The 1980s was arguably the most important decade for WWE since it started the history we know today. Vince McMahon taking over the company from his father allowed him to showcase his vision for sports entertainment. Hulk Hogan was the most discussed wrestler for that time as the ultimate hero, but there were hated wrestlers to leave an impact as well.
10 Wrestlers From The 1980s Who Overstayed Their Welcome
These wrestlers were beloved by fans during the 1980s, but they overstayed their welcome when they kept coming back.
Most of the wrestlers to draw the ire of the audience were playing effective heel characters. Fans of previous eras that viewed wrestling as a more real sport rather than an art form got deeper into the stories. Some instances did feature other reasons for the crowd’s lack of love. The following wrestlers were the most unlikable WWE wrestlers from the 1980s.
10 Jesse Ventura Helped Define The Heel Role
Thrived As Hated Wrestler & Commentator For WWE
- Prototype For The Loudmouth Heel In The Early 1980s
- He Became A Successful Commentator Later On
- Inspired Commentator Style That Many Heels Follow
The 1980s featured WWE trying to find their ideal characters once Vince McMahon took over the company from his father and wanted to shape the industry in his vision. Jesse Ventura joined before the change, but he presented what Vince wanted from characters.
Every WWE Intercontinental Champion Of The 1980s, Ranked
The Intercontinental Championship was held by great WWE legends during the 1980s. Here's every Intercontinental Champion of the decade, ranked.
WWE showcased Ventura as an arrogant larger than life heel character before he moved into the commentary side of things. Ventura became even more hated defining the heel commentator role that names like Jerry Lawler, Corey Graves, and countless others followed.
9 Rick Rude Was First Heel Ladies Man Character
Became Strong All-Around Heel In WWE’s Golden Era
- Created Gimmick That Many Future Heels Followed
- A Great Heel Capable Of Working With Anyone On The Card
- Bobby Heenan Managing Rude Made Him More Hated
WWE gave Rick Rude the perfect character for a strong heel push in the 1980s. Rude running down the male fans in the audience for being out of shape and making arrogant advances towards the women was the first character of its kind.
The overall talent of Rude was trusted to stand out with great matches and his memorable pre-match promos. Bobby Heenan managing Rude, and WWE giving them both a lot of talking time ensured Rude would be an effective villain.
8 Sensational Sherri Made Fans Hate Her As A Valet
The First Major Female Heel Character In The Golden Era
- Became The First Major Top Female Heel Of Golden Era As A Valet
- Helped Randy Savage & Honky Tonk Man Get More Heat
- Shocked Fans By Attacking Male Wrestlers During Matches
WWE tried their hand at women’s divisions with mixed results in the 1980s. However, the valet role showed an easier path to creating new female stars back then. Sensational Sherri wrestled for WWE and grew as a character in other roles.
Randy Savage’s heel turn at the end of the decade would not have worked without Sherri at his side managing him. Sherri shocked fans by getting involved in matches by attacking Savage's opponents to disdain from the fans.
7 Honky Tonk Man Was Hated During His Legendary Intercontinental Title Reign
Was The Longest Reigning Intercontinental Championship For Decades
- Honky Tonk Man Was An Effective Midcard Heel
- Had A Historic Intercontinental Championship Reign
- Record Lasted For Over 25 Years Until Gunther Broke It
The career of the Honky Tonk Man is remembered for his 1980s run as Intercontinental Champion. WWE used the unique heel character for cheap heat, and it just grew bigger and bigger as Honky became an all-time memorable midcard champion.
Honky Tonk Man held the Intercontinental Championship for 454 days. Ultimate Warrior benefited immensely from being the one to end the title reign at SummerSlam 1988. WWE kept Honky Tonk Man’s record for over 35 years until Gunther recently set a new record.
6 Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake Had Heat For Other Reasons
WWE Overpushed Beefcake Thanks To Hulk Hogan’s Influence
- Felt Out Of Place Getting Pushed Over Other Midc ard Talents
- Beefcake's Push Was Controversial Due To His Friendship With Hulk Hogan
- Gets Mocked Today For Questionable Pushes In WWE & WCW
One odd name to get a lot of negative reactions associated with him from the 1980s was Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. Fans use his name as a punchline today to describe scenarios of wrestlers getting massive pushes due to their friendships.
WWE seemingly pushed Beefcake out of nowhere in upper midcard feuds before he eventually was aligned with Hulk Hogan. This was among the first major instances of connections helping a wrestler’s push and everyone knowing it.
5 Andre The Giant Was The Pinnacle Of Heels At The Time
Fans Being Intimidated By Andre Made Him A Great Bad Guy
- Andre The Giant Was The Perfect Monster Heel
- Andre Had Been A Massive Babyface Until Early 1987
- Hogan Vs Andre Helped WWE Take Off To New Heights
Vince McMahon viewed Hulk Hogan as his dream babyface character, but a heel of equal stature was needed for the Golden Era. WrestleMania 3 felt like the first defining show that showed what WWE would be with Andre the Giant as Hogan’s rival.
10 Best Technical WWE Wrestlers Of The 1980s, Ranked
These WWE wrestlers shined in the 1980s with their amazing technical skills in the ring.
Andre’s size and intimidating presence made him a dream opponent for Hogan to tell the story of David vs Goliath in the ring. The story of them starting off as friends until Andre betrayed Hulk made him a legendary heel character that future big men would get compared to.
4 Randy Savage Made Fans Love & Hate Him
Macho Man Became A Great Heel After The Mega Powers
- Mega Powers Breakup Made Savage A Better Heel Than Face
- His Alliance With Sensational Sherri Got Him Even More Heat
- Reinvented His Entire Persona As Macho King With Sherri
WWE first saw Randy Savage getting over as a great heel in the earlier stages of the Golden Era with his feuds against Ricky Steamboat and George “The Animal” Steele. However, Savage becoming the second-most popular face and teaming with Hulk Hogan set up a much stronger heel character.
The Mega Powers broke up due to Savage feeling Hogan was making a pass at his wife Miss Elizabeth. Savage feuding with Hogan and adding Sensational Sherri as his new valet over Elizabeth made him one of the top heels of the entire decade.
3 Ted DiBiase Used Money To Degrade Fans
The Million Dollar Man Was WWE's First Rich Arrogant Heel
- Vince McMahon Came Up With Rich Character Based On His Neighbors
- Having A Manservant & Humiliating Fans Made Him Strong Heel
- Future Characters Like JBL & Alberto Del Rio Copied His Style
Vince McMahon came up with a character he’d recycle many times in future years when Ted DiBiase joined the company. DiBiase played the “Million Dollar Man” as an arrogant rich heel that used his money to talk down to others.
An underrated heel tactic was offering fans money to humiliating tasks for his own amusement. DiBiase even tried to buy the WWE Championship from Andre the Giant to show he had no morals whatsoever as fans despised him.
2 Bobby Heenan Got Scorching Heat Without Wrestling
Moving To Commentary & Managing Made Him A Legend
- Heenan Became An Even Bigger Star After His In-Ring Career Ended
- Became Legendary Manager Representing Multiple Heels
- Moving To Commentator Position Enhanced His Heel Character
The impact of Bobby “The Brain” Heenan is still felt today with managers and broadcasters channeling his style. Heenan started off as a heel wrestler, but he moved into non-wrestling character roles to become a WWE sensation.
The Heenan Family saw all-time great heels like Andre the Giant, Mr. Perfect, Rick Rude, the Brain Busters, and many others represented by Heenan. WWE placing “The Brain” on commentary added to his character since he gave fans reasons to hate him all show.
1 Roddy Piper Was Arguably The Best Old School Heel
Roddy Piper Helped WWE’s Business Take Off
- Became WWE's Top Heel During An Extremely Important Time
- Piper's Pit Talk Show Gave Him Another Dimension As Heel
- Feud With Hulk Hogan Set Blueprint For Face Vs Heel Story
WWE signed Roddy Piper after years of working in various promotions building a reputation. Piper had a gift of the gab and used his talking ability to become one of the most impactful wrestlers on the entire roster.
Hulk Hogan feuding with Piper led to a tremendous WrestleMania 1 storyline for the main event, even though Piper refusing to lose to Hogan blocked a true massive WWE singles match. Piper thrived in the heel role and loved pushing the buttons of the audience in a way future heels like MJF and Randy Orton studied.
