Browsing: Famous

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The 1980s were an important time in the history of pro wrestling, marked by the rise of Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation and the death of the territory system. The decade brought about Hulk-A-Mania, the creation of WrestleMania, and the introduction of pay-per-view as a new revenue stream. However, none of that would’ve had an impact if it weren’t for the cast of larger-than-life characters who populated wrestling TV at the time.

Sadly, many of the era’s biggest stars died young, and icons such as Andre the Giant, “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, and Hulk Hogan are no longer with us. With that acknowledged, there are still plenty of wrestling legends who are still around, maintaining public exposure through social media, convention appearances, and other means. Let’s take a look at some of the top stars from the 1980s and what they’re up to in the modern era.

Jesse Ventura – Return to Commentary

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After making a name for himself in the ring, Jesse “The Body” Ventura became known as one of the most recognizable voices in the industry, doing commentary for McMahon’s WWF throughout much of the decade. He also became known for roles in movies like “Predator” and “The Running Man,” both of which saw him co-starring alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger.

A disagreement over royalties led to Ventura leaving the WWF in 1990. While also continuing to act and picking up work as a commentator in WCW, Ventura entered politics the same year that he left McMahon’s company. Ventura first became mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Eight years later, he was elected governor of Minnesota, and served in that office for one term before deciding he’d had enough.

Following his term as governor, Ventura continued acting as well as becoming a political pundit and author. He’d eventually repair his relationship with the renamed WWE and be inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame. As of 2025, Ventura had even returned to the commentary desk for WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Ricky Steamboat – Living the Life of a Wrestling Legend

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Best known for his trilogy of acclaimed matches with Ric Flair, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat spent the first half of the 1980s in the NWA’s Jim Crockett Promotions before joining the WWF in 1985. Over the next several decades, Steamboat worked in a variety of companies and retired from in-ring action several times, while also taking a backstage job in WWE for a time.

Steamboat made the first in a series of appearances for All Elite Wrestling a few years back, serving as a guest timekeeper in a match between “The American Dragon” Bryan Danielson and Daniel Garcia. He’s since served as a timekeeper, an outside enforcer, and a commentator for the promotion. In 2022, Steamboat ended a 12-year in-ring absence when he teamed up with AEW tag team FTR to wrestle Nick Aldis, Jay Lethal, and Brock Anderson at an independent show in North Carolina. Today, as is the case with many of his peers, Steamboat can often be found doing signings on the convention circuit.

Jake The Snake Roberts – Onscreen Manager

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With his memorable (and terrifying) snake gimmick, Jake Roberts cemented himself as one of the best wrestling villains of his time. Offscreen, Roberts had just as many demons to battle. Following the height of his fame, Roberts continued wrestling but descended into addiction as well, and it nearly wound up costing him his life. He eventually got help from former WCW star “Diamond” Dallas Page, with Roberts’ sobriety journey recorded in the 2015 documentary “The Resurrection of Jake the Snake.”

Like Steamboat, Roberts has become associated with AEW in recent years, though Roberts had taken on a much larger role with the promotion. In 2020, he began acting as the onscreen manager for Lance Archer, which lasted for several years. Following a short-lived stint managing Los Faccion Ingobernables, Roberts hasn’t appeared on AEW TV since late 2024.

Wendi Richter – Occupational Therapist

In the 1980s, Wendi Richter was known as one of the biggest names in women’s wrestling. She quite possibly could’ve crossed over and became a mainstream star, as she had plenty of exposure during the WWF’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling era and worked closely with pop star Cyndi Lauper onscreen. However, a fateful decision made by McMahon resulted in Richter being screwed out of the championship by The Fabulous Moolah and left out of the creative picture. Immediately after this happened in 1985, Richter left the company.

Richter continued wrestling for years after that, and she was eventually inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2010. Following some time spent as a real estate agent, Richter now works as an occupational therapist. In the summer of 2025, Richter reportedly lost her home in a fire, with the Cauliflower Alley Club establishing a fundraiser to help the former WWE star.

Bob Backlund – Retired in Florida

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From the late 1970s through the early ’80s, Bob Backlund was one of the top stars in the WWF. However, when Vince K. McMahon took over from his father, Backlund found himself on borrowed time, as Hulk Hogan was destined to become the next face of the company.

After dropping the world title to the Iron Sheik in 1983, and Sheik promptly losing to Hogan, Backlund left the WWF. He’d wrestle on and off for the next several decades, including several returns to the WWF and an eventual Hall of Fame induction. In 2016, he made a more substantial return to WWE TV, acting as the manager for wrestler Darren Young.

Over the years, Backlund stayed busy with other projects as well. He acted, made guest appearances on MTV shows, and even tried his hand at politics. However, Backlund failed in his 2000 bid for the House of Representatives.

These days, Backlund is living in quiet retirement. Reports emerged in 2024 stating that the WWE Hall of Famer was sadly suffering from dementia, and Backlund had started living with his sister in Florida.

Ted DiBiase – Caught Up in Financial Scandal

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For much of the 1980s, Ted DiBiase built out his reputation as an excellent wrestler and talker, working across the NWA and around the world. His persona took off even further when he signed with McMahon in 1987 and joined the WWF, becoming a top star there near the end of the decade. He stayed with the company until 1996, when he joined WCW before later returning to WWE for an onscreen and behind-the-scenes position.

Known as “The Million Dollar Man,” it’s ironic that DiBiase has been closely associated with money throughout his wrestling career, as his family has become embroiled in a welfare fraud scandal in recent years. In 2020, reports emerged claiming that Ted’s son Brett DiBiase, who was deputy administrator of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, handed out more than $2 million in welfare funds to Ted’s ministry. The scandal was widespread, involving figures ranging from former NFL quarterback Brett Favre to Brett’s brother, Ted Jr., and members of the DiBiase family could still be served jail time over the incident.

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Don’t call them “signature holes.”

Bandon Dunes doesn’t. The famed Oregon resort prefers not to play favorites. To single out one hole, the thinking goes, is to miss the larger beauty of the place — like admiring one seaside dune and ignoring the ocean.

Still, let’s be real. Some holes stand out.

Take the par-4 16th on the original Bandon Dunes course, a drivable stunner that’s appeared in countless Instagram feeds and resort brochures. Not a “signature,” maybe. But certainly a star.

Then there’s the 3rd at Old Macdonald — a 375-yard par 4 known simply as Ghost Tree. It takes its name from the bleached Port Orford cedar that rises, eerily and unavoidably, in the middle of your view from the tee. The tree is long dead, but it’s a living landmark in the minds of many golfers.

Like all the holes at Old Mac, No. 3 borrows from a classic C.B. Macdonald template. In this case, it’s a “Sahara,” playing up and over a ridge before plunging toward the green. The Ghost Tree defines your decision: aim left of it for the bold route that brings sand and scrub into play — or bail out right to a broad fairway that leaves a tougher approach that brings a meddlesome bunker into play.

The green is massive and full of motion, demanding precision if you want a realistic run at birdie.

So, no, it’s not a “signature hole.” But it’s one you’ll never forget. For a closer look at the design, strategy and shotmaking it inspires, check out the video above.

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WWE Chief Content Officer Paul “Triple H” Levesque has firmly established himself as the corporate face of WWE since taking over the creative direction of the company back in 2022. However, the former WWE Champion reportedly has aspirations of being on the level of another famous promoter who has arguably become the face of their entire organization.

In the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, Dave Meltzer has reported that sources within WWE believe that Levesque wants to become the WWE equivalent of UFC President Dana White, to the point where one person used the term “Dana-envy” when describing the situation. Levesque, who did say at one point in time that he doesn’t like being in the spotlight, wants to be positioned as the biggest star of the WWE brand in the eyes of the audience, but he might not be the only one who wants that to happen.

Meltzer noted that TKO might want Levesque to be the face of WWE as he will be the one constant presence within the company as wrestlers will come and go. This idea would effectively rule out someone like Cody Rhodes or Roman Reigns, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s schedule is too busy to be that guy as well, WWE President Nick Khan likes to keep a low profile.

Despite wanting to be the Dana White of WWE, Meltzer reported that Levesque has missed some shows recently, with a source close to Levesque claiming that his recent string of absences have been planned in advance. With that said, some people within WWE believe that a number of the shows Levesque hasn’t attended that haven’t been reported on has been due to his political priorities, but Levesque’s source claims that isn’t true either.

Is Paul Levesque Hurting WWE?

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The sources within WWE who told Meltzer that Levesque’s political commitments are the reason why he hasn’t been at certain shows, and the fact that he wants to be Dana White have actually started hurting the company. However, someone who is in a position of power in WWE told Meltzer that Levesque’s desire to be WWE’s Dana White isn’t hurting the company at all, and that the on-screen product wouldn’t change if Levesque was around 24/7 or micro-managing everything in the same way that Vince McMahon used to.

A number of people in WWE have stated that the company is in a much better place with Levesque in charge and that Levesque stays on top of the product despite not being at every show, as opposed to McMahon who was described as a dictator. With that said, a source within WWE did question Levesque’s motives as a booker and that he might care more about how a match, segment, or story looks on the “WWE Unreal” documentary on Netflix, rather than how it looks as it’s happening.

Meltzer did note that Levesque doesn’t really need to deliver a top of the range product right now due to how much money WWE is making. He believes that Levesque is able to hold off on major moments and matches, and has no pressure to drive up gate numbers at events because they are breaking records on a monthly basis. Meltzer rounded off by saying that with less house shows and non-televised live events, Levesque has no reason to give everything he has got creatively at every show, especially when the live events that the company does run makes more money than they had done when McMahon was in charge of the company.

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Karrion Kross has revealed a weird talent relations interaction in WWE.

The former WWE star and his wife, Scarlett, recently had an interview with Chris Van Vliet. They talked about things such as their contract negotiations before leaving the company, working with Final Testament and more.

During the interview, the former NXT champion also discussed the infamous worked-shoot promo that went viral around the WrestleMania 41 weekend.

Kross revealed some previously unknown details about how the people within the company reacted to the promo, mentioning that someone from talent relations reached out to him the night after:

“I get a phone call from somebody in talent relations, and he says, ‘Creative is not happy. Thereâ€s heat. Theyâ€re pissed.â€

I was like, Well, I apologize about that. Let me go take care of that right now. I have a great relationship with them. Theyâ€re right across the hall. Heâ€s like uh, I said, ‘No, no, dude, this is my fault. Let me take care of it. No problem.—

What’s Going On?: Karrion Kross

Not wanting to be on bad terms with the creative, Karrion Kross talked to writers in person. Things got weird, however, when the writers denied being mad about the whole thing and the wrestling star eventually learned that it was Triple H who was unhappy:

“I go across the hall. I speak to some of the writers, explain everything. Theyâ€re like, ‘We have no idea what youâ€re talking about. We havenâ€t talked to that guy in two weeks.†Some of them didnâ€t even see it. So I was like, Whatâ€s going on here?

So I walk around the building and just looking at everything, everyoneâ€s saying, Hello, everything feels fine. I call him back, no answer. The next day, no answer. I think it was like the third day he finally picked up. Heâ€s like, ‘Yeah, I shouldnâ€t have said it that way. I apologize; it was actually Hunter.†“

Karrion Kross revealed that the person never spoke to Triple H to clear his standing. The former champion did eventually get to talk to the WWE Executive and cleared the air on the viral promo. According to Kross, The Game understood where he was coming from and was cool about the whole thing.

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One of the most legendary moments of Mark Henry’s career was the fake retirement speech he conducted on “WWE Raw” in 2013, where he turned heel and delivered the World’s Strongest Slam on John Cena. Henry’s actions would lead to a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity against Cena at Money In The Bank later that year, but he would fail to defeat the “Never Seen 17” on the night, a decision that was heavily criticized by the WWE Universe. To this day, many believe that Money In The Bank should’ve been the beginning of Henry’s second run with the championship, and during an interview with “Isiah Madrigal,” the “The World’s Strongest Man” reflected on not emerging victorious at the event, and revealed when Cena learned about the fake retirement.

“A lot of people were mad at the WWE,” Henry stated. “I did not take the opportunity to win the title and to run with it. At that time, I was very injured and I told them, I was like look man, I really did want to retire and Vince McMahon talked me out of retiring … He’s like, let’s just keep it going and then you retire and let it be a real retirement. I want you to really get into it and that’s what happened. That’s how it all came about and I really was retiring. That was my real retirement speech. When I went in the Hall Of Fame, I added to it, but I never did another retirement speech because the one that I did was impossible to top … John Cena didn’t know until I went out to the ring and they were talking to him behind in the back.”

Henry explained that almost nobody was aware of his fake retirement speech, with most of WWE and even his wife discovering that he would continue wrestling when the segment aired live on “Raw.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “Isiah Madrigal” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

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There are few mascots in world football as instantly recognisable asMefi– the eagle of OGC Nice, who mirrors the clubâ€s crest and performs a dramatic flight around the Allianz Riviera before kick-off.

The spectacle was once again on show ahead of Niceâ€s Europa League clash with AS Roma on Thursday, but what was supposed to be a display of power and pride quickly turned into a far more comical scene.

As Mefi swooped down towards her trainer, who was preparing to hand her a treat, one of the pitch sprinklers suddenly roared to life at full blast. Both bird and trainer were instantly soaked, the jets firing with such force that the trainer was left scrambling to pull out his drenched in-ear headphones.

Poor Mefi. / Jonathan Moscrop/GettyImages

For a split second he looked completely taken aback, before breaking into a smile and giving the crowd a reassuring thumbs-up. Remarkably, Mefi herself seemed unbothered by the sudden soaking, continuing her routine with poise – though itâ€s safe to assume the eagle didnâ€t enjoy the mistimed shower.

The mishap drew plenty of laughter, but for Franck Haiseâ€s side the night went downhill from there. Nice slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Roma, watched on by owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe – whose INEOS group also owns Manchester United.

Just as Mefiâ€s pre-match plan went awry, so too did Niceâ€s, leaving the home supporters drenched in disappointment rather than celebration.

Nice’s eagle, Mèfi, got blasted by the pitch sprinkler pre-game 😭 pic.twitter.com/Ui3b1BHGcq

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 24, 2025

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An image of Bird remaining in the middle, sitting on the covers and surrounded by spectators, not only foreshadowed some of the events that would follow, but also his closeness to the cricketing public who appreciated his good-humoured nature.

In 1988, with England taking on West Indies at Headingley, Bird had to deal with play being halted by water oozing from under the outfield. With the Yorkshire crowd keen to make their frustration known, Bird left the field, telling them: “I can’t help it if there’s a burst pipe. There’s water coming up. It’s not my fault, that.”

Again it was West Indies as England’s opponents, this time in 1995, when Bird led the players from the field at Old Trafford because bright sunlight was reflecting into the middle and causing a distraction. “There’s something shining inside your box,” Bird shouted towards the posh seats as he once more took the ire of the crowd.

The chaotic moments took nothing away from the respect Bird commanded as an official. If anything, they helped to grow his reputation. He was chosen to stand in the first three World Cup finals, all held at Lord’s, in 1975, 1979 and 1983. The 1975 final, won by Clive Lloyd’s West Indians, provided one of Bird’s most famous stories.

When fans invaded the pitch after the Windies defeated Australia by 17 runs, Bird’s famous white hat – specially made by a firm in Luton – was taken from his head.

“I was on a London bus some years after,” Bird told the Test Match Special podcast in June of this year.

“I don’t know what I was doing on a London bus, but I saw a bus conductor with a white cap that looked like one of mine.

“I said ‘Excuse me, man, where did you get that white cap?’. He said ‘Haven’t you heard of Mr Dickie Bird, I pinched it off his head in the 1975 World Cup final!’.”

Beloved by players, even those frustrated by his reluctance to give lbw decisions, Bird was also the subject of countless pranks.

Once, when Bird was standing, former England batter Allan Lamb came to the middle. Perhaps with some artistic licence, Bird claimed that Lamb had forgotten to leave his mobile phone in the dressing room, and persuaded the umpire to look after it for him. This was in the days when mobile phones were not particularly small and not easily ignored.

In an oft-repeated story, Bird said he was at square leg when the phone rang. He answered and a familiar voice boomed down the line.

“This is Ian Botham in the dressing room. Tell that fella Lamb to play some shots or get out.”

When Bird ended his career as an international umpire in 1996, his 66 Tests was then a world record. He was given a guard of honour by the players of England and India as he stepped on to the Lord’s outfield for his final Test.

With tears in his eyes, famous not-outer Bird proceeded to give a marginal lbw against England captain Michael Atherton in the first over of the match.

Even in retirement, Bird’s celebrity status remained undiminished. He released bestselling books and became a fixture on the speaking circuit.

After being awarded an MBE in 1986, he was given an OBE in 2012. In an interview with the Telegraph in 2023, Bird revealed he met Queen Elizabeth II on 29 occasions, saying that the two wrote to each other frequently.

Always worried about being late, Bird was once invited to a 1pm lunch at Buckingham Palace and arrived at the gates at 8.45am.

Bird was immortalised by a statue in Barnsley in 2009, albeit the statue had to be lifted above ground level four years later because his raised umpiring finger would regularly be adorned with rude objects.

Bird never married, instead saying he was married to cricket. “The one thing I’ve missed is not having a family,” he said. “I think I’d have made a good father. But I’ve seen so many divorces in cricket, and I’m the kind of chap, it would have killed me if I’d had a broken marriage. That’s why I never married.”

He remained a constant presence at Headingley, where he paid for a balcony outside the dressing room for the players to sit and watch the game. Both the balcony and a clock at the ground bear his name.

Those tangible memories will endure as part of the legacy of one of British sport’s great characters. Dickie Bird remains one of the most famous cricketing figures the UK has ever produced without ever making a run for England.

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The first tee sign at Bethpage Black, which reads, “WARNING – The Black Course Is An Extremely Difficult Course Which…

The year was 1988. The sports card industry was booming, led by Topps, Donruss and Fleer. A new company called…

Cole Palmer has found himself in a legal tussle most football fans never expected: the Chelsea star is going head-to-head with Château Palmer, a prestigious French vineyard, over his attempt to trademark his nickname.

The England midfielder had applied to trademark his iconic “ice cold†goal celebration and accompanying moniker “Cold Palmer”, aiming to launch a range of products including clothing, toiletries, and even alcoholic drinks, according to The Sun.

However, the Bordeaux-based vineyard, whose bottles can sell for thousands of pounds, has formally opposed the application, arguing that Palmerâ€s plans could infringe on their established brand.

The dispute is now with the UK Intellectual Property Office, which will review submissions from both sides before making a ruling.

Cole Palmer wants to trademark his “ice cold” celebration. / David Rogers/GettyImages

The wine firm was founded in 1814 after British Army officer Charles Palmer acquired the estate, known at the time as Château de Gascq. He late expanded the vineyards and renamed it after himself.

Cole Palmer, meanwhile, is better known for his sparkling performances on the football pitch than his interest in wine. But in this legal showdown – Palmer vs. Palmer, Claret vs. Blue – his on-field brilliance might not be enough to tip the scales.

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