TV shows

Top Wrestlers of the 80s

Back in the day when the premiere wrestling promotion was the WWF, there were a number of classic wrestlers that I think started the themed/storyboarding of today’s stars.

I decided to compile a list of my favourite wrestlers from the WWF days, and here they are (in no particular order):

Andre the Giant

This guy was huge, and was aptly named the 8th wonder of the world. I saw him live back in the 80s, and was lucky enough to stand next to him to get a real idea of just how big he was (I think 7’4″ from memory).
Unfortunately, his gigantism caused him great pain throughout his body, and sadly passed away in 1993 in his sleep.

Rowdy Roddy Piper

Piper was the guy who always dressed in a kilt, yet didn’t have a scottish accent (although he did have a Scottish background). He wasn’t a big guy, but was full of spontaneity and quick wit. even though he was on of the ‘bad guys’, you kinda liked him for his personality.

The Junkyard Dog

More commonly known as JYD, he was most known for his head butt and upper-body strength, the latter of which saw him regularly body slam such large wrestlers. The word “thump,” which referred to JYD’s power slam, was prominently displayed on his wrestling trunks. I particularly liked the head but because he would get on all-fours (like a dog) and charge at his opponent.

Bret “The Hitman” Hart

The hitman had a cool persona – the wet hair look, sunglasses, a cool walk, and the infamous pink tights. His signature move was the ‘sharpshooter, but was more famous when he teamed with his brother-in-law, Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart, in the classic Hart Foundation team. And who can forget their manager, Jimmy Hart.

Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat

Ricky was one of the most liked good guys of the WWF, and kept his babyface/young look throughout his career. His father was Hawaiian, and mother Japanese American, hence his Asian features which were crucial for his “Dragon” gimmick.

The Iron Sheik

Standing 6’0″ and dressed as a sheik with pointed shoes and a handlebar mustache, the man who once served in his homeland’s army arrived during the Iran Contra affair, played an American-hating Iranian to derisive crowds.
While his usual partner Nikolai Volkoff, would sing the Russian national anthem, the Iron Sheik would say in a heavily accented voice, “Iran, number one. Russia, number one. USA…” He would then spit on the ground. It was only an act, but crowds loved to hate him.

Randy “Macho Man” Savage

Another ‘cool’ wrestler, Savage was recognizable by wrestling fans for his distinctively deep and raspy voice and his ring attire (often comprising sunglasses, a bandana or head band, flashy robes, and a cowboy hat).
For much of his tenures in the WWF, he was managed by his real life wife, “Miss Elizabeth” Hulette (who can forget her!).

Hulk Hogan

Say no more. He was widely regarded as the most successful, famous, and biggest draw in the history of professional wrestling. And he was very marketable (remember Hulkamania?). The list of achievements and titles is a huge one, and crowds would go absolutely wild when he appeared. For a full list of achievements, check out his entry in Wikipedia.

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21 Jump Street

This awesome show was an American crime show in the 80s (ran from April 1987 to April 1991 for 5 seasons) and was a crime show with a difference.

It was about a group of young cops whose youthful appearances enabled them to work undercover in both high schools and colleges to catch criminal youths. The show’s plots covered social issues that were current int he 80s, typically including alcoholism, hate crimes, drug abuse, gay rights, AIDS, child abuse, and sexual promiscuity. They were quite diverse on the topics covered each episode, and looking back on it now, I think some of the episodes (if new today) could have problems being aired in certain areas of the world.

The plot or storyline of each episode was often solved by the end of the hour long show, which would wrap up the ‘theme’ of that particualr episode and the message it was trying to convey (ie Drugs are bad, the results of teenage alocholism etc). Additionally, or rather intentionally, when the show originally aired in the 80s, some episodes were followed immediately by public service announcements featuring cast members.

Some other famous (or to be famous) people that appeared in the series included Dom DeLuise, Bridget Fonda, Brad Pitt, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shannon Tweed.

Jump Street is probably more known these days for Johhny Depp’s role in the series, but he was a little known actor in those days. Depp played officer Tom Hansen for the first 4 series. Some trivia about his character – Jeff Yagher was originally cast as Tom Hanson in the pilot, but was replaced after the original pilot episode was filmed. If you recall, Depp was in the pilot when it aired on TV, and that is because Yagher’s scenes were reshot with Johnny Depp in them.

The main characters (and who played them were as follows:

Johnny Depp as Officer Tom Hanson
Holly Robinson as Officer Judith “Judy” Hoffs
Peter DeLuise as Officer Douglas “Doug” Penhall
Dustin Nguyen as Officer Harry Truman Ioki
Steven Williams as Captain Adam Fuller
Frederic Forrest as Captain Richard Jenko

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This day in History – 1st August 1981

On this day in 1981, I think the delivery of digital media changed forever – MTV started broadcasting at 12:01am.

The first music video it played was the Buggles – Video Killed the Radio Star. How appropriate!

Enjoy the video:

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80s hits return on the big screen

In what can only be described as a testament to the 80s, classics such as the A-Team and The Karate Kid are being remade to once again fill our screens with joy, but are they as good as the originals?

The A-Team first graced our TVs in 1983, and was full of mandatory explosions, fist fights and typical 80’s one-liners – not to forget the iconic characters. Who could forget Mr T? Immortalized in … well I’m not sure what but when anyone mentions the name, we all know who it is.

Karate Kid, released in 1984 was one of those kid-who-gets-bullied-and-then-kicks-ass-to-be-the-hero type of movies was so good it prompted 2 sequels and a ‘Next Karate Kid’ to come out. It might be just me, but I will always will think of Mr Miyagi as Arnold from Happy Days!

As for the new movies, check out these trailers:

A-TEAM

KARATE KID

Make your own mind up, but as good as they look, personally I think you cannot beat the originals.

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