Professional wrestlers are athletes who probably have one of the hardest jobs, where they have to perform almost every day of the week and travel a lot in order to entertain crowds from all over. The pressure of the work gets to them after a while, forcing them to resort to something to take their minds off of the stress, as many wrestlers often turn to alcohol or drugs in order to survive the brutality of the sport. Others in the same time thrive under the pressure and their love for the sport enables them to perform week in, week out.
The wrestling scene is extremely popular and is only growing in popularity, with the likes of WWE travelling 24/7 to entertain fans all over the globe. The 80s and 90s were extremely crucial for wrestling to find solid ground and the wrestlers of that time were the pillars for which wrestling is set up today. Those legends worked their whole careers to entertain fans and to spread the popularity of professional wrestling, having to work on their “entertaining” skills as well as having to stay fit and strong throughout their career. Many wrestlers rose to prominence from very mediocre backgrounds, and the sudden fame and fortune got to them, while others seemed to ride on that fame to attain more legendary status.
But one thing every wrestler of the 80s or 90s found difficult was to maintain the figure that defined them in their wrestling career, especially after retiring. While some of the workaholics found other fitness programs to keep themselves in proper shape, others let go of themselves and succumbed to addiction.
31 Those Who Look Good
30 8. Finlay
Dave Finlay came from a heritage that was embroiled in wrestling, with his father and grandfathers both being wrestlers. Known for his stiff style of wrestling, Finlay was responsible for training the likes of John Cena and Randy Orton after he moved from WCW, before moving to the main roster himself as the stiff Irishman. Finlay's mean style of wrestling complimented his character well, as he often used his weapon to win matches and protect his leprechaun, Hornswoggle. The Former United States Champion was shuffled all over the place in his final years in the WWE before being fired for an incident in 2011. He returned to the company a year later as a backstage producer, and often appeared as part of officials trying to break up brawls between wrestlers. Finlay might be in a more backstage role now, but his figure is still pretty strong and he still has the ability to take on wrestlers much younger than him, as the fit Irishman definitely loves to fight when an opportunity comes.
29
28 7. Diamond Dallas Page
Diamond Dallas Page was one of the more popular wrestlers in WCW, where he gained popularity because of his growth and dedication to the company. DDP's rise in the WCW was very well handled, where he grew from a manager to a prominent mid-carder who won the WCW Television Title and US Title, and then moved to the main event status to win the WCW Heavyweight Championship. One of the shining lights in the dying days of WCW, DDP was signed by the WWE, who unfortunately tarnished his legacy by giving him bizarre gimmicks. DDP went on to wrestle for TNA for a year or so after his WWE stint, before he moved on from wrestling to focus on a career in yoga. He developed his own yoga methods and soon had a lot of popularity, mostly because of his work in helping Scott Hall and Jake “The Snake” Roberts get out of their dark paths. DDP returned to the WWE formally in 2011, and continues to make sporadic appearances where we can see how he’s still amazingly fit because of his successful yoga techniques.
27
26 6. Sid Vicious
Sid Eudy was quite the hot property in the wrestling circuit in the 90s, when he often jumped ship from WWE to WCW and vice versa. Sid found his popularity in his first stint in the WWE, where he was pushed as a heel because of his intimidating figure. After a year in the WCW, he returned to WWE in 1995 as “Sycho Sid” where he would become the bodyguard of Shawn Michaels. He was slowly pushed into the main event scene, as he went on to win the WWE Championship in 1996 and was on the top of the company for quite a while during his return. But constant injuries made it difficult for WWE to put their trust in him, as he left the company again to wrestle a bit for ECW, and then again for WCW in their dying days. After WCW folded, Sid made some appearances in the Independent circuit but was worn out as a wrestler. He returned to the WWE in 2012 to take on Heath Slater, and looked to be the same intimidating maniac he was in the 90s, as he still looks to be in top shape, despite suffering a number of injuries in his career.
25
24 5. Booker T
Booker T was probably one of the most compact wrestlers during his time at the WCW, where moved up the roster very well. After dominating the tag team scene with his brother Steve Ray, Booker moved on to win the WCW Television Title and the WCW World Title in the dying years of WCW. After moving to WWE, Booker was a prominent part of “The Invasion” storyline before being paired with Goldust as a tag team. Booker got his opportunity to shine at Wrestlemania XIX, where he lost in a World Heavyweight Championship match to Triple H. T would go on to win the United States Championship after being drafted to Smackdown! and soon became “King Booker” after winning the King of the Ring. He would win the World Heavyweight Championship during this time, before leaving the company in 2007. Booker went on to compete for TNA for a couple of years, before making a return to WWE in 2011. He later went on to become a color commentator for WWE and Smackdown General Manager for a while. Having retired only recently, Booker still has an amazing figure and the ability to entertain the audience with his superb moves, which show how athletic he truly is.
23
22 4. Ivan Putski
Not many of the current generation will remember Ivan Putski, who was a prominent wrestler in the 70s and 80s, but the legendary wrestler is known for his muscular figure and amazing power. Ivan Putski wrestled for the WWE (known as the World Wide Wrestling Federation at the time) from 1974-86 and feuded with many other legends like Stan Hansen, Ivan Koloff and Bruiser Body. Putski would also find a teammate in Tito Santana, with whom he won his only WWE title in the WWE Tag Team Titles in 1979, which they held for 6 months. Later on, Putski would feud with the newer stars in Rowdy Roddy Piper and Sgt Slaughter before slowly bowing out of wrestling altogether in the 1990s. Putski would then go on to have a strongman career, where he remarkably buffed up his body despite his growing age. Putski rarely appears in wrestling events nowadays, but recent pictures suggest that he has maintained his stout figure and is rocking a muscular body well into his 70s.
21
20 3. Ted DiBiase
“The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase was one of the most charismatic figures of his time, as he let his money do the talking for him. DiBiase had his own valet in Virgil who did the dirty work for him, while he also created his own “Million Dollar Title” during his time in the company. DiBiase also won the King of the Ring crown during his time in the WWE and three Tag Titles. He then became more of a businessman in the company, as he seduced superstars to work under him with his money. He also went on to have a short stint at WCW in the mid 90s as the financer of the New World Order but left the company after problems with management. With the turn of the century, DiBiase retired from wrestling and served as part of creative for a while in the WWE before introducing his son Ted DiBiase Jr. to the world. DiBiase continues to make sporadic appearances in the WWE, as he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010 and is now a Christian Minister who travels around the world promoting Christianity. DiBiase still looks like that conniving man of the 80s, and despite being in his 60s looks to be in very good shape, both mentally and physically.
19
18 2. Sting
“The Icon” Sting has definitely kept his iconic personality intact over the years, as the 57-year-old has been serving the sport amazingly over the decades. Sting found his popularity rise in WCW, where he was a fan favorite and soon went on to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship from Ric Flair. Sting was the vanquisher of the evil forces in WCW, and took on “The Crow” gimmick to take on the menacing NWO in WCW. This gimmick elevated him to legendary status, as Stinger refused to join WWE after WCW was bought by Vince McMahon. Instead, he went to TNA, which he helped to elevate to mainstream status. Sting was the top guy of the company for a long time, putting over young guys and winning titles all around before he left the company in 2014 because he felt it was heading in the wrong direction. He finally caved in to his obstinacy to sign a WWE contract in 2014, and went on to debut in Survivor Series 2014. An anticipated match followed against Triple H at WrestleMania 31, before he made sporadic appearances and was forced to retire after his match against Seth Rollins at Night of Champions 2015. He was inducted into the 2016 Hall of Fame, where he announced his retirement, but The Icon still looks like a million bucks and could pass for someone much younger.
17
16 1. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
No one would’ve predicted how big a star Stone Cold Steve Austin would become in his days at the WCW, where he was the blonde "Stunning" Steve Austin, a character the complete opposite of what he would become in the WWE. Austin debuted in the WWE as “The Ringmaster,” as he was the protégé of Ted DiBiase, who awarded him the Million Dollar Championship. This soon changed in the 1996 King of the Ring, as Austin would win the tournament and with his “Austin 3:16” rant begin his "Stone Cold" persona. Stone Cold soon became the best thing in wrestling, and his feud with the villainous Mr. McMahon helped to elevate the WWE above WCW. His rebellious nature was loved by everyone, as he soon became the top guy in the company. Unfortunately, a neck injury derailed Austin’s career for a bit, before he came back to feud with The Rock and have a shocking heel turn later on. Austin was also a prime guy of The Invasion era, but later on went down the ladder for a bit and walked out of the company. He eventually came back, but only for a while as he retired from wrestling after Wrestlemania XIX. Austin was still attached to WWE, becoming the Sheriff of Raw and going on to make sporadic appearances. Austin continues to promote the WWE, having his own live podcast on the WWE Network and still looks like that menacing Rattlesnake he was during the Attitude Era. Even at 51, he still looks like he’d whoop anyone’s ass.
15
14 Those Who Are Showing Their Age
13 7. Tully Blanchard
Tully Blanchard is best remembered for his time with “The Four Horsemen,” as he found prominence at WCW after spending 9 years at his father’s Southwest Championship Wrestling. Blanchard arrived at WCW in high regard, winning the NWA Television Championship soon after arriving. He then had a memorable feud with Magnum T.A, which resulted in some brutal matches for the US Championship, before he went on to form “The Four Horseman” with Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Old Anderson. The Horsemen dominated the scene for quite some time, holding on to several titles. Blanchard then went on to wrestle for WWE, where he reunited with Arn Anderson to form “The Brain Busters” and also went on to win the Tag Team Championships. After leaving the WWE, Blanchard went on to make sporadic appearances for many wrestling events, also working as a producer for WWE in the 2000s. But he couldn’t take care of his health, as his body appeared broken down as he grew older and he went on to lose the looks he had in his heyday.