Anyone who grew up in the 1980s remembers watching WWF on Saturday mornings, and begging their parents to buy the occasional pay-per-view event. Though Ted Turner’s World Championship Wrestling was around, it was a mere pretender to Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation (later renamed World Wrestling Entertainment). Here are the most popular wrestlers in the 80s:
Hulk Hogan. His name is synonymous with wrestling, and there’s a possibility WWF wouldn’t have been as popular if it weren’t for his high-energy theatrics. Hogan is Heavyweight Champion for life. By escaping the Iron Sheik’s camel clutch and pinning him to win the title in 1984, Hogan kick-started the Golden Age of wrestling. Anyone remember the words to the Hulk Hogan theme song? Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. Real name: Terry Bollea Signature move: Atomic leg drop From: Tampa, Florida
Memorable moment in WWF history: Hogan pins Sheik
Andre the Giant. Weighing between 460 and 540 pounds throughout his career, and standing 7′4 tall, Andre was known as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” More than any other character, he was the main attraction in this theater of freakishly big, strong and athletic people. First wrestler in the Hall of Fame. Real name: André René Roussimoff Signature move: Piledriver From: Grenoble, France Died: 1993
Memorable moment in WWF history: Hogan slams Andre
“Macho Man” Randy Savage. His distinctive husky voice was even more fun to mock than Hogan’s, and he always wore a bandanna and sunglasses. He was managed by his real life wife, Miss Elizabeth (who, after the marriage ended, was found dead of a drug overdose in the home of pro wrestler Lex Luger). Savage is the Mario Lemieux to Hogan’s Wayne Gretzky. Real name: Randall Poffo Signature move: Diving elbow drop From: Columbus, Ohio
Memorable moment in WWF history: Savage marries Elizabeth
“Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Note: Roddy Piper was a Canadian, not a Scot! Known for his signature kilt and bagpipe entrance, Piper was one of the most hated wrestlers, but also BY FAR the funniest. His quick wit and unpredictability made him my favorite. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005. Real name: Roderick George Toombs Signature move: Sleeper hold From: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Memorable moment in WWF history: Snuka on Piper’s Pit
George “The Animal” Steele. This guy used to eat the turnbuckle during his match. Do you believe he was once a teacher? Also acted alongside Johnny Depp in Tim Burton’s Ed Wood. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995. Real name: William James Myers Signature move: Full nelson From: Detroit, Michigan
Memorable moment in WWF history: Steele vs. Savage
The Ultimate Warrior. The complete package for a wrestler. He pinned Hulk Hogan in WrestleMania VI. Real name: James Brian Hellwig Signature move: Gorilla press drop From: Indiana
Memorable moment in WWF history: Warrior vs. Honkey Tonk Man
The Iron Sheik. With the Iranian hostage crisis still fresh on everyone’s minds in the mid 80s, the Iron Sheik, who was actually from Iran, was perhaps the most hated wrestler ever, alongside tag team partner Nikolai Volkoff. In the Hall of Fame. Real name: Khosrow Ali Vaziri Signature move: Camel clutch From: Tehran, Iran
Nikolai Volkoff. The big Ruskie used to sing the Soviet national anthem before matches to a chorus of boos. Note: He wasn’t even from the Soviet Union, but still very much hated during Reagan’s Cold War era. In the Hall of Fame. Real name: Josip Nikolai Peruzović Signature move: Bear hug From: Yugoslavia
Memorable moment in WWF history: Hogan vs. Volkoff
Jake “The Snake” Roberts. Often a bad guy, at least once a good guy, this one-time crack addict was interesting because of the python named Damien that he carried around. Real name: Aurelian Smith, Jr. Signature move: DDT From: Stone Mountain, Georgia
Memorable moment in WWF history: Jake Roberts vs. Andre, John Studd refs
Junkyard Dog. A fan favorite with a chain around his neck who entered the ring to the song “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen. In the Hall of Fame. Real name: Sylvester Ritter Signature move: Powerslam From: Wadesboro, North Carolina Died: 1998
Hillbilly Jim. This redneck, complete with a straw hat and overalls, was most fun when he wrestled alongside Uncle Elmer, Cousin Luke, and Cousin Junior. Real name: Jim Morris Signature move: Bearhug From: Mud Lick, Kentucky
King Kong Bundy. A classic bad guy, Bundy was fun to watch when he wrestled the big names, like Hogan and Andre the Giant. Real name: Christopher Pallies Signature move: Atlantic City Avalanche From:Atlantic City, New Jersey
Memorable moment in WWF history: Hogan vs. Bundy in cage
Big John Studd. If you’re from Maryland or Virginia, you’ll remember Big John Stud for his Wild World commercials. In the Hall of Fame. Real name: John William Minton Signature move: Backbreaker From: Butler, Pennsylvania Died: 1995
Memorable moment for Marylanders:
Tito Santana. Another good guy, appeared in the first nine WrestleManias, but only had a 2-7 record. In the Hall of Fame. Real name: Merced Solis Signature move: Flying forearm From: Tocula, Mexico
Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka. Loved jumping off that turnbuckle. In the Hall of Fame. Real name: James Reiher Signature move: The Superfly Splash From: Fiji
Memorable moment in WWF history: Muraco vs Snuka, cage match
Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat. Beat Macho Man in WrestleMania III in one of the greatest matches ever. Real name: Richard Henry Blood Signature move: Diving crossbody From: West Point, New York
Memorable moment in WWF history: Steamboat vs. Savage
You haven't truly arrived in your sport before you start getting endorsement deals. Michael Jordan has Nike, Tiger Woods has Gatorade and Peyton Manning has just about everything. The athletes below though had ten of the funniest pairing you can find.
Karl Malone (Rogaine) - Rogaine was still a relatively new product, and getting the balding Malone as a spokesman seemed like a good idea. If only they did a follow up on those ads with him in the barber shop. Nowadays, his barber isn't needed with the cleanly shaved head look. Did the Mailman give up on the product, or did it just not work?
Joe Namath (beautymist panty hose) - Not much to say about this one. Perhaps the strangest of them all. The commercial starts out showing only Namath's legs, before revealing that it is indeed a man, and indeed Broadway Joe. Namath was always known as a character with one eye always on the limelight, but this decision was just odd and disturbing.
OJ Simpson (Hertz) - This is just too easy to make fun of. What is OJ running from? It's funny and tragic that he would be running in the future with not quite the same smile he has in this commercial. Did he rent a white Bronco? Again, it is not hard to see the irony in this, so to spare you cheesy lines, I'll stop.
Fred McGriff (Tom Emanski Videos) - This ad campaign I guess makes the most sense (baseball player endorsing a baseball instructional video) but it's too cheesy and classic to be left off. The hat, the finger point and sweatbands make this perhaps the lasting memory most casual baseball fans will have on the Crime Dog. It's kind of a shame though, since he was a solid first baseman.
Tiger Woods (Buick) - I remember an older Buick ad that had someone saying "B-I-C-K, B-I-C-K, that's not how you spell Buick. The only thing missing is U." Well, I doubt Tiger is that average "U" in line for a new Buick. Does anyone actually believe this multi-millionaire drives one of these things?
Muhammed Ali (d-Con) - The Greatest of All-Time was still a risky spokesman at the time d-Con took a chance on him. He was too outspoken and considered a risk to most. You get what you can get though, and that meant killing pests. I must say this advertising campaign worked, because to this day Ali pops into the heads of people with a pest problem that lived in that era.
Lebron James (Cub Cadet) - Much like the Tiger Woods/Buick ads, Lebron pitching for a lawn mower seems a little odd. Can you see a 6'8", 250 lb. basketball player out there cutting his grass? I think it would be hard for him to even fit on that thing. Maybe State Farm has him covered for any lawn mower mishaps.
Rafael Palmerio (Viagra) - Another case of "if we only knew what we do now," Palmerio pretty much went from a underrated hitter who consistantly put up solid numbers, to a performance enhancer (in more ways than one). Before he lied in front of congress about using steroids, he cashed in on Viagra money. The drug was a global phenomena in the late 1990s, so I imagine he made a pretty penny. I have to applaud him for putting some pride aside and taking on the task. I wonder if he'd lie to congress about taking Viagra like he did with the steroid issue.
Joe Dimaggio (Mr. Coffee) - Bob Ueker gave himself the nickname "Mr. Baseball." Ernie Banks is known as "Mr. Cub." Dimaggio? Well, besides later in his life being known as the "Greatest Living Baseball Player," he was the face of Mr. Coffee. The machine he endorsed was revolutionary at the time, and the retired baseball great had a lot of influence over what morning beverage people would drink. To me though, the whole thing came off like a Mr. Roger's Neighborhood episode.
Dan Marino (Isotoner Gloves) - A Miami Dolphin his entire NFL career, he has become an adopted son of Vice City. You know, the same Miami where you don't wear gloves to stay warm. He's from the Steel City, but besides those who actually live in Pittsburgh, everyone else identifies him as a Florida man. Maybe they could make him some driving gloves to prevent him from burning his hands on the steering wheel on a 110 degree day in July.
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A one-of-a-kind bicycle belonging to U.S. cycling legend Lance Armstrong was stolen from a team truck in California just hours after he rode it Saturday on the first day of a nine-day race.
Lance Armstrong's bike was stolen after he competed in the first day of the Amgen Tour of California.
Cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion Armstrong is racing in the Amgen Tour of California this week as he attempts another comeback after retiring from the sport in 2005.
Armstrong's first comeback came in 1998, two years after he was diagnosed with advanced testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs and brain. Doctors gave him a less than 50 percent chance of survival.
Armstrong announced the bike theft on his Twitter account Sunday morning and posted a photograph.
"There is only one like it in the world therefore hard to pawn it off. Reward being offered," he wrote.
The bicycle that was stolen is not the one Armstrong rides every day during the race. The stolen bike is used only for time trials, a race in which cyclists ride individually at staggered intervals over a set distance and try to get the best time.
The thieves took four bicycles from a truck Armstrong's Astana team had parked behind a hotel in Sacramento. The other three bicycles belonged to team members Janez Brajkovic, Steve Morabito and Yaroslav Popovych, Astana said.
Armstrong, 37, won the Tour de France, considered the premier bicycle race in the world, a record seven times from 1999-2005.
The 750-mile Amgen Tour of California ends Sunday. It is the second major race in which Armstrong has participated since announcing his comeback in September.
He raced last month in the Tour Down Under in Australia, finishing 29th.
Armstrong said he is aiming for another Tour de France victory this summer and was not expected to contend in the Australian race, which he used to gauge his fitness level after more than three years out of the saddle.
