time to rule the world. It can still be done. His way is the surest way to make a name for yourself in the business.

Unfortunately, it was his high-paced and quick rise to the top that made his fall not only painful to watch but inevitable. We knew that he couldn't last on pure sugar. As I sit here typing this, some 20 years later, I wonder just what if? What if the world never had Hulk Hogan? How popular would the Warrior have been? Would he be the one we now consider the best ever? Another question that can't be answered. So wherever you are Warrior, know that it probably wasn't your fault. It may have been just bad timing. Regardless, you are still on the Mount Rushmore of wrestlers, nobody can take that away from you.