15 Golden Age Wrestlers We Wouldn't Recognize Today

The Golden Age of Film is considered to have taken place between the late 1920's through to the early 1960's, while the Golden Age of Radio occurred in the 1930's and 1940's. Neither movies nor radio has been around all that long when we consider how far back the world’s history goes. We had the Golden Age of Rome, which in itself lasted longer than the golden ages of film and radio combined. One thing that predates movies, radio, and the mighty Roman Empire, is wrestling. It is believed that wrestling was popular during the Neolithic age, which was 9,000 years ago. This is supported by the fact that there are cave paintings dating back to that period which depicts men grappling in the midst of onlookers. Many believe that it goes much farther back than that. Well, if we erase at least 8,850 years of history and focus on the last 150 years of wrestling, then it will be easier to pinpoint the Golden Age of Wrestling.

Some will argue that the Golden Age of Wrestling happened between the late 1800's up to about 1914 when Greco-Roman wrestling was introduced as an Olympic sport at the First Modern Olympic Games in 1896. Some of our current older generations might argue that it was in the 1950's or 1960's. Sure, these periods offered fans some excellent entertainment but they don’t compare to what the sport has become over the past 40 years. Those older eras lacked the entertaining storylines, the tables and chairs, and all of the other shiny things that make professional wrestling the draw it is today. We will suggest that the Golden Age of Wrestling hit its stride between the mid-1980's and somewhere around 1995. It was during this period that more and more people became fans because of wrestlers like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and scores of others who brought us regular doses of outrageous entertainment. Would you recognize your favorite wrestler from this time? Here are 15 golden age wrestlers you won’t recognize today even if you ran into them on the street.

JAMES HARRIS

Standing 6’ 7” tall and tipping the scales at around 380 pounds, James Harris was quite the imposing figure. Give him a bit of war paint, a loincloth, and a live chicken to eat and you have Kamala, who became Harris’ best-known wrestling persona in the mid-80's. Remembered mostly for his matches against Hulk Hogan, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Randy Savage, and other stars of the time, Kamala saw his share of successes in the WWF despite never winning a title. Harris wrestled sporadically after 1993 but he began to mainly focus on making music and now has over 100 songs to his credit. Unfortunately, health issues have taken a toll over the last few years.

DAN SPIVEY

DAN SPIVEY

Before he became one of the biggest names in wrestling history, Lex Luger was a talented football player who played in the CFL before flaming out with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers. He managed to continue playing in the USFL but began to focus on wrestling in the mid-80s. It was a good move. In a career that spanned over 20 years, Luger won several championships and titles as well as the respect of the wrestling world. Along with battling the likes of Mr. Perfect, Rickey “The Dragon” Steamboat, and Hulk Hogan, Luger was also engaged in a fight with substance abuse which sent his entire life into a downward spiral during the early aughts. On top of that, other serious health issues have plagued him and he is now a barely recognizable shell of his former self.

LANNY POFFO

The name Lanny Poffo might not ring a lot of bells but if you were to mention The Genius than you will likely elicit a few eye rolls and groans. Lanny, who happens to be Randy Savage’s younger brother, joined the WWF in 1985 under the ring name, Leaping LannyPoffo. He was recast as The Genius in 1989 with his gimmick being both catchy and annoying. The obnoxious heel would wear an academic cap and gown into the ring and often proceed to recite poetry that taunted his competitors. He never did reach the heights that his brother did but he had a long career nonetheless. As it turns out, Poffo really does have a talent for rhyme as he has a published volume of poems and limericks. Lanny looks nothing like he did during his wrestling days.

LEON WHITE

White was a hulking all-American offensive lineman who was sought after by 40 colleges back in the 1970's and drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1978. His NFL career lasted just two seasons before injuries forced him into retirement but he at least experienced the thrill of playing in a Super Bowl. Leon then set his sights on professional wrestling in the early-80's and he’s never looked back. Best-known as Big Van Vader, White won several championships over his long career and he still makes the occasional appearance in the ring although the 62-year-old’s best days are far behind him. Today’s Leon White might slightly resemble the Vader of years past if he were to put on his famous mask. The 450-pound behemoth was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 2016 and recently underwent heart surgery. We wish him all the best.

MATTHEW HYSON

Matthew Hyson wrestled under a few ring names but he is definitely most famous as Spike Dudley. He made his debut in ECW in 1996, which might be pushing the boundaries of wrestling’s Golden Age but he deserves his place on this list for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he was involved in one of professional wrestling’s most memorable moments when Bam Bam Bigelow tossed Dudley out of the ring and into the audience. The fans caught him and Dudley then body surfed around the arena. The more important reason for making this list is that you would never be able to guess that he was once a wrestler if you were to run into him today. He was a small guy, to begin with, but he now looks like the guy who gets sand kicked in his face when he’s at the beach. Hint: Do not kick sand in his face!

SCOTT HALL

Who could forget Razor Ramone? The wrestling world surely couldn’t. The WWE Hall of Famer won loads of titles including 4 WWF Intercontinental Championships, a pair of WCW United States Championships, and a WWC Universal Heavyweight Championship. He also has nine world tag team championships under his belt as well as many other notable achievements. He began his professional wrestling career in 1984 and by the time he entered the WWF in 1992 he was known as a cocky heel who did battle with such wrestling legends as Randy Savage, Mr. Perfect, and Bret Hart. Although Hall achieved many things throughout his career, he could have done so much more had it not been for making some regretful life choices. You can see how hard Hall lived when you see him now.

BOB BACKLUND

As wrestling’s Golden Age was starting to unfold, Bob Backlund had been kicking butt in the WWF for around 10 years. This guy’s career goes so far back that Vince McMahon was still conducting interviews and Hulk Hogan was a young man. In the decades to follow, Backlund would rack up a couple of WWF/WWE titles, a WWF Tag Team Championship, and a Slammy Award on top of being Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Most Hated Wrestler of the Year In 1994. Coincidentally, Pro Wrestling Illustrated also named him Most Inspirational Wrestler in 1977 and 1981 and Wrestler of the Year in 1980 and 1982. The wrestling legend has made a few appearances in the ring over the past 10 years but he is currently on hiatus. Good luck picking him out of a police lineup because he looks nothing like he used to.

FRED OTTMAN

Fred Ottman has had nearly as many ring names as Wilt Chamberlain has notches on his bedposts but he is best-known for his days in the WWF where he entered the ring as either Hulk Hogan’s babyface buddy, Tugboat, or Earthquake’s heel partner, Typhoon. He was billed as 6’ 3” and 384 pounds but he always seemed to look much larger. He is also remembered for his epic fail of a debut in WCW, in which he botched his grand entrance and lost his Star Wars Stormtrooper helmet as the cameras were live. As could be expected, much laughter and a few bleepable comments ensued. He was then cast as a bit of a klutz but the gimmick didn’t catch on. Ottman retired in 2001 and is now a safety manager who bears little resemblance to either Typhoon or Tugboat.

DEBRAH MICELI

Women didn’t have as much of a prominent role in professional wrestling back in the 1980's as they do today. Back in those days, Debrah Miceli was a curvaceous blonde who wasn’t just stunner but she also had incredible athletic abilities. Debrah was involved in gymnastics and competed in track and field before setting her sights on professional wrestling in 1984. She made her debut in the AWA in 1986 using the ring name Madusa and by the end of 1987, she had won the AWA World Women’s Championship. She holds the distinction of being the first female to be honored with Pro Wrestling Illustrated’s Rookie of the Year in 1988 and she is now enshrined in the WWE Hall of Fame. If you look at her now it is hard to find any similarities with the Debrah Miceli of wrestling’s Golden Age.

TONGA FIFITA

You may know Tonga Fifita as Haku from his glory days in the WWF or as Meng from his time in the WCW. The 6’ 1” wrestling great from Tonga paired up with Andre the Giant to form the aptly-named, Colossal Connection, and they went on to win the WWF World Tag Team Championship in 1989. It was just one of many titles that the 290-pound wrecking ball claimed. During the course of his illustrious career, Fifita battled with such wrestling greats as Jim Duggan, The Ultimate Warrior, Goldberg, and Lex Luger, among others. He is now 59 years old and although he still gets into the ring on rare occasions, he looks nothing like the Face of Fear from wrestling’s golden age. A Google search of “Tonga Fifita incidents” will keep you amused for hours.

ED LESLIE

ED LESLIE

ED LESLIE

George Gray had been cutting his teeth in the world of professional wrestling for 10 years before he made his debut with the WWF in 1987 as One Man Gang. He was initially a bit of a jobber but he did manage to have his moments, including his performance at the very first Royal Rumble in 1988 where he finished second to Jim Duggan. Shortly after that, One Man Gang went through a huge makeover. His manager, Slick, announced that Gang was actually African and that he would be referred to as Akeem from then on. The move and the promotional stunts that surrounded this change were rather controversial, seeing that George Gray was born in South Carolina and his attempts at playing the new role were less than convincing. If you met him today, there is little chance that you could recognize him.

BRIAN KNOBBS

Brian Knobbs billed himself as Terrorist when he made his professional wrestling debut in 1985. His star ascended quickly when he teamed up with Jerry Sags to form The Nasty Boys. The pair went on to dominate Florida Championship Wrestling before entering into the NWA which would soon become WCW. The pair soon moved on to the WWF where they defeated The Hart Foundation to gain the World Tag Team title. Over the next few years, they would battle against some of the biggest names in tag team wrestling including The Bushwackers, Money Inc., and Harlem Heat. Injuries forced Sags into retirement but Knobbs would go onto become a three-time WCW Hardcore Champion. Brian has always been a beefy guy but he got quite out of shape after retiring. He has since turned that around and is presently quite lean. He certainly doesn’t look like he used to.