1. Steve Austin
   Mr. Perfect
2. Ted DiBiase
   Hillbilly Jim

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin was a bombastic, beer-drinking, head-thumping man of the people. He operated equally well as hero or heel.

1. Mr. Perfect
   George Steele
2. Andre the Giant
   Demolition Crash

Mr. Perfect or Curtis Michael Hennig holds the 7th longest AWA World Heavyweight Champion title in history.

1. Rick Rude
   Brutus Beefcake
2. Mr. Perfect
   Ultimate Warrior

Ultie was an odd character, full of bombast and semi-intelligible commentary. And face paint, of course.

1. Boris Zhukov
   Hillbilly Jim
2. Iron Sheik
   Tatanka

This caricature of a Middle Eastern bad guy was often paired with other heels like Volkoff to really get the boos going. The '80s were a strange decade.

1. Stacy Keibler
   Fabulous Moolah
2. Nicole Bass
   Victoria

The Fabulous Moolah was the godmother of today's female wrestlers, stemming from an age when the ladies were supposed to be tough rather than model-pretty.

1. Diamond Dallas Page
   Dusty Rhodes
2. Ric Flair
   Shawn Michaels

Dusty was a really odd character. He'd show up to the ring in Vegas-style satin robes and affect a very dandyish appearance, then beat the stuffing out of guys far more fit than he was.

1. Black Bart
   Ric Flair
2. Randy Savage
   Brooklyn Brawler

The Brawler was a heel named Steve Lombardi before he tried to invent this character, but it never caught on very well.

1. Ted DiBiase
   Arn Anderson
2. Curt Hennig
   Dusty Rhodes

Ted, the "Million Dollar Man" was a physical wreck, but he would "pay" to have other wrestlers do his dirty work. He did have "The Million Dollar Dream" submission move, which was pretty nifty.

1. Roddy Piper
   Rick Rude
2. Brutus Beefcake
   Randy Savage

Easily my all-time favorite, Rowdy Roddy was a bagpipe-playing lunatic who doubled as a movie star in flicks like "Hell Comes To Frogtown" and "They Live."

1. Brutus Beefcake
   Greg Valentine
2. Curt Hennig
   Randy Savage

Randy "Macho Man" Savage was tremendously entertaining, and even earned a role in the first "Spider-Man" movie, playing a wrestler named Bone Saw McGraw. He was also a voice actor in Disney's animated film, "Bolt," believe it or not!

1. Lex Luger
   Ultimate Warrior
2. Mr. Perfect
   Rick Rude

"Ravishing" Rick Rude is, to me, memorable for one thing: He had the best "pain face" in the business. He'd hold his back and grimace in a way that made you think he was near death.

1. Randy Savage
   Rick Martel
2. Rick Rude
   Owen Hart

Was there a better head of '80s hair than Martel's? I noticed he never took on Brutus the Barber ...

1. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
   Hillbilly Jim
2. Big Boss Man
   Demolition Crash

Hillbilly Jim was a naked attempt to cash in on the popularity of Jim Duggan, but he never quite resonated with the WWF fans.

1. Bret Hart
   Rick Rude
2. The Undertaker
   Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Jake didn't really LOOK like a wrestler - more like a biker hanging around outside a country bar. But somehow he made it to the top echelon, and it was always fun when he brought his python out of its burlap sack.

1. Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
   Macho Man Randy Savage
2. Ravishing Rick Rude
   Hulk Hogan

It's no stretch to say that the WWF wouldn't have reached its apex without the Hulkster. Every kid had at least one of the yellow shirts, although their moms got annoyed when they ripped them off.

1. Haku
   Tama
2. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
   Tonga Boy

Jimmy was the master of the top-rope launch maneuver, often going from turnbuckle to turnbuckle to throw himself at much larger opponents.

1. Greg Valentine
   Mr. Perfect
2. Roddy Piper
   Bam Bam Bigelow

Valentine was the master of the figure-four leg lock, which is surely equal to being CEO of a Fortune 500 company on a resume.

1. Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
   Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
2. Rick Rude
   Bret Hart

Bret was a fierce talent, with physical prowess to match a bombastic personality. His signature "Sharpshooter" move was always a crowd pleaser.

1. Hillbilly Jim
   Jim Duggan
2. Sheepherder Ray
   Koko B. Ware

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan was one of my favorites, a 2x4-toting redneck who at times seemed impervious to pain. It's been quite a life for this man, who was a member of the chess club in high school.

1. Junkyard Dog
   Koko B. Ware
2. Lex Luger
   Dustin Rhodes

Koko was never that great a wrestler, but his penchant for exotic birds and flamboyant ring personality made him a crowd favorite right up until he was (almost always) pinned.

1. Koko B. Ware
   Don Muraco
2. Ted DiBiase
   Mil Mascaras

Don didn't have much of a persona, but he made up for that with what might well be the largest set of pectoral muscles in history.

1. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
   Ricky Steamboat
2. Tatanka
   Koko B. Ware

Ricky was another of the high-flying competitors of the WWF, more at home on the top turnbuckle than on the mat itself. He used to spit flame before and after matches.

1. Tatanka
   Paul Orndorff
2. King Kong Bundy
   Boris Zhukov

Wrestling as "Mr. Wonderful," Orndorff famously teamed up with Hulk Hogan to take on King Kong Bundy and Big John Studd.

1. Ric Flair
   Hacksaw Jim Duggan
2. Pat Patterson
   Jimmy Snuka

Pat was an old-school brawler from the days before spangly tights. He appealed to the older generation, but didn't last too long in the flashy '80s.

1. Mil Mascaras
   Haku
2. Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
   Tito Santana

Tito was not the biggest or the strongest, but his sheer acrobatic athleticism kept him at the top of the talent list for years.

1. Koko B. Ware
   Tito Santana
2. Charles Atlas
   Junkyard Dog

I once ran into JYD in the Atlanta airport. He was a polite and gentlemanly fellow, and had his famous steel neck chains in a carry-on satchel.

1. Junkyard Dog
   Tama
2. Hurricane
   Bad News Brown

A professionally trained judoka, Bad News Brown wasn't a heel, but he was the angriest dude in the WWF. As Allen Coage, he was the first African American to win an Olympic medal in judo, at the 1976 Montreal Summer Games.

1. Ted DiBiase
   Shawn Michaels
2. Dusty Rhodes
   Terry Gordy

Terry was another member of the Fabulous Freebirds, a big, hulking redneck type often seen in a Confederate flag T-shirt.

1. Michael Hayes
   Owen Hart
2. Bret Hart
   Dustin Rhodes

Michael never made a huge name for himself solo, but as part of the Fabulous Freebirds he was a huge star. Ever seen "Highlander"? That's the Freebirds in the ring in the beginning!

1. Tony Atlas
   The Undertaker
2. Haku
   Randy Savage

Tony was another old-line wrestler who made the transition to the flashy '80s. His physique was flawless, but he didn't have the flashy image that the '80s demanded.

1. Andre the Giant
   Hulk Hogan
2. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
   Junkyard Dog

If you don't know Andre from wrestling, you might recognize him from "The Princess Bride." He was quite a cultured fellow!

1. Nikolai Volkoff
   Boris Zhukov
2. The Iron Sheik
   Hillbilly Jim

The Russians were the global bad guys in the '80s, so Volkoff made waves as a beefy, doughy heel.

1. Big John Studd
   Dino Bravo
2. Iron Sheik
   Jesse Ventura

Dino's life after wrestling may have been more interesting than his time in the ring. Related by marriage to the Canadian mob, he allegedly got involved in smuggling and was killed when he crossed the wrong people.

1. Bam Bam Bigelow
   The Four Horsemen
2. The Fabulous Thunderbirds
   Demolition

Demolition was one of the most impressive tag teams (later trios) in the WWE, despite the fact they had pronounced beer bellies in the ring.

1. Yokozuna
   Andre the Giant
2. Killer Khan
   Nikolai Volkoff

The history of WWE ethnic wrestlers is largely one of caricature and stereotype, and Khan fit that bill perfectly.

1. Arn Anderson
   Ric Flair
2. Ole Anderson
   Matt Windham

As an original member of The Four Horsemen, Arn was part of one of the biggest gangs in the early WWE. He's now an author, believe it or not.

1. Big John Studd
   George Steele
2. Dusty Rhodes
   Jesse Ventura

Jesse rode Arnold Schwarzenegger's coattails into the movie business before jumping to politics, even becoming governor of Minnesota. Pretty good for a guy who called himself "The Body."

1. Ivan Putski
   Nikolai Volkoff
2. Boris Zhukov
   Big Boss Man

Ivan was about as wide as he was tall, but the Polish Hammer could really deliver a blow with the best of them.

1. King Kong Bundy
   Bam Bam Bigelow
2. Hurricane
   Akeem

Formerly known as One Man Gang, Akeem the African Dream was a middling talented giant whose favorite moves involved dropping his porcine bulk onto supine opponents.

1. Ron Bass
   Black Bart
2. Barry Windham
   Ted DiBiase

Bass adopted a fairly generic "outlaw" personality, entering the ring to the sound of a bullwhip cracking. He had his greatest success tag teaming with his brother Don before going solo.