I agree he's a key point to the era starting but his role within the era is pretty limited. I think guys like Beefcake, Demolition, Orndorff and Harley Race play a more important role within the era than the Sheik being part of the iconic moment that starts it.

Jake, Duggan & Slaughter feel well ahead of the pack. After that it unfortunately seems like we're plugging in names just to get to 5.

I thought of Slaughter but the height of his mainstream appeal was while he was out of the WWF.

I wonder if the top living stars of that era aren't Vince McMahon, Jesse Ventura and Gene Okerlund.

And Bobby Heenan. But my friends wanted wrestlers only. Heenan did wrestle some as did Ventura, but it's hardly what they are known for.

And Bobby Heenan. But my friends wanted wrestlers only. Heenan did wrestle some as did Ventura, but it's hardly what they are known for.

Even Okerlund wrestled the once!

If we're talking the top guys from strictly the 1984-1987 era WWF, my list would be Hulk Hogan, Jake Roberts, Paul Orndorff, Ted Dibiase, Ricky Steamboat and Harley Race.

If that was what we were talking about (i was including up to WM VIII) then Dibiase doesn't make much sense as a pick. He had his opening skits and maybe 10 or so matches on TV by the end of 87,

I thought you were including the whole first Hogan reign and Dibiase's presence in your post reinforced it to me (I must have skipped over the bracketed portion). If so, while Dibiase was only briefly involved during that period, he undoubtedly made a huge impact. His impact, coupled with the fact that he brought the whole package (in-ring work, character, presence, promos) whenever he appeared, made him a lock for my list.

 

Rude has the fact that Hogan wouldn't work with him as a knock. He feels closer to a Mr. Perfect than a Ted.

 

Well, that and the fact that he's, ya know, dead.

I find that non-fans often bring up Snuka, though he doesn't entirely fit the specified era.

I find that non-fans often bring up Snuka, though he doesn't entirely fit the specified era.

 

That's odd because I've noticed the same thing. It couldn't be from his 1989-1992 run since he did absolutely nothing during that run, could it? The people I hear this from would also be too young to remember his pre-expansion stuff.

I think maybe Foley's first book plays a big role in that. Snuka jumping off the cage really has a mythic quality to it because a lot of people know about it and never saw it. Hell, I didn't even know it was after the match until that cage match DVD came out.

Snuka is also one of the first guys they gave "legend" status to post-Hogan. You never heard them reference the past in the late eighties and early nineties. If you were not in the company, you were not talked about. Snuka along with guys like Andre and Blassie were some of the first guys to get that status while most of the other eighties stars were in WCW.

I think if I expanded this out to 10 guys I would go Hulk Hogan, Ted Dibiase, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Harley Race, Ricky Steamboat, King Kong Bundy, Demolition (as a team, not individuals), Brutus Beefcake, Bret Hart and Jake Roberts.

If you're going to put a WWF tag team I'd put the Bushwackers in over Demolition any day.

I was struggling with that as the Bushwhackers vs. Demolition was a hard choice. Demolition were huge at the absolute peak of their run. But the Bushwhackers are fondly remembered and people who weren't alive for their run still do the arm thing.

Demolition may have been bigger at their peak, I don't know to be honest, I was not alive for it. But the Bushwackers gained a lot more crossover appeal and lasting cultural relevancy for whatever reason. Probably the arm thing, appealing to kids in that era (who are now adults), and appearing in other things like Family Matters.

I think I'd put Snuka on my list too.

 

As others have said, it's hard to explain but there's something about Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka that crossed over with non-fans in a way that puts him right there with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan in terms of guys that even non-fans could pick out of a lineup (side question - does anyone else know people that pronounce Duggan as "Doo-gan"? Was that a thing?).

 

Like the Road Warriors, I think part of it has to do with Snuka being sort of a "typical" 80s wrestler in the eyes of a public who saw his physique, his crazy hairdo, and his leopard-skin tights (my non-fan friend once referred to them as "jungle panties" when we were in middle school) and thought thats what a pro-wrestler is (a musclebound wildman).

 

So, I'd go DiBiase (first name I thought of), Jake Roberts, Snuka, Hacksaw, and Hogan...but there's a pretty wide gap between some of these guys in terms of who I think the biggest "names" are. Curious - anyone see a case for Honky Tonk Man?

I would list Bob Uecker before I did the HTM honestly.

snuka is just an awkward fit for the time period, otherwise he'd be a really solid 5th for sure. have definitely run into my fair share of non-fans who know him as well

 

i count mick foley's book when talking about what a big star he was in the attitude era, so it's only fair to count GI joe for slaughter imo. he has to be in this

 

as far as why people still remember jake today...i'd say it was because of how much he stood out from others at the time, how cool & memorable his gimmick was, having a major role in beyond the mat (remember, wrestling was HOT when that film came out), and the recent DDP story that got a bunch of mainstream media play. heroes of wrestling also scored irony points with the hardcores (heck, i've live-streamed that show before and even the people who hate wrestling ate it up!)

Road Warrior Animal is still alive. He's an odd pick but they were a big deal in their prime.

I feel like LOD's WWF run wasn't that impressive. Just what you did in the WWF from 84-WM VIII is the criteria.

 

Demos had a much better run than LOD in the WWF.

Tito and Valentine definitely aren't in the top 5. They were Backlund era guys who peaked in the early days of Hulkamania, but for the bulk of it were midcard, or JTTS, or in tag teams. I put Snuka, Muraco and Sheik in the same boat as well

 

DiBiase and Jake The Snake seem like an easy 2-3 after Hulk. After that I can see the argument for lots of different guys.