Best Classic WWF Heels & Wrestling Villains of the 80s, Ranked

Hello all and welcome to Past Times at 80s High, the cast that takes you back. I just happened to go back in time and listen to the very first episode that my brother Mark and I did together. And I'm very proud of that episode, but to go back in here and edit, I really picked up on a lot of things. So I just wanted to re-edit this and get it out there. If you're a wrestling fan, please enjoy. If not, I understand if you bail on this. But anyone out there that does do a podcast or maybe interested in getting one started, you know, pay attention because I'm calling this one, um, you know, I mean WWF heels. And that's because it's very difficult to not say a lot of those words while you're chatting with your buddies, and all of us don't realize how many fucking times we do it. So pay attention if you'd like. If not, we'll see you next episode. Thank you all for listening. Hi listeners, welcome to past times at 80s high. This is AJ. Let me do a quick little top seven list tonight with me and my brother Mark. How you doing tonight, Mark?

I'm great tonight, AJ. How you doing, man?

Not so bad. Not so bad. So, what we are gonna do is we are gonna do our top seven favorite wrestling personalities. Now, there's quite a few ground rules we did here to kind of get a bunch in there. Just this is our first kind of test run. So when I say favorite, they're not necessarily the best wrestlers, they're just personalities. So wrestlers, management, commentating. So a few of the ground rules are gonna be that uh, for example, a tag team will count as one, and then anyone really tightly associated will uh count as one. You know, meaning not going too off the curb, but you'll get what I mean when we get going here. So just for the interest of moving this along and getting our first test up there, Mark, to edit, why don't we start with your number seven?

Okay, well, my number seven is a man, a gentleman, and as brother brain said, and I mean gentleman, is brother love. Brother Love, um, he had that great skit.

Ah, Bruce Pritchard played him.

Um it was uh it was so much fun, and I just it bothered me how all these people that were supposedly good guys, faces or whatever, treated him like dirt. The fans treated him like dirt, even Brother Gorilla treated him like dirt, and I mean he healed a blind guy and actually helped him walk to. And his face he was filled with so much love, AJ, that his face was beat red.

Absolutely.

And had nothing to do with any makeup he might have worn it was not makeup.

No, no, no. Of course it wasn't. Jeez, people will say anything if they don't like someone.

It's crazy, AJ. People all the time.

Well, it's ironic that that is that it that that's your number seven, because he is great. And I should uh lead off by saying that Mark and I both turned heel pretty early in the day, and it was just always so much more fun to be on that side. So uh my number seven is going to be somebody who helped to write the book of love, and that is the million-dollar man, Mr. Ted DiBiassi. He was always one of my favorites, uh, just because, like I said, and get a kid in the crowd to come on down and hundred, five hundred bucks, whatever he was gonna give the kid if he did ten push-ups, whatever the the skit was, whatever they were gonna have the the person do, the million-dollar man would always make sure it didn't follow through to the end. So on the ninth. On the ninth push-up, he'd kick the kid's arm out from under him. On the, you know, third basket for three in a row, he'd he'd jump up and gold end it.

So but I I think I do think when he helped Brother Love write the book of love, I think he had a change of heart. I mean, it w it was obvious that he loved each and every one of us, too.

So perfect. So that's our number seven, Mark. So number six to you.

Well, um, they were a tag team back in I think it was the late 80s. Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, obviously great individual talents. Well, uh Hulk Hogan was a great talker, brother Gorilla would say. He doesn't know the difference between a wrist watch and a wrist lock, or you know what I mean? And uh he did everything with through his physique and his personality and his interview skills. Randy Savage had both. Damn right. He had a lot of moves in the ring, and he also was a great talker.

He was unbelievable. And Miss Elizabeth, how could you not just love her?

That's where uh Savage returned to be a heel. Do you have you Hogan was grabbing her ass in the middle of the ring?

Unacceptable.

No, uncalled for, AJ.

Very much uncalled for. Alright, so Hogan and the Macho Man. I mean, two of the biggest ever, really, if you think about it, and just both incredible on the microphone. All right. My number six, I'm also gonna go with a tag team, and that's gonna be the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. Always loved it. Just they, you know, they were so disrespected by the crowd, and I just felt, you know, very, very hurt for them. They just do, yeah. You know, I would always we'd stand up during the national anthem, and you know, we Mark and I are both incredibly patriotic and very American, but like you had said once before, Mark, we don't want to see anyone kneeling during during our national anthem. So why on earth would it be okay to disrespect someone else's?

And it is not okay, AJ. Not okay at all. And one of my biggest problems with the Iron Chic, he went to the wrong barber. You can tell that story, AJ.

Oh, when Joe he takes too much off.

Yes.

Uh was that a skip on the uh wrestling cartoon? Yeah, I think it was in between.

That was fun.

That was so much fun to watch that. Great, great uh cartoon. It was so much fun. I'm a common hoax. I can still hear Hill Billy Jim.

That was Hill Billy Jim.

Exactly. What was that called? American WrestleMania morning.

Saturday morning.

I don't know.

It was like a m American uh yeah, whatever.

It was just we'll figure it out. We'll get it to you people.

Yeah, exactly.

Stop being so impatient with us, you know what I mean?

But all right, so and yeah, I mean the signature move, of course, with the chic, the camel clutch will go down in history.

All right. So number five to you, Mark. Classy Freddie Blassie. Oh, yes. I mean, he he spans a lot of different decades, but early 80s into the mid-80s. I mean, great manager, such a great talker, such a great talker, you know, wrote a great song called Pencil Neck Geek.

Oh, incredible songwriter.

Yeah, and he just he was so much fun, you know.

He's got a neck like a stack of dime. We got a woman over there that's got a dress made out of burlap sacks. You know?

He was spectacular. Oh, and uh and uh and what about his his wardrobe?

His wardrobe, AJ. I my entire wardrobe would cost 10% of one of his his shirts and his jackets. I mean Diamond studded.

Oh, he was great. He was great. Pencil neck geek, grit eating freak, scum sucking pea head with a lousy physique. One way, no good losing streak, nothing better. Pencil neck geek. Our father, until the day he passed away, um, just a couple months ago, actually, um, in the nursing home. That's he would sing that to me every visit. Uh awesome. All right, so my to number five to me. Stick in the same category with Captain Lou. Captain Lou Albano, one of the greats, uh, especially when he was a heel, he bounced around, right? Like, not you know what I mean, as far as management goes, but just him and George the Animal and him and the fabulous Moolah and everything for that matter, but with the rubber bands on his face and just 15 or 16 tag team title builders.

He was a guide in light. He was a guide in light, AJ. Yes. I mean, I'd be a liar if I didn't say if I didn't say that he helped me through some tough times. Absolutely. Some of his advice that I he didn't directly give it to me, but I'm sure he pretty much held you, you know, helped you through life too.

So absolutely. He also brought he helped me with my diet, actually. Yeah, you know, I'm I'm on keto again now, and he's the one who first taught us about the the high protein, low carbohydrate diet. I'll never forget it. It was hilarious because he's saying with moolah, and they're both eating like a three, four-foot sub on like a seven-pound roll. Definitely wasn't fucking low carbohydrates, but just so funny. I loved it.

All right, number four to you. Number four, Jesse the Body Ventura, great talker, became governor of Minnesota around the year 2000 in that area, um, as an independent. But um, as a wrestler, he was not very good in the ring, but that we're talking about uh personalities.

Absolutely.

And and Bobby the Brain Heenan said, great talker, great color man, uh, as far as announcing one of the best clarity. The announcer is the guy, the ring announcer, but the guy. Commentator, thank you, sir.

Everyone knows that. Unbelievable. And oh, just whoever he dealt with was just by far one of the best talkers. He's the one who said, What's he gonna do? Strum the rubber bands on his face with Captain Lou on the Rasselin album. All right, number four to me, one of the greats in my mind, and that's Kurt Henning, Mr. Perfect. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame.

I get so humble, I don't know what to say.

I mean to golf an 18 every outing, to bowl a 300 every time, home run every every at bat.

Without a flaw, without a blemish, from top to bottom, everything that I have ever done has been absolutely perfect.

He was I did watch that one. The perfect man, yep. He was a fucking good dude. Um, sad about his losing his kid, and that was rough. Alright, so uh that's number three to you, brother.

I mean Gene Oakulin. I mean, he he was the perfect interviewer. He was so witty, he knew what to say, he knew every time he would play off what the uh wrestler would say, and it he was just so fucking funny every damn time. Yeah. I don't know. Do you remember when he was uh tag team partner with uh Hulk Hogan? Mean Gino Mania, that's what uh Hogan had for sure. I they they played that on the Saturday morning wrestling cartoon.

Yeah, just hilarious, and like you said, just didn't ever miss a beat. Like, talk about Witty, he would finish, like before whoever he was talking to would finish speaking, he'd have the greatest reply or comment that was so fucking funny. Just uh oh, it's about the hair, don't say it.

And you should check out some of his there's not a ton of them, but some of his uh showed interviews because they fucked up in the very beginning of the interview, and then they would just go on and have it like with Kamala. Remember Kamala? Yeah, Gondon Giant. Yep.

Well he says, I don't speak English, you know. What were you doing in that hotel in Chicago, Kamala? I was doing a fucky fucky.

That's one that just oh yeah, I saw a bunch of those. That's a great doc on uh on Peacock about it. Anyway, yeah, he is just unbelievable. The best, greatest voice, too. Like he had the perfect voice for ever just everything he did was was friggin' amazing. Yep. All right, no repeats yet. Well, I'm really surprised, but I'm sure this is gonna wind up maybe being one, but maybe we'll see. Bobby the brain Heenan. I I don't know what I can say about him. I mean, he to me was probably the best manager all time in wrestling.

Just well, the Heenan family was uh was a thing of beauty. They some of the best wrestlers ever. And I don't think they would have been as good as they were without his tutelage. His moves anyway.

His moves in the ring were fucking spectacular. Very funny, too, if you ever watch him. Like he was very sporadic. Remember when they made him he was knocked out and they put the weasel costume on him?

That made me happy. I thought that was very disrespectful if you want to be uh want me to be honest with you, AJ. I'm not really gonna laugh at that. I'm not gonna laugh at that.

It's not to me. He was awesome. Your number two then, brother.

All right, well, AJ, this is kind of on a uh sorry to yell, this is kind of on a tag team thing. So we're gonna have a one and a three A, if you will, because one is what's your number two?

We are on your number two.

Yes. Well, what I'm saying is Piper, Roddy Piper, and then and and and as a uh tag team, Paul Orndorf. I couldn't leave Paul Orndorf off my list, and this is a way with the guidelines we had to put him on the list.

No, absolutely.

That's fine. And and Paul Orndorf was if you ever see the skit where he's in the gym, you'll never look like me, so get that out of your mind. You're pathetic, you know. But Roddy Piper, oh my god. McMahon gave him all the leeway he needed, which he deserved. And uh, you know, he he with Piper's pet, he was very intimidating. And and this is back in when we were finally becoming heels, you know. At first we probably didn't like him, but boy oh boy, he was just on point, and I think he had lip a lot and oh, sure did.

Sure did.

And I still I think Jimmy Snooker still has a headache from the coconut.

You want coconut? We got coconut, you want pineapple.

You know, but uh but he was he had a personality right till the very end.

Oh, he should be.

I mean, he was great on his uh Hall of Fame speech, too. I don't know if you saw that one.

Oh, yeah, it was great. All right, well, here we go. My number two is Mean Gene, so what more can we say about him?

You know, I mean just python.

Oh, just uh and you know what? Well, for an honorable mention ahead of the time, I will say well, nope, who knows? I don't know who your number one's gonna be, so let's just move to that.

Okay, well, I mean, you've already talked about him, and I didn't really want to talk about him much with you because I mean my number one is brother Bobby the Brain Heenan. Brother Brain, yep. The the wrestlers, I mean, I I gotta be honest, like I said, I don't think they would have had the success they did without Brother Brain. Look what he did for Andre the Giant. You know, he brought him to WrestleMania 3. Oh, yeah. And you know, if it wasn't for his bad back and everything, he would have won the title. And uh okay, but seriously though, he that that uh alliance was fun. He just said so many he had so many great wrestlers. I and again, I don't know if they would have got to the heights they did without Brother Brain. And most importantly, um, you know, he he ended up breaking his neck in the ring. I'm not sure the situation and how it happened, but this isn't a it's not a work. He actually broke his neck. And uh, you know, he's gonna be a big thing.

Wait, did you just break Kfabe?

I yeah, I broke K-fabe. Jesus. So anyway, he uh he didn't want to manage anymore because you have to take bumps, which means basically Of course. But the major part of the bump is taking a body slam, a body slam. Those are tough. I mean, I actually a couple friends of mine back in the day in Manchester, they were wrestlers, and I just didn't have the guts to do it. I mean, I'm not Oh really? I just didn't want to be thrown on my back.

But anyway, uh for no reason, I can't imagine why you would.

I know, but I mean I suppose after a while you figure out what to do, but bottom line is the my favorite part of Bobby the Brain Heenan was with Grillamons.

Oh, and that's who I was about to say on an honorable mention earlier, Mark, and shut my mouth so good. I'm glad I did.

But I hate they were just so fun. And talk about uh, you know, you talked about me and Gene Oakland. They played off each other, and they were fucking brilliant together. Brilliant, and you know, and of course, everyone thinks they don't like each other, but they were they loved each other like brothers. And in fact, um during uh Brother Brain's Hall of Fame speech, the last thing he said is, I just wish Monsoon was here.

Oh, yeah.

It was it was it was heart-wrenching when he said that.

Oh, the way they he would all monsoon was uh would always have something to say about what he was wearing. It was just so fucking funny. They were unbelievable together. I can't remember what I mean. There were so many different shows back then. I can't remember if that was Tuesday Night Titans or they had a super superstars, TWF Superstars. That was Monday nights, I think, right?

Yeah, the East. Well, they had it were so many shows back then.

But oh, they were I mean, what a great show.

It's so much better than it is today.

So well, up to my number one. And once again, the reason I kind of laid off and the way the way you snuck a few people in there, I'm gonna do the same thing right here. Because my number one of all time is I came here for two reasons to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum. Fucking rowdy rod Piper. Yeah, they live. What a great movie! What a it's a cult classic, man.

And like you said, the first time I heard of that movie, the first time I heard of that movie was when mom was watching it. What are you watching, Mom?

They live. Then you see Piper and you're hooked, right? Oh yeah. But anyway, so I'm gonna sneak in someone with him, and that is Cowboy Bob Orton, also known as Ace, um, his bodyguard. They were spectacular together, always with each other. Just Piper's pit alone. It just I look so forward to that every time. Uh one of my favorite episodes, I mean, the snooker one is obviously we'll go down in history, but I loved when Frank Williams was on the job. And have you ever won a match? You know, you know, and just what does he say? He says, you say it. I don't run for nobody. That's great. You got room for nobody.

I got no room for nobody. You got no room for nobody. That's a wonderful thing. You got no room for nobody, but you're a lousy wrestler. That's as simple as that. I might be a lousy wrestler, but I'm still in there. I got not a pay or nobody.

And oh, he just the when he starts telling him he, you know, I've never lost a match.

And he never lost a match.

But just every I mean, there was so much with him involved in, and the way McMahon gave him leeway was just I mean, his ad libbing was second to none. Oh, he was just awesome. All right. Well, I guess that about wraps it up. Thank you, Mark.

Oh, you're welcome, AJ. That was a lot of fun tonight, man. It brought me back. And let me tell you, you pencil that king, I'm so happy you joined us.

Awesome. Well, thank you, listeners. We appreciate you joining us here on Past Time Division, and we hope this video again real time.